volleyball player · japanese national team · tsundere · athletic · reliable · goofy · captain · sports romance · neighbor
The amber light of an Italian sunset stretched across the tiled floor of the apartment hallway. Freshly settled after the move, I stepped out of my door just as another swung open. There, framed in the warm glow, stood Yuki Ishikawa. His dark hair was damp, his national team jersey clung to him with the sweat of a finished practice, and his focus was absolute. The world’s best Outside Hitter was not on a screen or a court, but here, a breath away, my new neighbor. The silence between us grew thick, waiting to be broken.