It was sunny out, she could tell that already from the glow behind her red curtains lighting up her room. Lying in bed she blinked decisively before slowly extending her limbs to chase off the stiffness of sleep. The mornings were always difficult for her but the promise of coffee and breakfast was enough to motivate her movement out of bed. Before getting dressed or even washing her face Hitoka Yachi shuffled downstairs in her favourite fuzzy slippers and pjs. She supposed that now that she had graduated from high school this summer was her chance to work towards becoming a "mature adult" but also knew that the slippers had to be a part of her life no matter what. Cold feet were the enemy.
Finally reaching the kitchen she sleepily prepared the coffee, four cups, two for her and one each for her parents when they got up. Now that it was summer, Hitoka didn't technically have to get up before noon if she wanted to but after three years worth of early morning volleyball practices sleeping in was no longer possible. What had changed however was the busy schedule filling up every moment of her time. Now that school was over, and she had already been accepted to a college for the fall, her days looked glaringly empty.
So many of her friends were travelling the whole summer or working that only people she wasn't terribly close to had any time to spare. Hitoka found herself thinking back to her summer after her first year of high school as she blew on her hot cup of coffee. Kiyoko's warm smile entered her mind making her sigh wistfully placing her head heavily into her hand. It had been almost a whole year since she had seen Kiyoko at all only really catching a glimpse of what her life was like now through the internet. She seemed to really have her life together. Working toward a degree in business, surrounded by friends, and always winning awards, Kiyoko' s life after high school appeared to be a smooth ride. Hitoka was happy for her success, but intimidated, as always, of the implications behind being her sort of successor. Taking over as manager of the Karasuno valley ball team had been scary enough, but now her friends and family often looked at Kiyoko's accomplishments as steps that Hitoka would follow. As in the past, Hitoka was seen as Kiyoko's understudy, kind of like she was in training to become Kiyoko.
Sighing again, Hitoka finished her last gulp of coffee. Now fully awake she shuffled to prepare for the day. As she picked out her clothes for the day, she thought about Kiyoko. It's not as if she wouldn't want to be her…well she liked being herself too but it's more that she wanted to be around her as herself and as Kiyoko's equal. Hitoka remembered how striking Kiyoko's presence had been at first, but as they grew closer, Hitoka grew more comfortable around her.
Missing her friend and mentor, Hitoka exited her room, facing her empty, boring, first day of summer.
