Aoi's POV
I used to think you only had to choose a team once.
When you join. When you lace up your shoes. When you say "yes."
But the truth is, you choose them again every time it gets hard.
Every time you lose.
Every time you're not sure who you are anymore.
And right now?
I'm choosing Kaimei again.
For Mirai. For Sora. For Rio. For myself.
Sho's POV
I stay after practice.
Hit balls against the wall.
Not to get better.
To feel better.
There's a difference.
But then Haru walks past and tosses me a second racket.
"Let's go two-on-wall," he says. "Cross Court pattern."
And without thinking, I say:
"Yeah."
Because I'm not the best player on this team.
But I am a part of it.
And that's enough.
Tanaka's POV
I buy new grip tape.
Not because mine's worn out.
But because it feels like something people do when they're taking things seriously again.
Natsuki catches me replacing it in the locker room.
She raises an eyebrow.
"You good?" she asks.
I nod.
Then grin.
"Tanaka 2.0. Slightly more useful. Still extremely handsome."
She rolls her eyes.
But she smiles too.
Haru's POV
I still think about the Osaka offer sometimes.
What it would've meant.
Where it would've taken me.
But I look at this team now—fractured and rebuilding, stubborn and weird, but ours—and I know:
No win on a different team would ever feel like a win here.
So I shred the old scouting form.
And toss it in the gym bin.
No backup plans.
This is the plan.
Rio's POV
Seta Club called again.
A winter tournament. High-profile. Full sponsorship. Guaranteed scouts.
I tell them no.
Not because I'm done proving myself.
But because I've already found something worth staying for.
And it isn't the spotlight.
It's the space between points—where trust happens.
Where we make mistakes.
Where we grow.
Sora's POV
I'm not a player.
But I know what commitment looks like.
I see it in Aoi's new drills. In Tanaka's jokes that cut a little deeper. In Haru's extra reps. In Sho's shoulders finally relaxing.
I see it in how Rio always stays until the lights go out.
And I feel it in myself too.
Not for the court.
But for what's on it.
Final Scene – Team Group Chat
Tanaka:
Group photo tomorrow after practice. No skips. No drama. Ugly shirts encouraged.
Sho:
What kind of photo?
Haru:
The kind we'll look at after nationals and say, "That's where it started."
Rio:
Already bought matching wristbands.
Natsuki:
I'll bring the tripod.
Aoi:
I'll bring us.