Aya can't see what's happening anymore, but she can still hear. She hears Marui and Flayn cheering, hears Nami yelling at her from the sidelines not to forget her objective, hears Niou calling the point. Ironically, the one voice she should be listening for most, Sanada's call to her, is the one that fails to register, and it leaves her feeling so isolated on the court.
But as she listens to him speak to Flayn across the court, a fluttery warmth spreads through her insides, and she remembers all over again why she fell in love with this man in the first place: his earnestness; his integrity; his kindness; his dependability. He didn't have to tell Flayn how his tennis worked or what he was about to test her with, but he did. And it keeps Aya in the game, too, aware of what's happening, and the simple fact that Sanada was indeed still standing there beside her, carrying them both while she can't fight herself.
And Flayn! There she is in this match, completely out of her depth with Sanada and Yukimura on the court with her, and just listen to how she's pushing forward, undeterred by the point scored against her. Aya is so proud of her determination. And if Sanada called Forest, that meant she'd managed to return Wind...!
Aya becomes vaguely aware that her feet are moving, and pieces together that it must be Sanada. Right, it's time to change court... Sanada secured that game for them. His determination is something else, too. It's a little shaming, isn't it? Was she the weakest spirit in this match? In that case, maybe Flayn wasn't the only one with some things to learn here.
She thinks again back to the cheer of success Flayn cried with her return, how happy she sounded even as she lost the point. That's right, it's not about winning the match for her. It's about the chance to play with friends, and to become stronger in this shared sport. Flayn would rather lose as a participant than win as a bystander.
What's her objective? What does she want most from this match?
She wants to savor this chance to partner with Sanada and directly support him. This is such a rare chance to play tennis with him! It made her so happy when she realized Yukimura was setting them up to be the opponents, happy like Flayn sounded now to simply be out here.
How funny, that warm feeling is surfacing at her skin now, and concentrated with a gentle pressure around her shoulders. Sanada...
She draws in a quiet gasp, and her hand reaches up, covering Sanada's at her shoulder and squeezing.
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But as she listens to him speak to Flayn across the court, a fluttery warmth spreads through her insides, and she remembers all over again why she fell in love with this man in the first place: his earnestness; his integrity; his kindness; his dependability. He didn't have to tell Flayn how his tennis worked or what he was about to test her with, but he did. And it keeps Aya in the game, too, aware of what's happening, and the simple fact that Sanada was indeed still standing there beside her, carrying them both while she can't fight herself.
And Flayn! There she is in this match, completely out of her depth with Sanada and Yukimura on the court with her, and just listen to how she's pushing forward, undeterred by the point scored against her. Aya is so proud of her determination. And if Sanada called Forest, that meant she'd managed to return Wind...!
Aya becomes vaguely aware that her feet are moving, and pieces together that it must be Sanada. Right, it's time to change court... Sanada secured that game for them. His determination is something else, too. It's a little shaming, isn't it? Was she the weakest spirit in this match? In that case, maybe Flayn wasn't the only one with some things to learn here.
She thinks again back to the cheer of success Flayn cried with her return, how happy she sounded even as she lost the point. That's right, it's not about winning the match for her. It's about the chance to play with friends, and to become stronger in this shared sport. Flayn would rather lose as a participant than win as a bystander.
What's her objective? What does she want most from this match?
She wants to savor this chance to partner with Sanada and directly support him. This is such a rare chance to play tennis with him! It made her so happy when she realized Yukimura was setting them up to be the opponents, happy like Flayn sounded now to simply be out here.
How funny, that warm feeling is surfacing at her skin now, and concentrated with a gentle pressure around her shoulders. Sanada...
She draws in a quiet gasp, and her hand reaches up, covering Sanada's at her shoulder and squeezing.
She can feel him.