Chapter 1: 1.
"You were flirting with the new PT." Toshiyuki stated matter of factly as he slid into step beside Airi who had just exited the locker rooms.
"Whatever you say." The woman sighed, undoing her ponytail and combing through her curls with her fingers.
"You were playfully shoving each other during the match. It was distracting." The man pressed on, annoyance apparent in his tone as the pair stepped into the bus that was going to take them to the train station.
"Oh really? Distracting enough for you to serve a ball straight into his face? And here I thought the team recruited you for the accuracy of your serves. I guess I should take note of that." Airi answered back with indifference.
"That is beside the point. He has no business staying that close to you during the game." Toshiyuki huffed.
"He was standing in for the lineman and he did not know the rules of the game. You already know that we were friends in uni so who else was he supposed to ask about it?" The woman was starting to be annoyed with Toshiyuki's insistence on what he saw during today's practice.
"He could have asked the coach, not you! He was flirting with you and you let him!" Toshiyuki was exasperated as they reached their stop.
"And what is it to you if I flirt with other guys? It's not as if you're my boyfriend, Toshii." Airi bit back, equally tired of this banter.
"But I like you!" the man insisted, swinging his gym bag over his shoulder.
"Yes, you do. But you never really asked me to be your girlfriend so technically, I am single and that means that I can do whatever I want with whomever I want." the woman answered, her hands resting on her hips as she faced the tall athlete.
"I already explained it to you, Airi. I can't get into a relationship yet because I'm still building my career here." There was a tinge of guilt in Toshiyuki's voice as he said that.
"And you have been saying the same thing for two years now so unless you decide that you want to make whatever thing this is official, we are not exclusive to one another." The woman said as she searched her bag for her train pass.
"Just wait for a while, Airi. I promise, after the Olympics we will be official so we no longer have to hide anymore." Toshiyuki reached out for Airi's hand and gave it a squeeze.
"The Olympics are still two years away, Toshiyuki." Airi said in a low voice as her eyes studied their entwined hands, something that Toshiyuki would not usually do for fear that someone they know from work might see.
"I know, and I am begging you to please wait until I am ready. I promise to make it up to you." The man gave the woman's hand what he hoped would be a reassuring squeeze as he lowered his head to try and make eye contact.
"Whatever you say." Airi took her hand first and turned towards the platform for the train going to Congreso de Tucuman. "I'll be going now." She tried to wave goodbye but Toshiyuki caught up to her faster. He was supposed to be going the opposite direction to Santa Fe.
"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" the man tried to put on his most flirtatious smirk but the woman was having none of it and placed a finger over his lips.
"No kisses until you put a label on us." Airi was about to turn around when Toshiyuki suddenly gave her a peck on her cheek, instantly heating her face up like a hot plate.
"I'll take what I can get. See you, Airi! Text me when you get home!" Toshiyuki stuck his tongue out to the woman as he ran in the opposite direction.
Airi stood there dumbfounded as she placed her hand over the place where Toshiyuki had kissed. Maybe not telling him that the new PT was actually her gay best friend from college has its benefits as well.
—
Airi met Toshiyuki on her first day at the FeVA, the Argentine equivalent of the Japan Volleyball Association. She was recruited as a promoter and handler for the men's volleyball team after her numerous attempts to apply to several professional teams locally in Japan and internationally. Needless to say, the presence of another Japanese person like Toshiyuki at the headquarters was a welcome and comforting thing for Airi.
She had arrived a few minutes past 10AM at the headquarters, looking a little frazzled and lost as she approached the reception.
"Hello, I am looking for Mr. Hernandez?" Airi said, smiling at the receptionist.
"Are you the new handler for the men's team?" The receptionist asked as she began typing into her computer.
"Yes, that would be me. I'm Kuroda." Airi answered.
"Oh, perfect. I have a meeting with Mr. Hernandez too! I'll be taking her with me, Cecilia. No need to call him out here." The Asian man who was there chatting with the receptionist before Airi arrived piped in with his heavily accented Spanish.
"Oh, lovely. Thank you so much, Toshi! I'll see you around!" Cecilia the receptionist waved them away as she pressed a button to open the magnetic doors leading to the office spaces. The man then gestured for Airi to follow him as he thanked the receptionist for their chat.
"So what's a Japanese girl like you doing on the other side of the globe, huh?" Toshi asked, quickly switching to his native language as soon as he was out of Cecilia's earshot.
"Oh, you're Japanese too?" Airi remarked a little surprised that someone from her home country was in Argentina too, moreso in her new work place even though the name was already a huge give away.
"Yup," Toshi answered in a sing-song voice. "I'm pretty new here too. I just got here last month, so I am not much of a senior to you. Let's be friends then." The man said, giving Airi a wink. Airi noticed before at the reception that he was also flirting with Cecilia and easily concluded that Toshi flirts with anything that has legs.
"Are you one of the staff by any chance?" Airi inquired as Toshi pointed out to one of the chairs in the pantry area for her to sit on.
"No, I was recruited into the team, actually. I used to play for my university team in Universidad de Buenos Aires. I guess the coach noticed me then because they offered me a spot at a professional team in San Juan and to play for the National team and now, here I am." Toshi shrugged as if those achievements were not as impressive enough for him. He was about to ask Airi about her story, when Mr. Hernandez arrived with his assistant coach who he asked to accompany Airi into one of the meeting rooms.
"Please read through these papers and have them signed while you wait. We shall begin your orientation shortly." The assistant coach smiled as he handed the woman a manila envelope.
Airi took out the papers inside and began leafing through the files which included some basic code of conduct and non-disclosure agreements. It was a few minutes of going through the papers and affixing her signature on each page, when the door to the meeting room opened and Mr. Hernandez entered accompanied by Toshiyuki.
"Apparently, the orientation is required for everyone so hello to you again, classmate." Toshiyuki winked at Airi as he took the chair beside her, receiving the ring notebook tossed to him by the head coach so he can "pretend that he's listening".
After their initial encounter at the orientation, Airi found herself spending more time with Toshiyuki Okamoto than the rest of the men's volleyball team even outside of her working hours. He would take her around Buenos Aires to some of his favorite spots, have her taste some of the food he liked, and they would spend their time doing other activities like wall climbing or jogging. Once, they visited the beach at Costa Salguero and Airi dared Toshiyuki to play against some locals in a game of beach volleyball which he failed miserably because he was so used to the concrete volleyball courts he played in during practices.
Before Airi knew it, a year had already passed with this thing going on between them. Sometimes, they would spend time texting each other until the wee hours of the night, talking about anything under the sun and it felt just right. However, what makes Airi uneasy was how Toshiyuki would still act flirtatious around other women even though just hours ago, he was making her feel so special with his words.
Toshiyuki confessed to liking Airi after seeing one of his younger teammates be extra clingy to her during one of their team meetings. Airi thought that he would finally ask her to be his girlfriend; however, like all things that were too good to be true, Toshiyuki came with a catch. He explained to her that he wanted to focus on his career first and that he really wanted to make it to the starting lineup for the Olympics in 2020. He asked for her patience and that he would officially ask her to be his girlfriend once the most anticipated sporting event is over. Like a fool, Airi accepted his confession and gave him space to thrive as an athlete while waiting for him to put a label into their relationship.
And wait she did.
—
"Don't you want to dance?" Airi approached Toshiyuki who was standing by the open bar, a shot of tequila in his hand.
It was the annual gala night held by the Secretaria de Deportes de la Nacion to honor the outstanding athletes and contributors to the sports community and the men's volleyball team was invited to honor them for winning third in the Pan American games recently held that year. Toshiyuki himself was awarded with a citizenship for his continuing contribution to the team as one of its main setters.
"Now?" Toshiyuki asked as he eyed Airi from head to toe. In his opinion, she looked extra gorgeous that night with her shimmering rose gold dress that seemed to make her glow in the dim lights of the ballroom. The dress had a high slit that shows the gentle curve of her legs as she walked across the room towards him earlier. If Toshiyuki would have his way, he would have wanted to dance with her. However, they are in a gala held by the commission. "Not now, Airi. too many eyes."
"Not even outside? Everyone is mingling here anyways." Toshiyuki could hear the disappointment in Airi's voice and there was a slight pout on her lips as she tried to persuade the man before her to share just one dance with her. "You're wasting that tailored suit if you just stand there drinking the whole night. We have to celebrate you getting your new citizenship!" she added as if to sweeten the deal.
"It's not such a big deal, Airi. We can celebrate it later if you want. Why don't you sit here with me and have a drink instead?" the man said as he hailed the bartender and turned to Airi to see what she would like to drink.
"Just rum and coke for me. On the rocks." Airi ordered and the bartender immediately excused himself to make her drink. "Tooru, that's the point. There are too many people here that I doubt they will even remember us dancing the next day. And what will they think if they see us together anyway? It's just an athlete and his promoter enjoying the night together like everyone here does. What is it that you are so afraid of risking not to give me just one dance?" Airi sighed as she tried to reason with Toshiyuki who was downing his second glass of tequila.
"Airi, I've told you before. I cannot risk getting distracted before the Olympics. I cannot do relationships right now, but please believe me when I say that I will make it up to you after the games." Toshiyuki sighed.
It was not as if they hadn't talked about this arrangement numerous times before. He could understand why Airi wanted them to be exclusive, especially with his reputation of being a big flirt. Many times, he has contemplated it himself. What was keeping him from asking her to be his girlfriend when she is clearly the best choice for the role? She gave him his space to thrive when he asked her to and supported him from the background all this time. She understood his boundaries and has been nothing but patient with him. Many great athletes are family men. Ronaldo and Messi have been very successful in their sport while keeping their respective wives and families the priority of their lives. Kobe Bryant always brings his wife to his important matches to cheer him on. For these great athletes, there was no reason for them to hide their relationships and it could be the same for him as well. So if not for his sorry excuse of Airi being a 'distraction', what was the real reason why he could not commit?
"Here you go, miss. I added a few extra splashes of rum in there. I thought you'd need it." The bartender said winking at the woman while eyeing Toshiyuki wearily.
"No, take this back. She does not - " Toshiyuki was about to argue with the bartender who was clearly eavesdropping in on their conversation and took it as their chance to flirt with Airi, however he was cut short by Airi taking the drink in her hands and taking a few sips of it to signify that she is not returning said drink.
"Thanks, this is perfect. You're the best!" Airi said, smiling cheekily at the bartender before turning to Toshiyuki. "You can stay here and drink all you want. I'll join the guys over there because they seem to know how to have a good time unlike you." Airi was about to turn away, when Toshiyuki grabbed a hold of her hand.
"Wait, Airi. please." He pleaded, hoping that his eyes could convey what he wanted to say. Please stay here.
"Please what?" Airi asked, taking another sip of her heavily spiked drink.
"Please stay here with me." It was hard enough for Toshiyuki to say this and he hopes that it is enough.
"Why should I? I'm not your girlfriend. I cannot be responsible for you." the woman answered, eyeing him up and down, her hand that was not holding her drink resting on her hips.
"Please don't do this. You know I really like you." the man sighed.
"So now I am the one who is being difficult? Toshi, I have been nothing but patient with you and all I ever wanted in return is that you do not leave me hanging with the false hope of a relationship at the end of your grand conquest for the Olympics. I understood you the best I could, but sometimes I think that the waiting is not worth it anymore. If you really did not want a distraction, you should not have gotten this close to me in the first place." Airi said and this time, Toshiyuki could not do anything to stop her as she walked back into the crowd. He grit his teeth as he watched one of the players put their arm on her waist and the two began swaying to the beat of the romantic song playing in the background while they took sips of their drinks.
Airi did not even message him that night to let him know if she had arrived home safely and Toshiyuki decided to just ask her the next Monday when they meet at work again.
—
Airi was frustrated when the world suddenly shut down during the pandemic. For the past few years, she and the others at FeVA were working so hard in preparation for the Olympics and it was a bit daunting to be told to just halt all activities because nobody was sure anymore when or if the Olympics was going to happen. She knows that this news is more frustrating for Toshiyuki who has dedicated most of his life to this dream of his to stand on the biggest stage in volleyball. At the back of her mind, Airi was also worried because this means that the man will have another excuse to not ask her to officially date him.
The two have not yet met up or messaged each other for months since the lockdowns started and Airi was also starting to get worried because there was no talk of her employment visa getting renewed. The agreement was to stay until 2020 to push for more sponsorships for the team so that they can bid for the gold in the Olympics, given the fact that this might be the best lineup the team has had in years and with everything closing down and sporting events being put on hold, all that Airi was getting every time she inquires about her visa renewal was a 'we haven't asked the superiors about it yet' or a 'we'll talk about this later'.
At the end of 2020 when restrictions were being eased, Airi tried to contact Toshiyuki to arrange a meetup. However, her messages were never even read by the man. She thought that she could at least meet him during the vaccination schedules arranged for them by FeVA but she was told that the man had already gotten his shot earlier in the morning. The woman felt frustrated on how the man could just ignore her after everything they shared over the years of them working at FeVA, and she also felt lost and anxious that the prospect of having her work visa expiring was still hanging over her head and needed someone to talk to. However, the one person that she needed the most was not even returning her messages, let alone read them.
Airi began applying to several professional teams by the end of 2020 to ease her anxiety. If she was going to be let go by the FeVA, she would need a backup at least so that she won't be sent home jobless. That would be a shame for her, especially as a Japanese person where someone's value used to be determined by the job that they have. Offers began streaming in, and all of them were better than the one FeVA extended to her when she joined. However, Airi was hesitant as she would at least want Toshiyuki to know that she may be leaving. A part of her hoped that he would stop her and that it may be the catalyst he needed for him to finally forgo his 'after Olympics' rule and ask her to be his girlfriend.
At the beginning of 2021, Airi noticed that Toshiyuki had re-activated his social media profiles. He previously deactivated them because he thought it was daunting for him to see his friends flourishing in volleyball back in his home country when he was still struggling to fit into the team. To see him reactivate was quite a surprise for Airi and so she opened his profile after seeing him post a picture of him standing by the beach of Costa Salguero where she dared him to play beach volleyball with locals years ago.
Airi wished she had not opened the profile at all because after scrolling past his picture by the beach, she saw him smiling brightly and throwing the peace sign while his other arm was thrown around the shoulders of a beautiful woman who was resting her head on Toshiyuki's shoulder. The caption was in Japanese and says that the man was thankful that they are allowed to go out again because he can finally take the beauty he is with to his favorite beach and he even tagged the woman in his post, proclaiming his love for her to the world right after. Airi's hands were shaking as she clicked on the woman's profile. She was half Japanese and studied at the same university as Toshiyuki. She was a commercial model.
Closing the page, Airi allowed herself a few moments to cry over what she found out. Toshiyuki never loved her. At least not enough to make it official. He just liked her because she was the convenient choice: always so understanding and helpful and gives him the love that he needs, even if he could barely return the same gestures for her. All those unread messages now made sense, because he was already busy with someone else. Someone who lived nearer and not on the other side of the city with a visa that is about to expire. He has found someone more accessible and convenient for his current situation, and it hurts Airi to know that he did not even think it was worth it to let her know about any of this.
Airi resigned from FeVA and returned to Japan in April without telling Toshiyuki.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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