By the time they finished picking up all the shuttlecocks, the sounds of club activities were already drifting in from outside the gymnasium. The soccer team's shouts. Somewhere, the track team's footsteps pounding as they ran. The second gymnasium remained quiet as always, with only the fan producing a low hum. "Ninety-seven. All accounted for," Chihiro said, closing the shuttle case with satisfaction. Kana lined the cases along the wall, her eyes drifting to the hook where Aoi's racket bag used to hang. Today, there was nothing there. The hook just jutted out from the wall, empty. "...Let's start," Kana said quietly. "Yeah," Chihiro replied. The two of them entered the court. Rackets in hand. Chihiro took her serving stance and tossed the shuttle up. Kana divided the court in her mind. Sixteen squares. Her position. Chihiro's position. The shuttle's landing point— "It's too quiet. The shuttle sound is scary," Chihiro muttered before the shuttle even came. She was right. Un