it takes all these years of friendship for mina to realise how infuriating her best friends can be. they refuse to drop the topic of bumping into tzuyu outside the cafeteria, bombarding her with endless questions. mina doesn’t have all the answers. she’s barely befriended tzuyu, barely knows anything about her or what she does. it’s almost as they’re waiting for mina to pull out a secret file with information about tzuyu. she can only wish that she knew more about her than she does.

“okay, we’re not talking about this.” mina groans as she pushes her friends away. “i haven’t even known her for a day.”

“a lot can happen in a day here.” momo chuckles. “why do you think they give us the care packages before we arrive?”

“what care packages?” mina doesn’t recall receiving anything of the sort. “was it edible?”

“i’m quite sure you won’t need it mitang. though, when you go back, momo can show you.” sana snorts, doubling over in laughter. “she mentioned it, after all.”

“i will kill you minatozaki.” momo gasps as she chases after sana in the cafeteria.

mina shakes her head at the duo, always trying to pull one over the other. she’s sure they’re going to be scolded in the next few minutes but that’s not mina’s problem. she makes her way to an empty table, taking the time to enjoy the peace and quiet. it won’t be long before it’s overtaken by the harbingers of chaos; her friends. and the endless fifth-wheeling she’ll have to endure as well.

the nerves of attending the olympics are beginning to overwhelm her more than mina would like to admit. she has a few days of time before she starts yet the pressure of doing well is becoming heavier on her shoulders. it’s difficult to avoid the press, news and articles releasing every day about the expectations she needs to live up to. plus, she’s one of the youngest on the team to make it through, giselle being the youngest. what has age got to do with heightened performance expectations? mina shouldn’t be taking this stress further than she is. momo and sana have warned her enough. yet, there’s a part of her that believes the added stress will make her perform better.

“where have your thoughts taken you?” jihyo plants herself on the chair next to her. mina sits up straight, smiling as nayeon and dahyun join her too.

“did momo and sana find themselves in trouble?” nayeon shakes her head. “i thought they’d be here by now.”

“i’m sure it’s somewhere along those lines.” jihyo chuckles before turning back to mina. “there’s something bothering you. i know it. are you worried about the first match?”

“anxious. yes. there’s so much pressure to perform and top the medal tally table. how do you deal with the stress?” mina sighs heavily. she didn’t mean to unload, especially to her friends who are probably going through the same thing as her. she needs to peel this ugly feeling off her chest.

“honestly, i’ve been listening to her advice.” jihyo points to nayeon, who’s glancing at mina worriedly. “turn your phone off. keep your social media logged out and only think about the present. the more you listen to all of those media reporters, look at the articles – it’ll stress you out even more than you can take. i know you like to unwind with games. but trust me on this.”

“the first olympics is always like this. the key is to focus on yourself rather than everyone around you. at the end of the day, it’s you who’ll stand in front of everyone to take your shots. it’s your hard work that matters.” nayeon adds on, reaching over to squeeze mina’s hand. “you see, the viewers talk and they criticise and they make you feel guilty. you don’t need to answer to them. you don’t need to listen to them. you know yourself best. you know what you’re capable of.”

mina nods tearily, appreciating the words of wisdom. she didn’t realise how much she needed to hear all of that. the weight on her shoulders has lightened tenfold.

“if it makes you feel any better, i’ve been driving nayeon crazy. i have to force her to go on walks with me in the middle of the night because the stress is getting to me too.” dahyun chuckles. “she protests against it all the time yet finds herself enjoying it.”

“and i’ve been spending a lot of time in the recreation room as well. so there’s no need to worry. we’re all in this together. even if we’re competing against each other.” jihyo smiles reassuringly.

it’s comforting having such friends around her. mina doesn’t understand how teenagers as young as thirteen can join the olympics. then again, their carefree nature is unparalleled. while the older ones worry over earning their medals, the others come here to have fun. that’s what mina should focus on too. this could be her first and only chance to compete here and she’s spending more time fussing over what the crowd will think of her. when the olympics are over, she’s sure she’ll be forgotten until the next one anyway.

“which one of you made mitang cry?” sana points to jihyo as she slides a plate of food in front of mina, sitting on her other side.

“they were just reassuring me. i’m a little overwhelmed