"Excuse me," said Sachiko as she walked in and cleared her throat, her polished shoes clicking faintly against the hardwood floor.
The gym was alive with rhythmic sounds—basketballs bouncing in sync, sneakers squeaking against the polished floor, and the low murmur of teammates calling for passes or giving direction.
"Oh, you're the new vice president of the student council, Sachiko Takahashi, right?" asked Nanaho, glancing up from where she stood with her clipboard tucked under one arm.
"Yeah, that's me," replied Sachiko, her voice steady but her fingers lightly gripping the hem of her blazer, betraying a touch of nervousness.
"So what brings you here? Did you come to observe our training?"
"Well, I actually came here to discuss something important with Kawaguchi. It won't take long or interfere with his training, so do you mind if I borrow him for a bit?" asked Sachiko.
Nanaho tilted her head slightly, considering. "Not at all, go ahead."
Before Tetsuo could react, his expression unchanged, he cut in flatly. "We are in the middle of practice. Come back another time," he said, arms relaxed but shoulders squared—firm but not aggressive.
"I see no problem with you leaving training for a couple of minutes, so go ahead, Tetsuo. Time is ticking," said Nanaho, her tone light but her smile clearly meant business.
Tetsuo held his stare for a moment, then let out a slow breath through his nose and turned away from the court. His sneakers made a soft tap as he followed Sachiko outside the gym.
"Trying to play hard to get, aren't we, Tetsuo? Serves you right," Noboru thought to himself with a smirk, watching them leave.
Once outside, the ambient echo of the gym muffled behind the closed door, Tetsuo spoke in a low voice.
"What do you want?"
"Well, I came here on behalf of the student council president, Hitomi Yoshida. She is asking you once more to become a member of the council," said Sachiko, clasping her hands behind her back and straightening up.
"This again? I thought I made myself clear the last time she asked. I don't want anything to do with the student council or you. Besides, I'm sure you all know that I play basketball now, and I'm not going to give it up just to please her," said Tetsuo. His tone was blunt, but calm—his gaze never wavering as he spoke.
"But this school—"
"If that's all you came here to ask, then I'm heading back to training," said Tetsuo, already turning, his pace firm as his footfalls echoed lightly across the hallway tiles.
"Wait!" shouted Sachiko, her voice carrying down the empty corridor. Tetsuo halted, his back still facing her.
"The student council helps students solve issues and foster a better environment for learning. So I view it as more important than basketball. However, you might be thinking the same about basketball. So I have a proposal—show me how to play the game. Let me see basketball through your eyes and teach me everything there is to know. If I find it fascinating, I'll stop asking you to join the student council. However, one day, you'll also have to come to the council to see how we operate as well," said Sachiko.
There was a short pause. Tetsuo's eyes lowered briefly as he thought, then he sighed.
"Fine, but be sure to listen carefully because I won't repeat myself."
Sachiko nodded, and as they re-entered the gym, the familiar mix of rubber soles squealing and leather balls thumping welcomed them.
"This is the first time I've ever had a proper conversation with him without being ignored. That kind of makes me happy in a way," thought Sachiko as her cheeks turned bright red. She quickly turned her head to hide it as they stepped back onto the court.
On the other end, Hayato passed the ball to Liam, who was posted up in the paint. His back pressed against Takahiro and Yukio, the resistance firm. Sweat lined Liam's temple as he took a breath and dropped his hips lower.
"Remember, Liam, drop your hip," advised Yukio.
Liam responded instantly, sinking deeper and pounding the ball into the floor with one hand. His legs absorbed the motion as he drove forward, causing Yukio and Takahiro to give ground. With a powerful push and a swift spin, Liam twisted off both defenders and rose, slamming the ball into the hoop with a loud bang that echoed sharply.
"You're a freaking monster, you know that?" said Noboru, narrowing his eyes as he wiped sweat from his brow.
"Yeah, you say that every time I dunk," replied Liam, his breathing steady but visible from exertion.
"What's up with Tetsuo? It's not like him to go out of his way and do things like this for anyone," thought Shino, standing near half-court, watching quietly.
"I didn't know that Tetsuo and the vice president were dating," said Hayato, tilting his head.
"Yeah, me either. I'm a bit surprised he has a girlfriend with his dull personality," said Takahiro, chuckling.
"Quit your gossiping and get back to training, or do you all want to run with the track team today?" asked Nanaho sharply as she appeared behind them, her voice cutting cleanly through the gym's noise.
"No, thank you!" shouted both Hayato and Takahiro, startled as they scrambled back into their positions.
Tetsuo turned to Sachiko, who now stood slightly off the court, watching with her hands held neatly in front of her. He held a ball under one arm.
"Listen and watch carefully. This is a layup," said Tetsuo. He stepped into motion, his strides short but quick, and banked the ball off the backboard. It dropped cleanly through the hoop.
"This is a free throw," he said as he stepped to the line, bounced the ball once, then shot. The net swished quietly as the ball sank.
"A player gets to shoot these when someone makes illegal contact with them, and these only count for one point."
He stepped back a few feet.
"This is a three-point shot," said Tetsuo as he flicked his wrist with practiced form. The ball arced and landed smoothly through the net.
Tetsuo then caught a ball from the rack and began bouncing it casually.
"This is what we call dribbling. We use it to move from point A to point B around the court. If we don't, it's called traveling or carrying."
He shifted his weight left and right, demonstrating control.
He then threw the ball hard against the backboard and jumped, grabbing it before it touched the ground.
"This is a rebound. It's basically collecting the ball after a missed shot."
He pointed toward the scrimmage on the other end of the court.
"And as you can see over there, my teammates are guarding each other. That is called defense. Those are the most basic movements and actions in basketball. Any questions?" asked Tetsuo.
Sachiko's eyes lingered on the movement of the players and the ball for a second longer before she replied.
"No, I… understand. I didn't know basketball was this complex and complicated. I thought it was just a game where you throw a ball into a net," she admitted quietly, her gaze fixed on the hoop.
"Well, if that's all, I'm heading back to training."
"Wait, can you show me how to shoot?" asked Sachiko, quickly taking a step forward.
Tetsuo turned and tossed the ball toward her. It spun through the air, and Sachiko flinched slightly as she caught it with both hands, the weight pressing against her palms.
"Show me how you'd shoot the ball."
"Okay, I'll try," she said, bringing the ball upward into an awkward position. Her stance was uneven, one foot ahead of the other, her hands clumsily wrapped around the ball.
Tetsuo stepped forward, analyzing her posture. He adjusted her grip, moving her fingers gently but firmly.
"Your hands are all over the place. Relax," said Tetsuo as he corrected her hold.
"Straighten yourself. There's no need to be slouching," he said, pressing lightly against her back to adjust her posture.
"Alright, now bend your knees for power and relax your shoulders," he said, circling behind her. His hands grazed her elbows as he adjusted her arm position.
"He's so close," thought Sachiko as she stared forward, cheeks burning. Her arms locked slightly as she tried to suppress the reaction.
"Alright, now shoot the ball in a single motion, and remember to flick your wrist."
"Y-yes," said Sachiko, drawing in a long breath. She pushed off her bent knees, raised the ball, and flicked her wrist as instructed. The ball left her hands and spun in the air before landing softly through the net.
"It went in! You're a good teacher, Kawaguchi."
"I'm going to resume my training. If you want to stay and watch, you can join those girls up there," said Tetsuo, already turning back to rejoin the others.
"Don't categorize me with those fangirls, jerk," thought Sachiko, frowning as she took a step to the side, still holding her wrist in disbelief.
After training resumed, Tetsuo passed the ball to Yukio in the paint. Liam stepped in, his shoes squeaking against the glossy court as he squared up.
Yukio moved quickly, but instead of shooting, he kicked the ball out to Takahiro at the arc. Takahiro pivoted, catching the ball and powering past Noboru with a few strong steps. His shoes scraped across the floor as he went up for a layup.
Liam leapt high to block, arms stretched and eyes locked on the ball, but Takahiro twisted in the air and passed it back out to Tetsuo, who caught it and fired from beyond the arc.
The ball swished again.
"Nice shot, Tetsuo," said Yukio.
"These chumps got nothing on us, even if they have Liam on their team," said Takahiro, grinning.
"Let's keep this up and go all the way to the Inter-High," said Yukio, voice filled with energy.
Sachiko stood quietly, her eyes scanning the team and the way they moved with rhythm and trust.
"I can see clearly now why Haruko loves basketball. It's not just about the sport, but the people you train hard and play with, and the time you spend together. Basketball is really fun," thought Sachiko as she turned to leave.
"I guess I'll stop asking him to join the student council then. However, this time, I didn't leave empty-handed because that brief moment we shared meant more than any encounter we've had before."