The girls at Hachioji Academy had just finished an intense series of drills. Their sneakers squeaked faintly as they stepped off the polished court, their bodies damp with sweat and breathing slightly elevated from the workout.
"I wonder where Haruko is," Sayaka said, wiping her forehead with a towel, her eyes scanning the court uneasily.
"That's true. She has never missed a training day—never at all," Kazue added, pulling at her shoelace and glancing toward the gym doors.
"Even if she was sick, she'd still be here, training until she dropped," Suzume chimed in, her voice tinged with both admiration and concern.
"Are you guys forgetting the time she skipped training and school to watch that practice match at Yokonan?" Kotone asked as she took a sip of water. "Why does it surprise you that she's not here now? She's probably going out on a date with Kawaguchi."
"Maybe she's just running late. Why do you have to jump to those conclusions, Kotone?" Sayaka frowned.
As they spoke, the gym doors opened with a soft creak. Haruko stepped through, wearing her warm-up jacket loosely over her shoulders, her steps firm but her expression unreadable. Instead of heading to the locker room, she moved toward Coach Maeda, who stood near the bench jotting notes in a small notepad.
"I wonder what's wrong. Haruko's face looks so serious," Sayaka thought, narrowing her eyes as she watched her.
"Coach, could I please get a day off from training today?" Haruko asked, standing in front of her with a rare hesitance in her tone. "There's something important I need to deal with. I promise I'll make up for it tomorrow."
Coach Maeda looked up, blinking, before offering a small nod. "I have no issues with that. You've been working harder than anyone else. Thank you for telling me first. Take care of what you need to, Haruko."
"Okay, thanks, Coach," Haruko said and turned to leave.
"No way! She actually left?" Kazue said, eyes wide as she stood up straighter.
"See? I told you she's going on a date with Kawaguchi," Kotone said smugly.
Outside, Haruko crossed the campus briskly and found Usagi leaning against the fence, arms folded, her bag hanging from one shoulder.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Usagi," Haruko said as she approached.
"I wasn't waiting long, so it's alright," Usagi replied, giving a small smile.
"That's good. Shall we get going then?" Haruko asked, and the two of them walked away from the school grounds together.
Meanwhile, at Toshigawa Academy, Shino was on the basketball court, focused on a solo dribbling drill. Sweat trickled down his temple as he zigzagged through a line of cones, the basketball bouncing rhythmically against the hardwood.
"Twenty-seven... twenty-eight... twenty-nine... thirty... thirty-one..." he counted quietly, pushing himself to keep his left hand strong.
Nearby, Yuri walked the corridor, her shoulder slouched under the weight of her school bag.
"Today was really tough on me. I'll have to study even harder for those surprise pop quizzes," she muttered, her brow furrowed.
"These teachers are really making my head hurt," she said aloud, exhaling sharply. She adjusted her bag and continued walking until she noticed someone standing still by the open gym doors.
"Wait, is that Rie? She's over at the basketball gym. Is she really watching that boy?" Yuri blinked in disbelief, then made her way over.
"Hey, Rie!" she shouted.
Rie flinched and nearly dropped her phone. She turned, her hand clutching her chest. "Geez, don't scare me like that."
"Sorry, sorry. I was just curious. Are you here to watch Katsuragi train?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Shush!! Do you want him to hear us?" Rie hissed, quickly covering Yuri's mouth with her palm.
"Fine, I get it," Yuri mumbled under her hand. "But you come out here every day to watch him. Why not just say hi for once?"
"I can't. It's way more complicated than that."
"Why do you even like him so much?"
"Well, that's—"
"Alright, take a seven-minute break, everyone!" Nanaho's voice echoed across the court, drawing everyone's attention.
"We're starting to function effectively as a team," Yukio said, his hands on his hips, shirt soaked through. "These plays Nanaho came up with will be the key to our victory."
Shino wiped his forehead, chest rising and falling steadily. He took a deep breath and smiled faintly.
"Hey, Shino, mind if I send you out to get a drink from the vending machine for me?" Takahiro asked, panting slightly.
"No, I don't mind getting it for you," Shino replied, taking the coins Takahiro offered.
"One for me and Liam as well, please," Hayato added, placing coins in Shino's hand.
"Okay, I'll be right back, everyone," Shino said, jogging out the gym doors.
Outside, Rie saw him approaching.
"Oh no, he's coming this way. What am I going to do?" she whispered frantically, hiding behind Yuri and clenching her fists tightly.
"Um... you're from the newspaper club, right?" Shino asked nervously as he approached. "Are you here for more material from us?"
"No, don't worry. I'm not here to take pictures of you today. I'm here because Rie asked me to. She wanted to say something to you," Yuri said with a sly grin.
"Wait, Yuri, no, please don't!" Rie whispered, trembling.
Yuri gave her a light push forward. Rie stumbled slightly and looked up, frozen as Shino blinked in confusion.
"What do you want to say to me, Rie?" Shino asked gently.
"Uu... mm... erm... eh... Train hard and all the best with your games, Shino!!" she finally blurted out.
Shino gave a soft, sincere smile. "Yes, thank you for that. I really needed it."
As he walked off, Yuri chuckled. "Wow, I didn't know you two were so comfortable calling each other by your first names. I gave you less credit than you deserved, Rie."
Rie's face turned beet red. "Why did you do that to me?!" she squeaked, hitting Yuri lightly.
"Cut it out. At least you made progress with him. It's better than looking like a stalker," Yuri said as they walked back toward the courtyard.
Meanwhile, at the field, Noboru bent forward, catching his breath. Sweat dripped from his neck as he rested his hands on his knees.
"I'm impressed that you were able to adapt to our training in such a short period of time," said one of the girls on the track team.
"So you're finally realizing how great I am," Noboru smirked, puffing out his chest.
"Please don't feed this idiot's ego," Naomi said, arms crossed. "He will only get more delusional than he already is."
"What's that supposed to mean? And who are you calling an idiot?"
"Was I not clear? I said you were an idiot."
"If anything, you're the idiot, Naomi!" Noboru laughed.
"What?! How dare you!" Naomi snapped.
But Noboru suddenly looked toward the entrance of the schoolyard. Shino was walking briskly, head down.
"Hey, amateur, where are you running off to in such a hurry?" Noboru called out.
"I told you to stop calling me that. I'm going to purchase drinks for the team," Shino replied without stopping.
"Sweet! Get me an apple juice. I'll pay you back!"
"Okay, but be sure you're not lying to me," Shino said and disappeared around the corner.
He jogged quickly, clutching the coins, muttering to himself. "One for myself, Takahiro, Hayato, and Liam. I have to hurry up and head back to training... I'm really making steady progress... I feel more and more like a basketball player each day..."
But as he turned into a quiet alleyway beside the school, he froze.
Standing there was Makoto, and in front of him, a group of tall boys, older and broader than him.
"I never thought I'd see trash like you at such a fine school as Toshigawa," said Daichi.
"Yeah, me either. I thought he was a dumb coward," laughed Hidesuke.
"This loser quit basketball in junior high. He wasn't even worth much. Even Coach Izanagi said so," Basara added.
"These bastards are getting on my nerves. If it comes down to it, I'll have to fight them," said Makoto, his jaw tightening as his fingers curled into a fist at his side. His breath came out in short, controlled bursts, and his eyes burned with a low simmer of anger.
"Hidesuke, three years of playing big and I never once heard of you in weekly basketball news. Must be tough being talentless, huh?" Makoto said with a flat, steady voice, his gaze locked on Hidesuke's face.
"What the hell did you just say, punk?" Hidesuke snarled, stepping forward until their noses nearly touched. The heat of his breath was sharp against Makoto's skin.
"Wait!! I don't know what's going on, but please leave him alone!" Shino's voice cracked as he stepped between them, his hands trembling visibly. His chest rose and fell unevenly, and a tight knot formed in his stomach.
Makoto's eyes flickered briefly toward Shino before returning to Hidesuke. "What are you doing here, Katsuragi?" he muttered under his breath, his fists loosening slightly.
"Who the hell is this softy? What are you gonna do, wet your pants?" Daichi sneered, stepping forward with a mocking grin. The others around him laughed, the sound sharp and harsh against the afternoon air.
"Wait, no freaking way! I recognize this kid. Is that bean sprout?" Hidesuke said, blinking as recognition dawned, his voice rising with disbelief.
"Now that you said it, it really does look like him. You know, that pipsqueak you took that girl from, Daichi," Basara added with a cruel smile.
"You're right. It is him," Daichi said, spitting the words out like poison.
"No way, it's these guys—my seniors from junior high!" Shino whispered, his voice barely audible. His shoulders shook slightly as his eyes welled up, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks.
"All of the memories of what they had put me through and the memories of Emiko are rushing back in. They're flooding my brain. I can't take it!" Shino's voice cracked under the weight of the emotions, and he lowered his head, trying to steady himself as a shiver ran through his body.
"I've taken good care of Emiko this whole time, don't worry your little head, bean sprout," Daichi said, his tone dripping with condescension as he crossed his arms.
"Wait, he seems to be in training gear. Don't tell me you're actually still trying to play basketball at the high school level, at that?" Hidesuke scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Haha, don't make me laugh. A worthless shrimp like you couldn't even become a proper waterboy. You were our useless errand boy back in the day, so what hope do you have of ever making a high school team?" Basara added, his voice rising with cruel amusement.
Shino's breath hitched, his chest tightening painfully. He held his head down, trembling, trying to hide the tears slipping down his cheeks. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms.
"Wait, so he was that person they treated like crap back in junior high? That timid and weak junior high school student?" Makoto said quietly to himself, blinking as shock rippled through him.
"What the hell is taking Shino so long? My throat is so dry, and I'm sweating a lot. When I see him, I'll—" Noboru muttered, pacing anxiously nearby.
"Shit, the hell? Are they ganging up on Shino? Not on my watch! Those punks are gonna get it," Noboru said, voice rising as he ran over, the soles of his shoes thudding hard against the pavement.
"Hey!! What the hell are you guys doing to my teammates, you bastards?" Noboru shouted, his face flushed and fists clenched tightly.
"Who is this short clown? And by 'teammate,' do you mean this piece of garbage?" Hidesuke sneered, stepping forward aggressively.
"He may be an amateur, but don't you dare call him garbage," Noboru growled as he swung a fist, connecting sharply with Hidesuke's cheek. Hidesuke staggered back, a hand flying to his face.
"How dare you touch me? You're dead meat," Hidesuke hissed, wiping blood from his lip as he charged at Noboru.
"Bring it on, you piece of shit," Noboru said, his voice low and steady, eyes burning.
"That's enough," said a deep voice, calm but firm.
A tall figure, clearly over six feet but not the tallest among them, stepped forward. His presence immediately shifted the atmosphere.
"But Captain Takumi, he started the fight," Daichi protested.
"Don't reduce yourself to their level. This petty street fight is not worth the trouble. Besides, you guys are third-years. Act like it," Takumi said, voice sharp and commanding.
"No way, this guy is the bastard who defeated my team 104-2 in junior high. The one who took all of Naomi's attention away from me," Noboru muttered under his breath, clenched fists trembling slightly.
"Come on, come on, guys, let's go. Takumi!!" Noboru called out, voice cracking slightly, causing Takumi to pause.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Takumi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"We played against each other in junior high," Noboru said, voice steadying despite the tension.
"Sorry, but I don't remember every bug I squash," Takumi said coldly, turning on his heel and walking away, the others trailing behind silently.
"That bastard! How dare he?" Noboru hissed, muscles coiled as if ready to bolt after them.
"Let it go, Takemoto. Now is not the time for that," Makoto said, placing a firm hand on Noboru's shoulder.
"But..." Noboru started.
"Look with your eyes for once," Makoto interrupted, nodding toward where Shino sat on the ground.
Noboru's breath caught as he knelt beside Shino, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. "Shino, but why is he crying? Did they hurt you?"
Makoto crouched nearby, eyes softening. "It all makes sense now. Why he always follows me around and asked me to join the basketball team. I was confused at first, but now I know. You were on the same junior high basketball team as me. Well, technically, you weren't."