As the final school bell rang, the corridors of Toshigawa Academy began to empty. The muffled shuffle of sneakers and backpacks echoed through the hallway as Tetsuo, Noboru, Shino, and Makoto made their way toward the indoor basketball court. Their footsteps grew heavier with each step, the weariness of the day settling into their limbs.
"I'm so sore. I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard during the PE session yesterday," Noboru grumbled, fingers digging into the stiff muscles of his shoulder as he winced.
"Yeah, my legs feel so heavy that I can barely move. I even fell asleep during fourth period today," Shino added, dragging his feet across the tiled floor.
Makoto yawned, rubbing the back of his neck with a half-lidded stare. "Quit your complaining. It's just part of the process of getting better."
"You're one to talk. You skipped training yesterday just so you could get more sleep. Plus, you look more worn out than both of us, you lazy punk," said Noboru, shooting a glare his way.
Makoto tilted his head with a lazy smirk. "Hey, don't lump me into the same category as you."
"All I know is that Nanaho is going to make you make up for the day you missed, and trust me, it's brutal. She's really crazy when it comes to basketball—she's an obsessed creep."
"Oh really now? I'm a crazy, obsessed creep, is that so?" came a sweet yet menacing voice from behind them.
Noboru froze. A sharp chill ran down his spine as he turned his head and saw Nanaho grinning darkly behind him.
"Oh shit, I'm so dead," he muttered, just before her palm made contact with the back of his head with a loud thwack.
"You better be ready for training today. You're going to wish you never said those words. And that goes for both of you as well. Especially you, Makoto Kurai. Skipping training is going to cost you dearly," Nanaho declared, her tone too cheerful for the threat laced underneath. She turned on her heel and skipped ahead of them, humming.
Makoto rubbed his temple and sighed. "That girl definitely has some problems."
After changing into their training gear, the boys entered the gym. The scent of varnished hardwood, mingled with faint sweat and old rubber, filled their nostrils. The gym lights cast a soft glow, reflecting faintly off the polished floor.
Shino leaned in to Noboru, nudging him. "Hey, look at Tetsuo's shirt."
Noboru squinted, then burst into a grin. "Wow, Tetsuo, did your little sister give you that shirt?"
"Yes, she did," replied Tetsuo, glancing down at the words scrawled in neat handwriting across the front: "Do your best, always!"
"It looks nice, really manly," Noboru said mockingly, barely holding in his laughter.
"Don't listen to him, Tetsuo. He's just making fun of you. But that's really a nice thing she did for you—it's really cute," said Shino with a calm smile.
Makoto, while adjusting his laces, nodded. "You know what? Shino is right. You have a nice sister, and with this jersey, it's almost like she's right here watching you and cheering you on."
Tetsuo blinked. His fingertips brushed over the fabric, feeling the faint grooves where the marker had pressed. "You're right. It really does feel like she's here with me," he murmured, struck by an unfamiliar warmth settling deep in his chest.
Noboru groaned under his breath. "Damn you, Makoto, ruining all the fun."
As they entered the gym fully, sneakers squeaked faintly against the floor. Other players were already scattered across the court, bouncing balls and chatting casually.
"Nice, they're all here," said Liam with a relaxed smile, spinning a ball on his fingertip.
"I see you finally made it to training, Kurai. Welcome," said Yukio with a slight grin.
Makoto gave a light shrug. "Yes, thank you."
Hayato turned toward Tetsuo. "Tetsuo, where were you yesterday? It's not like you to miss training. What happened?"
"I was locked in the storage room after PE yesterday."
"So you're telling me that you were locked in there the whole day? How did you get out?" asked Takahiro, raising an eyebrow.
"I was locked in all night. The track coach was the one who helped me," replied Tetsuo plainly.
There was a beat of stunned silence.
"And here I was thinking you'd become a bad apple. I'm so sorry to hear that, but you missed training, so you still have to make up for it," said Nanaho with her usual disturbing cheerfulness.
Noboru narrowed his eyes slightly. Why is she always trying to sugarcoat her words with that smile? It makes me sick.
Nanaho's eyes flicked to Tetsuo's shirt. "Um, Tetsuo, that's an interesting choice for a jersey."
"Yeah, I'm just noticing it. Who gave it to you? Your little sister or something?" asked Hayato.
"Yes, she bought it and wrote these words on it as a gift for our second year of moving here," said Tetsuo.
"That's really cute. You have a wonderful sister. Is she beautiful?" asked Liam with a teasing smile.
"That's weird on so many levels, dude," said Hayato flatly.
"You have a very caring sister, Tetsuo. Just by reading those words, I can tell that she loves you," said Nanaho, smiling earnestly this time.
"She's right. I have a little brother, and that little shrimp always acts like he doesn't care, but he's always interested in how my day was and in basketball," Takahiro added.
Noboru crossed his arms. Why are they making such a big deal out of it? It's just a stupid shirt, he thought, a knot forming in his chest.
Makoto glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Something tells me that Noboru is going to make training a pain today.
Nanaho clapped her hands. "Alright, before we start today's session, I want you guys to warm up, shoot around, and do some layups, because today is going to be fantastic."
Balls bounced across the court as the players moved into warmups. Noboru caught a pass, pivoted near the elbow, and took a sharp jump shot. His shoes scraped the floor with a short slide—swish. Shino cut inside and rose for a gentle layup, his fingers brushing the net as the ball rolled in. Takahiro banked a mid-range jumper off the glass. Yukio's movement was tight and precise as he burst forward and hit a clean pull-up jumper.
The gym echoed with rhythmic dribbles and sneakers squealing as Liam powered forward. His muscles tensed, and with a growl of effort, he leapt up and slammed the ball down, the rim rattling from the force.
At the top of the arc, Tetsuo focused on his three-point shots. His breathing evened out, eyes locked in, arms steady as he launched another ball—swish.
Hayato mirrored him, collecting his own rhythm from the right wing. Makoto, meanwhile, casually stretched his arms over his head, cracked his neck, then sat down at half-court, yawning deeply.
"Okay, guys, that's enough. You can relax now," Nanaho called out.
She stepped to the center of the court and raised her voice. "The reason I asked you guys to warm up your shots is because you'll be playing against each other in a four-on-four setting. Now that we have the right number of members, training will be even more effective for the upcoming season."
"Will the four-on-four be for forty minutes?" asked Takahiro, wiping sweat from his brow.
"No. Instead of the usual forty minutes with ten-minute quarters, I'll be cutting it down to fifteen minutes per half, which is thirty minutes."
"Will it be seniors versus freshmen?" asked Noboru, sounding almost hopeful.
"I was thinking about that, but I doubt the four of you stand a chance against Liam, Yukio, Takahiro, and Hayato," Nanaho said plainly.
Noboru looked away with a click of his tongue.
"So instead, I've chosen teams for this friendly game. On Team A, we have Makoto as the leader. On Team B, Hayato is in charge of formulating a plan.
"On Makoto's team, we have Shino, Yukio, and Tetsuo.
"On Hayato's team, we have Noboru, Liam, and Takahiro."
Makoto got to his feet and lazily cracked his knuckles. "Okay, we can definitely work with this team," said Yukio with calm confidence.
"Alright, guys, just let me know when you're ready so we can start this match," said Nanaho, her expression bright with anticipation.
"Yes, let's go win, Liam!!" shouted Hayato, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Liam answered with a sharp nod and a confident, "Yes!"
The court buzzed with energy. Each player began loosening up, rolling their shoulders, bouncing slightly, and exchanging focused glances with teammates.
And just like that, the friendly rivalry was set to explode.