Todai High School was very large.
The campus was filled with cherry blossom trees, and petals danced through the air, creating a breathtaking sight. After walking around for a while and receiving directions from several upperclassmen, Ueno finally found his classroom:
First Year, Class A.
As for Sora, whom he had just met, he was in the neighboring Class B.
Sitting in the back corner seat by the window, Ueno began observing his classmates. As for why he chose that spot, the back row window seat is the king's homeland. Ueno's class had roughly forty students, an even mix of boys and girls. After waiting quietly for about half an hour, the bell rang, and a female teacher wearing high heels that clicked sharply against the floor walked in. The moment she entered, the previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent.
Pushing up her glasses, the teacher looked at the new students with a smile.
"Hello, everyone. I'm your homeroom teacher. For the next three years..."
After she finished speaking, it was time to hand out textbooks, followed by self-introductions. At 185 cm tall, Ueno was unquestionably a pillar of the class. Before he even spoke, he had already caused a stir.
"He's so tall!"
"And really handsome!"
"Why does he feel kind of familiar?"
Ignoring the murmurs around him, Ueno gave a simple self-introduction.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Ueno Juri. I look forward to getting along with you all."
Unlike his experience back in China, schoolbags here were more like briefcases. They couldn't hold many books, usually just the materials needed for the day. The first day of school was mostly about receiving textbooks and getting to know each other. When the time was right, the homeroom teacher announced the most important event of the day: general cleaning.
...
As the "pillar" of the class, Ueno was assigned the task of clearing away cobwebs. While working, he suddenly felt someone staring at him. Turning his head, he saw Sora looking at him with a bright smile, holding a bucket of water.
"Ueno-kun?"
"Oh, Sora-kun? Hello."
Holding the bucket with both hands, Sora looked at Ueno expectantly.
"After school, want to go to the basketball club together?"
"Sure." After thinking for a moment, Ueno nodded.
Looking up at Ueno's height, Sora's eyes were filled with shock, his tone overflowing with envy.
"Ueno-kun, you're really tall!"
Hearing that, Ueno was about to reply when shouting suddenly came from the hallway.
"Sora!"
"Yes! Sorry, Ueno-kun! See you after school!"
"Yeah, see you."
Watching Sora run off in a fluster with a wry smile, Ueno couldn't help but chuckle softly. A moment later, he overheard Sora talking with a girl.
"Sora Kurumatani, I almost thought you got lost while fetching water."
"I'm very sorry, Nao-san!"
...
Time passed quickly. Because it was the first day, classes ended early at around four o'clock. As soon as Ueno stepped out, he saw Sora leaning against the hallway wall, waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sora-kun."
"No, I just got out too."
All clubs at Todai High had their own rooms, but the basketball club seemed rather shabby. After searching for quite some time, they finally found it. They had already located the indoor basketball court, but there were no club members there, only students from other clubs.
The basketball clubroom was inside a small building without even a lock. It was located right next to the court: exit the gym, turn a corner, and you were there. Standing at the doorway, Ueno silently examined the interior. The room was roughly seventy square meters. Inside were two lockers, a long table, posters of NBA legends, and a few battered benches. If not for the sign at the entrance, Ueno might have thought he'd come to the wrong place.
Unlike Ueno, Sora was overflowing with excitement.
"Yo, you're here already? Pretty early."
A familiar voice came from behind them. It was the two upperclassmen from earlier.
"Hello, senpai!"
"Mm. Come in. It's a bit shabby, so don't mind it."
"No, no, this is already great!" Sora responded eagerly.
One of the seniors casually tossed his backpack onto the table.
"Pick a locker you like. Just don't take any with name tags; those already belong to someone. The rest are free."
Ueno silently counted the lockers with name tags. Seven. Adding himself and Sora made nine. That was fewer people than his middle school club. He recalled his father's words: the basketball club really was lacking.
...
After putting his bag away, Ueno looked at the seniors. "Senpai, aren't we going to practice?"
The two seniors smiled bitterly.
"I really don't know why you chose our school. If it's for academics, that's fine, but if you want to play basketball, you might've picked the wrong place. Our basketball club doesn't really do 'practice.' If you want to play, go grab a ball and find somewhere to mess around."
He pointed toward a corner where a worn-out bamboo basket sat. Inside were several deflated basketballs and two air pumps. Ueno frowned. Sora, however, fell silent for a moment. Then, he slowly walked over to the basket, crouched down, and wiped the dust off one of the balls.
In the silence, Sora suddenly turned around, holding a deflated basketball, and said excitedly to Ueno, "Ueno, this ball's still good! It just doesn't have any air in it."
Looking at Sora's enthusiasm, Ueno felt a mix of helplessness and an indescribable emotion. He smiled unconsciously at his new teammate.
"Yeah. Then let's pump it up."