Home. Not that it even mattered he was home. He still felt invisible there.
Being the only child, his parents were always at work. Never having time for him.
He opened the door to see an empty house-as usual.
He tossed his bag on the couch, hard.
Hiraku was normally easygoing but he couldn't shake of the feeling about what happened earlier-the dunk.
"The dunk. The dunk. That dunk!"
His fists tightened, punching a glass mirror leaving it shattered. Blood run down his hand. He didn't flinch-Humilation burnt more.
He grabbed his basketball, kicked the door open and walked straight into the driveway.
"I'm as good as him!"
He slammed the ball into the garage. Every thud echoed through the silent neighborhood.
Two hours went by, the sound of footsteps breaking his focus.
"What's got you all pumped up?"
Hiraku turned, a wild, desperate smile stretched across his face.
It was Aoi again.
He saw her. Relief mixed with frustration. The smile faded but he kept his cool-the rage still burning in him.
"You're here."
Aoi blinked, slightly shocked though she was expecting that kind of answer from him.
"Ouch! Not even a 'hello' or 'how're you doing'. Got to hit me with the 'youre here' bomb.
"It's just.. you distracted me."
"I just came to ask if you'd want to grab a drink and talk about what happened earlier. But I guess I'm not welcome."
He hesitated, then nodded.
"Sure. I'll go."
The next day came. Everyone still talking about Riku's dunk.
"If it was just an ordinary-practice dunk, why is everyone still talking about it?"
He knew it was Riku's name-it implied dominance.
School was over. Practice time.
The gym was emptier than usual.Noone came to practice today. That was weird. Very weird...
Not even the coach or Riku were on the court.
Something was wrong, but Hiraku shrugged it off and practiced alone.
He practiced aggressively-too aggressively.
The thought still echoed through his head.
"I'm as good as him!"
Then, Hiraku heard a ball bouncing.
It wasn't his.
"How could there be another ball bouncing when I was the only one on the court?" He wondered.
A silhouette appeared beside the left rim.
Hiraku froze-for once. He shouted "Riku, if that's you,know that I'm not scared of you!"
The figure threw a basketball ad him, hitting him hard in the chest.
The ball froze midair, then vanished.
A tall, slender man dressed in black stood right before him.
He radiated dominance.
"You are almost there." The man spoke in a deep creepy voice.
Hiraku understood immediately. But how..?
"Everyone sees him, but you.. you'll be ready soon. This might be the edge you've been waiting for."
He handed Hiraku a packof gum.
He looked at the pack of gum, puzzled. He had a lot of questions. "What does it mean? What does it do? Why did he give it to me?
Before he could ask, the man vanished.
Hiraku's fingers hovered over it, and the silence of the gym pressed closer than ever.
He stared at t. The choice, heaving in his palm, waiting.
He didn't chew just yet.
He slipped it into his pocket.
Now he needed to find Aoi...