Airi stepped onto the court first, her ponytail swaying with each step.
"So, you're the coach of the team, right?" she asked.
She stopped in front of Takahiro, who was wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.
Takahiro blinked. "Huh?"
Beside him, Hayato covered his mouth with one hand. His shoulders jerked twice, and a muffled snort escaped between his fingers.
"It's great that you're still training with them, even though you're not as fit as you used to be," Airi said.
She tilted her head and smiled at Takahiro.
"I bet that motivates your players to work even harder!"
"Um… I'm actually a player. I'm in my third year."
His shoulders slumped, and the towel slipped slightly in his grip.
Yuri stared at him without blinking.
No way...
Airi's eyes widened.
"Oh? Really? I'm sorry!"
Takahiro chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
"No worries. I get that a lot."
Airi cleared her throat and jotted something down in her notebook. The tip of her pen scratched across the paper before she looked up at him again.
"So, what's your name?"
"Takahiro Morikawa."
"Okay, Morikawa. How long have you been playing on this team?"
"I've been playing for two years, going on three now."
"Okay. How has the team performed this season?"
"We haven't played any official matches yet, but I'm sure we can go all the way this time around."
"Now then, I suppose I'll ask that one."
As Yuri stepped forward, Noboru bounced the basketball once before tucking it against his side. He jogged over and stopped right in front of her.
He looked up at her with a smile.
"My name's Noboru Takemoto. And you are?"
Yuri blinked.
"You can just call me Yuri, like everyone else."
"Yuri, huh? That name suits your cute face."
He leaned forward slightly, his smile widening.
What's with these freshmen?
"Um… thanks, I guess."
Yuri's lips twitched before she glanced down at her notebook.
"So then, what position do you play on the team?"
"I play every position!"
Noboru pointed a thumb at his chest, grinning from ear to ear.
"Someone as talented as me could never be limited to just one!"
Yuri's eyebrow twitched.
This guy's seriously full of himself. He's not even six feet tall! What kind of fantasy is he living in?
Airi moved on to Hayato.
"So, Nakajima, do you think this team has what it takes to reach the Inter-High?" she asked.
Hayato straightened his back and squared his shoulders.
"Of course we do. As long as we prepare properly and put in the work, we have a shot."
"How long have you been playing with the team?"
Hayato lowered his gaze.
"Well, this should've been my second year."
He paused.
"But... I suffered a serious injury during a practice match."
Airi's mouth opened slightly.
He raised his head, his fingers curling into a fist at his side.
"But this year, I'll make up for it!"
"That's so cool!" Airi said. "But is your injury completely healed?"
"Yeah." Hayato tapped his knee twice. "Good as new."
Kanae adjusted her glasses and met Yukio's gaze.
A bead of sweat slid down Yukio's temple.
Calm down...
He drew a slow breath.
"You're Yukio Hamaguchi, right?"
"Yes," he replied, nodding.
She glanced through her notes.
"Your team's performance was decent last year. You lost to Kaisei Academy by just one point in the fourth round."
"But that was mostly thanks to your previous captain's performance."
Kanae lowered her notes slightly.
"So, be honest with me. Do you really think the team you've put together can accomplish that much?"
Yukio's fingers trembled at his sides. He glanced toward Nanaho, who smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
He returned her smile before facing Kanae again.
"If I'm being honest, Toshigawa Academy's team is a far cry from what it used to be. We don't even have enough players to rotate properly. Stamina could become an issue, and... there's always the risk of injuries."
He paused, pressing his lips together.
"But I really believe we can make it to the Inter-High if we work together."
Kanae's eyes widened slightly. She let out a slow breath before turning back to him.
"You're also forgetting that you need at least seven players just to qualify."
"Yes, I'm aware."
Yukio smiled.
"We'll overcome that for sure."
In the far corner of the gym, Shino bounced the basketball between his hands.
He glanced over his shoulder.
I don't have time for this.
His eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the rim.
If I ease up even for a second, I'll never catch up to Tetsuo.
A short distance away, Rie watched him. Her heart pounded against her ribs, and she tightened her grip on her notebook.
She drew a shaky breath and approached him.
"Um… hello, Ka-Katsuragi."
Shino flinched. The basketball slipped from his hands and bounced across the gym floor.
"I'm sorry!" Rie said, bowing her head.
"It's okay."
Shino jogged after the ball, picked it up, and turned toward her.
"So, what are you doing here? Is this about the information we got from the class representatives' meeting?"
"No... Well, I'm also part of the newspaper club."
Rie lowered her gaze to the floor.
"Oh, I see. I didn't know that," Shino said.
"If it's not too much trouble…"
She swallowed.
"C-could I interview you?"
A faint blush spread across Shino's cheeks.
"Sure."
"Did I mention I was a great basketball player back in middle school? I scored thirty points in my debut game. Even I was shocked by how amazing I was!"
Noboru bounced the basketball, grinning as he continued talking.
Does this guy even have an off switch?
Yuri's eyebrow twitched.
He's the most annoying, self-centered person I've ever met.
Her gaze shifted toward the far corner of the gym. Her eyes widened when she spotted Shino talking to Rie.
"Huh? Rie's actually interviewing someone?" she muttered under her breath.
"So… what's your favorite color?" Rie asked.
"Is that one of the questions?"
"Y-yes!" she answered quickly, her cheeks turning red.
"Let's see…"
Shino looked up, thinking for a moment.
"I'd say orange."
"Orange?"
"There's actually a funny story behind it. Want to hear it?"
Rie nodded quickly.
"One time, I was helping my father paint my cousin's room yellow," Shino began, shifting the basketball under his arm. "He kept rushing me to get more paint ready, so I mixed some up. But I accidentally spilled another color into it without realizing."
He paused, a faint grin forming on his face.
"When my father started painting, the color turned out orange instead of yellow."
Shino chuckled softly and scratched his cheek.
"He got so angry that he threw the bucket of paint at me. "It took days to get the paint out of my hair. After that, everyone started calling me 'Pumpkin Head.'"
"Pfft…"
Rie covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
"P-Pumpkin Head?"
"So… that's why orange is your favorite color?"
"Pretty much!" Shino said. "The nickname stuck all the way until junior high."
Could it be…? Is Rie interested in him?
Yuri's lips curled at one corner. She tilted her head slightly, her half-lidded eyes fixed on the two of them.
How interesting…
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Noboru suddenly shouted, waving his hands in front of her.
Ugh… This guy is impossible…
Yuri groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Uh… I-I need to interview that guy over there now, so… please excuse me!"
She backed away.
"Oh, okay! If you want to hear more, just come back when you're done!"
Yuri exhaled sharply, her shoulders dropping.
Finally…
She turned toward Tetsuo.
He leaped into the air and flicked his wrist. The basketball struck the rim with a sharp clink before dropping cleanly through the net.
Whoa…
"Um… excuse me. Can I ask you a few questions?"
Tetsuo's eyes flicked toward her briefly before returning to the hoop. He picked up another basketball and resumed shooting.
Yuri let out a quiet chuckle.
Yeah… he's totally ignoring me. He's cute, though. I'll give him that much.
The sun began to set outside the gym.
Kanae adjusted her glasses. "Thanks for your cooperation."
She turned to Nanaho.
"Fukazawa, I'm going to need a medical report for each player so I can add more detail to the article. Make sure you get those ready, okay?"
"Of course."
Kanae stepped back and gave a brisk nod, a small smile on her face.
"Best of luck to all of you this year."
That was unexpected…
Yukio thought.
"S-see you later, Katsuragi."
Rie turned to follow Kanae, but before she could take another step.
"Wait."
Shino reached out without thinking and gently took her hand.
Rie froze. A flush spread across her cheeks.
Shino glanced down at their hands and quickly let go.
"S-sorry."
He rubbed the back of his neck before looking at her again.
"Since we're working together as class representatives, I was thinking… why don't you call me Shino? And, if you're okay with it, can I call you Rie?"
Rie nodded slowly.
"Y-yeah…"
"Okay, great!"
Rie turned and hurried out through the gym doors.
Shino blinked, watching her leave.
Outside, Rie stopped beside the wall and pressed a hand against her chest.
He held my hand… He actually called me Rie…
"Sh… Shino," she whispered.
Yuri walked up beside her, glancing from Rie's flushed face to the gym doors.
"That's the first time I've ever seen you talk so much to a guy. Don't tell me you've got a crush on him."
"Wha—what?! No, it's not like that!" Rie yelped, pressing both hands against her cheeks.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Yuri asked with a grin.
"No! Quit jumping to conclusions!"
Rie stomped her foot. A small squeak escaped her as she spun away.
"But you're as red as a tomato."
Yuri nudged her shoulder.
"What else am I supposed to think?"
"I am not! And lower your voice! He'll hear you!"
Rie glanced over her shoulder toward the gym doors.
"Fine, fine. Your secret's safe with me."
Yuri raised both hands.
"It's not a secret! Just stop, please!"
Rie bounced on her toes, her hands still pressed firmly against her burning cheeks.
Yukio clapped his hands sharply, the sound echoing across the gym.
"All right, sorry for the delay, everyone. Let's get back to training."
"Right!" the team answered.