Sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees lining the path to Toshigawa Academy.
A cool breeze passed through the branches, stirring the leaves and carrying the faint scent of morning dew.
Students walked in pairs and small groups, chatting and laughing as they made their way toward the school.
"Hey, Naomi. Good morning."
Sachiko approached from behind and lightly tapped Naomi's shoulder, a small smile on her face.
"Ow!"
Naomi flinched and immediately reached for her shoulder.
Sachiko blinked.
"What's wrong?"
"My muscles… they're killing me."
Naomi let out a sharp breath and dragged her feet along the pavement.
"Yesterday's practice was brutal. Coach had us running like we were preparing for nationals. I even woke up twice last night because of cramps."
Sachiko tilted her head.
"It's that bad, huh? Well… you do have a track meet coming up."
"Don't remind me."
Naomi groaned.
"If Toshigawa's ever gonna make a name for itself in the track world, we've gotta grind. No shortcuts."
"Right," Sachiko said.
She lowered her gaze.
"By the way, are you alright? You look a little down."
Naomi glanced at her.
"It's nothing."
Sachiko said.
The corners of Naomi's mouth lifted slightly.
"Is it the student council? Or could it be…"
Sachiko's cheeks turned pink as they reached the sliding doors of Class 1-T.
The moment they stepped inside, Naomi stopped in her tracks.
"Wait. Something feels… off."
Sachiko blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"It's quiet," Naomi said, slowly shifting her gaze across the classroom.
A smile crept across Naomi's face.
"He's not here today. Probably skipping again. Lazy, obnoxious punk. At least we might actually get some peace and quiet for once."
Hmm… Kawaguchi isn't here either. That's strange.
Sachiko glanced toward his seat.
At the back of the classroom, Makoto yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. His gaze drifted across the desks before settling briefly on Shino's empty seat.
He leaned back in his chair, balancing on its rear legs, his eyelids drooping.
The sound of a basketball bouncing echoed in Makoto's mind.
"S... So, um... would you maybe... want to join the basketball team with me? I... I mean... you're really good at it. You'd... make the team so much stronger."
"No..."
"B... But..."
Shino clenched her hands, her fingers curling into her palms.
"You probably haven't heard from the upperclassmen, but I quit basketball over a year ago," Makoto said.
"B... But... you played with us today, and... you actually looked like you were enjoying it."
Makoto fell silent.
His jaw tightened.
"What the hell do you know? You don't know anything about me!"
Back in the classroom, Makoto tilted his head against the wall.
A practice match, huh?
The sliding door creaked open, and Hayami-sensei stepped into the classroom.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Sensei!" the class replied, rising from their seats to bow.
"You may be seated."
Naomi raised her hand.
"Um, Sensei? Noboru, Kawaguchi, and Katsuragi are all absent today."
"Oh, those boys?"
Hayami placed a stack of papers on her desk.
"They're excused. They have a basketball practice match today."
Naomi froze.
"Wait… Noboru's on the basketball team? No way. I thought he was just… messing around."
Sachiko's lips parted slightly.
So that's what he meant. Tetsuo joined the basketball team.
She pressed her teeth against the inside of her cheek.
I'll have to bring this up with President Yoshida later…
Across the classroom, Rie rested her chin in her hands. A faint sigh escaped her lips.
A match today? So Katsuragi won't be here…
Rie's pen hovered over her notebook as she doodled absentmindedly, sketching small shapes that gradually took on Shino's features.
Guess I'll just have to cheer him on from here.
Her shoulders drooped slightly as she continued drawing.
Hayami-sensei clapped her hands softly.
"Alright, let's begin."
Just a kilometer away from Toshigawa Academy, at Hachioji Academy, Usagi sat in the middle row of her classroom, doodling little stars in the margins of her notebook.
Today's the day… My big brother is finally playing his first game!
Thirty points from him, sixty from the rest of the team… That's ninety points altogether. Good luck, Tetsuo! Do your best!
A few doors down, in the third-year wing, Sayaka dutifully copied notes into her notebook, though her gaze kept drifting toward Haruko's empty seat.
Haruko's absent today… Did she catch a cold? She won't be able to make it to the café after school. Should we cancel our plans? I wonder…
Across Toshigawa's campus, the faint click of camera shutters echoed from the newspaper clubroom.
Kanae reached for the door but stopped.
"…That's weird."
Pushing it open, she found Yuri reclining casually in a chair, a book open in her lap, while Airi stood by the window, gazing outside.
"Yuri? Don't you have class right now?" Kanae asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but it was boring. I needed a break."
Yuri yawned before turning another page.
Kanae's eyebrow twitched. She adjusted her glasses.
"Figures. Well, since you're already ditching, come with us. I got approval from the principal. Let's grab our gear and move out."
"For what exactly?" Yuri asked.
"We're covering the basketball team's practice match for the paper."
Yuri closed her book with a soft thud.
"Fine, why not? But what about Rie? She's still a first-year. You're not letting her skip, are you?"
"She's in class, don't worry. We'll fill her in later. Anyway, we're heading to Yokonan High. Let's move."
Meanwhile, in the school's parking lot, the bus sat waiting with its engine rumbling quietly.
Nanaho's jaw tightened as her fingers curled around the clipboard, bending its edge.
Yukio raised both hands.
"Easy. You're gonna break that thing."
"I'll make him pay… So he thinks he can just take his sweet time when we have a match to get to?"
Nanaho's shoulders shook as she let out a low chuckle. Her eyes narrowed, and her foot continued tapping against the pavement.
It was nice knowing you Noboru.
Hayato and Takahiro exchanged a glance.
"He's probably still waking up. Give him a little more time, Nanaho," Yukio said with a shrug, adjusting the strap of his sports bag.
"You're really not helping right now."
Nanaho released a slow breath through her nose.
A short distance away, Shino stood with his hands twitching at his sides. His palms were damp, and his breathing came in short, uneven breaths.
He stared down at the pavement.
What if I mess up the first pass? What if I freeze?
A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
"Ahh!"
Shino jumped, his arms shooting up.
"Relax, will you?" Hayato said. "We're not even there yet. You'll be fine."
"Y-Yeah… fine…"
Shino's cheeks turned red as he quickly lowered his arms.
"There's no need to be nervous," Takahiro said.
"I-I'm not n-nervous!"
Shino took a step forward, caught his foot against the other, and stumbled onto the pavement with a soft thud.
Hayato and Takahiro exchanged another glance.
He's totally nervous.
Shino scrambled back to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees. His eyes then shifted toward Tetsuo, who stood nearby without saying a word.
How is he so calm? This is his first game too…
Shino swallowed.
Nanaho narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the figure approaching from a distance.
A boy walked toward them at a leisurely pace, one hand raised in greeting.
"Your MVP has arrived! Hope you didn't start missing me already!"
Noboru jogged toward the group with a wide grin, his hair slightly messy.
"You sure took your sweet time," Nanaho muttered.
"Yeah, well, I wanted to be well-rested for the match," Noboru replied.
Nanaho pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you…"
"Since everyone's finally here, let's move out."
Yukio turned toward the bus and stepped inside.
"Wait."
Tetsuo's voice stopped him.
Nanaho turned toward him.
"What is it? Did we leave something?"
"No… She's almost here."
Tetsuo pointed toward the school entrance.
A girl hurried toward them before coming to a stop, slightly out of breath. Strands of hair clung to her forehead, and she placed a hand against her chest.
"I… made it."
"Yeah, right on time," Tetsuo said.
Noboru's eyes widened.
"No way! You have a girlfriend?"
Haruko glanced at Tetsuo.
Tetsuo looked back at her.
She quickly turned her head, her cheeks taking on a faint pink hue.
"N-No, it's not like that!"
Haruko straightened her posture before facing the others.
"My name is Haruko Takahashi. I'm on the girls' basketball team at Hachioji Academy. Tetsuo's been… teaching me more about the game so I can improve."
"She's here to watch the match," Tetsuo added.
"Oh, I see."
Yukio nodded.
"I'm the captain, Yukio Hamaguchi. Nice to meet you, Takahashi. I hope you'll learn something useful today."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it."
Haruko smiled.
Noboru puffed out his chest.
"Don't worry, Takahashi. After you see me play, you'll be—"
"Don't even start, or you'll be watching from the sidelines," Nanaho interrupted.
"Wha—?! No way! You can't be serious!"
Noboru's grin disappeared.
The others burst into laughter.
"Alright."
Yukio rested a hand on his hip and looked around at his teammates.
"Team, let's get out there and win this."
"Yes!"
The team answered in unison before boarding the bus.
Shino climbed aboard, gripping the strap of his sports bag a little tighter.
A moment later, the doors closed with a soft hiss.