The bus turned into the school grounds.
"We're here," Yukio said.
Noboru leaned forward, pressing his face against the window.
"Whoa! Yokonan is huge!"
Haruko looked out at the facilities, her eyes moving across the grounds.
No way... Their field is at least twice the size of ours.
Takahiro nodded.
"Yeah. Yokonan is pretty well-known for its sports programs."
Shino's gaze drifted toward the outdoor pool. Several swimmers moved through the water, their arms cutting through each stroke.
Yukio glanced followed Shino's gaze.
"Yokonan has a girls' swimming team. In fact, they haven't lost a championship in eight years."
"Oh, really?"
The corner of Noboru's mouth curled upward.
Hehe... I'm definitely going to enjoy it here after all.
They stepped off the bus and gathered beside it.
"Everyone, stay close to me. Don't wander off, okay? And that goes double for you, Noboru."
Nanaho pointed directly at him.
"What? Why me?"
Tetsuo's gaze shifted toward the outdoor pool.
A silver-haired girl wearing a navy school swimsuit stood at the edge. She bent forward and dived into the water without making a splash.
Her arms extended in front of her as she glided beneath the surface. She emerged a moment later and continued swimming toward the opposite end.
After touching the wall, she turned and headed back.
"That's a new record!" one of the girls called out.
The other swimmers gathered around the silver-haired girl.
"You're so cool!" another girl said.
Nearby, a boy approached the group from the school building. He adjusted his glasses before stopping in front of them.
"Toshigawa Academy, right?"
Nanaho turned toward him.
"Oh... Yes."
"My name is Manabu Sugawara. Not that it matters, though. I've been asked to show you around, so just follow me."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking.
They followed Manabu through the school grounds.
As they walked, the silver-haired girl glanced over.
"Which school are they from?" she asked.
Another girl turned to look.
"I don't know."
Her gaze shifted across the group before settling on Tetsuo.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
...Wait. Where have I seen that face before
Manabu stopped beside a set of locker rooms and pointed toward the entrance.
"You guys can change in here. Oh, and the basketball court is down this hallway, to the left."
Yukio nodded.
"Thanks for showing us around."
Manabu gave a brief nod before turning and walking away.
Nanaho reached into the large bag Takahiro had been carrying and began pulling out the jerseys.
"Alright, let's see... Time for the best part! What numbers do you guys want?"
She smiled and held up a sleek black-and-green jersey.
Noboru snatched the number ten jersey from her hands.
"Dibs on number ten!"
Nanaho's eyebrow twitched.
"Why do you always have to act like a hooligan?"
Yukio's hand hovered over the number four jersey. After a moment, he pulled back and brushed his fingers against the number seven.
"I'll take seven."
He smiled as he picked it up.
Hayato raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Really? I thought you'd go for the traditional captain's number. Fine, I'll take four, then."
"Just pass me the eight," Takahiro said.
Nanaho picked up another jersey and held it out to Shino.
"Here you go, Shino."
"What...? This one's for me?"
"How are you supposed to play in the match without one?"
Shino hesitated before accepting it.
He stared down at the jersey, his cheeks turning red.
My first jersey...
"Here you go, Tetsuo."
Nanaho held out another jersey.
Tetsuo took it from her hands.
"Alright, I'll be waiting on the court. Don't take too long!"
Nanaho turned and walked down the hallway.
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
Nanaho glanced at Haruko.
"You can come with me until then, okay?"
Haruko quickly nodded.
"Right, Fukazawa-senpai."
Nanaho turned to leave, but her gaze briefly shifted toward Yukio.
...So it still bothers him, huh?
As they made their way down the hallway, Noboru glanced down at his black-and-green jersey.
"Not gonna lie, I'm kind of digging this black-and-green combination."
"Yeah, Nanaho really outdid herself this time," Takahiro said.
Just then, a loud voice rang out from the stands.
"Here they come! Toshigawa Academy!"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Looks like this is going to be a one-sided match. Why'd they even bother showing up?" a boy said.
Shino's heart pounded as he looked out at the crowd. His gaze shifted from one face to another before he swallowed.
"Th... There's sure a lot of people," he muttered.
Noboru rested his hands on his hips.
"Isn't it obvious, amateur? They came here to watch me."
Yukio stepped forward.
"Focus. Don't let the crowd get to you."
"Coach Arimoto, they're here," Manabu said.
Coach Arimoto glanced down at his clipboard.
"Which school, exactly?"
"Toshigawa Academy," Manabu replied.
"Oh, have them play against our B team."
"But Coach, both our C and B teams are out doing stamina training with the captain."
Arimoto looked up from his clipboard.
"Oh... Well, I guess it can't be helped, then. Go crush them."
Nanaho turned toward Haruko.
"You can sit here on the bench."
Haruko nodded and lowered herself onto the wooden seat.
"Alright, go get warmed up."
Nanaho waved them toward the court.
Yukio clapped his hands together.
"You heard her! Move it! Let's go stretch our legs!"
The team sprinted up and down their half of the court.
After several laps, they gathered near the sideline, breathing heavily. Their chests rose and fell as they caught their breath.
Takahiro began warming up with arm rotations, gradually increasing the range of motion in his shoulders, triceps, and wrists.
The others followed his lead.
"Alright, time for drills! Form two lines!" Yukio called.
The players quickly split into two neat lines near the three-point line.
Yukio started by sending a bounce pass toward Takahiro. He caught it cleanly and sprinted toward the basket.
Takahiro passed the ball back. Yukio caught it and flicked his wrist.
The ball struck the backboard before dropping through the net.
"Next!" Yukio called.
Noboru stepped forward. He passed the ball to Hayato before dashing toward the basket.
Hayato returned the pass, and Noboru finished with a layup.
Shino hesitated before stepping up beside Tetsuo. He took a deep breath, passed the ball to him, and ran toward the rim.
Tetsuo sent the ball back. Shino took two quick steps and went for the layup.
The ball struck the backboard and bounced off the rim.
"Oh... Not again," Shino whispered, lowering his gaze to the floor.
"You've got plenty of time to get it right. Just focus," Yukio said.
Yukio and Hayato dribbled toward the free-throw line.
They gathered themselves before jumping and releasing their shots. Both basketballs sailed through the air and dropped cleanly through the nets.
Noboru took his turn.
He released the ball, but his shot fell short and bounced away.
A few spectators in the crowd laughed.
Nearby, a player wearing a Yokonan jersey leaned against the wall, spinning a basketball on his finger as he watched them.
What a disappointing team.
Swish!
His gaze shifted toward Tetsuo, who had picked up another ball from the rack.
Tetsuo jumped and flicked his wrist.
Swish!
The Yokonan player stopped spinning the ball on his finger.
"...He hasn't missed a single shot."
"That's it! Keep it up!" Nanaho shouted from the sidelines.
Yokonan's players watched from across the court.
"What do you think, Ryuu?" one of them asked.
Ryuu glanced toward Toshigawa.
"Eiji, this team is nothing without their former captain."
He lowered himself onto the bench and leaned back.
"Those first-years are such a pain. Why do we even have to play against these losers?"
"The captain took them and a couple of second-years out for a run," Manabu explained.
A tall player chuckled.
"How much do you think we'll score? One hundred and fifty? Or should we stick with our iconic 111 to 11?"
Ryuu's lips curled into a smirk.
"That sounds about right."
A player wearing number six began counting the Toshigawa players.
"Let's see... One, two, three, four, five, six..."
He lowered his hand.
"I doubt they'll last one quarter."
Then he turned away.
"I'm not interested."
A tall, green-haired player tapped him on the shoulder.
"Kayano, remember, only five players can be on the court at a time."
Kayano let out a slow breath.
"Say what you want, Kogure. They'll lose either way."
Across the court, Hayato's eyes moved over the approaching Yokonan players.
Keichiro isn't here...
His gaze stopped on two familiar faces.
Wait... Is that Takeshi Kayano and Kogure?
The two players walked toward him.
"Oh, is that you, Hayato?" Kayano said. "Haven't seen you since junior high. How come you didn't play last year?"
Hayato's jaw shifted.
Didn't Keichiro tell him what happened?
His fingers curled into a fist.
"That's none of your concern. All I know is that I'm beating you today."
Kayano's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is that so? One step at a time, Hayato. First, try getting Coach to take me off the bench. Then you can talk."
"Hey, Yukio! It's been a while. How have you been?"
Kogure walked over, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Not bad," Yukio replied with a smile.
"I see you haven't given up."
Kogure's gaze drifted toward the Toshigawa players.
"Though, with a team like this, I doubt you'll make it very far. Sadly, I won't be playing today. Coach won't allow it."
He turned away and raised a hand.
"Well, try your best not to get humiliated, okay?"
Yukio's fingers tightened around his palm.
"Trust me. We wouldn't have come here if we weren't ready."