───● The Junior High Basketball Player Is a Hard Worker ●○●
People in outdoor clubs always say, “Indoor clubs have it so nice in the summer.” But inside the gym, it gets incredibly hot and stuffy, so it’s tough in its own way.
I think a teacher once said that, after marathon running, indoor clubs have the highest rates of heatstroke.
Our basketball team just finished practice in this sweltering heat and now we’re in the locker room.
The distinctive smell of deodorant fills the air.
Practice ended this morning, but I still feel like I could move a little more.
“Hey, that’s amazing, Yuka!”
“Yuka’s been amazing since elementary school!”
“Ahaha… thanks.”
The reason my classmates are celebrating so happily… was because of the meeting we just had.
After practice, the coach told me that I would be in the starting lineup for next week’s official game. I’ve started in practice games a few times, but this is my first official one.
My jersey number is 18, the lowest among the first-years.
Actually, I’m the only first-year who even got a jersey number.
I’m grateful, but I also feel the pressure. For the sake of those who didn’t even make the bench, I have to deliver results…
“I’ll be cheering for you like crazy, Yuka!”
“Yuka will probably be playing guard, right? I wonder who she’s replacing…”
“Oh, isn’t it that one? The second-year…”
Just as we finished changing and were chatting on our way out of the locker room.
“First-years. Your mopping is pathetic. Go do it again.”
“Huh…”
When we opened the door, three second-year senpais were standing there.
“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Did you even mop at all? If the volleyball team that uses the gym this afternoon gets injured, are you going to take responsibility? Now, hurry up and go.”
“…”
…I think we mopped properly.
All the first-years did it together, and at the end, we even checked to make sure our shoes squeaked on the floor. …But that probably doesn’t matter.
This is harassment.
Reluctantly, we put our bags down and headed back to the gym.
It’s no big deal. Just gotta endure it, endure it.
“Maeda.”
“…Yes.”
As everyone else went to the gym, I was the only one held back.
A bad feeling.
“…I told you not to get cocky, didn’t I?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re just the coach’s favorite. Don’t get it twisted.”
“…”
Because I made the starting lineup, a second-year was moved to the bench. But that girl smiled and told me, “Do your best.”
And yet, these girls, who aren’t even on the bench, are the ones relentlessly coming after me.
“Excuse me.”
“Tch…”
Club activities are complicated. Is it really that annoying when an underclassman gets to play in a game…? If it were me, and I didn’t want to lose to an underclassman, I’d just practice more…
But it doesn’t even seem like those senpais practice that much… Feeling their sharp glares on my back, I ran towards the gym.
For some reason, I didn’t feel like going straight home, and before I knew it, I was at our usual park.
Onii-san won’t be here today… but I honestly hadn’t practiced enough yet, so this was perfect.
I’m glad I brought my outdoor ball.
It’s a little after 1 P.M.
I’ll practice for an hour or two and then head home.
I thought there might be more people, but since it was lunchtime, the park’s basketball court was empty.
Lucky me.
The scorching sun is dazzling.
I can tell that summer is really about to get into full swing.
“Hup.”
A shot from the free-throw line.
The ball sank into the hoop with a satisfying swoosh.
“Yeah, feels good.”
I feel like I’ve improved even more since I started practicing here with Onii-san.
If it weren’t for the techniques he taught me, I might not have been chosen for the starting lineup.
He really taught me so much.
(Maybe I should try imitating Onii-san.)
I picture the movements of the person I admire in my mind.
Movements I’ve seen up close again and again. And… because I love him. It’s easy for me to recall the movements of the person I love, burned into my memory.
I pick up the ball, dribble it lightly… A between-the-legs into a crossover. Drive to the right… roll turn.
And then a sudden stop into a fadeaway.
Yes, this move!
Clang. The ball bounced off the rim.
As expected, this one is tough. More than anything, it’s the fadeaway at the end.
Jumping backwards while shooting forwards is incredibly difficult when you actually try it.
(Onii-san really is amazing…)
He makes that difficult shot so easily.
I’ve almost never seen him miss it in practice from this distance.
“Alright…”
I refocus my energy.
This time, I’m going to make it—
“Well, well~ look what we have here~”
I heard a familiar voice.
“I didn’t get enough practice in~”
“I know, right~. Hey, but someone’s here??”
“Ohhh~? Isn’t that one of our jerseys?”
Such fake-sounding voices…
It was the second-year senpais who had been harassing me earlier. Looking closely, I saw a male senpai from the boy’s basketball team with them again.
I think I heard a rumor that he’s the boyfriend of Ayako-senpai, the girl I replaced as a starter.
He’s supposedly the most popular guy on the second-year boy’s team, but after getting used to seeing Onii-san…
Then again, comparing him to Onii-san is probably unfair.
For someone his age, I guess he is kind of handsome.
He looks a little uncomfortable, but the fact that he came along probably means he thinks I’m a nuisance, too.
“…Good afternoon.”
“Well, well! If it isn’t Maeda. Hmph~ So this is where you practice~”
“We want to practice, too, so let us have the court.”
…This is the worst.
But I have no choice. It seems like the best thing to do is back down quietly. Discretion is the better part of valor, or something like that.
“Yes. Please, go ahead. I’ll be leaving. Have a good afternoon.”
I grabbed my ball and headed for the court exit as if to escape.
However.
An arm grabbed mine forcefully.
“What, don’t be so cold. Let’s practice together~”
“…”
That tone of voice doesn’t sound like an invitation to practice together…
I have a bad feeling. But the atmosphere doesn’t seem like one where they’ll just let me go home…
“…Okay.”
It seemed like I had no choice but to brace myself.
■
I wake up to a notification on my phone. I feel like my mornings have been starting like this more often recently.
“Ugh…”
The main heroine of a game I used to play made cute little groaning noises just like that, I remember thinking.
I am acutely aware that the sound that just came out of my own mouth was just a plain old groan.
“What time is it…?”
I look at my phone.
The lock screen displays 10:28. Just because it’s Sunday doesn’t mean I should have slept well into the afternoon.
But I can’t help it. Yesterday, Yuusee-san (one of the other boys) invited me out for ramen late at night after my shift—a cardinal sin—which meant I couldn’t go to sleep right away. I ended up finally crashing around 3 A.M.
By the way, as we were leaving, Yuusee-san got a call from some woman and rushed off in a panic. His face was pale, I wonder what happened… Sounds complicated.
I scratch my head and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
I wash my face with water, then brush. That’s when I remember the notification woke me up, and I pull out the phone I’d stuffed in my pocket.
<Koumi>
‘Mornin!!’
‘Wait, for real, let’s go to the batting center next time!’
‘I’m pretty confident in my skills, you know!!’
…What were we talking about again?
Oh, that’s right! Koumi was saying something about how she used to play softball.
I’m even more confident in my baseball skills than my basketball skills, so I was getting cocky thinking I’d definitely be better than her.
Apparently, in this world, girls are often better at sports. I mean, when I see Yuka, I do think, ‘are there really middle school girls this good?’
I assume it’s simply a matter of population size. If it came down to pure strength, I think guys are still stronger… probably.
I leave Koumi’s message on read for now. I’ll reply after I finish breakfast.
After Seira-san, I also exchanged contact info with Yuka, so my phone has been pretty lively with notifications lately. Everyone’s so diligent. They really don’t have to message me unless they need something.
I open the fridge and look for something for breakfast.
Not much in here… I’ve got ham, so I’ll put that and some cheese on bread and toast it.
I really don’t have an appetite in the morning.
But only eating lunch and dinner seems unhealthy, so I try to eat at least something.
“Hmm~ what should I do today…”
On days when I don’t have my part-time job or university, I’m actually quite bored.
I’m really grateful that I can make a decent amount of money working only two or three times a week.
After putting the ingredients on the bread and setting the toaster, I remember something and open my phone again. Yuka said her tournament was coming up soon.
She messaged me first thing in the morning today, too, so she’s probably at club practice right now.
She really is a hard worker.
…Alright, I’ve decided.
I’ll go play some basketball today, too. Gotta keep my body moving.
Besides, if I don’t start getting serious, Yuka might actually beat me.
Knowing her kind nature, she probably wouldn’t actually kick me out of the park even if she won, but my pride won’t allow me to lose to a middle school girl.
Shoving the perfectly toasted bread in my mouth, I got ready to go play basketball.
Being a weekend, the park is moderately busy.
It’s not the type of park with lots of playground equipment, but rather one with benches and a pond for enjoying nature, so you don’t see it swarming with kids very often.
And since the basketball court is tucked away in the back of such a park, I think of it as a hidden gem.
“Huh… but of course someone’s here first.”
It’s the weekend.
Even at a hidden gem like this, it seems someone beat me to it. Listening to the sound of a basketball bouncing on the ground, I continued walking.
“Wait…?”
When I could finally see inside the court, I noticed something.
One of the four people playing basketball… with her fresh, black short hair and a sparkling blue hairpin.
The girl, who seems to be wearing her school-issued jersey today, is… the now very familiar Maeda Yuka.
And the other kids around her… wait, there’s a boy, too.
He, or rather, they are all wearing the same jersey as Yuka. In other words, they must be from the same school.
“So Yuka’s practicing here with her club mates… she really is a hard worker. I’ll have to pat her head next time I see her.”
Lately, watching Yuka brings out my protective side.
The contrast between her cute appearance and her serious expression when she’s playing basketball is great. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a little sister.
“…Hmm?”
I was planning to just do some handling drills in another open spot and go home, but then I realized the atmosphere felt strange, so I watched more closely.
Yuka’s expression looks quite pained.
She’s practicing in this heat… so her expression isn’t entirely out of place, but what’s strange are the other members.
They are clearly laughing at Yuka. And it’s a mocking, sneering laugh.
…Bullying?
A nasty premonition shot through my head.
If it’s bullying, I have to stop it. But if I jump in based on a misunderstanding and get in their way, I’ll just look like a busybody—
In the end, it would have been better if I hadn’t hesitated.
A girl standing near Yuka swung her elbow, and it connected squarely with Yuka’s face.
Yuka fell hard to the ground. Seeing this, the others laughed.
Witnessing that firsthand, I no longer had the option of not stepping onto that court.
■
How much time had passed?
Thirty minutes? An hour? To be honest, I’d lost all sense of time.
“Giving up already, Maeda? You really think you can handle a real game like this?!”
“Hah…! Hah…!”
Running nonstop under this blazing sun, with no breaks.
The senpais took turns, but I got no rest at all.
I thought something like this might happen, but it’s still rough.
“Alright, let’s do some two-on-two. Gotta get some game experience, right? Our star first-year.”
“Hah…! Hah…!”
At least let me get some water.
My body was screaming, begging for air and hydration.
“C’mon, Maeda, hurry up. Your offense to start.”
The ball was thrown at me, and I barely managed to catch it.
It’s called two-on-two, so I have a teammate. But that’s just a formality; it doesn’t matter here.
My so-called teammate had no intention of receiving the ball.
With no other choice, I tried to drive past them.
But my body was already wrecked, and there was no way I could summon my usual speed. Another player came over to double-team me, making it even harder to hold onto the ball.
“Is that all you got!? Maybe you should just quit the team!”
“You should think about how Ayako feels, losing her spot to you!”
I know that.
That’s why I was going to work hard enough for both me and Ayako-senpai…!
“What’s wrong?! C’mon!”
“…Hh!”
There was a sickening thud.
My vision went black.
It felt like one of the senpais’ swinging elbows had connected squarely with my face.
It hurts.
It’s hard to breathe.
All I could hear was laughter ringing in my ears.
Why… why does this have to happen to me?
All I want is to play basketball…
…Huh? A moment ago they were laughing at me, but I can’t hear them anymore.
Have I gone deaf…?
“You all seem to be having a pretty fun practice.”
…What?
—It can’t be.
Because, it’s Sunday.
And we didn’t have any plans.
And yet.
I know that voice so intimately it drives me crazy.
I looked up.
Standing there was the person I love more than anything—
“Yuka, can you stand?”
“…Onii… san…?”
A person was lending me a shoulder to help me up.
There was no mistake. It was the person I adore.
It was Masato-san.
“Wh-Who are you?”
“We’re in the middle of club practice.”
The senpais are clearly flustered.
Maybe they’re just stunned by how handsome Onii-san is.
“Oh, really? So this is what club practice is these days? Bullying one person until she’s completely broken and then standing around laughing at her?”
“…”
…Onii-san is angry.
I could tell just from his voice.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him angry.
Onii-san shot a cold glare at the senpais, then turned back to me.
“Yuka, drink this for now. You haven’t had any water, have you?”
“Thank… you.”
He handed me a plastic bottle.
I took it and drank immediately. I could feel the moisture spreading through my parched body.
Onii-san gave me a gentle smile and walked me to the bench.
He helped me sit down.
“Sorry I was late. Just rest here for a bit.”
He gently patted my head.
My body grew hot for a completely different reason.
Even at a time like this… my body just instinctively reacts with joy.
But my mind was still in chaos.
I never thought Onii-san would be here.
“So? What do you hope to accomplish by bullying Yuka? You all.”
“W-We’re not bullying her. We were just testing to see if Maeda was worthy of being a starter.”
“R-Right! So could you please not interfere?”
“…Is that so…”
How can they even say that, I thought.
The truth was, their plan was probably to injure me physically or mentally and make me give up my spot on the team.
“So, if Yuka proves her skill, you’ll all back off? Is that it?”
“Th-That was the plan from the start. It’s just that Maeda was so bad, it ended up like this.”
You knew you couldn’t win in a fair game, so you tried to wear out my stamina!
And you probably figured it’d be a bonus if I got injured in the process…!
Anger began to bubble up inside me.
Just then, Onii-san turned back to me.
“Yuka… can you move, after you’ve rested a little more?”
“Huh…?”
His suggestion was unexpected.
Onii-san slowly crouched down to meet my eyes where I sat. Smiling gently, he stroked my head.
“Let’s show them. How strong you are, Yuka.”
That one sentence was more than enough to fire me up.
“…Yes…!”
More than any other time before, I felt strength surge through my body.
Onii-san turned to face the senpais once more.
“So, Yuka just has to beat you all, right? Yuka and I will be a team, so you can have all four of you.”
“H-Huh? Are you kidding me? Four-on-two?”
“I’m not kidding. And I won’t jump. There’s a height difference, after all.”
He won’t… jump!? You mean he won’t leave the ground?
Basketball is a sport where the hoop is up high, so jumping is essential.
It’s a sport where you jump over and over. And yet, Onii-san declared that he wouldn’t jump.
“You’re really underestimating us… Fine.”
“And if we win… you’ll all accept Yuka as a starter. Got it?”
“Then in exchange, if you lose, Maeda will give up her spot on the team. How about it?”
…!
I was chosen for that spot. I don’t want to give it up. But at the same time… teaming up with Onii-san, I don’t feel like we can lose.
Feeling Onii-san’s gaze on me, I nodded.
“Fine. I accept.”
“…Alright. Then, let’s do this.”
Onii-san slowly took off his necklace. The motion was so cool it gave me shivers.
A wave of happiness washed over my chest.
I wish it hadn’t happened under these circumstances, but.
I get to play basketball on a team with Onii-san!
“Alright, we’ll take the ball first.”
Onii-san had the ball.
As expected, two of the girls’ team senpais double-teamed him.
Two of them were on me, as well.
Those two were the better players among them.
But… to be honest.
“Hmph…!”
They were no match for Onii-san.
“Eh?”
“What!?”
Ignoring their shocked faces, Onii-san blew past them with an incredibly fast spin move.
From there, it was a straight shot to the basket.
“What are you doing!”
One of them panicked, leaving me to defend the basket.
Onii-san could surely get past that and score with no trouble at all.
But.
I reacted instantly to the look he gave me.
I started running towards the free-throw line.
I know Onii-san is good.
But what I need to do right now isn’t let him carry me.
I need to show them.
The practice I’ve put in, the effort.
I’ll show them!
“Ah…!”
Taking advantage of the fact that Onii-san wasn’t jumping, one of the senpais leaped up to block his shot.
Beneath her, Onii-san bounced the ball through.
A perfect pass, right to my chest.
With only one person marking me now, I faced the boy from the basketball team and…
“Hah…!”
I feinted a cut to the right, then used my specialty crossover.
A move I’ve practiced over and over again in this very spot.
A move I’ve done so many times I can do it without looking at the ball.
The boy couldn’t keep up and stumbled. I blew past him without mercy.
I went straight for a reverse layup.
I’ve done this hundreds of times, too. I can make this shot with confidence. There’s no way I’ll miss!
With a swish, the ball went through the net.
As the senpais stood there dumbfounded, Onii-san held up two fingers.
“That’s two points for us.”
What is this feeling?
Even in this situation. Even though I’m exhausted and out of breath.
This is… fun!
The senpais’ offense ended in failure when I stole the ball.
Their dribbling is too sloppy. It’s like they were asking me to take it. Compared to the one-on-ones I play with Onii-san every day, this is child’s play.
In the first place, if you can only dribble while looking at the ball, you’re not that good.
Our offense, once again.
“I’ll stop you this time…!”
“I was just careless before.”
The two marking Onii-san were now playing defense with real intensity.
Honestly, I think Onii-san could get past them easily.
But from that first play, I understood. Onii-san is trying to let me shine.
Basically, my role is to be the one to score. I have to be the one to show them. To show them the effort I’ve put in…!
Onii-san, who was dribbling, gave me a signal with his eyes.
From the way he glanced, I understood his intention. I started running without hesitation.
Of the two defenders on Onii-san, I ran right up next to the one on my side, sticking to her. Blocking her from moving to the left.
A screen.
“…Tch!”
Seeing that, Onii-san drove to the left.
With me as a wall, the defending senpai couldn’t keep up with him.
“Switch!”
The senpai yelled.
The signal to switch who you’re guarding. But that was exactly what Onii-san was aiming for.
Taking advantage of the confusion over who was guarding whom, he passed the ball to me as I moved towards the basket.
A dive play.
This was another one of the moves I watched on video with Onii-san.
All the defenders are behind me now. They can’t keep up with my dribbling speed.
“How the hell…!”
Dribbling usually slows you down.
But the senpais can’t catch up to me.
It’s because I’ve practiced dribbling at a full sprint so many times. I’m not dribbling so slow that they can catch me that easily!
From a full-speed dribble, I planted my foot hard and went for a layup. When you go for a layup at top speed, it’s easy to miss because of the momentum.
So I plant my foot hard to transfer that momentum downward.
This, too, was something Onii-san taught me, something I’ve done countless times. The ball made a soft swish as it rippled the net.
The pale-faced senpais couldn’t take it anymore and huddled together to talk.
“Was Maeda always this good…? I had no idea…!”
“Shosuke, get your act together! Do you not care if Ayako doesn’t get her spot back!?”
“But…”
“Let’s give up on stopping that college kid and just focus on Maeda. It looks like she’s the one who’s going to be taking the shots anyway.”
…It seems they figured out Onii-san’s plan.
The fact that he was setting me up to take the shots.
“Nice shot, Yuka.”
“Huh? Oh, right! Nice pass, Onii-san!”
“I was just being extra careful… but it looks like we’ll be fine.”
“Eh?”
Onii-san looked a bit surprised as he glanced at their team.
Then, with his usual smile, he said to me,
“You don’t even need me, Yuka. You can get past all of them. So, this time, you take the ball and try to get by them. I’ll be in a spot to receive a pass just in case, so if it gets tough, just pass it to me.”
…!
“I… understand!”
Onii-san trusts me.
That fact alone makes me feel like I can try ten thousand times harder!
The senpais’ offense failed again, and it was our ball.
First to five points wins, so if we score this, we win.
I held the ball. This time, three of the girls’ team senpais were on me.
One of them glared at me with resentment.
“Maeda… who is that guy?”
“…He’s someone… precious to me.”
“…! You’re so annoying…! You’re so goddamn annoying!!”
I feel a slight sense of superiority.
I glanced over at Onii-san for a second.
He’s watching me. His eyes are filled with so much trust it’s almost overwhelming.
I want to meet his expectations!
Onii-san is… he’s my precious person!!
I cut sharply to the right.
As expected, with three of them on me, the senpai on the far right followed.
Sudden stop. Between-the-legs crossover. My signature move.
The one on the right stumbles.
I use that opening to cut straight through the middle!
“You little…!”
With a borderline foul, a senpai moved to block my path.
I dodge that, too. Using my forward momentum, I go straight into a roll.
I get past one, and immediately go into my shooting form.
“Don’t fuck… with me…!”
Was it pride?
The last remaining senpai jumped to block my shot.
This is bad.
If I shoot now, it’ll be blocked…!
—In that instant, I remembered Onii-san’s signature move.
A crossover into a roll, then a sudden stop and…
I jumped.
Backwards.“Wha—!”
She can’t block it from there.
A move I’ve seen over, and over, and over again.
I’ve seen this shot go in so many times.
So it’s okay.
I can do it, too!
“I didn’t learn how to do that until I was in high school, though…?”
I thought I heard Onii-san’s voice.
I release the ball with my right hand.
It traced a beautiful arc… and sank right into the net.
After the game was over, the senpais left. It turned out, as I expected, that they had followed me to find this place.
At the very end, the boy from the basketball team was arguing with the three girls. If I didn’t mishear, I think he was telling them to stop bullying me.
After that, the girls even apologized… I don’t really get it.
I asked Onii-san if he knew anything, but he just smiled and said, “Anything?” Knowing how kind he is, he might have said something to them when I wasn’t looking.
I’d be happy if this made the bullying at school stop, even a little.
“Yuka, that last shot was great.”
“Ah, thank you!”
It was a shot that only went in because I’d been watching Onii-san…
It’s all thanks to him.
I was basking in the afterglow of our victory… but wait, I had more important things to do!
I have to thank him properly!
“U-Um, thank you so much for helping me today!”
“No, no, if anything, I’m sorry for being late. And, actually, I was watching for a bit.”
“Eh…?”
“Well, I was wondering if you were having fun with your teammates, so I was watching. Then the atmosphere got weird, and you got hit… I realized something was wrong and came over. So I was thinking, if I’d noticed sooner, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
…I felt like I was going to cry.
He’s really… just too kind…
Onii-san continued, with his usual soft smile.
“It might have happened like this, but I had fun playing on a team with you, Yuka. You’re really good. You’ll probably be better than me in no time.”
“Wh-Whaat!? That’s not true! But… I was really happy to play basketball with you, too, Onii-san!”
That part, I’m truly grateful for.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance like this.
I sat down on the bench.
Let’s just go home for today. I’m tired after everything that happened.
As I was savoring the multitude of emotions, packing my ball into my backpack and getting ready to leave.
“Yuka, wait a second.”
“Huh…?”
Onii-san quietly approached me, crouched down slightly, and met my gaze.
Our eyes met.
Onii-san’s face is just so beautiful.
…He’s close.
Onii-san’s face is gradually getting closer.
Eh…?
Wh-wh-wh-wait a second?
Is this, could this be, could it be a k-kiss?
Is he going to kiss me?
I mean, today’s events did feel kind of fateful, and the situation might be ideal, but!
My heart started to race.
My first kiss is going to be… outside? And the sun is still out, even if it is setting!?
Eh, wait, that’s too soon.
Wh-what should I do? But of course, I’m happy, I’m really happy. Should I close my eyes? I should, right?
—I closed my eyes.
Mom, Dad, today I will offer my first kiss to the person I love.
I felt something stick to my cheek with a peel.
…Huh?
I opened my eyes.
“Thank goodness~ I fell off my bike the other day and scraped myself up, so I’ve been keeping a stock of bandages in my bag! You were bleeding a little from your cheek, so this should do it. I should have noticed sooner… my bad, my bad!”
“…”
I touched my cheek.
The surface of a bandage is pretty smooth, isn’t it?
“…Hh!”
“Whoa!? What’s wrong, Yuka!?”
All sorts of emotions clashed and then exploded.
The fact that it wasn’t a kiss, but also the happiness that he was worried about me.
I didn’t know what to do anymore, and on impulse, I threw my arms around Onii-san and hugged him.
I don’t care if he thinks I’m weird anymore! Right now, I just want to throw all these feelings at him!
My whole body feels hot.
Is this okay? I hope he’s not creeped out.
Onii-san gently stroked my head.
“…You did great, Yuka. You were so cool.”
—I can’t think about anything else.
All I can see is Onii-san, only Masato-san.
(I love him I love him I love him I love him…! I love him so much!)
As if to reaffirm my own feelings.
I held onto Onii-san tighter, and tighter still.
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