──● The Basketball Club JC Goes Shopping ●○●
One day, after playing basketball with Yuka had become part of my daily routine.
We had just finished practice and were doing some light stretching when Yuka suddenly crouched down.
“Huh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, my shoelace just…”
I got closer to take a look, and sure enough, Yuka’s shoelace had come undone. But something else caught my eye even more.
“Your shoes are pretty beat up, Yuka… And these aren’t basketball shoes, are they?”
“Ah, um… I only have indoor ones, so I use sneakers for outside…”
“Basshu” is short for basketball shoes. Usually, you wear special shoes for basketball, but that’s mainly for indoor courts.
On an outdoor court like the one Yuka and I practice on, you can’t use indoor basketball shoes, so it’s not uncommon to play in sneakers… but.
“If possible, I think it’d be better for you to have outdoor basketball shoes.”
“Really?”
“The risk of injury is just lower with proper basketball shoes.”
Regular sneakers aren’t a huge problem… but when you consider the strain on your ankles and knees, there’s no substitute for proper basketball shoes. Besides, she was just telling me about an official game coming up soon, and even if that wasn’t the case, I don’t want my precious little sister (self-proclaimed) Yuka getting hurt during her growth spurt, not even by a one-in-a-million chance. So if possible, I want her to play in basketball shoes…
I watched Yuka as she busily retied her shoelace. She’s so good at basketball that it’s easy to forget, but she’s still just a junior high school student. A time in her life full of possibilities. I want to minimize the risk of her getting injured during practice with me during such an important time…
“Yuka.”
“Yes!”
Yuka’s reply was as sharp as a whip. That cheerful response is one of her best qualities.
“Let’s go buy you some basketball shoes.”
“Whaaat!?”
“I really think you should have a new pair… How about we go look next week?”
“Y-Yes!”
I’ve gotten pretty close with Yuka… so this should be fine, right?
“I-Is this, i-is this a date…? It’s a shopping date, right? It has to be… R-Right…? A-A date… with Onii-san…!”
“…? What’s wrong, Yuka?”
“Hyaai! I-It’s nothing!”
I thought I heard her mumbling something… and her face seemed a little red, but maybe it’s just my imagination?
The following week. We were going to a sports shop in the shopping mall attached to the station, so Yuka and I had arranged to meet up at the station.
I got there about ten minutes early, but when I passed through the ticket gates, I already saw Yuka looking around restlessly.
“Morning, Yuka. You’re here already, that’s early.”
“Ah, Onii-san! Good morning! I just woke up a little early…”
“Ehehe,” Yuka beamed with an innocent, age-appropriate smile. Mmm, so cute. If I really had a little sister like her, I’d definitely dote on her…
Suddenly, I noticed something about her appearance.
“Come to think of it, is this the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes?”
“Y-You’re right… I’m always in my basketball gear…”
Yuka smiled a little shyly and held her arms out slightly to give me a better look at her outfit.
“Wh-What do you think…?”
Yuka was wearing a white shirt under a pair of denim overalls. The slightly oversized silhouette of the overalls gave off a cute feeling of a girl trying to look more grown-up. She always has a sporty image, so her casual clothes today really highlighted her girly side.
“Yeah, it’s cute. It looks good on you.”
“Th-Thank you…”
So all junior high school girls these days are fashionable. I’m honestly just impressed.
“C-Cute, huh. I’m happy to hear that, but, hmmm…!”
“Yuka?”
“Hyaai! Coming!”
■
The day of my date with Onii-san has arrived. We might have the objective of buying basketball shoes, but this is a legitimate date…!
Honestly, I was so excited I barely slept last night. And I was so determined not to oversleep this morning that I set my alarm early, so I ended up at our meeting spot 30 minutes ahead of time.
Onii-san arrived ten minutes before our scheduled time, and then…
“He said I was cute, which is nice, but…!”
If he had said I was beautiful, that would have been perfect…
It’s a special date with Onii-san. To make him see me as a girl, even just a little, I worked hard to pick out my most mature outfit.
Still, the day is young. I have to use the whole day to really make my appeal!
Steeling my resolve, I chased after Onii-san’s back.
“It’s pretty big in here…!”
“They have stuff for other sports besides basketball, too. C’mon, let’s go check out the basketball section!”
“Okay!”
The third floor of the shopping mall. The sports shop we were looking for was right at the top of the escalator.
As we walked through the store, all sorts of sports equipment came into view. I only play basketball, but… Onii-san said he’s never really been formally taught.
Putting aside the fact that he’s amazing for someone who’s never been taught, I think he must have played other sports.
Next to me, Onii-san was looking around with a nostalgic expression.
“You’ve been here before, right, Onii-san?”
“Well, I have, but it’s almost like my first time.”
Did they have a grand re-opening or something…?
I don’t know what sports Onii-san used to play. In fact, I still don’t know much about him at all. So I want to use opportunities like this to learn as much as I can.
After walking for a bit, we found the basketball section. Further in, a whole wall was lined with rows and rows of basketball shoes.
“What’s your shoe size, Yuka?”
“Um, for basketball shoes, it’s about 23.”
Onii-san looked over the shoes as he listened to me. His eyes were completely serious. Just thinking about how much he’s thinking about me makes me so happy.
“Around here, I guess… They seem to have your size, and there are a lot of famous brands.”
“You’re right!”
Thankfully, I talked to my mom and she gave me money for them. I could choose them myself, but since I’ll mostly be using them for practice with Onii-san, I kind of want him to help me choose…
“Oh, this one looks similar to the ones I use.”
“…! Really!?”
“Ah, but mine are for indoor use. The light blue stripes on this one are really cool.”
The one Onii-san picked up was mainly white, with a light blue logo and stripes. I had my eye on that one from the moment I saw it, too.
“Then I’ll take that one!”
“Whoa, that was fast.”
“It’s fine! I’ll go try them on!”
I asked a store employee to let me try them on. Yup. The size is good. They don’t feel tight, but they’re not so big that they’d be hard to move in, either.
“I’ll take these!”
“O-Oh? If you like them, that’s totally fine, but…”
If they match with Onii-san’s, there’s nothing that would make me happier! And since it was the design that caught my eye first, it was an instant decision.
“Oh, hey Yuka, wait here and look at some shoes for a bit. There’s something I want to buy, too.”
“? Okay!”
If it’s basketball stuff, I want to go look with him… I thought, but by then he was already walking away. For now, I’ll wait for Onii-san while looking at the other shoes. They have some really cute designs lately, so it’s fun just to look.
After I had been browsing the basketball section for a while, Onii-san came back… with a bag in his right hand.
“Sorry for the wait, Yuka… here!”
“Eh?”
I looked inside the bag he handed me… and there were the shoes I had just decided to buy.
“W-Whaat!? N-No way. I talked to my mom, I told her I was going to buy them!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You’ve helped me out a lot, too, Yuka. Think of it as a token of my gratitude.”
“~!”
He gently patted my head, and I couldn’t say anything back. He had bought them for me without telling me. I was so happy I couldn’t find the words. I-I have to thank him, at least!
“Th-Thank you very much!”
“Yeah. You’re welcome. Let’s practice a lot from now on, okay?”
“Yes!”
Ahh, honestly, I’m always getting so much from Onii-san. I suppressed the urge to throw my arms around him and instead hugged the shoes he bought me.
So happy, so happy, so happy!
“I’m glad you like them that much.”
“Yes! I love them so, so much!”
“Well then, do your best in your game, too, okay?”
“…! Yes, of course!”
Of course, I loved the design of the shoes he bought me, but more than anything else.
As I thought, getting a present from the person you love feels this amazing.
…I looked at Onii-san, who was giving me a gentle smile.
It was a smile so refreshing that if you told me the hero of a shoujo manga had come to life, I would have believed you.
I had tried so hard to get him to see me as a woman today, but in the end, I was the one who received a present, and in his eyes, I’m sure I’m still just his ‘little sister.’
How can I get Onii-san to see me as a potential romantic partner?
How can I become a girl worthy of standing by his side?
…I’m still just a kid, so I don’t know.
For now, all I could do was pleasantly accept the feeling of his hand on my head.
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