───● The Basketball Club Middle Schooler’s Feelings ●○●

“Let’s have a match. Masato-nii-san.”

With the sunset at her back, Yuka said those words to me.

For a second, the gentle smile on her face looked so much older than her age that it took my breath away.

Whoa, whoa, my opponent is a middle school girl.

Thinking a middle schooler is “beautiful” is just way too creepy.

I shook off the wicked thoughts and faced Yuka.

“A match…? You mean a 1-on-1?”

“Yes.”

A one-on-one match. It’s something I always do with Yuka… and so far, I’ve never lost.

I mean, there’s no way I can lose to a middle school girl. For the sake of my pride.

…Although, seeing how she played today, I really think I’m going to lose soon.

“However, it will be a one-shot match. We each get one turn on offense and defense, and if there’s a score difference, it’s over. How does that sound?”

“…I see.”

She had turned our usual 1-on-1, where we play to five points, into a one-shot deal.

It’s true that this way, Yuka would have a chance of winning. No matter how skilled a player is, a shot never goes in 100% of the time. Which means the fewer the attempts, the more the results can vary.

And besides… I know most of her tricks, but what if Yuka has a secret weapon?

I don’t know if I could handle it on the first try.

But, even if she scored on me, I find it hard to imagine my own shot being blocked.

After all, in a sport where height is everything, I have the advantage.

“Alright. We don’t have much time anyway. Let’s do it when you’re ready.”

“One thing.”

As I stepped onto the court, Yuka held up a single index finger in front of me.

“The loser has to grant one wish from the winner. How about that?”

…She’s awfully confident. It’s probably better to assume she has some kind of secret weapon.

“…Fine. I accept your challenge.”

A wish, huh. What should I ask for if I win?

Her morning call was a big help, so maybe I’ll have her do that again. I really can’t wake up in the morning.

I took the ball from Yuka and did a light warm-up.

“You’re tired from the game, so don’t push yourself too hard~! I’m not gonna help you if you trip and fall like last time!”

“…!”

Yuka froze, as if in shock.

Hm? Did I say something weird?

“You remember… that?”

“Eh? Well, of course I remember that. Was it that long ago?”

I think it was right after we started playing basketball together, so… about three months ago?

“Fufufu…”

“Wh-What is it?”

“No, I was just thinking how happy I am!”

Yuka gave me a huge smile.

Wh-What? Has she always had such a mature laugh…? Despite her young and cute face, I couldn’t help but feel my heart skip a beat.

Whoa, whoa. This girl is a first-year in middle school. This is easily a crime.

I finished my light warm-up, and we began the match.

I see. This might be the last time we can have a match in this place.

Thinking that makes it feel a little emotional.

It seemed Yuka was ready too.

“Alright, let’s begin. Who goes first?”

“Same as always, you can decide, Yuka.”

“Then, I’ll take the first offense.”

Yuka always decides who goes first on offense.

It doesn’t really create much of an advantage or disadvantage, but it seems only right to give her that much of a say.

I took the ball from Yuka with a bounce and dribbled it a few times on the spot.

The moment I return this ball to Yuka, the match begins.

I looked at Yuka; she had her eyes closed and was concentrating for a moment.

…Is she really that serious? Well, it’s a good thing, but…

It would be rude of me not to be serious, too.

The moment I returned the ball with a bounce pass──I got into a defensive stance against Yuka.

Hips low. A wide stance to block her path.

There’s a big size difference. If she were an ordinary opponent, it’s a match I shouldn’t be able to lose.

But this girl is──.

“──Here I come.”

Not ordinary.

First, a stationary shot fake as a greeting.

I’m not falling for that one. Yuka’s outside shooting percentage isn’t high enough for her to risk a one-shot match on a shot from this distance.

Well, it’s unbelievably high for a middle school girl, though.

Happily, Yuka seems to have taken some inspiration from my style.

My playstyle, of course, includes outside shots, but it’s mainly about driving inside to disrupt the opponent’s defense.

So her choice in this situation is obvious.

“Hah──!”

A drive!

A crossover with a sharp change of pace.

Any other middle schooler would be left in the dust.

Even I, in middle school, wouldn’t have been able to keep up.

But, I’ve seen that speed so many times, I know it.

I moved to block Yuka’s path.

To a point where if she ran into me, it would be an offensive foul.

“Not yet──”

She immediately moved on to her next trick.

A roll.

A technique where she spins in the opposite direction, carrying her momentum. This is another technique she completely mastered while practicing with me.

She’s truly terrifyingly talented.

But that, too, is something I taught her.

“I know that one!”

I cut her off again. There’s a size difference, so of course there’s a difference in the length of our strides.

That’s why I can keep up. That’s why physical build is an absolute advantage in sports.

“──I know.”

And Yuka, too, knew that I could handle her roll.

She stopped her roll midway, did a behind-the-back dribble, and then took a step back.

There’s no way that’s a first-year middle schooler’s technique. I couldn’t help but laugh.

──In that instant. Yuka, having created distance from me, jumped off one foot.

(Too bad! I can reach you from there, Yuka!)

Once you jump in a 1-on-1, there’s only one option. A shot.

It’s true she created distance with the step-back, but I can still reach her from here. Because of the height difference.

So I thought.

But my outstretched hand──cut through empty air.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me──”

Yuka had tossed the ball into the air with one hand.

──An overhand floater shot.

A shot used even in the pro world to avoid an opponent’s block.

Yuka had changed the trajectory of the ball so even I couldn’t reach it.

I had never seen her do that before.

The ball, drawing a high arc, went straight──and was sucked into the hoop.

“With that, I’ve scored first, Masato-nii-san.”

“No way, you’re kidding me…”

She smiled as if she’d just pulled off a perfect trick, and I couldn’t stop the goosebumps from spreading across my skin.

Yuka’s height is quite tall for a first-year middle schooler.

Even compared to a third-year.

Which means Yuka shouldn’t have to think of ways to get around a high block.

And yet, her shot just now was far too practiced.

She practices it.

Daily.

Which means──.

“I’ve been practicing to win against you, Masato-nii-san.”

“Are you serious…!?”

She practiced this shot when I wasn’t watching, during club activities and other times?

Y-You wanted to take this place from me that badly…?

“Come on, it’s your turn on offense, Masato-nii-san.”

“R-Right…”

I was a little taken aback by Yuka’s unusually fearless smile as I returned to the starting position.

It’s fine, this was all within my expectations.

Knowing Yuka, I knew she’d have some kind of secret weapon on offense.

But defense is another matter.

Offense can be fickle, but defense is not.

When I get serious about scoring, Yuka has never been able to block me or steal the ball from me.

I feel bad for Yuka, but… I can’t let myself lose that easily.

I handed the ball to Yuka.

When this comes back, my offense starts.

“Hey, Masato-nii-san.”

“…Hm?”

As Yuka bounced the ball a few times, she looked me in the eye.

Straight, jade-green eyes.

A pure gaze that seems to pull you in.

“Masato-nii-san, you’re injured, aren’t you?”

Yuka’s words made me jump.

“…What makes you think that?”

“I’ve seen you play so many times, I can tell. Your right elbow or right shoulder, right?”

“…”

“Is that the reason you’re not playing basketball──or any sports right now?”

“…Who knows.”

Yuka’s guess was spot on.

I injured my right elbow. It doesn’t affect my daily life, and it’s not a dark story like a car accident or anything. I just overdid it in a certain sport.

“I still don’t know anything about you, Masato-nii-san. That, or your past.”

Yuka said, looking a little lonely.

And then, smack, she held the ball with both hands.

“I want to know──more. About you, Masato-nii-san.”

“…!”

It was so pure, and with her looking up at me like that, I felt my heart skip a beat against my will.

W-Wait, wait, getting flustered over a middle school girl is bad, right!?

“A-After the match is over!”

I need to focus now! Could this mental attack be intentional?

If so, Yuka might have turned into a terrible femme fatale without me realizing…

“Yes. After this is over… tell me lots and lots of things, okay?”

The ball was passed to me with a bounce.

My offense.

She’s talking as if she’s already won… I’ll have to make her eat those words!

Yuka stuck to me like glue.

A flawless, gapless defense.

I did a shot fake.

Yuka followed me perfectly.

Of course she did. She knows my outside percentage, and if I made the shot, the lead she worked so hard to get would be gone.

She’d definitely want to eliminate that possibility. The complete opposite of when I was on defense.

And because of that, a tiny opening is created──!

Without hesitation, I drove to the left.

I was confident in my dribbling skills with my left hand, too.

Even if she found out about my right-hand injury, it’s not a problem.

But Yuka, though slightly delayed, followed me.

She wouldn’t let me get to the goal so easily.

But getting this close to the hoop is enough.

I grabbed the ball with both hands, and as I turned for a fadeaway, I could finish it──.

“There!”

The moment I held the ball with both hands.

Yuka’s outstretched right hand precisely knocked the ball I was holding.

“Masato-nii-san, your right hand is injured. So, when you hold the ball with both hands, your transition into your shooting form is just a little bit slower!”

“You’re kidding me…!”

The ball I’d been holding was now floating above my head.

The world turned to slow motion.

If I don’t get that ball, I lose.

I had been about to shoot a fadeaway, so my weight was shifted backwards.

I reached for the ball floating above me again──.

“No, you don’t.”

Even that was slapped away by Yuka’s right hand.

The ball cruelly flew behind me.

…I lose, huh.

Yuka, desperate to knock the ball away, had ended up practically on top of me.

Helpless, I fell backwards onto my back—Yuka, now on top of me, fell at the same time.

With a thud, my back hit the ground with a shock.

Thump, thump.

The only sound was the ball rolling away behind us.

When I opened my eyes, which I had closed to brace for impact.

Yuka’s face was right in front of me.

And what’s more.

It was way too close.

I felt a sensation on my lips.

Eh──?

By the time I understood, it was too late.

Slowly, Yuka’s face pulled away.

“Hah…“

“You, what are you──”

I was on the bottom, and above me was the bright red setting sun.

And Yuka’s flushed, young… and yet perfectly formed, beautiful face.

“──I don’t want to be.”

“Eh──?”

“I don’t want to be your little sister.”

“…!”

I could hear a loud heartbeat.

Is this Yuka’s heartbeat? Or is it──.

“I know it’s impossible right now. But──be conscious of me. Not as a little sister, but as a girl. That’s my wish.”

“Th…at’s.”

“Is it no good? This little… middle schooler, is she no good?”

Her face was the same cute Yuka I always saw.

So why did it seem so bewitching, so captivating?

I instinctively covered my face with my right hand. Wait, my face is probably red and super lame right now──.

“I won’t let you.”

“Wai──”

Yuka forcefully pried my right hand away and pinned it to the ground. She’s… too strong…!

“Ngh…!“

Once more, Yuka’s face was right in front of me.

There was no escaping now.

A forceful, and yet somehow──pleading, gentle kiss.

“…!”

“How… is it? Is it still no good?”

Yuka’s face was beet red.

“I love you. I can’t hold it back anymore! …It’s fine if it’s impossible right now…! But please don’t see me as a little sister… see me… see me properly as a girl.”

The tear-streaked, beaming smile she had as she said that…

Was more than powerful enough to throw my heart into chaos.

My heart continued to pound violently.

I couldn’t tell if my body was hot from the exercise, or from this situation.

Mortified, I tried to turn my face away so she couldn’t see me, but she forced me to look at her.

I couldn’t even hide my expression.

Both of my hands were now completely restrained by Yuka’s.

“Hey, Masato-nii-san.”

I can’t see anything… but Yuka’s face.

“──Can I do… more?”

Seeing the utterly ecstatic expression on Yuka’s face at that moment, I finally realized.

Who was on ‘top’ now.

For the next several tens of minutes──I was made to understand firsthand.