───● The Middle School Basketball Girl Offers Her Guidance ●○●
With the winter chill growing severe, it was the season where playing basketball outside had become nearly impossible.
Because of that, I hadn’t been able to see Masato-san much lately… until one day, he invited me out. And so, here I was, arriving at a certain Gymnasium.
“I-Is it really okay for us to use such a beautiful gym…?!”
“Yeah. They said there’s no one else using it around this time of year, so they let us borrow it.”
Apparently, Masato-san’s guardian… or rather, an acquaintance of hers managed this gym. It was usually booked solid, but since it was the end of the year, there happened to be an opening today, so he had invited me along.
Stepping inside, I took a look around.
The court was so pristine it made my school gym look like a joke. Just setting foot on it filled me with excitement.
“Let’s play right now, Masato-san!”
“Yeah! Good idea. Oh, but first, I need to introduce you…”
Prompted by his words, a girl stepped out from behind him. She had semi-long black hair and gave off a very demure, gentle vibe.
“This is Shinomiya Shiori-chan. I’m her tutor.”
“H-Hello…”
“Hello!”
Seeing her step forward so timidly, I figured she probably wasn’t the most outgoing type.
As for why Shinomiya-san was here, the story goes back a little bit.
About three days ago. I was so incredibly lonely from not being able to see Masato-san that I called him, thinking I could at least hear his voice.
“Actually, we might be able to play some basketball,” he had told me.
“Wait, really?!”
“Yeah, but the situation is a little complicated…”
Masato-san explained that we could borrow a gym and play, but the person lending it out was an acquaintance of his guardian… who also happened to be the mother of the high school girl he was tutoring. Apparently, this girl was terribly unathletic and never exercised, so her mother had requested that Masato-san bring her along.
“That’s completely fine! As long as I get to play basketball with you, Masato-san!”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that. She can be a little awkward when communicating, but she’s a really good kid.”
As for me, I was willing to accept any condition as long as I got to play basketball with Masato-san, so I readily agreed.
But, somehow, I had a feeling. This girl he was tutoring… she probably liked Masato-san, too.
“Alright then. I’ll come pick you up at the station in three days.”
“Understood!”
But still, no matter what, I had already decided to do my absolute best to make Masato-san fall in love with me.
Anyway, I was just thrilled that we could play basketball before the new year.
Right at the end of the call, I asked him about something that was bugging me.
“By the way, can she play basketball?”
“Ah… well, um…”
Igarashi-san, who we played with before, was incredibly good, so I wondered if this girl would be the same.
“According to her, she’s “catastrophically bad.””
“I-I see…”
It made me a bit anxious… And that’s what happened three days ago.
“Alright, I think that’s enough warming up. Let’s start taking it step by step,” Masato-san said.
“Yes!”
“Y-Yeees.”
Having finished our light warm-ups, it was finally time to practice. Beside me, Shinomiya-san was muttering, ‘That was just a warm-up…? I feel like I’m gonna die already??‘ S-So she really didn’t have much stamina, huh…?
We started with some ball-handling drills. The ball I’d brought along felt familiar in my hands. The gym floor had a great bounce to it, and the rhythmic thud-thud was music to my ears. Through the legs, behind the back. I fluidly dribbled the ball, doing my best to keep my eyes fixed forward.
“Wait, isn’t she way too good?”
“Yuka is ridiculously good at basketball.”
“S-She’s in middle school, right?”
“Well, Yuka’s skills are way beyond the middle school level…”
I certainly didn’t feel bad about being praised by Masato-san. I continued my dribbling drills, my heart fluttering with joy.
“Let’s have you try it too, Shiori-chan.”
“Ah, okay.”
Shinomiya-san received the ball from Masato-san and started dribbling. After two or three clumsy bounces in place, she somehow fumbled her handling, completely losing control of the ball as it went flying straight toward me.
I instinctively caught it with my left hand while keeping control of my own ball with my right.
“Ah, I-I’m sorry!”
“It’s perfectly fine!”
I passed the ball back with a bounce pass, but Shinomiya-san failed to catch it properly, and it rolled away on the floor.
“…I’m sorry for being alive.”
“Please don’t get so pessimistic?!”
Masato-san was frantically trying to comfort her. W-Well? If she’s bad at sports, it can’t be helped, right?
It seemed Masato-san decided she should start with the fun parts, taking her right under the hoop so she could practice shooting.
It was true that it was better to start with the fun stuff. Thinking about how good Masato-san was at teaching, I went back to my handling drills.
“Alright, Yuka, let’s play!”
“Yes!”
After practicing for a while, it seemed Shinomiya-san’s shooting drills were over, so it was my turn. Shinomiya-san went to hydrate on the sidelines.
We started the usual routine Masato-san and I always did. First, alternating layups, then some shooting practice, and finally, a 1-on-1 match.
“Here I go!”
“Bring it on!”
It had been a while since I played 1-on-1 with Masato-san. It really was so much fun! A half-hearted offense would be stopped easily, so I had to constantly think about how to score.
On defense, Masato-san had a lot of offensive options, making it extremely difficult to react to all of them.
The first-to-ten match ended in a complete victory for Masato-san.
“I can’t let myself lose that easily just yet.”
“Haa…! You’re amazing, Masato-san.”
I had managed to beat him in a single possession before, but overall, I was still far from his level. I lost again today. Still, being able to play basketball this seriously with him was an absolute blast!
“Isn’t the skill level way too high…? Wait, is this a sports manga?”
Shinomiya-san, who had been spectating, was staring at us in pure shock.
“Haha, I really can’t hold back against Yuka anymore.”
“Are there really middle schoolers out there going toe-to-toe with college students…?”
“I-I’m not going toe-to-toe with him at all, though!”
In reality, I hadn’t come close to winning today, either.
“So, Yuka, could you teach Shiori-chan for a bit?”
“Wait, are you sure I’m okay for the job?”
“Since you’re here, I think it might be better for Shiori-chan to learn from you.”
Speaking as a fellow girl, I thought she’d be much happier having Masato-san teach her, but… When I looked over at Shinomiya-san…
“Sensei, I leave myself in your care.”
“P-Please don’t call me Sensei?!”
Shinomiya-san, clad in her track suit, held the ball with burning determination, so I decided to answer her expectations.
“Alright, you two can use that locker room! I’m gonna go change too, so let’s meet up at the entrance later!”
“Okay!”
Our two-hour practice session had come to an end.
While Shinomiya-san’s athletic ability certainly left much to be desired, she was a quick learner, and it didn’t take long before she was consistently making shots from under the hoop. She seemed really happy about it, so I guess that was a success.
We split up into our respective locker rooms to change and get ready to head home.
I’m so glad. I finally got to play basketball with Masato-san again!
While I was changing in high spirits…
“U-Um… if I may, Maeda Yuka-sama…”
“Eh?! W-What is it?”
Shinomiya-san called out to me with a dead serious expression. Wait, did she just use my full name?!
“T-The truth is… I have actually seen you around before, Maeda Yuka-sama…”
“Wait, really? I mean, I’m younger than you, so you don’t have to use such formal language with me…?”
“No, no! I wouldn’t dare be so presumptuous!”
Shinomiya-san was acting so humbly it was almost scary. She was such a cute person, why was she so deferential…?
“Actually… it was during the summer festival…”
“Ah, um, you mean when I was with Masato-san?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Even though it was just a few months ago, it felt strangely nostalgic. I had invited Masato-san out and we went to the summer festival in yukatas. Someone mistook me for his little sister, and in my stubbornness, I boldly claimed I was his girlfriend.
“I was also at the summer festival with some friends… and, well, I actually spotted the two of you. I thought it was a bit curious…”
“I, see…?”
I hadn’t noticed her at all. I wondered what we were doing at the time.
While I was carelessly pondering that, the next words out of Shinomiya-san’s mouth sent me into a total panic.
“Umm, you see. He got dragged into the bushes. Masato-san, I mean.”
“…!”
S-She had witnessed something absolutely unbelievable?! That was when I inspected every inch of Masato-san’s body… wait, no!
Ah, ahhh, what kind of, what kind of excuse can I make?!
“T-That was, um, well, you see, it’s not what it looked like!”
I couldn’t think of anything! As I frantically waved my hands around, Shinomiya-san suddenly grabbed my hands with a tight grip.
“How did you do it?”
“Huh?”
Shinomiya-san’s eyes were as wide as they could possibly be. S-Scary?!
“W-What do you mean, ‘how’?”
“I-I mean, h-how did you invite Masato-san to do… those lewd things with you?!”
“P-Phrasing! Your phrasing is awful!”
We were in the girls’ locker room, but we were the only ones using the facility today. If she spoke too loudly, Masato-san would hear her!
“U-Ummm, well, how should I put this…”
“Please, I’m begging you. I’ll owe you my life, just tell me.”
S-She looks like she’s about to burst into tears?!
U-Umm, what was I supposed to say? I had a history of literally pushing Masato-san down, which is why I figured I could get away with it again this time… but that was a bit too embarrassing to say out loud.
…Besides, that’s my special privilege…
“Yuka-san, you’re definitely in love with Masato-sama too, right?”
“Um, well, yes.”
“I love him, too. Honestly, it feels like it’d be impossible not to fall for him, you know?”
Shinomiya-san chuckled warmly.
…I understood exactly how she felt. If my first encounter with him was as my tutor, there was absolutely no way I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.
“But, he doesn’t see me as a woman—or even as a member of the opposite sex—at all. So, I want to change that, even just a little…”
“…”
Even though she’s this cute…? I thought, but knowing Masato-san, that was entirely possible.
Honestly, I felt a bit hesitant to answer. Part of me felt my advice wouldn’t be much help, but another part worried about what would happen if my advice actually helped Shinomiya-san succeed.
…But, Shinomiya-san’s dilemma of “not being seen as the opposite sex” felt awfully similar to the struggle I’d been facing of “only being seen as a little sister.” Leaving her completely out to dry just felt a little too cruel.
“Masato-san is… very kind, so even if you’re quite aggressive, he’ll usually forgive you.”
“…!”
“Normally, you’d think, ‘If I do this, he might hate me,‘ but he’ll forgive you anyway. So, if you just muster up your courage, I think it’ll go well…”
In truth, there had been times when I thought I went a bit too far. But whether it was because of the bond we’d built up so far or just his nature, Masato-san had always forgiven me. Of course, taking advantage of that too much wouldn’t be good!
“S…”
“S?”
Overcome with emotion, the grip Shinomiya-san had on my hands tightened.
“Please let me call you Sensei.”
“I said no to that?!”
And thus, for some reason, I had gained an older disciple.
Leaving the Gymnasium behind. We walked out of it.
“You two took a while, didn’t you?”
“We were having a little secret meeting!”
“I-Is that so?”
“Actually, yes..”
Masato-san looked perplexed. But Shinomiya-san smoothly played along with my words.
“Well, as long as you two are getting along, I’m glad.”
“Of course we are! Thank you so much for today!”
“No, no, thank you so much for putting up with a water flea like me, hehehe…”
Shinomiya-san was a truly peculiar person. There was absolutely no need for her to be so self-deprecating. And, of course, she wasn’t a bad person at all.
Stepping outside, the sky had already grown dark. The sun really did set early this time of year.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Okay!”
As we moved to follow Masato-san… I completely wrapped my arms around Masato-san’s right arm, hugging it tight.
“Whoa, Yuka?”
“Hehehe, is it okay if we stay like this until we reach the station?”
“…It’s fine, but.”
Looking a bit embarrassed, Masato-san averted his eyes. Seeing his reaction, I cast a meaningful glance back at Shinomiya-san.
“A-As expected of you, sensei…!”
“Huh? Sensei?”
Masato-san blinked in confusion.
It seemed Shinomiya-san couldn’t quite muster up the courage right this second, as she failed to launch an attack on his other arm. You have to be more aggressive, you know!
Beneath the freezing winter sky, I held Masato-san’s warm arm tightly against me.
“Yuka, it’s hard to walk like this?!”
“Too bad! Do your best!”
I already knew, to some extent. I knew that there were girls far cuter than me surrounding Masato-san.
I had to accept that. The question was, what to do about it.
“Next time, please play with just me!”
I flashed Masato-san the absolute brightest smile I could muster.
…All I have to do is try my very best to ensure I’m the one he loves the most!