───● The Middle School Basketball Player Bounces Back ●○●
“Yu… Yuka… Yuka!” my classmate whispered urgently from the desk behind me.
“Huh?” I blinked.
I had been staring blankly out the window, completely lost in thought, until my friend’s voice dragged me back to reality.
Suddenly remembering we were right in the middle of class, I hurriedly snapped my head forward, only to find our teacher standing at the chalkboard, staring right at me.
“Maeda… were you even listening?” he asked sternly.
“Huh?!” I squeaked, flushing instantly. “A-Ah… um… I’m sorry!”
“Good grief. It’s fine that you’re busy with club activities, but make sure you pay attention in class too.”
“Yes, sir… I’m sorry…” I mumbled, hanging my head.
I could feel the piercing gaze of the entire classroom locked onto me.
Ugh, this is so embarrassing…
Turning back to my desk, I picked up my pencil and began copying down what was written on the chalkboard into my noticeably blank notebook.
The reason I’d been completely unable to concentrate lately wasn’t because of club practice at all.
『To tell you the truth, Yuka, there’s something I need to talk to you about.』
Those were the words Masato-san had spoken to me just the other day.
He had told me he would give me his final answer by March.
For me, that was far, far too soon.
…Because I already knew the truth.
Up until now, he had only ever seen me as a little sister.
Just when he was finally starting to view me as a girl…
My school grade wouldn’t even change before March. I didn’t stand a single chance.
“…”
If I let my guard down for even a second, tears threatened to spill over.
I hated this.
The terrifying reality that I might be separated from Masato-san squeezed my chest in a vice grip.
I want to be with Masato-san.
I want him to date me.
I want to stand by his side as his girlfriend.
I just want us to stay together forever…
My turmoil was having a clear, undeniable impact on my club practice as well.
“Yuka!”
“Ah…!”
I fumbled the pass.
It was a fundamental mistake I would never normally make, and the opposing player snatched the ball away instantly.
They immediately launched a fast break and scored an easy basket against us.
“Take five, everyone!”
At the captain’s signal, we called a temporary timeout for a break.
I slumped down in the corner of the gymnasium, clutching my towel tightly as I crouched on the floor.
Even while playing basketball, it was almost impossible not to think about him.
In fact, playing basketball made me remember him far more intensely than sitting through class ever could.
After all, basketball was the one thing that constantly reminded me of my deep connection with Masato-san.
Every single move I made had been modeled after watching Masato-san play.
The wristband wrapped around my left wrist…
The initials “MK” printed on the inside…
Every skill I had worked so hard to refine was something I had built together with Masato-san.
“Yuka.”
“…Captain,” I murmured, looking up.
Standing over me was our ponytail-bound captain, holding a plastic sports bottle.
I accepted the bottle she held out and offered a quiet, “Thank you.”
Even setting aside my missed pass earlier, my head had been completely out of the game all day.
She had undoubtedly noticed how off I was and come over out of concern.
“What’s up with the long face?” she asked.
“It’s just… I have a lot on my mind,” I admitted downcast.
“Is this about that older guy you like?”
“?!”
My eyes widened in surprise as the captain took a seat beside me and casually dropped that bomb.
It was true that the captain—and pretty much everyone else on the team—knew about Masato-san since he’d come to watch one of our games before.
Even so, I never expected her to pinpoint the exact cause of my distress so effortlessly.
“H-How did you know?”
“Because whenever you look down, he’s the very first thing that comes to mind. You’ve got it bad for him, you know.”
“~~~~!”
Overcome with embarrassment, I instinctively buried my face in my towel.
Am I really that obvious?!
A brief silence fell between us.
“So, what happened? Did he reject you or something?”
“…Something like that,” I muttered quietly.
Bit by bit, I opened up and explained the situation to the captain.
After listening to my story, the captain murmured, “Man, that’s rough,” before pausing for a moment to mull it over.
“My boyfriend’s in my grade, so I can’t completely relate to what you’re going through… but even if that guy ends up getting a girlfriend, I don’t think you need to stop loving him.”
“…Huh?”
“I mean, right now there’s an age gap getting in the way, right? So if you keep loving him and become an even more amazing woman than you are now, he might fall head over heels for you later.”
The captain looked me straight in the eye and offered a warm smile.
“Times have changed. There’s no rule saying you can’t love a guy just because he has a girlfriend… besides, he didn’t have one when you first met him. And let’s be real—it’s not like you could just give up on him anyway, right?”
“I… I don’t think I could ever give up on him.”
Honestly, there’s no one in the world who could ever compare to Masato-san.
I knew deep down that would never change, no matter how much time passed.
“Right? I knew it. After all, I’ve seen the way you look at the boys’ basketball team like they’re literal bugs.”
“That’s totally not true?!” I squawked in protest.
I don’t look at them that badly?!
It’s just obvious that Masato-san is ten times better than any of them!
“Well, anyway, even if things don’t work out right away, I don’t think you should deny your feelings. Take care of yourself, and besides, you’re super cute, Yuka, so who knows? You two might just end up together normally!”
“Th-That’s…”
“It’s totally possible! You’re really mature for your age, Yuka… and I don’t just mean your looks. You’ve got that secret perverted side, too.”
“Captain!” I yelled, blushing bright red.
“Eek, scary!” the captain giggled playfully as she bounded back toward the rest of the team.
I-I am not secretly perverted!
Standing there after impulsively jumping up, I flexed my fingers, opening and closing my hands.
She was right. Even if he didn’t choose me by March, that was no reason to give up.
Besides, Masato-san had explicitly promised that we wouldn’t stop seeing each other.
Thinking about it that way made the heavy weight pressing down on my chest feel just a little bit lighter.
On Sunday of that very same week…
I had come to the City Gymnasium to play basketball with Masato-san.
“You’re moving a lot better today, Yuka,” Masato-san remarked.
“Thank you very much!” I replied happily.
I was in great form today.
Having opened up to the captain had lifted a weight off my shoulders, allowing my body to move fluidly and naturally.
I’d been selected for the all-star team, after all; I needed to keep improving.
“Alright, how about we finish up with a one-on-one?” Masato-san suggested.
“Yes, please!”
We always wrapped up our practice sessions with a one-on-one match.
Lately, I had been driven purely by ulterior motives—namely, the reward I’d get from Masato-san—but today, I wanted to play aggressive basketball and win fair and square.
That was the mindset burning inside me.
Receiving his bounce pass, I took possession on offense.
I wouldn’t settle for a three-pointer. Instead, I drove hard, cutting right past Masato-san’s side.
“Still as fast as ever…!” Masato-san grunted.
Despite his exclamation, he stayed right on my hip, moving swiftly to shut down my driving lane.
Without missing a beat, I snapped back into a step-back jumper to create distance.
“Not gonna happen…!”
Knowing I had added the hook shot to my arsenal, Masato-san lunged forward to contest the step-back.
And him jumping out to contest meant one thing…
“…You’ve got to be kidding me,” Masato-san gasped.
He had left an opening.
Using the threat of the hook shot as a decoy, I locked my pivot foot, spun cleanly past him toward the basket, and laid the ball smoothly off the glass for a bucket.
“…Now that you’ve got so many options, you’re getting harder and harder to stop.”
“Ehehe, thank you very much!” I giggled.
Dropping into a defensive stance, I looked straight into the eyes of Masato-san as he held the ball.
“I’m going to keep growing,” I declared.
“Huh?”
It was my own personal declaration of resolve.
“Even if it’s hard for you to see me that way right now… I’m going to keep growing. Not just in basketball, but as a girl too. I’ll become someone you can’t help but notice!”
Masato-san looked taken aback for a moment…
…before his face suddenly flushed a faint shade of red.
“Um… sorry, but do you mind if I correct one thing…?”
“Huh?”
Surprised by his unexpected reaction, I instinctively relaxed my defensive posture.
“…Um, the truth is… I already see you as a girl. More than enough.”
“…!”
“I mean, after everything you’ve done to me, it’d be impossible not to see you that way… So, yeah… I mean, it sounds weird coming from me, but still!”
An intense warmth surged inside my chest, overwhelming me.
…In that case, I only have one thing left to do.
“Then I’m gonna win today too, and give you tons and tons of kisses so you think about me even more!”
“Don’t say stuff like that in the middle of a public gymnasium in broad daylight?!”
Watching Masato-san wave his arms in a flustered panic with a bright red face brought a big smile to my lips.
…I’m done doubting myself.
I’ll do everything I can so that he chooses me by March.
There’s no reason to give up.
I’ll pour everything I have into making him fall in love with me.
After all… that’s no different from what I’ve always done.