───● A Date with a Middle School Basketball Player ●○●
With my date with Koumi behind me, the next person on my schedule was Yuka.
…I know it can’t be helped, but asking them out one after another like this makes me feel terribly guilty… Still, this is a necessary step if I’m ever going to give them a proper answer.
Deciding where to take Yuka was surprisingly easy.
Since so many of my memories with Yuka revolved around basketball, I really wanted us to play together if possible. But it also needed to be a spot where we could enjoy a genuine date… When I filtered by those two criteria, only one option came to mind.
“Masato-san! We’re here!” Yuka called out, her voice bright with excitement.
“Hold on a second, Yuka!” I called back, trying to catch up.
She tugged firmly on my hand, pulling me up the stairs and out of the subway station onto the street above.
Despite it being the dead of winter, the sky was crystal clear today. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, the brilliant sunlight dazzled my eyes.
“It’s over that way, right?!” she asked, pointing eagerly.
“Yeah, exactly. That big building right there is our destination,” I replied.
Yuka was pointing at a massive white structure.
It was a sprawling commercial complex, a fairly rare sight right in the heart of Tokyo.
Looking at it up close, its sheer scale was truly impressive. There was no doubt we could spend the entire day here without running out of things to do.
“Come on, Masato-san! Let’s hurry!”
Yuka turned back to me with a beaming smile, stretching her hand out toward mine.
She was wearing a gray miniskirt over black tights, paired with a cute brown duffle coat.
…Middle school girls nowadays really don’t look like middle schoolers at all…
Or rather, it made more sense to realize that Yuka was making an active effort to dress up for me. Since this was our date, she had deliberately picked out an outfit that looked more mature than what she usually wore. The least I could do was recognize and appreciate the effort she had put in.
“What’s the matter?” Yuka asked.
“…It’s nothing. Shall we head inside?” I asked, shaking my head softly.
Yuka tilted her head to the side, looking up at me inquisitively.
When I first met her, I had seen her as nothing more than a passionate basketball girl, but in less than a year, she had blossomed into a genuinely charming young lady.
…Well, I mean, she was charming from the start, sure, but I hadn’t meant it in the sense of seeing her as a woman until recently.
Still marveling at just how cute and wonderful a girl she had become, I reached out, took Yuka’s hand in mine, and led the way toward our destination.
Our first order of business was heading to the food court for lunch.
“Wow! Look at how many restaurants there are!” Yuka gasped, her eyes widening.
“Pick whatever you like,” I said with a smile.
The food court sprawled across the first floor of the building. Since we had arrived a little before the peak lunch hour, there were still plenty of open tables.
After securing a small table for two, we strolled over to inspect the long row of eateries.
“…Just so you know, Masato-san, I’m paying for my own meal today!” Yuka declared firmly.
“Wait, really? I was planning on paying for both of us,” I stammered, caught off guard.
“Absolutely not! …I can’t keep depending on you for everything forever,” she insisted.
Yuka turned away with a huff, clutching her wallet tightly in her hand.
I didn’t really want to let a middle school student spend her own money on our date, but once Yuka dug her heels in like this, she could be surprisingly stubborn.
I decided to concede for now and resolved to cover the bill whenever we sat down for dinner later.
“Mmm, this is so delicious~!” Yuka squealed blissfully.
“I’m glad you like it,” I chuckled.
In the end, I had ordered a bowl of udon while Yuka went with omurice. Noticing her casting longing glances at a nearby stall, I had also bought a plate of takoyaki for us to share.
Watching Yuka happily devour her omurice with sparkling eyes brought a warm smile to my face.
“Do you like omurice that much?” I asked.
“Yes! I absolutely love it!” she answered enthusiastically.
She continuously carried spoonfuls of rice to her mouth with a brilliant grin. Moments like this served as an endearing reminder of her actual age. But just as I was thinking that, Yuka suddenly gasped and snapped her gaze toward me.
“Y-You were just thinking I look childish, weren’t you?!” she demanded, her cheeks flushing.
“Wh-What?!” I squeaked, taken aback.
To be honest, I had thought exactly that, but looking into her slightly watery eyes made it almost impossible to admit it out loud. Still, lying straight to her face felt wrong too.
“…Well, okay, maybe a tiny bit, but I meant it in a good way! Honest!” I offered defensively.
“Is there even such a thing as ‘childish in a good way’…?” she pouted, eyeing me suspiciously.
“No, really! I mean, whenever you’re playing basketball, Yuka, you’re always so mature and focused, almost wise beyond your years. Seeing this cute, playful side of you just felt refreshing and nice, that’s all.”
“…W-Well, if you put it like that, I guess it’s okay,” she muttered, lowering her head bashfully.
Flustered, Yuka began picking timidly at her omurice with her spoon. Personally, I preferred watching her eat with gusto like she had been doing just a moment ago.
“Don’t worry about it so much—go ahead and enjoy your food,” I encouraged her gently. “Honestly, seeing you eat with such joy makes me a lot happier.”
“…If you say it like that, how am I supposed to refuse?” she murmured with a slight, helpless smile.
She gave me a bashful, troubled little grin.
“In—In that case, I’m going to gobble up all these takoyaki too!” she proclaimed, puffing out her cheeks.
“Go right ahead! Eat as much as you like,” I encouraged with a laugh.
Yuka happily resumed chewing her food, a look of pure bliss returning to her face.
Yeah, this side of her is definitely way better.
After finishing our lunch, we headed upstairs to explore the shopping mall.
“Woah~! This is so ridiculously cute!” Yuka squealed, pointing at a shirt.
“You’re right, that would look really nice on you, Yuka,” I agreed.
We had strolled into a clothing store. Surprisingly, the mall boasted plenty of apparel shops that catered perfectly to girls around Yuka’s age.
We picked a shop geared toward her demographic and spent some time browsing through the racks.
“Do you think this is a bit too childish for me…?” she murmured, holding up a top.
“Not at all. I think it suits you nicely,” I replied.
The item Yuka had picked up was a light pink long-sleeved T-shirt accented with cute frills.
“If you’re curious, why not try it on?” I suggested.
“Good idea!” she agreed enthusiastically.
Yuka took the shirt and approached a store employee. As the clerk escorted her toward the fitting room, I took a seat outside to wait for her.
Once she had shown Yuka inside, the staff member turned back toward me with a polite smile.
“Are you helping your little sister pick out clothes?” the clerk asked pleasantly.
“Ah… well…” I stammered, flustered.
I glanced briefly toward the fitting room.
Yuka was changing right inside, and she could undoubtedly hear our conversation. The fitting room was merely partitioned by a thin curtain, offering zero sound insulation.
I could almost sense Yuka freezing up on the other side of the curtain, as if time itself had stopped.
“…Actually, we’re on a date,” I corrected gently.
“Oh my! Is that so? How lovely…” the clerk gasped, her eyes lighting up.
After a brief moment of surprise, the staff member offered me a warm, supportive smile.
Without delving into the complex specifics of our relationship, I simply stated the truth of the day. Today was my date with Yuka, after all.
A few moments later, the curtain swished open, and Yuka stepped out wearing the pink T-shirt. I had already thought the design was cute, but seeing it on her confirmed it—it looked fantastic.
“Masato-san, how does it look?” she asked, looking up at me expectantly.
“It looks great. It really suits you,” I praised warmly.
“Ehehe, I’ll keep it as an option and check out a few other things!” she giggled.
With a cheerful nod, Yuka ducked back behind the curtain.
…Was it just my imagination, or were her cheeks a faint shade of red?
Leaving the T-shirt on hold for the moment, we decided to check out a few other shops. While browsing an accessory store Yuka had been curious about, a particular hair accessory caught my eye.
It was a floral hairpin, but its design was just a touch more elegant and mature than the ones Yuka usually wore.
I picked it up to inspect it. …I bet this would look absolutely adorable on Yuka right now.
“Masato-san?” Yuka called, walking over.
“What do you think of this one, Yuka?” I asked, holding it out to her.
“! Oh, that’s so pretty!” she gasped, her eyes lighting up.
Taking the hairpin from my hand, Yuka held it up against the side of her hair.
“…Does it look good on me?” she asked softly.
“…Yeah. Just like I thought, it suits you perfectly.”
“I’m buying it!” she announced instantly.
“That fast?!” I blurted out, stunned by her split-second decision.
Yuka trotted over to the cash register with light, bouncy steps that almost seemed to carry a cheerful musical hum.
Part of me worried whether she was deciding too hastily, but seeing her in such high spirits made it impossible for me to stop her.
A few moments later, Yuka finished paying and walked back toward me with a beaming smile.
“Are you sure you didn’t want to think it over a bit more?” I asked.
“I’m positive! After all, you were the one who picked it out for me, Masato-san!” she replied brightly.
When she offered such a radiant smile alongside those words, I had nothing left to say.
As we stepped out of the store and continued strolling through the mall, Yuka turned back to me with a mischievous grin. “Besides…” she murmured.
“Today is our ‘date,’ right?”
“…So you really did hear that earlier,” I sighed, scratching my cheek in embarrassment.
“Ehehe~” she giggled cutely.
It turned out she had indeed overheard my exchange with the clerk outside the fitting room.
It was a bit embarrassing, but seeing how happy it had made her, I couldn’t complain.
Watching Yuka stride ahead with joyful steps, I quickened my pace to catch up beside her.
“This is the place!” Yuka exclaimed.
“Yep, exactly,” I replied.
Having wrapped up our shopping, we made our way to the top floor of the commercial complex.
The main attraction of this building was a massive rooftop amusement facility packed with various sports activities.
I had specifically chosen this complex because I planned for us to wrap up our date playing sports together.
After checking in at the front desk, Yuka and I headed straight out to the rooftop zone where all the activity courts were located.
“Masato-san, Masato-san! I want to watch you hit at the batting cage!” Yuka pleaded eagerly.
“Oh, sure thing~,” I replied with an easygoing smile.
I had previously mentioned to Yuka that I used to play baseball. When she noticed the old injury on my right arm, I had explained the background behind it.
Even so, her sharp intuition—spotting my injury just by observing me play basketball—was honestly terrifying.
I stepped into a batting cage marked “125 km/h” and picked up one of the available aluminum bats.
“Do your best!” Yuka cheered from behind.
“It’s not like I’m trying out for the pros or anything!” I called back with a laugh.
Through the protective netting behind me, Yuka was watching with rapt attention.
Still, I definitely don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of her. Better take this seriously.
“Woah! That’s amazing!” Yuka squealed.
Even though I hadn’t played baseball in quite a while, muscle memory kicked in effortlessly, allowing me to drive ball after ball straight back.
Fortunately, batting didn’t strain my old arm injury nearly as much as pitching did.
After finishing my twenty pitches, I turned around to see Yuka staring at me with shining, wide eyes.
“That was incredible! I want to try it too!” she insisted excitedly.
…For some reason, this reminded me of the day we played basketball together for the very first time. Back then, she had looked at me with that exact same sparkling gaze.
I stepped out of the cage, yielding the floor for Yuka’s turn.
“All right, what speed should we set it to? Want to try hitting at 90 km/h?” I asked.
“Grrr… Fine, let’s settle on that for now,” she grumbled with a pout.
“Why do you sound so dissatisfied…?” I asked, sweating slightly.
I had known this about her for a long time, but her competitive streak was as strong as ever… Well, for anyone into sports, being a sore loser was probably a virtue.
Stepping into the cage set to 90 km/h, Yuka gripped the bat firmly.
“Ahh, I can’t hit it at all!” she wailed.
As expected, timing the pitch proved challenging, and her swings repeatedly cut through thin air.
It felt a little pitiful to just watch her struggle, so despite the slight risk, I decided to step inside the cage with her.
“Masato-san?!” Yuka gasped, her eyes going wide.
“Don’t worry, stay right there. I’ll show you how to guide the bat,” I assured her.
Staying inside too long would probably get us scolded by the staff, so I resolved to step out after helping her through a couple of pitches.
I placed my hands gently over hers on the bat handle, guiding her swing arc right as the next pitch came incoming.
With a crisp ping, the bat connected, sending the ball rolling forward into the field.
“Ah! I hit it!” Yuka cheered.
“Exactly! Just swing through like that,” I praised her.
“Got it!” she beamed cheerfully.
Her energetic response was no different from when she was out on the basketball court.
She really is a natural student when it comes to athletics, I thought with admiration.
After finishing at the batting cage, we tried our hand at several other sports. Since Yuka had fantastic natural athletic ability, everything we played was an absolute blast.
After playing for a while and as evening approached, we finally made our way to the spot we had saved for last.
“After all, we have to finish here,” Yuka said.
“Yeah, no doubt about it,” I agreed.
Before us lay an outdoor basketball court.
Other players were currently using it, so we waited nearby for them to finish their turn.
“Granted, with my shoes and outfit like this… I can’t really go all out,” Yuka noted, looking down at her date clothes.
“That’s fine. I’m not planning on going full speed either,” I reassured her.
“…Though I bet we’ll still end up taking it pretty seriously anyway,” she giggled knowingly.
“Yeah, I know the feeling,” I chuckled in agreement.
We shared a lighthearted laugh.
Just then, the previous group wrapped up their game, stepping off the court to hand it over to us.
Yuka briskly stepped onto the court, turning back to face me.
The basketball court bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
Yuka standing out on the court ahead of me.
It was impossible not to feel a surge of nostalgia.
And then, just like she had on that fateful day…
“Let’s have a match, Masato-san!”
This time, her voice carried a playful, mischievous twinge.
She challenged me once again with a radiant smile.