Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792435496538509
――I heard my childhood friend’s voice.
It was an unfamiliar, slightly raspy sound. I think it was her best effort at cheering, given she usually didn’t raise her voice much.
That voice propelled me forward.
I caught the pass. The timing couldn’t have been better.
I positioned the ball in front of my face. My body floated up naturally.
From the three-point line, before I knew it, I was shooting.
(……I see. Do my best.)
I glanced toward the bleachers.
The safety railing and handrail. My eyes met those of my childhood friend leaning over it.
Her eyes were sparkling brightly. She was watching me with a gentle gaze, biting her lip just a little, looking slightly worried.
“Thanks, Renka.”
Splash. With a satisfying sound, the scoring whistle blew.
Simultaneously—my classmates in the stands erupted. Cheers rang out, exaggerated as if we’d just pulled off a comeback.
“—Nice one, Akito!! Great shot!!”
It was Hideki’s voice.
Refreshing yet passionate. I pictured the face of my gentle yet strong best friend, who always pushed me forward.
“Akito kun, nice shot! Now, next! Get back on defense!!”
Sena’s voice echoed immediately after.
Harsh, I thought. But it was typical Sena—positive encouragement.
“Ayatacchi, keep it up! Show us that shot again!!”
Suzukita san’s bright voice.
She always gives me energy. Even during games, it seems incredibly effective.
“Hang in there, Kujou kun! And Teranishi kun, nice defense earlier!”
“Nakajima kun, nice pass! Only five minutes left, hang in there!!”
“Okubo!! Dunk, dunk it!!”
One after another. The cheers from my classmates in the stands echoed through the gym.
On the court, Nakajima kun smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
“Ayata, nice shot! Hold this end, we’ll get the next one!”
His voice carried more intensity than before.
It wasn’t just him. Teranishi kun, Kujou kun, Okubo kun…every teammate’s expression had changed completely.
Amidst this, the game restarted from the opponent’s throw-in. Class A utilized quick passing—but Teranishi kun anticipated it and made a perfect steal. He dribbled straight to the opponent’s basket and scored with a layup.
The stands erupted. Teranishi and Nakajima high-fived each other in celebration.
Still, the score was 23-117. Less than five minutes remained. Everyone present knew catching up now was impossible. But—
“Ayata!”
Nakajima kun dashed back toward his own end, wearing a defiant smile.
It shouldn’t have suited his gentle nature, but right now, I felt that expression suited him perfectly.
“We’re fighting this game to the very end!!”
A fiery line. That wasn’t like him either.
No…I guess I’m not like myself either.
“…Ah!!”
What was this feeling?
An omnipotence that made me feel like I could do anything right now.
Suddenly, I glanced back toward the bleachers one more time.
My gaze met again with the beautiful eyes of the girl standing before the railing.
(—–….Renka really is amazing.)
She was the one who started it all.
That one sentence changed the atmosphere of the class…no, the entire gymnasium.
It must have taken tremendous courage.
Still, she took that step to break the long silence.
Faced with her courage, I…want to respond.
“Damn, just five points and he’s already yapping…”
I didn’t miss Machida kun muttering that as the game resumed.
He immediately grabbed the ball and charged toward us with a blistering dribble. Nakajima kun couldn’t keep up and got forcibly blown past.
This time, I stepped up to defend against Machida-kun as he tried to drive straight for the goal.
“Get out of the way, weakling!!”
…What the hell was that?
It was uncharacteristically sloppy play for Machida kun. If he’d just dribbled normally, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Yet he charged at me with a tackle-like dribble.
I deliberately didn’t dodge it. Immediately after, Machida kun shoved me aside—naturally, he got called for a foul, giving us the throw-in.
“Damn it…!”
Ah…right, I remembered.
I thought his face looked familiar somewhere, but seeing that resentful expression now brought the memory back completely.
That was definitely around this time last year. Machida kun had called Renka to the back of the school building, confessed to her—and got spectacularly rejected.
So basically, Machida kun likes Renka.
Just like me, he’d fallen for that kind-hearted, perfect beauty.
“Machida kun, right? Hey, do you know what Renka’s specialty dish is?”
“…Huh?”
“Well, of course you don’t. Just keep playing basketball like an idiot for the rest of your life, you loser.”
…Oops. That was a bit too harsh, wasn’t it?
I reflected that I was still just a kid myself. A moment later, I felt incredibly embarrassed.
Anyway, the game resumed. Teranishi kun’s sharp throw-in connected to Nakajima kun’s dribble. Seeing the defense bite, I timed it to receive the pass.
Right in front of me stood an irritated Machida kun. …Probably wary of a three-pointer, he was standing quite close.
At this close range, could I even drive past him with a dribble? Just as that thought crossed my mind,
“Akito!! Please, give it your all…!!”
Renka’s cheers pushed me forward.
In that instant, I blew past Machida kun’s defense and sank the layup.
That made three straight points for us. An even louder cheer erupted from the stands than before.
But…
“Akito! Nice shot…!!”
Only Renka’s voice reached my ears.
—She was calling my name.
—She was cheering for me, for someone like me, with all her might.
Ah, I’m hopeless, I guess.
Even though it was the middle of the game…I almost couldn’t help but smile.
Four minutes left. The score difference is about 90 points.
Our chances of winning are zero. I knew that from the start.
But I’m going to fight desperately until the end.
For my childhood friend who cheers for someone like me.
And above all else—for myself, this presumptuous fool who’s fallen for her.
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