Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817139558660048790/episodes/16817330667339701879
I was curious about Suika, so I came to the gym to watch the basketball team practise after school.
I sneak around the bleachers on the second floor to hide and listen to the court spread out below.
At this time of the day, the court seems to be divided into two halves, with the boys and girls practising separately.
The court in the gymnasium is large enough for more than two basketball courts, so not only the basketball team but also the volleyball team and other teams were practising on the other side.
The sound of the practice, the bouncing of the ball and the scraping of the soles of their shoes sometimes reminds me of the old days.
“There, cover! You’re too slow!!!”
“Not so easy to overtake!”
“Check!”
“Ah, …….”
“You’re free now. Decide.”
“……”
The women’s practice session shows that they have indeed qualified for the regional competition. The content of the practice sessions is very intense and passionate for a mere practice.
However, a slightly disturbing atmosphere can also be seen.
In the current scene, Suika’s team-mate has passed through the opposing defence and handled a pass when the cover defence came close in front of the ring, creating a free shot for her team-mate.
However, the player who took the shot missed and Suika was blamed for it.
After Suika was told in a respectful manner, perhaps by a senior player, she glared at her a little.
Whether Suika also noticed it or pretended not to, she quickly moved on to the next play.
“Loose ball!!!”
“Kyaa!!!”
“Sorry.”
“……!”
This time, Suika jumped into the loose ball. It was clear that she was too far away to make it in time, but Suika forced herself to rush in.
She violently bumped into the club member in front of her and apologized for her lack of words.
“…… are you alright?”
The degree of completion of each play is quite high. I think they have the ability as a team. However, I feel that the atmosphere is getting worse around one player, Suika, and I start to worry.
After that, while watching over the practice with a sense of apprehension, an incident finally occurs.
“…… Ouch, hey! You did that on purpose, didn’t you!”
“I didn’t do it.
Isn’t it normal to be that violent when you go to a regional tournament?”
“Haa!?
What have you been up to since a while ago? ! That’s your attitude toward your seniors!?”
“It’s normal. Can you please not hit just because my play doesn’t go well?”
She’s someone often fought with Suika as a marksman for a while now. Listening to her, she sounds like a senior.
There was contact during the play and the senior complained about it.
Basketball is a sport that relies on physical contact, so it is common for players to bump their bodies into marksmen. If it’s bad enough, they’ll get called for a foul, but they’ll also do a little bit of a secrecy, like pulling or pushing, so the referee won’t notice.
So if it is asked whether there was a problem with Suika’s current play, it can be said that there was or was not.
At least it was not something that forced the opponent to injure herself, but rather a slight tug on her opponent’s wear.
However, what followed was not good.
In contrast to her angry seniors, Suika did not seem to take offence and was very reasonable. I certainly don’t think she’s saying anything wrong. The other senior player was also making mistakes from earlier, such as not shooting well and spilling the ball.
Just because of that, pointing things out or trying to force the other person to do whatever they want is…somehow, it’s not like Suika.
“Both of you, calm down!”
A female student intervenes. I’m sure that was the captain?
“I understand that it’s because it’s before the tournament, but you’re a little too uptight! This can lead to injuries, and we can’t play well as a team!”
“…………”
“…………”
The captain told them and they were at each other’s throats.
“Ayumi. There’s plenty of that kind of intensity up there. And I know it’s frustrating when things aren’t going well, but you have to elevate it to play!”
“…… I get it.”
Suika’s senior, who was called Ayumi, nodded while looking unconvinced.
“And Suika too. I usually say that it doesn’t matter if you’re senior or junior once you’re on the court, but that’s just about playing. Outside of that, you should at least have the minimum amount of courtesy. It’s not like Suika to agitate her opponents there.”
“……, sorry.”
Being scolded by the captain makes Suika a little nervous.
“Also, you’re getting a little too excited. You haven’t been able to see your surroundings very much since a while ago. It’s good that you’re doing things proactively, but there are a lot of times where you don’t pass the ball where you can, and you force myself to rush in.”
“…… Yes. Sorry. ……”
“I need you to calm down a little more. Well, the boys’ court will be empty soon, so until then everyone can take a break! Hey, Suika, please calm down a little.”
“…… understand.”
After being told this by the captain, Suika trudged towards the exit of the gymnasium.
It didn’t seem like she was going home since she was still wearing his basketball shoes, but I was curious about what happened next, so I decided to follow her.
◆
As soon as I left the gymnasium, I found Suika in the same place.
Suika had finished drinking water from the water machine and was taking small deep breaths.
“Suika.”
“….., oh, Arase-kun?”
Suika’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected me to be there.
“H-Hey, why are you here?”
“Ah, I was just wondering how Suika is doing.”
“Suika’s?”
“See, I felt like something was wrong with you after we went together last time.”
“……!”
“What’s wrong?”
“……, it’s nothing.”
After a short pause, Suika averts her gaze and denies it. She certainly didn’t look like nothing had happened.
“It’s not nothing, isn’t it? It’s good to get hot, but Suika like that… it just didn’t feel right.”
“………….You know”
“……?”
“What’s so Suika-like!”
“!”
“I’m sorry, it’s nothing! I’ll go back to practice, it’s really nothing!”
“Ah, ……!”
Suika ran back to the gymnasium as if running away from me.
“I’ve …… done it.”
After I said it, I realized that the words were in poor taste.
The expression that Suika showed just now was something I had never seen from her before. Like angry or sad.
“My stupid brain……”
I hate myself for being so worthless. It seems that my efforts to cheer up the other person ended up hurting them even more.
“Suika-like huh……?”
I wonder what it is. Before I knew it, I realized that I might have been imposing my own image of Suika on Suika.
…But if that’s the case, what exactly is she worried about?
“I’m going to meet Suika again and apologise properly.”
Although I have made that decision, I don’t even know what to say to apologize. I just wasted my time waiting.
“It’s late. ……”
Since then, the sun has gone down and it has become dark. The rain that had been falling has stopped before you know it, and a cloudy sky is spreading in the dark.
In the gymnasium, the girls’ basketball team had long finished practising, and here and there students from the girls’ basketball team were leaving.
But Suika is still practising on her own. From the gymnasium, you can hear the sound of the ball bouncing, shoes scuffing and the ball going under the net.
And it was when she was waiting with a sore throat, listening to such sounds.
“Why are you even saying that Natsu!”
“C-calm down a bit, Suika! I understand how you feel, but ……”
“You don’t understand! You don’t know how Suika feels!”
I could hear two people arguing from the empty gymnasium.
It seems like Suika and Okai-san are the ones who are having a good fight.
If there’s a fight going on, I need to mediate… Thinking that, I stood up on the spot and tried to look into the gymnasium.
Then, I almost bumped into the person who came out from inside.
“Woah!”
“───!”
The person I almost bumped into was Suika. When Suika looked at me, her eyes widened and she went straight away.
“Suika, wait ……! wait, Is that …… Ito-kun?”
“……O-ou”
Then I met eyes with Okai-san, who was chasing after her, and replied awkwardly.
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