Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817139558660048790/episodes/16818093076351558927
“So, what was the reason you were fighting?”
“Yeah,…… Suika. Today, during practice, she had a bit of an altercation with some of the older students.”
“Oh, …… that?”
“Ah, did you see that? Well, the captain warned her about it, but even after she came back from the break, it didn’t change at all. she didn’t say it out loud, but it showed in her attitude… I guess she wasn’t aware of it.”
……I see. Could it be that I said something unnecessary? I’m starting to feel a little anxious.
“That’s why, even after practice, she continued practicing on her own, and I was thinking of talking to Suika when I saw the timing.”
“So that’s what happened.
What did she say?”
“…… nothing.
However, basketball is a team sport. No matter how hard she try, it’s a team”
It’s the truth. In team sports, the individual is important, but it is also secondary. Professional basketball players often use the word “chemistry” to describe the state of a team. It is literally a chemical reaction. No matter how strong the individual players are, if the team is disjointed, the chemical reaction …… will not produce a synergistic effect.
One person alone cannot beat the other team.
“Aaah~ It failed~. If it was going to turn out like that, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Okai-san let out a big sigh and held her head in her hands. Although she was feeling a little better, she was still troubled by the situation.
“In the first place, why was Suika having trouble with the seniors? Do they usually not get along?”
“Well…I don’t think it’s a good thing. Even if I say that, it’s a unilateral response from the seniors. Suika is insensitive to things like that, for better or for worse.”
“Yeah, I think it’s like that. Why don’t the seniors think well of her?”
“I think it’s because …… Suika took their position.”
“Eh, that’s it?”
“Well, I don’t think that’s the only reason, but it’s the main reason.”
“No, but that’s not really strange, is it? If you’re doing it on good terms, it’s not unusual for the more talented to win in a club with a proven track record, right?”
“It’s not that simple when you’re a girl.”
Well, I don’t know what you mean, but …….
I’m sure it happens to guys too, but that’s just the way it is.
“…… jealousy, huh?”
“Girls are a pain in the ass, aren’t they? But Suika is a kind of genius when it comes to basketball. I can understand why she would be like that.”
“That’s true.”
“Suika became a starting member since her first year. However, she came just when the seniors were finally able to leave the older generation and become a regular. I heard from the captain that she has been working hard. I don’t think the seniors thought that at first either. At first, they were praising her a lot. They said that our basketball team could become even stronger. But… before I knew it, it became like it is now.”
Okai-san has a somewhat distant look in her eyes. Perhaps she has had similar feelings. The pain of realizing how small you are in the face of overwhelming talent.
However, this talent is also a result of Suika’s extraordinary competitive nature and her passion for basketball.
These seniors may have worked hard, but if they ignored Suika’s efforts, that would be wrong.
“Suika you know. Suika thinks that if you love something, you can go as far as you want. Because she loves it, she can do her best. You can do well because you work hard. If you fail, it means you didn’t work hard enough. That’s what she thinks.”
A love for basketball to the point of insanity. It must be a kind of talent to be able to devote yourself to it just because you love it.
“It would be fine if it was just for herself, but there is a part of her that demands it of her partner as well.”
……That’s tough.”
I don’t blame Suika, but there is such a thing as human tolerance. I’m sure the seniors are trying hard too. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t reach the talented person. If that talented person is making an effort, it is even more so.
There are some things that cannot be filled by hard work.
Earlier, I thought it was wrong to ignore Suika’s efforts, but after listening to what she just said, that is also a mistake.
So it is very difficult to sort out the feelings in this area. I am sure that neither of them is wrong.
“And I’m sure Suika …… also seems to think that basketball is the only thing for her.”
“Ah, that seems likely.”
“That’s why she missed her shot in the tournament and got white eyes from her seniors. If you take basketball away from her, there’s nothing left,……, so she doesn’t want to realize it and is forcing herself to do so. Even though that’s not true.”
Okai-san looks a little sad.
Suika reminded me that she often uses the phrase ‘Like Suika’.
She probably doesn’t see any value in anything other than basketball. So, she despises herself.
…Like me, who used to think that the only value I have is to work and give money to my parents.
That’s why she can’t stand to fail at basketball, which she loves, and be underestimated. Now Suika can’t see what’s going on around her. And she is not genuinely enjoying basketball.
She wants Suika to notice her, which is why she said the words that got her into an argument with Suika.
Please don’t try hard by yourself if you have any problems. Basketball is a team sport, and I’m sure the seniors will understand. That is what Okai-san wanted to say.
I somehow understood what was troubling Suika. But I feel stuck.
I have a feeling that anyone who tells Suika off like Okai-san does will have the opposite effect.
“Aah~ I wonder if that person can do something about the current Suika.”
“…… that person?”
“Yes, that person whom Suika adores.”
That.. is unexpected.
“I’ve never met him before. He seems to be a boy from another middle school that I saw at the rookie competition when I was in middle school.”
“That’s a very distant relationship.”
“I know, right? I remember it was great. I was standing next to Suika at the time. Suika was so absorbed in watching him play. Of course, it was not only the technical skill, but also the passion and the way he looked like he was having a good time. Suika was fascinated by his play including various things. So I thought that if I could show Suika’s play to him again, she would change. That’s when Suika started to work harder than others.”
Certainly, Suika could change again if she sees someone like that play. The person she admires huh…..?
“Don’t you know who that is?”
“It seems difficult. I haven’t seen that boy since then and ……. he was gone by the next tournament.”
“That’s tough.
Don’t you know where he went to school? If we knew that, we could find out.
“I think he went to Fujisawa Junior High School, right? He was wearing the number 6…well, I looked up the name, but I forgot. Ho, ho, hori…”
“…… Horie.”
“Yes! Horie! I looked up his name a little in the past, but it didn’t come up.
Do you know ……, Ito-kun?”
“…… Well let’s just say I know him.”
“Well, if you know him, why don’t you do something about it? Call him up and do a 1-on-1 with her! Then maybe Suika’s troubles would blow over again!”
Okai-san shook my shoulders violently as if in a panic.
“C-calm down, But that guy already quit basketball, you know?”
“I know, …… but can’t you do something about it? Please ……!”
Okai-san clasped her hands together and pleaded. How could I refuse a request like this?
“……, don’t get your hopes up, okay?”
“Yeah! I understand! Thank you! But I never thought Ito-kun was an acquaintance.
I didn’t know there was such a coincidence. Then, please do me a favor! I’ll talk to Suika again.”
“Yeah, that’s better.”
“Yeah,…… we have to make up,……!”
The look on her face showed a bright sign that she and her best friend’s problems were beginning to be resolved.
“I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“Why did you use my money to buy juice..?”
“Ah, ……, did you find out?”
“I almost got swept away, but I kept remembering.”
“Well, how about ……, you got a story worth telling?”
“…..”
That’s a nice way of putting it. It was worth more than five hundred yen, so I had to pay for it.
“I had no choice, right?”
“Ahaha, I’ll pay you back next time!”
“promise, okay?”
“I’m scared.”
Even if it’s only a few hundred yen, money is a powerful thing.
…… and I’m sure we’ve had a good talk about Suika, though.
Now all that’s left is to figure out how to make it work.
As soon as I got the appointment and saw Okai-san off, I looked up at the sky that looked like it was going to start pouring again and hurriedly walked down the road to my house.
“coincidence, ……. Is there such a thing?”
Should I call it a coincidence or a miracle? I sighed a little at such an event.
“Horie……huh”
My father’s last name. And the surname I used to call myself.
Suika’s adored person …… it was me.
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