Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792435361902215
After school that day, I decided to walk home with Suzukita san for the first time in a while.
She flashed a big smile and said,
“Say, Ayatacchi, you were really good at basketball ! You were definitely the star of the former basketball club !”
“Well…I was easily the weakest of the regulars.”
“Really? But you weren’t any worse than the other members, were you? You were just plain cool !”
What does “plain” mean? Is she complimenting me or not? I can’t tell.
“Anyway, because of Suzukita san, I ended up joining the basketball team. How are you going to take responsibility for that?”
“Eh, what’s that? Is it something naughty?”
“No. You know I don’t like standing out, right? So…ugh, I’m really depressed about the day.”
Plus, I’m the only one in the boys’ basketball team who isn’t an active member of the basketball club.
It’s obvious that I’ll be holding back Nakajima kun and the others. Thinking about that future, my face got really hot.
“Come on, Ayatacchi. When the time comes, I’ll make fun of you a lot. I’ll turn your big failure into a joke !”
“That’s even worse. Damn it, why did this have to happen…”
Come to think of it…I wonder how Fujisaki is doing.
She’s in a similar situation to me. Sandwiched between three basketball players and the incredibly athletic Sena, she’s probably having a tough time. Fujisaki is pretty athletic too, but I still don’t think she can match Sena.
(…Why am I suddenly thinking about Fujisaki now?)
Maybe it’s because I was mesmerized by her gym uniform earlier.
Today, I kept thinking about Fujisaki’s face. Even after practice, I found myself staring at her.
Fujisaki and I are just classmates…no, we’re less than that.
Love is blind. Even though I know that, it’s not easy to escape from it. I realize that now.
◇◇◇
It’s been exactly one week since we started practicing for the sports festival.
Today, just like last week, we were practicing in the gym.
Each class is only allowed to use the gym once a week during homeroom time. So today is a precious opportunity to practice.
“–Ayata, over here !”
“Yeah !”
We were practicing in a game format with the help of our classmates.
When I passed the ball to Nakajima kun, he immediately moved into position for a layup shot.
My pass was a little off…but as an active member of the basketball club, Nakajima kun made a beautiful move and scored a point.
“Ayata, thanks. Nice pass.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah…”
Nakajima kun praised me. …I thought my pass was more of a mistake, but maybe he’s the type who praises to encourage.
After that, we immediately returned to defense, and Kujou kun retrieved the ball and launched an attack. We passed the ball around again, and this time Teranishi kun took a long shot.
Unfortunately, it missed—but luckily, I grabbed the rebound and scored.
“Nice one, Ayata,”
Okubo kun said with a smile.
To be honest, the opponents in this game are five people with no basketball experience. It’s only natural that we can score like this.
But…what is this uneasy feeling?
I’m keeping up with Nakajima kun and the others’ play.
No—I’m keeping up with them too easily.
(…Could it be that they’re holding back for my sake?)
If they were serious, I’d be holding them back even more obviously.
But that’s not the case.
Or maybe they’re just cool types who don’t take practice for a sports tournament seriously.
After practice, I’m drinking water from a plastic bottle when Nakajima kun and the other basketball club members call out to me.
“Good job, Ayata.”
“You guys too. ….Sorry for being a burden.”
“No one thinks that. In fact, everyone’s surprised. Your moves have improved a lot.”
Then, Kujou kun looked at my face and said,
“Ayata, you must have practiced a lot, right? You’ve improved way too much compared to last week.”
“…Well, just a little.”
I thought, “They figured it out.”
That’s right. I had been secretly practicing on my own after school at a nearby park.
As a result, I couldn’t say I was perfect, but I had somehow remembered the basics of shooting form and dribbling. It seemed that Nakajima kun and the others had seen through me.
“It’s embarrassing to hold everyone back. Plus, if we lose, Sena will turn into a monster.”
I replied jokingly.
But…Nakajima kun and the others looked away.
The atmosphere was completely awkward. I wanted to disappear right then and there.
“Hey, Ayata. I think I need to tell you something.”
Nakajima kun looked straight at my face.
But he quickly looked away, feeling awkward, and said,
“…I’m sorry, Ayata. There’s no way we can beat Class A.”
His voice sounded apologetic.
Nakajima kun and the others seemed to be certain of this fact, not joking at all.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !