Always seeking perfection, that was me.
It was a story from kindergarten.
I was never satisfied unless I was the best at everything – in races, I had to be the first, and in drawing, I had to be praised the most by the teacher.
I was the best in everything.
Anything but the best was worthless to me.
I was selfish from the moment I could understand things.
If there was something I wasn’t the best at, I would feel terribly frustrated.
So, if I wasn’t the best at something, I would work hard to become the best next time.
That’s who I was, a not-so-cute kindergartener.
As a result, I became the most outstanding child in kindergarten.
Now onto the story of elementary school.
This was where I faced a turning point.
It was when I encountered basketball.
In a casual basketball class in physical education, I experienced my first setback.
It was just a simple basketball game held as part of the class.
…My team was completely defeated.
It wasn’t that the team allocation was particularly bad.
Kids who were not good at sports were evenly distributed among the teams.
I think I was the only one who was fixated on winning or losing.
What I couldn’t forgive the most was that I was holding back the team.
Everyone is supposed to have one or two things they’re not good at.
For me, it was basketball.
It was frustrating, incredibly frustrating.
I couldn’t dribble as I wanted, and the shots wouldn’t go in as I wanted.
While I could easily improve in other things with a little practice, I couldn’t do anything in basketball.
It was surprising because it was the first time something like this had happened.
And at the same time, I felt joy.
(Definitely, I’ll show them I can be the best…)
With determination in my eyes, even as a child, I devoted myself to intense practice.
Sometimes playing in the park with the boys, sometimes reading basketball books in the library to gain knowledge about techniques and shooting tips.
I continued to practice tirelessly.
Making what I’m not good at the best.
It was very difficult, but I worked hard because I wanted to taste that sense of accomplishment.
So, one day during a basketball class…
I finally brought victory to the team with my performance.
It was just a game in one class.
It was a game that didn’t hold any special meaning in terms of winning or losing, but it was very meaningful to me.
The sense of accomplishment was beyond my expectations, and my heart was enveloped in happiness.
From that day on, I became more and more absorbed in basketball.
And finally, the story of junior high school.
From the moment I entered, I had decided to join the basketball club.
The junior high school I entered had a weak basketball team.
It’s not uncommon for the team to be eliminated in the first round of the qualifying tournament, which is why I was so fired up.
If I joined a powerhouse school and won, it would be a matter of course.
I wanted to experience the rise from being weak, just like I did in elementary school.
If the members are weak, I’ll lead them and we’ll become strong together.
That was my thinking when I joined the basketball club.
There were a reasonable number of club members, including four first-year recruits like me.
Only one of them was a beginner, the rest were all experienced players.
Even though they were called experienced, there were no players of a particularly high level.
But I clenched my fist and believed in it with all my heart.
From this team, I will definitely go to nationals, and eventually become the best in Japan.
But reality was not sweet.
Because we weren’t a powerhouse, our practice menu was quite easy.
When I suggested changing the practice menu to become stronger, neither the advisor nor the seniors were enthusiastic about it. Instead, I was scolded by the seniors for “doing unnecessary things.”
Let’s show them with your play.
In reality, when I contributed to the team as a regular member, some seniors became very fond of me.
…Well, only some of them, so I became the target of other seniors’ hostility.
It’s tough in this generation.
In my generation, we will definitely go to nationals–.
I was supported by my fellow teammate in the same grade, Michiru Onoi.
Onoi seemed to have a sense of rivalry towards me and agreed to strengthen the team.
Onoi and I then worked together, reaching out to fellow first-year members and conducting enhancement training.
“Can I play like Takamori too?”
“─If I follow Takamori, can I become better?”
Such words from my teammates were my greatest support and motivation.
Continuing like this, I believed I would eventually reach nationwide competitions.
I love basketball.
The path I’m on is always illuminated by a shining light.
If I keep running, I’ll surely be rewarded. Everyone believes in me, on that path.
But I came to realize that it was all just an illusion.
No one was there when I looked back.
There was no light anywhere when I looked ahead.
There was only darkness.
And there I was, left alone.
Suddenly, my eyes fell upon a worn-out basketball.
Perhaps it reminded me of unpleasant memories, as sweat trickled down my neck.
Then, a voice echoed in my mind.
“Don’t you really love basketball?”
…Annoying. There’s no way that’s true.
Suppressing my irritation, I grabbed the worn-out basketball and dashed outside, determined to deny that voice.
That evening.
Rather than going to my usual café, I had dinner at home. After changing into my training gear and running a hand through my hair, I stepped outside.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like rain was imminent, and the moonlight illuminated the surroundings.
However, I could feel the humidity in the air as I took a breath.
It must be tough for people prone to migraines.
Recognizing that it was the rainy season, I began my warm-up exercises.
I stretched all my muscles, paying special attention to my Achilles tendon.
Finally, after taking deep breaths to relax my mind and body, I started running at a steady pace.
This was what they called running.
I hadn’t done something as meaningless as this since quitting the track team in middle school, but it was undoubtedly thanks to Yuna’s influence that I was running again.
During that time when teacher made me run laps around the school as a penalty for being late.
Yuna awakened the feeling of “liking to run” within me, which is why I could resume running in the night breeze like this.
While facing the past was still difficult, my feelings were somewhat clearer.
(Alright, then… let’s pick up the pace.)
Imagining a runner ahead of me, I increased my speed to overtake them.
My destination was a nearby large park.
Today’s goal was to run three laps around it.
“─Ha, ha, ha.”
Maintaining a steady rhythm in my breathing, I ran through the park.
…My stamina has definitely decreased.
Back when I was in the club, I wouldn’t have been breathing like this after running the same distance.
Gradually, the distance between the runner I imagined and myself widened. No, I was being left behind.
Feeling frustrated but unable to do anything about it, I completed three laps around the park.
“……Ha, ha. Damn.”
While I achieved my goal, I honestly didn’t want to think about my current record.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and bought a sports drink from a nearby vending machine.
Deciding to take a short break on one of the benches in the park before heading home, I entered the park and widened my eyes.
──Pashu, dan dan dan.
The sound of the ball passing through the net. And the sound of the ball bouncing.
Those two sounds reached my ears.
(…Is someone playing basketball at this hour?)
Silently approaching the basketball hoop, I saw a beautiful girl with a ponytail.
(That’s… Nayu-san, right? Yeah, it is.)
Under the moonlight, she was practicing basketball alone.
Her figure resembled Nayu’s, even though she wasn’t wearing sunglasses.
(The determined look in her eyes… it’s just like… Takamori-san from our class…)
At this point, I couldn’t help but be convinced.
It was just that I was faced with the reality I had been avoiding.
(So Nayu-san is the S-class beauty, Takamori-san… huh…)
Smiling wryly to myself at this unexpected encounter,
But more than that, I found myself more amazed by her movements.
(…What’s this feeling of unease? This warmth in my chest…)
Her agile movements.
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as I watched her.
Perhaps that’s why. Even though I now knew Nayu was an S-class beauty, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
Though somewhere deep down, I had a premonition.
Unaware of me, Yuna continued to shoot repeatedly.
Whenever her sweat is illuminated by the moonlight, it shines.
As Haruya quietly notices the upward curve of her mouth, instantaneously, past memories refrained.
───Middle school, first year, summer.
When he was getting fed up with track and field because his time wasn’t improving.
It was when he was invited by a friend to watch the basketball team’s summer tournament.
Number 11.
Haruya encounters a player from a weak school.
She was a distinctive player with black hair tied in a ponytail and sharp eyes.
He was captivated not only by her skill,
but also by her charisma that uplifts the team’s abilities.
He was drawn to her attitude of playing basketball more joyfully than anyone else.
Just watching her play basketball made his heart naturally warm.
She encouraged the audience more than anyone else──that was her play.
(You’re not improving your time? Did you run until your legs wore out? Haven’t you worked hard enough to run impressively?)
(It was as if she was pointing out my weakness and berating me for it.)
She was actually presenting him with a vast difference in effort.
There must have been a great deal of struggle and effort to reach this point.
Even for someone inexperienced in basketball, that was evident.
Gulp, Haruya clenched his fist, feeling the tension.
Strangely, the excitement in his chest wouldn’t subside.
(I want to be like her… I’ll definitely catch up someday.)
He didn’t even know her name, but the ponytailed beauty had become Haruya’s goal.
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