Though it was already night and Haruya couldn’t see her expression, those heartfelt words made his heart race involuntarily.
As Haruya remained frozen, Nayu abruptly changed the subject, as if to cover her embarrassment.
“…Hey.”
“Hm?”
“I’m joining the basketball team. But if I ever end up isolated again, I expect you to take responsibility.”
“…Responsibility, you mean like, in a shoujo manga, marriage?”
“Even though you know what I really mean, you always make jokes at times like this… Idiot.”
“That’s payback for teasing me earlier. Sorry.”
“N-no, it’s okay. But it’s frustrating how you always understand shoujo manga references…”
Muttering softly, Nayu turned her face away.
Remembering he had to convey something, Haruya spoke up.
“If you do end up playing in a match, I’ll definitely come to watch…”
“Yeah. I’d be happy if you came to watch… But it would mean my face getting exposed during the match… Well, maybe it’s fine…”
The last part was muttered so quietly that Haru couldn’t catch it.
Then… as if she had thought of something, Nayu raised her index finger and asked Haru.
“Haru-san, by the way, are you free tomorrow after school?”
“I am, but…”
What kind of twist was this?
Responding to Haruya’s question, Nayu spoke up.
“I want to buy wristbands as a charm for when I join the basketball team.”
“Oh, that sounds good. Let’s go together.”
Nayu couldn’t resist seeing Haruya’s reaction and expression before her faces got revealed in the match.
Back when they were in middle school during a basketball tournament.
It seems that he has already recognized her face, but a lot of time has passed since then.
She had learned to dress well, and her makeup skills had improved.
She had always been adamant about not showing face, wearing sunglasses all the time.
To Nayu, revealing her face so easily in the match would be a waste,
so going to buy wristbands was just an excuse.
Her true desire was simply to see Haru’s flustered reaction up close.
ya, unaware of Nayu’s feelings, thought,
(I’m glad… Nayu-san is coming back to basketball.)
And he was enveloped in an overwhelming sense of achievement.
As the night began to deepen…
It was after making a promise to go buy wristbands with Nayu tomorrow evening.
Considering the time, they parted ways shortly after that.
After taking a bath and calming down, Haruya called Onoi to inform her of the situation.
He dialed the number while looking at the contact information written on a piece of paper.
This contact information had been unilaterally given to him by Onoi.
[“Please contact me immediately if Takamori starts playing basketball! Even if it’s late at night!”]
He remembered their exchange, so even at this hour, he made the call.
Onoi immediately answered the phone on the first ring.
(Whoa, that was fast!)
While internally making fun of her promptness, Haru put his ear to the speaker.
[“I apologize for calling so late. Good evening. It’s Haru.”]
[“Ah, yes. Good evening… Haru-san. No, no, I told you to contact me anytime… So, did you call about something regarding Takamori?”]
[“Yes. Actually, Takamori and I discussed it and decided that she’ll join the basketball team.”]
After a few seconds of silence, she exclaimed.
[“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”]
Her voice was so loud that Haruya instinctively moved his phone away from his ear.
[“Is that true?!”]
[“Yes. So, I thought I should inform you since you’ve been concerned about Takamori’s situation.”]
[“Ahaha. Actually, I’ve been so preoccupied with Takamori lately that I haven’t been focused on my practice. So, this report is really helpful. Thank you. I have so many questions I want to ask, like how you managed to convince him, but can he make it in time for our match?”]
That concern was only natural.
But there was no oversight.
Haru had already discussed this matter with the teacher…
[“She can make it! So, Onoi-san, please work hard in practice until then. And I want you to face Takamori in the match.”]
[“Did you even negotiate with their coach…?”]
[“…………”]
It was just as he expected, so he involuntarily fell silent.
Perhaps his silence was interpreted as affirmation, as Onoi praised Haruya excessively.
To bring back Takamori to the path of basketball… and to get the coach’s promise for it…
It was an amazing elevation.
It must have been a delightful report for Onoi.
After that, Haruya, feeling ashamed, continued to talk on the phone with Onoi for a while.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
She warmed her chilled body in the bathtub.
But unlike her body, her heart burned with a fiery heat.
(…Haru-san. He faced “me” squarely.)
She looked up at the ceiling and reached out towards the lightbulb.
Yuna Takamori reflected on the series of events up until now with her eyes closed.
Originally, today… if she explained the situation, Haru-san would surely understand.
And when she met Haru-san next time… he would definitely bring up basketball.
And he would dig into my old wound. That was absolutely certain.
Yuna was convinced.
The eyes and words of that person when they parted before… they were trying to bring her back to the path of basketball.
“[Don’t you really love basketball?]”
Those words spoken to her once had been gnawing at her mind ever since.
Since those words were spoken to her… nothing felt right anymore, no matter what she did.
So I wanted to deny those words and touch basketball again.
I took the basketball that had been sleeping deep in the closet and…
When I played basketball in the park at night, I felt nostalgic and exhilarated for a moment.
But the haze in my heart didn’t clear.
…I am nobody.
Even if someone follows me, they’ll eventually get distracted and go somewhere else.
And… eventually, I’ll be left alone.
I’ll make them expect something, and in the end, they’ll betray me.
But, that’s inevitable.
My way of life was said to make someone unhappy. Even to my trusted comrades.
So, I have no choice but to abandon myself.
To become the ordinary “[me]” everyone wants.
Not always aiming for the top, but just an ordinary girl who tries her best.
Yes, I abandoned myself.
But…
(—–No, I can’t. Playing basketball makes me lose myself…)
I can’t allow myself to feel joy from basketball.
Because the me I thought I discarded will resurface.
To remain true to myself. To avoid being misguided again.
I’ll deny him wholeheartedly.
I’ll unleash all the pent-up frustration in my heart onto Haru-san.
So, I started venting to Haru-san about my past circumstances.
The reason I became this way…
This will make him give up, I thought.
But instead, he started lecturing me. Admonishing me.
With such a sorrowful expression…
It hurt. It was agonizing. It was painful.
Yet, as we clashed…I suddenly felt my heart lighten.
I gazed into his eyes that I could never look straight at before.
Those eyes looked directly, unflinchingly at me.
—–Ah, I see.
I didn’t want to deny myself.
I wanted someone to find the me who felt so alone.
A stinging warmth welled up in the corners of my eyes and my chest.
–I’ll face the me he’s willing to face.
And so, I regained myself.
Blub-blub-blub-blub!
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Yuna put her mouth in the bathtub and took a breath.
Maybe she tried to warm herself up too much.
She thought she might have stayed in the bath too long.
But, it wasn’t so bad for today, she thought.
After getting out of the bath, Yuna dried her hair with a towel and calmly thought,
(I have to finish the paperwork to join the basketball club before going to buy wristbands with Haru-san tomorrow…)
She thinks calmly.
So it would be better to go to school earlier than usual tomorrow.
With some excitement still lingering, Yuna fell asleep.
And so, the next morning.
The time was 7:30 AM.
Having arrived at school earlier than usual, Yuna was visiting the staff room.
The person she had business with was her homeroom teacher and also the advisor for the basketball club, Meika Tokoyami.
“…Oh. Good morning. …Hehe, I never thought you’d actually convinced by him.”
“…?”
Not understanding the meaning behind her words, Yuna tilted her head.
As soon as the teacher confirmed her presence, she smiled strangely.
“Ah, sorry. That’s a conversation for another time.”
Cough, the teacher cleared her throat and crossed her legs.
When yuna tried to say that she wanted to join the basketball club, the teacher said
“You’ve come to my office to join the basketball club, haven’t you, Takamori?”
“…!”
Yuna widened her eyes and held her breath.
How did the teacher know about that…?
She was taken aback.
“Well, today you’ll just greet the club members. I’m planning to have you start practice from tomorrow. Here’s the registration form. Fill it out, and you can pay the club fees later.”
The teacher said so and handed the membership form to Yuna from the drawer.
‘Umm… Thank you very much,’ she said,
her mind filled with question marks.
(Why is the teacher so efficient? It felt like she knew I would come to consult in advance…)
(Had someone briefed the teacher? About me possibly joining the basketball club…?)
That would make sense, but Yuna immediately dismissed that possibility.
(No way… Who would do such a thing and for what purpose…?)
It seemed absurd, but Yuna couldn’t help but wonder, so she asked the teacher.
“Teacher, did anyone come to consult with you about the basketball club before I arrived?”
“Hmm, I wonder…”
The teacher brushed it off, sipping coffee.
Yuna felt a momentary unease at the teacher’s reaction but left the staff room.
(Well, that couldn’t be true… I’ll chat with Sara and Rin tonight about joining the basketball club…)
Otherwise, the class would become noisy again because of her.
(But what kind of people are in the basketball club… I’m a little nervous.)
With a slight sense of unease, Yuna spent her day at school.
And then, after school.
The time came to greet the basketball club members.
There was a promise to go buy wristbands with Haru, but greetings came first.
The location was the gymnasium.
Yuna stood in front of the basketball club members, lined up as the teacher prompted.
“We have a new member. Today, let’s just have introductions. We decided to have you meet everyone early.”
The teacher’s gaze shifted to Yuna.
The members’ gazes turned to Yuna as well.
It seemed like it was time for self-introductions.
Yuna took a brief breath and faced everyone.
“I’m Yuna Takamori, a first-year student. I’ve decided to join the club. Nice to meet you. Oh, and… I played point guard in middle school.”
She bowed clearly, and applause erupted from everyone.
The gymnasium was filled with welcoming sounds.
(This is where it begins… I won’t fail anymore.)
With a bit of determination, Yuna prepared herself.
Starting tomorrow, Yuna would also participate in basketball practice.
Clutching her fist tightly, Yuna’s expression hardened just a bit.
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