Chapter Four: Yuna Takamori
Several days passed, and Saturday arrived
The day of the practice game arrived without incident for Yuna.
The weather, which had been unstable due to the rainy season, now seemed like a lie, with the sun peeking through.
In the gymnasium, the captain infused energy, and the members followed suit, boosting morale.
“Today, we have a practice match ! Let’s make sure to get good results!”
“Ooh!”
After lightly practicing and breaking a sweat, the members waited in front of the school gate.
It was time for the basketball players from opponent High School to arrive.
After waiting for a few minutes, the basketball players from opponent High School arrived
Suddenly, Yuna noticed a familiar face among them.
It seemed that the feeling was mutual as the person froze upon seeing her,
their eyes wide open, gazing at each other.
The captains and advisors of both schools exchanged greetings.
Afterward, the members of both schools entered the gymnasium.
—Thump, thump, thump.
Yuna, who had just joined the basketball team, didn’t know how to face Onoi, whom she had been rejecting until now, and felt restless.
Was it the same for Onoi? In the end, without even exchanging greetings,
Yuna and Onoi faced each other in the match, each concerned about the other.
(—Oh no. I overslept big time!)
Despite saying that he would go to watch the match, this was bad.
Checking the time, it was 9:30 AM.
Haruya quickly got up, finished getting ready, and rushed on his bicycle.
Despite his breath being ragged, he surprisingly arrived at the School quickly.
Perhaps because he pedaled the bicycle at full speed.
As he stepped into the gymnasium, he was greeted with a wave of heat.
It seemed that the practice match had already started.
He had to hurry.
Some spectators were already there, so Haruya stealthily made his way to the stands.
Some people glanced at him, but quickly returned their focus to the match.
Haruya moved to a seat that didn’t attract much attention.
Haruya felt the energy from both schools’ cheers.
“Oh, it’s Yuna’s turn next! I have to cheer for her, right, Sara-chan?”
“It seems like it’s her turn. …But, do your best, Yuna-san.”
“Let’s cheer for Yuna more energetically, Sara-chan!”
“F-Fight… Fight…”
Sara sent her cheers in a shy, quiet voice.
Haruya watched this scene from a distance with a smile.
(…Himekawa-san is here. Well, she seems to be friends with Nayu-san, so it makes sense.)
Let’s not get noticed.
With a wry smile, Haruya checked the current situation of the match.
As the S-rank beauties had said earlier, it seemed that Yuna was about to join the match.
This means that Haruya came just in time.
The match was already in its final stages.
In other words, the match would be over in a few minutes.
As the teacher had said, Yuna would be used in the last few minutes of the match.
Yuna’s turn to play is about to start.
Onoi was already a member of opponent’s team.
Looking at the score, opponent was slightly ahead of Eika.
Haruya observed the match from above with bated breath.
“Takamori, use your fast break attack to sap the opponent’s morale. Takamori, who is not yet accustomed to teamwork, is like a wild card. Understand? Don’t overdo it, but give it your all.”
After the coach’s instructions, Yuna stepped onto the court as a player.
With her hair tied back and a determined look on her face, she glanced at Onoi.
Onoi wiped the sweat off his face and smiled confidently.
With the sound of the buzzer, the match resumed.
Yuna immediately broke through the opponent’s team with a high-speed dribble.
(She’s… fast…)
(Her ball handling is extraordinary.)
(I can’t stop her…)
It must have been shocking.
The opponent was caught off guard, and Yuna scored points single-handedly.
Her consecutive shots were truly worthy of the word “solo.”
With a beautiful shooting form, refined movements, and skillful ball handling,
Yuna dominated the court.
She boldly smiled, revealing her ambition.
The coach watched her with concern.
The reason she wasn’t used until now was also because of this.
What was she afraid of? She didn’t seem to encourage teamwork too much.
(She’s only been in the team for two days. Maybe I’m worrying too much, but it’s not a good sign.)
She had only two choices: to play basketball alone like this or to pass the ball to her teammates easily.
Currently, she looked cool and captivating, but she also seemed very lonely.
(She’s… really scared. Maybe she hasn’t completely overcome her trauma yet.)
The coach watched Yuna with a worried look.
The S-rank beauties, watching Yuna’s solo performance, were speechless.
“It’s almost as if Yuna isn’t Yuna anymore…”
“Wasn’t Rin supposed to be… more reserved?”
They watched Yuna with concern, unable to hide their surprise.
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Meanwhile, amid all this, Haruya quietly shook his head, biting his lower lip.
“No… Nayu-san. What I wanted to see… what electrified the audience back then… wasn’t that kind of play.”
He couldn’t be moved by someone excelling on their own.
Sure, Yuna’s skills were impressive.
Her deft ball handling and shooting form were so naturally beautiful they drew the eye.
But it wasn’t her playing as if she alone was enough for the team that moved Haruya’s heart.
That’s why he didn’t want to see this scene.
He didn’t want to be made to think that the Yuna who had changed him back then was no longer there.
Closing his eyes, he tried not to accept this sight for a moment.
But Haruya continued to believe and watch over her.
Then it happened.
“The fact that you’re playing like that is why I… why I’ve given up on you. Get it together! Takamori!”
Onoi broke Yuna’s dominance.
She stole the ball and immediately turned the tide with a counterattack.
And from there, the opponent accelerated their scoring.
“…Everyone, let’s focus. I’m here.”
Onoi reassured the whole team.
All at once, everyone looked to Onoi and calmed down.
“…Don’t be overwhelmed. If we calmly deal with her self-centered play, we’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Onoi spoke to the team in a gentle voice, not letting them be anxious.
As Onoi looked earnestly at each member,
the atmosphere among the opponent team calmed down.
Taking deep breaths, they each harbored determination as they focused on Yuna.
Yuna’s play was undeniably threatening.
But she is only one player.
If they played the numbers game, they wouldn’t be powerless.
Basketball wasn’t an individual sport; it was a team sport.
“…… “
In reality, even though she had easily bypassed one or two defenders before, Yuna found her path blocked this time.
—And then.
“Got it.”
Just as she stopped, Onoi took the ball from her again.
Yuna couldn’t help but bow her head.
Biting her lower lip, her shoulders shook.
“I can’t afford to fail… I can’t afford to fail…”
The hot sweat that usually filled her with exhilaration now felt cold.
To put it simply, it was the worst.
Even without looking at the stands, it was clear.
Sara, Rin… and even Haruya must be disillusioned with Yuna’s play.
“…Pathetic. Even though I was determined to become ‘me,’ if this is the result, it’s meaningless.”
Yuna keenly felt her own weakness.
From then on, Yuna focused on playing defensively, trying to avoid making mistakes.
Onoi quietly watched Yuna’s actions out of the corner of her eye.
Takamori Yuna.
Since meeting her, she quickly became someone to looked up to.
She was like a cool girl straight out of a fairy tale.
Having learned basketball at a local sports club, Michiru Onoi joined the basketball team at middle school almost on a whim.
And there she met her—Yuna Takamori.
She was an exceptionally driven player.
With her sincere gaze, she casually said to her classmates, “Why don’t we aim for nationals together?”
We laughed it off at the time, thinking she was joking.
(…Anyone can say that if it’s just lip service.)
Onoi had seen many people like that before.
But most of them lacked the skill to back it up.
So her words didn’t resonate.
…That is, until Onoi saw her play and witnessed her ambition with my own eyes.
(…No way… I can’t believe it. That play…)
Yuna never lost in one-on-one matches against her seniors.
This middle school was by no means a powerhouse. Quite the opposite.
So it was shocking for Onoi, a junior, to see a junior easily defeat her seniors.
Yuna’s challenge to her seniors and her suggestion to improve their training routines caught their attention, leading to arguments like “Don’t get cheeky with me” and eventually to one-on-one matches.
That was the flow of events, it seems.
(Why… even though she’s so skilled, why did she choose our team…)
Curious, Onoi asked her,
“Isn’t it cool to climb up from the bottom and reach the top… that’s why.”
As if to say, “What else is there? She said confidently.
She said confidently.
That’s all there seemed to be, almost as if to say there was no other reason.
What attracted me to her more than anything else was her ability to lead the team.
Yuna genuinely engaged with each member of the team, tailoring training methods to each individual and inviting them to simple activities to take care of their mental well-being. She earnestly faced Onoi and the others.
And Yuna possesses a charismatic charm that captivates through play.
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