—a handsome guy in the High School uniform, standing slightly away from them.
” …………… “
” …………… “
They blinked at each other several times.
Haruya quickly turns his face away, but it is already too late.
Sara’s eyes widen and she freezes.
(…Why is Akasaki-san here in this place?)
Her thoughts couldn’t keep up.
Sara inadvertently became flustered, and Rin tilted her head in confusion.
“Do you know someone? Sara-chan.”
“Um… n-no, I don’t… I, I don’t know anyone here!”
Blushing furiously, Sara gestured to block Rin’s view, who seemed like she wanted to peek.
Meanwhile, Haruya quickly left his seat,
Then he straightened his hair, and adopted a slouching posture.
Then he quickly moved to the opposite side of the audience with Sara and Rin.
(…Himekawa-san. She knows I don’t want to stand out at school, so she must have protected me. I thought it was over when our eyes met, but I managed to bluff my way out…)
With a sigh of relief, Haruya breathed out.
“Your reaction is really intriguing…! There must be something, right? Your face is bright red, and you’re not hiding it, Sara-chan.”
“T-There’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
Sara denied desperately, clenching her hands in front of her chest.
Seeing Sara’s reddened face and closed eyes, Rin couldn’t help but feel affectionate towards her.
(But… it’s a concern. …But we have to focus on the match now. Yuna, do your best.)
“Yeah. Let’s watch the match. Go, Yuna-san, fight!”
Sara and Rin redirected their attention to watching the match.
Haruya also watched Yuna with a worried expression.
Then it happened.
Yuna raised her fist quietly,
She looks calm as if she has come to her senses.
as if reassuring the audience that everything was okay.
Haruya couldn’t help but raise the corner of his mouth at Yuna’s appearance.
(…It seems like she’s really okay now… Show me, Nayu-san… Show me that play that captivated the audience once again…)
With his chest swelling with excitement, Haruya opened his eyes wide.
“…Sara-chan. Yuna-rin seems to be back in action, so let’s cheer her on properly.”
“Y-Yes. Let’s do it from here.”
With smiles on their faces, Sara and Rin… focused their hot gaze on Yuna.
**
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Yuna’s movements, now that she had regained her fighting spirit, were remarkably different.
While giving instructions to her teammates, Yuna dashed through the court like lightning.
(…If I’m going to fight alone, it’s the same!)
Again, several opponent players surrounded Yuna.
At a moment when it seemed like her path was blocked,
” ” ” ” …… ” ” ” “
Yuna unexpectedly passed the ball to her teammate,
prompting a surprised gasp from the opponent players.
(…She’s not playing solo anymore?)
(Then what was she doing until now?)
(This is bad. Don’t panic…)
The opponent team couldn’t hide their surprise.
The player who received the pass rushed in and scored.
As Onoi looked back, their eyes met.
(…Has she broken out of her shell? Looks like she’s finally back, Takamori.)
(Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting…)
They exchanged such a glance.
The teammates who scored and returned to Yuna looked at her happily.
It seemed they weren’t bothered by her earlier blunder.
Yuna took a deep breath and smiled boldly.
(…I’ll lead everyone. The score difference is severe, but… I’ll win.)
For this team. For her teammates who believed in her. For the people who supported her.
Even her sweat wasn’t cold now. It was all hot.
As long as she had this heat, she could fly anywhere. She could run through anything.
Reversing the score seemed difficult given the remaining time.
But Yuna decided to believe in the comeback.
Not being bound by the past.
(Facing Onoi and the others with my current self…)
Yuna began to show plays that led the team.
As the practice match entered its climax.
Both teams’ coaches and the cheering audience in the stands.
Everyone in the gymnasium, except for the players, couldn’t take their eyes off the court.
opponent team, led by Onoi, focused on defense.
our team, led by Yuna, focused on attack.
It was truly intense.
The offense and defense of both teams were highly active, with everyone desperately trying to win.
The gymnasium was filled with the heat of the players.
It was a tense game even for those watching.
Haruya, secretly cheering from the stands, couldn’t contain his excitement.
(…Amazing. This is what I wanted to see. Such exhilarating play that makes my heart race, inspires me to do my best… I want to keep watching.)
His heart throbbed with excitement, his hands sweaty, his body warm.
The passionate feelings he had during club activities stirred within Haruya.
And it was probably because everyone on both teams, especially Yuna and Onoi, seemed to be enjoying basketball so much.
Onoi muttered inwardly as she faced Yuna.
(…Takamori. That’s right… Takamori, who plays with such enjoyment and leads everyone, is the one who excited me. I want to beat her. My admired rival…)
Onoi desperately kept up with Yuna,
sweating and breathing heavily as they both worked hard at basketball.
Always giving their all.
As the game approached its end, opponent defended while Eiga attacked, maintaining that rhythm.
As a result… Our team gradually narrowed the point gap with opponent.
(Now… I wonder if my passion reached them.)
Yuna muttered to herself as she entered her shooting motion.
Then, Onoi leaped desperately.
She then stretched out her hands widely, trying to block Yuna’s shot.
Yuna smiled slightly and took a step back, as if she had anticipated it.
And within the three-point shooting range, Yuna’s foot entered.
“…”
There was a gasp.
There were only a few seconds left until the end of the game.
Unfortunately… even if Yuna made a three-point shot here, Eiga couldn’t reverse the game.
However, everyone on both teams couldn’t take their eyes off Yuna.
Yuna felt as if time were flowing slowly.
Even if she scored here, it wouldn’t change the fact that their team lost.
…But still.
(I wonder if I was able to convey my passion to everyone…)
To Onoi. To the team members. To the coaches. To the opposing team members. To Sara. To Rin. …And to Haru-san.
At that moment, Yuna noticed a wristband in the stands.
A blue wristband.
It was a charm that reassured her she wasn’t alone.
Yuna smiled quietly.
Then, she threw the ball towards the basket.
The ball passed through the net in a beautiful arc.
And just at that moment, the buzzer sounded.
It signaled the end of the game.
While they had narrowed the point gap to just five, Eiga couldn’t secure a victory against opponent.
///
*** scene transition
scene transition
///
But.
Haruya, watching Yuna’s play from the stands, felt tears welling up in his eyes.
He couldn’t help but be moved by Yuna’s play.
Physically, Yuna was probably quite exhausted.
She hadn’t been in a game for a long time.
Yet, Yuna played with joy as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
And that last three-point shot,
with its beautiful arc, left a strong impression on Haruya.
But it wasn’t just Haruya.
Sara and Rin, watching from the stands with warm eyes, were also captivated by Yuna’s play.
“Yuna, you’re amazing. Hey, what was that beautiful shot!”
“Of course, the opponents were amazing too… but Yuna-san was incredible.”
“Yeah! I didn’t think she’d be this good. She’s a basketball master. A basketball master!”
Excitedly, Sara and Rin couldn’t contain themselves.
Yuna bit her lower lip in frustration, not paying attention to the spectators.
Then, she turned to her teammates and bowed her head vigorously.
“I’m sorry. …I was stunned at that moment.”
Needless to say, it was about the time when Yuna became timid.
Though she apologized sincerely, the team members answered while wiping away sweat.
“Ah, Takamori-san.At start It felt like you were here physically, but your mind was elsewhere. But you were amazing from midway.”
“Yeah, yeah. Did I really play basketball like that? I’m almost delusional.”
“It’s all thanks to Takamori that we were able to play such an intense game.”
“Yeah. And since we were able to have a close game with opponent, let’s cheer up.”
No one blamed Yuna with harsh words.
Everyone, without exception, was genuinely able to enjoy basketball to the end.
The coach in the reserve seats cleared his throat conspicuously.
At that signal, the club members seemed to realize they had forgotten to greet opponent.
“Uh-oh, everyone, gather for the greeting.”
Following the captain, Yuna and the others lined up.
Each player faced each other and shook hands.
Onoi faced Yuna.
“……………”
“……………”
While other members exchanged greetings, Yuna and Onoi remained silent.
Onoi opened her mouth first when their gazes finally met.
“……That was amazing.”
“…………It’s frustrating. But… It was amazing too.”
Although murmured in a low voice, Onoi probably understood.
Applause was sent in recognition of both teams’ efforts.
In the stands, Rin applauded enthusiastically, while Sara clapped somewhat reservedly.
Haruya, like Rin, was clapping as hard as he could for the players.
With the encouragement received, the game truly came to an end.
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