Volume 4 - Me, Her, and our Changing World
Chapter 18
The scent of the gym’s wooden floor, carried faintly through the ball I held, stirred a sense of nostalgia in me. It had been a long time since I last touched a basketball on an actual court.
It was a best-of-three match and whoever scored more points would win. That was the rule we’d agreed upon from the start. We made sure to explain that to the students who had gathered to watch, and then, facing each other, Satou-kun and I prepared for our match.
We played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go first. Satou-kun won the right to hold the ball first.
Honestly, the difference in our physiques was considerable, and there was no doubt I was at a disadvantage. I was sure that there was probably not a single person here who thought I would win.
I wondered again how this whole match had even come about, but despite that, I couldn’t help smiling to myself because I realized I had no intention of losing easily.
From afar, I could see Chinatsu clasping her hands together in prayer. She was probably one of the few people here who believed I could win, and she was the only one whose faith mattered to me.
Focus, focus. A sensation of diving deep into concentration.
I sank deeper into that feeling, that strange sensation where I could sense not just the sound of the ball, but the whispers and presences from the stands as well.
First round.
Satou-kun came straight at me, dribbling head-on. My body reacted instinctively. His eyes widened in surprise, but his reach was too long and I couldn’t take the ball from him. His physique was perfect for basketball and I couldn’t help but envy it. He pushed through using his build and scored easily right under the basket.
Buzz!
Despite the pressure I applied, he scored effortlessly.
However, perhaps because it was unexpected that he wasn't able to get past me on the first move, voices of surprise at my movements began to mix in with the cheers from the crowd.
Now it was my turn.
Dribble!
I drove forward in one explosive move. I wasn’t the fastest runner, but I've always been praised for having a quick first step. I had confidence that this momentary burst of speed from a duck-in was something I wouldn't lose to anyone with. Satou-kun had only ever seen the PE class version of me, so he wasn’t ready for that burst of speed. I blew past him and scored with a clean layup.
Swish!
The look in Satou-kun's eyes changed. As expected, even if he had heard a little about my skills from Sakurai-san, it's different when you're actually facing someone. If he had stopped me there, honestly, I would have had no chance of scoring.
Second round.
Though I held on longer than the first time, he scored under the basket in the same way. In reality, a power forward and a point guard are positions that normally wouldn't match up against each other. There's also a height difference of over 15 cm.
(On top of the size difference, he's just plain strong. His reactions are ridiculously good. But his ball-handling skills aren't as good as I thought. I wonder when he started playing.)
Thinking that, I calmly received the ball and set up at the starting point.
My second turn.
"I'll stop you this time."
Satou-kun said so, lowering his stance even more than before to prepare for my dribble. It was true that in a one-on-one with no one to pass to, if a player of my type couldn't get past their opponent, they would only be blocked by the height difference.
“Oh yeah? But I’m scoring this one too.”
“...Heh? You talk big for someone your size.”
“In here, if the short guy loses his spirit, it's over."
Saying that, I made my cut. The ball felt good in my hands today. I could tell he was more serious than before as he was keeping up with my speed. I couldn't get past him. A smile spread across his face as if saying, ‘I've stopped him,’ appeared on Satou-kun's face, and then it immediately turned into a look of shock. From this position, with this move, it was almost impossible to lose against a first-timer. Sinking even lower, I feinted a cut and then went into a stop-and-fadeaway. Shinji used to say, "I don't get how you make that shot," but it was a move I had practiced like an idiot back in middle school when my height didn't grow as much as I'd hoped. Besides, having this move in my arsenal or not changes everything as it adds the option of scoring myself, instead of just passing.
Buzz!
The bank shot went in cleanly, and amidst the voices from the crowd, cries of surprise went up, especially from the basketball team and other sports club members.
Third round.
It was Satou-kun’s turn for the offense again.
This time, in order to avoid being pushed back by the size difference, I went to cut off his dribble but he dodged it and took a mid-range shot.
Swish!
He scored smoothly.
"Phew... this is pretty tough," I muttered.
"Overtime is an option, you know. Let's keep going until this is decided."
He probably thought that meant he wouldn’t lose now. And he wasn’t wrong since my defense couldn’t stop him, and my offense barely kept pace. Once I ran out of tricks, it’d be over.
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In front of her, the other Satou-kun scored his third point. The hands Chinatsu had clenched shut were turning white. She could see that Saki, Yuuko, and Rena were looking at her with worried expressions, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. ‘He's better than I thought, but since he can't stop him, the smaller Satou-kun is probably going to lose,’ she heard a voice from the crowd say. Though the comments were far more positive than when the match began, no one doubted that the other Satou-kun would be the winner.
"Just so you know, I don't think you need to worry," a voice suddenly said from behind her. It was Aizawa.
"I know. I believe in him," was all Chinatsu said, her eyes still fixed on Hajime.
The important person who always gave her the words she needed most had told her it would be okay before the match had started. Even without being told, Chinatsu was the one who believed in Hajime the most. Because, strangely enough, she couldn't even imagine the Hajime she thought was the coolest in the world losing in this kind of competition. The reason she couldn't look away right now was simply because she didn't want to miss a single one of his movements.
◇◆
My third turn.
From my moves so far, I could tell that Satou-kun was wary of my dribbling speed. For him, whether there was overtime or not, he was in a position where he believed he couldn't lose, and yet there was also his pride as a basketball club member, not wanting to be beaten a third time. Up to this point, everything had gone according to my expectations. So, I threw some words at Satou-kun. From here on out, the probability of success was about 70 percent.
“...Don’t hold it against me, okay? I’m going to use a little trick.”
“What do you—?!”
At the same time Satou-kun voiced his confusion at my words, I did a backstep with my dribble, moving in the opposite direction of the basket. Satou-kun, who had already shifted his weight backward to keep up with my speed, couldn't follow.
In a real match, the defender would switch. In one-on-one, everyone expects the attacker to move toward the basket. So… I shifted just outside that expectation.
I stepped back, toes brushing the three-point line. The one that would give me extra points. Since the first time I touched a ball, I had practiced this more times than I could count. A three-point shot from this angle.
My quick first step, my wide court vision, and this long-range weapon. With these, I had been able to hold a regular spot on the team since my second year of middle school. Well, that was probably one of the reasons I had earned some strange resentment back then. But now, it was here, simply as my weapon.
Before Satou-kun’s hand could even extend, the ball had already left my fingertips. The moment I shot, I knew.
Swish!
That sound, in the strangely silent gymnasium, was incredibly beautiful. It was one of the reasons I had wanted to continue playing, even with all the bitter memories I had of basketball in middle school. That was the sound I’d always loved. The simple, pure sound of the ball passing cleanly through the net.
"With this, the score is 7 to 6. The agreement was that in a best-of-three match, the one with the higher score wins. So, this match is my victory."
The moment I said that and raised my right hand, the gymnasium was enveloped in cheers. They were mainly from the basketball club members who had been in the front row. ‘No way Satou lost,’ ‘That was amazing,’ ‘You should definitely join the basketball club,’ I could hear them shout. No, I won, so I'm not joining, right?
And then, after watching the other Satou-kun look up at the ceiling and mutter, ‘Ahh, I lost,’ I searched for Chinatsu. But before I could find her, an impact ran through my body. I was enveloped in a soft sensation. I instinctively caught her in my arms.
“You sure love jumping into my arms like this, don’t you, Chinatsu?”
The cheers were now mixed with more girls' voices, and the cheers from the boys were now mixed with a bit of resentment.
“Hajime! Hajime! You were so incredibly cool!”
Chinatsu had a radiant smile on her face. She had believed from the very start that I would absolutely win, came to congratulate me before anyone else and hugged me with all her might.
"Hey, one point is one point, right? This is invalid! It should be overtime!"
A jeering voice could also be heard in the distance. But most of the voices were giving me—no, us—praise and congratulations. I could hear them clearly. Not just the loud jeers, but the warmth of my most important person, and the voices of many people acknowledging me. While hugging Chinatsu back, I looked at the other Satou-kun, who looked genuinely frustrated. Satou-kun let out a soft laugh and said to me,
“I lost. Damn… you haven’t gone rusty at all. As expected from jersey number 4 of the team that took second in the Tokyo middle school basketball tournament two years ago.”
“Huh? You knew about that?”
That was from my last... in middle school―
“Actually, I knew. Back then, I had a girlfriend, and she was really into a certain basketball manga. I think it was during the tournament's semifinals, when you were still in second-year of middle school? I went to see it, and I saw you play, Satou. I was so surprised back then. A player with the same name as me was playing so incredibly, and even though you were only a second-year back then, you were chosen as an MVP. That was so cool, you know? I actually started playing basketball because I looked up to you back then. People said it was weird to start in the winter of my second year, but from then on, whether it was thanks to basketball or a growth spurt, I just kept getting bigger like this."
“...Eh?”
“So when I realized we were going to the same high school, I was surprised and honestly pretty happy. But it bugged me that you didn’t join the basketball club. And hearing people call you ‘number two’ all the time really bothered me. Still, like I said before, I figured me getting involved with you would just make things more complicated. When Ishizawa brought up this match, I was irritated, sure, but also kinda excited. Like, seriously? I get to go one-on-one with the legendary jersey number 4? I didn’t plan on losing, but… yeah. You’re definitely not some ‘number two’ like they say, Satou.”
"Haha, what is this... Ah man, I'm speechless. But well, if we have to decide on a ranking, I'm fine with being ‘number two.’ Honestly, I'd lose if we played again, and besides, counting that three-pointer in the score was kind of cheap anyway. ...Besides, the one person I truly want to think of me as ‘number one’ will absolutely never call me ‘number two'."
I looked down at Chinatsu, still clinging to me, and murmured softly. For some reason, I felt an incredible sense of relief. It was just a simple thing—winning a one-time basketball match after school. I hadn't gained any trophies, nor had I won a tournament. But I was already satisfied. I felt as if I had obtained everything I could ever want.
Last autumn, I never could have imagined something like this would happen. After all, humans are creatures that, when they gather, inevitably compare each other. But surely, anyone can become someone's number one. I had gained a precious girlfriend who made me believe that fact, and friends who helped me realize it. My world, which should have been lonely, had changed before I even noticed, and I learned that with just a small spark, the world can become so beautifully and vividly colored.
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End of Volume 4 - Me, Her, and our Changing World
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