Tadashi and I ended up hanging out after the girls’ tryouts by going to a ramen place.
The ramen shop was mostly empty.
A couple of salarymen sat near the window.
The television mounted in the corner played some variety show nobody was paying attention to.
Across from me, Tadashi slurped noodles with enough enthusiasm to qualify as a public disturbance.
“You’re staring into space again, Kaito.”
“I’m eating.”
“You’re just holding the noodles.”
I looked down.
I was, in fact, holding the noodles.
“I’m… mentally eating.”
“That’s not how food works.”
I sighed.
“Shut up.”
Tadashi grinned.
“Still thinking about the game?”
“No.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I pointed my chopsticks at him.
“And you’re annoying.”
“Both things can be true.”
I laughed.
I took another bite.
For a few moments neither of us spoke.
Then… I looked up from my bowl.
“Hikari looked like she took it pretty hard.”
Tadashi nodded.
“Yeah. You could tell she was trying to put up a front.”
“True. She was trying to act tough. Act like she was okay.”
“Also yeah. But what else is new? You know what she’s like…”
I stared down into my bowl again.
“She’s not used to losing,” I muttered quietly.
“Nope.”
“Especially not like that.”
Tadashi leaned back in his chair.
“Honestly? I don’t think losing is what bothered her most.”
I glanced up and inhaled my mouthful of noodles.
“Oh?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“She found someone who could keep up.”
I gave a slight chuckle.
“You would think that would make her happy.”
“It’s Hikari.”
“Good point.”
We both laughed.
“Think about it. Her whole life she’s been faster than everybody. Louder than everybody. More intense than everybody.”
“True. And your point is?”
“Miya wasn’t impressed.”
That actually made me pause.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
Miya hadn’t gotten excited.
Hadn’t gotten intimidated.
Hadn’t even gotten angry.
She’d just dominated.
Then immediately acted like she’d finished a homework assignment.
While the score for their 1v1 may have been 5-4, the eye test said a different story.
Can’t just rely on the box score of a game to see the whole picture.
Miya had beaten Hikari, thoroughly.
“…Yeah,” I replied softly.
Tadashi pointed his chopsticks at me while they were full of noodles.
Thankfully nothing dripped on me or the table.
“See? You get it.”
I hated when he was right.
It happened more often than I cared to admit.
Except about me making a move on the girls.
He was dead wrong there.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” I said in a semi stern tone.
“Too late. Your boy is wise. Like the Buddha.” He grinned.
He slurped down some more ramen and then looked me dead in the eyes.
“So…”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
“I know enough.”
“You always do this.”
“Because you are predictable.”
“Fine.”
He took a large sip of his water and continued his offensive.
“What do you think of Miya?”
“There it is.”
“Yeah. There it is. Now answer the freaking question.” He didn’t say freaking.
“She’s good… at basketball.”
Tadashi stared at me.
“That’s all?”
“What else do you want, Tadashi?”
“I don’t know. Something more than the obvious, bro. An actual opinion.”
“I just gave you one.”
“That wasn’t an opinion. That was a scouting report. A blind man could tell me she was good at basketball.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.”
Tadashi leaned forward like he was about to start telling me state secrets.
“Come on.”
“What?”
“She’s pretty.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down as he said that.
I immediately looked away.
“Objectively speaking, yes.”
Tadashi nearly fell out of his chair.
“OBJECTIVELY SPEAKING?!”
“What? Am I wrong?”
“Who says that?”
“People with eyes.”
“Normal people don’t talk like that.”
I pointed my chopsticks at him.
“You’re one to talk.”
“Fair.”
Unfortunately for me, he recovered immediately.
“But seriously…” He smirked.
“What do you think about her?”
I took another bite before answering.
“She’s interesting.”
Tadashi froze.
Then his grin slowly widened.
“Interesting, huh?”
“What?”
“You sort of sounded like her.” He laughed.
“That was genuine.”
“It was not.”
“It absolutely was.”
I regretted speaking immediately.
Why do I tell this man things?
Tadashi leaned back.
“Oh, this is huge.”
“It isn’t.”
“It is.”
“It isn’t.”
He laughed.
Then his expression became more thoughtful.
“You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“She’s the first girl I’ve seen you interact with without thirty years of childhood history attached.”
I paused.
That was… actually true.
Akane and Hikari had always been there.
I’d known them forever.
Every interaction came with years of memories attached.
Inside jokes.
Arguments.
Shared experiences.
History.
Miya didn’t have any of that.
She was just… Miya.
A strange thought for me.
And apparently one visible enough for Tadashi to notice.
His grin returned.
“Oh my god…”
“What?” I had the most puzzled look on my face.
“You just realized it.”
“Realized what?”
“You have absolutely no defense against normal girls.”
I stared at him.
“What does that even mean?”
“It means you’ve spent your whole life dealing with Hikari and Akane.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“I didn’t say it was.”
He pointed dramatically.
“But now you’ve encountered a completely different species. And you don’t know what to do.”
“She’s not an alien.”
“Debatable.”
“She’s not.”
“Basketball robot, then.”
I rubbed my temples.
“Why are we having this conversation?”
“Because Kaito…”
Tadashi grinned like the Joker.
“Unlike Hikari and Akane…”
I already didn’t like where this was going.
“…you could actually ask this one out.”
I nearly choked on my ramen.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s insane.”
“How?”
“I only met her like two weeks ago.”
“So?”
I stared at him and shook my head profusely.
“That’s your answer?” He said with a disappointing look on his face.
You’d think I had just told him that we had to put his dog down.
“Yes.”
“That’s a terrible answer.”
“It’s a perfectly reasonable answer.”
Tadashi stared at me for a few moments and then shook his head in a disappointing manner.
“Kaito.”
“What?”
“Normal people don’t wait ten years before developing feelings.”
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
“…”
“…”
The steam rose from my bowl.
The sounds of the restaurant filled the silence.
“That’s actually a terrifying thing to say,” I finally managed to spit out.
“Am I wrong?”
The worst part?
I couldn’t immediately answer.
I then found myself remembering something.
“She did smile.”
Tadashi nearly choked on his noodles.
“SHE WHAT?”
“It was tiny.”
“SHE SMILED?”
“It barely counts.”
“It counts. So she might not be a robot after all…”
Tadashi started laughing.
“Oh, this is incredible.”
“I hate you so much right now, Tadashi.”
“No you don’t. You love me. No homo.”
Unfortunately, that was also true.
I sat in silence for the rest of our time at the ramen place, contemplating Tadashi’s words.
Thankfully, he had enough sense not to keep poking the bear at this moment.
We finished up our meals and said our farewells as we departed in opposite directions.
As I was walking home, I decided to pass by the nearby park.
The late afternoon sun hung low over the trees.
The sound of a basketball echoing against concrete bounced through the nearly empty court.
I saw Hikari shooting alone.
By the way she was panting, she’s already been here for an hour.
Maybe two.
She just kept taking shot after shot.
I sat on a nearby bench unnoticed until she stopped for a bit to take a drink from her water bottle.
After her next made shot, I finally spoke up.
“You’re going to wear a hole through the court.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Public park. Besides, I live around here.”
“…Tch.”
She gave me the most adorable pout.
Like a pissed off chihuahua.
Why is this little ball of anger so damn cute?
Hikari crossed her arms.
“That’s not what I meant!”
For a few moments neither of us spoke.
The only sound was the ball bouncing.
She continued to shoot.
Her form was incredible.
I had always liked how quick her release was.
Used to give me all sorts of trouble guarding her.
I mean it still does but since I’m a lot taller now it’s easier to deal with.
“You know, eventually the hoop is going to file a restraining order,” I joked.
“SHUT UP.”
“You’ve been out here awhile.”
“So?”
“So… you’re practicing like somebody who just lost.”
Hikari’s shoulders stiffened.
She had a look like I had just slapped her across the face.
“I did just lose, genius.”
“Yeah, but you don’t usually care this much.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No.”
I leaned back.
“You usually just get angry…”
She stared at me without saying a word.
“…This is different.”
The ball stopped bouncing.
Hikari stared at the rim.
“She… was better than me.”
There it was.
The thing she hadn’t said all afternoon.
I nodded.
“Yeah. Today.”
Hikari frowned.
“What?”
“She was better than you today.”
Hikari looked away.
“I HATE losing.”
“I know you do.”
“No…”
Her grip tightened around the basketball.
“…You don’t.”
I remained silent.
Hikari exhaled.
“When I lose…”
Pause.
“…it feels like I wasn’t good enough.” The words sounded foreign coming from her.
Like she wasn’t used to saying them out loud.
“I know that’s stupid.”
“It isn’t.”
She looked surprised.
“It isn’t?”
“No. Everyone hates losing. Besides…”
I shrugged.
“…it just means you care.”
“I just hate that she wasn’t even trying!”
“Pretty sure she was trying.”
“Not enough…”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The sunset reflected in Hikari’s eyes.
I could clearly see the intensity, the passion in them.
Her eyes always drew me in like a moth to a flame.
Then I smiled.
“You know what impressed me about you today?”
Hikari immediately perked up.
“My up-and-under?”
“No.”
“My midrange?”
“No.”
“My defense?”
“No.”
Hikari’s eye twitched.
I was clearly testing her patience.
“Then what?!”
“You losing.”
“Excuse me?!” She looked like she was about to murder me with her bare hands.
I laughed.
“You got better with every possession.”
Silence.
“You lost the first few possessions because you kept trying to overpower her.”
She remained silent.
“Then you adapted.”
She slowly began to perk up.
“Then you adapted again.”
Hikari stared at me with puppy eyes then quickly changed her expression to its usual demeanor.
“You… you noticed that?”
“Of course I noticed. This is basketball we’re talking about.”
For the first time all evening, Hikari smiled.
Just a little.
Then, in her characteristic fashion, immediately tried to hide it.
“…Tch.”
“There she is.”
“Shut up.”
“You’ll beat her eventually. Probably…”
“Probably?”
“Okay. Fifty-fifty.”
“GET OUT.” She pointed away from the court.
I laughed.
Mission accomplished.
“Jokes aside, you know what I saw?”
“What?”
“Someone who lost the first game…”
Pause.
“…Not the last one.”
Hikari got all flustered and immediately turned her head away.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“You literally did.”
“Shut up. Go away…”
I started to walk away.
“Hey, Kaito.”
“What?”
“I’ll beat her. You’ll see. Just you wait.”
I stopped walking.
Then I turned my head around and nodded.
“I know you will. I’ll be rooting for you.”
Hikari immediately looked away and let out a huge huff.
“DON’T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT.”
I smiled at her.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The following day after school, the gym was quiet.
Not literally.
People were talking.
Shoes squeaked against the hardwood.
Basketballs bounced.
But compared to yesterday?
Quiet.
The storm had already passed.
Unfortunately, nobody bothered telling Hikari.
Hikari followed Miya around the gym like an angry ghost.
“Again.”
“…No.”
“Again.”
“…No.”
“Again.”
“…No.”
The transfer student sat on the floor stretching.
Hikari stood directly over her.
Miya looked up.
“…Are you going to keep doing this?”
“Yup. Until you play me again.”
“…I said no.”
“Why?”
Miya paused.
“…Because.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“…It’s the only answer I have.”
“…Tch.”
Hikari crossed her arms.
Most people would’ve cracked by now.
Miya somehow looked completely unbothered.
Like she was discussing the weather.
Across the gym, Akane sat at the scorer’s table.
Officially she was helping organize practice.
Unofficially she was watching everything.
And smiling.
Practice eventually started.
Coach had somehow managed to separate Hikari and Miya long enough to run drills.
Hikari practiced her footwork.
Across the court, Miya calmly continued running drills.
Hikari began staring at Miya as she moved.
Perfect form.
Perfect rhythm.
Perfect efficiency.
Everything about her was irritatingly precise.
Hikari hated it.
Not because Miya was arrogant.
Not because Miya was rude.
Not because Miya had beaten her.
Because Miya made everything look easy.
And that was unforgivable.
Okay, and because she beat her.
As Hikari began to practice her footwork again, Miya walked over.
“…Your footwork is off.”
Hikari spun to look at her.
“What?”
Miya pointed.
“…Your left foot.”
“My left foot is fine.”
“…Statistically speaking, it isn’t.”
“I… I hate you.”
“…I’ve noticed.”
Several teammates immediately started laughing.
Hikari’s eye twitched.
“…Tch.”
Coach blew her whistle and called out to the team.
“Pair up.”
The gym froze.
Coach looked down at her clipboard.
Then looked up.
Then back down.
Then up again.
The realization slowly drained the color from her face.
“Oh no…” muttered the coach softly.
Coach then pointed.
“Tachibana.”
Hikari looked up.
“Aizawa.”
Miya looked up.
The entire gym collectively held its breath.
“You two are partners.”
Silence.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Silence.
Then… Hikari spoke up.
“Fine.”
Miya calmly looked at Hikari and then the coach.
“…Okay.”
Everyone exhaled simultaneously.
The weird part?
From what I heard from some of the other girls on the team, they actually worked well together.
Annoyingly well.
Hikari supplied aggression.
Miya supplied control.
One moved at a hundred miles an hour.
The other moved like she had already calculated tomorrow.
Somehow it worked.
“…Side screen,” called out Miya.
“Got it,” replied Hikari.
Perfect execution.
“Cut!” Hikari yelled.
“…Already moving,” Miya said casually.
Perfect execution again.
The rest of the team looked at the duo completely dumbfounded.
They were running all sorts of plays in perfect sync with each other.
“Why are they so good together?” said one of the girls on the sidelines.
Hikari heard this and crossed her arms.
“…Tch.”
At the same time, Miya also overheard that comment and put a stoic expression on her face.
“…Tch.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Hikari and Miya then looked at each other after they just clicked their tongues simultaneously.
Hikari turned her head and walked away.
The orange glow of twilight adorned the basketball court as a light breeze could be felt throughout the park.
Tadashi tried to post me up near the elbow.
He then went for a fadeaway.
Brick.
I grabbed the rebound.
“You’re shooting under thirty percent,” I said with a smirk on my face.
“I’m warming up,” he replied confidently.
“You’ve been warming up for like an hour.”
“Greatness takes time.”
“You’re not becoming great.”
Tadashi clutched his chest.
“I’m hurt. How dare you go straight at my heart?”
I ignored him and dribbled toward the top of the key.
Pulled up for a quick jumper.
Swish.
“See?” Tadashi pointed at me.
“This is why nobody likes you.”
“I wasn’t aware shooting was a crime.”
“It is when you’re smug about it.”
I laughed.
“Maybe we should take a quick break?”
Tadashi nodded.
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all week.”
A few minutes later we sat on the edge of the court.
Tadashi drank from a sports bottle.
I spun a basketball on one finger.
Tadashi looked at me after finishing his sip.
“Still can’t believe Miya beat her.”
“Hikari almost beat her.”
“Yeah, but almost doesn’t count.”
“True.”
Tadashi glanced at me.
“Who do you think is better?”
I thought about it for a bit.
“Hikari.”
“What?”
“Long term.”
He had a very puzzled look on his face.
“Miya won.”
“For now.”
I bounced the ball a couple of times.
Tadashi finished the rest of his drink and stared directly at me.
“Miya’s more polished.”
“Agreed.”
“Better fundamentals.”
“Agreed.”
“Better decision making.”
“Agreed.”
“Better emotional control.”
“Definitely agreed.” I laughed right after saying that.
Tadashi frowned.
“Then why Hikari?”
I looked toward the basket.
“Because Hikari improves faster.”
Silence.
“Every possession Miya won was because she already knew the answer.”
I dribbled the ball some more.
“Every possession Hikari won was because she figured out the answer.”
Tadashi stared.
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
“If Hikari keeps chasing her…” I paused for a moment and palmed the ball.
“She’ll catch her eventually.”
“Maybe you’re right. That up-and-under was filthy.”
“It was clean. Haven’t seen a move like that in real life in a while.”
A voice interrupted us.
“…That’s an interesting analysis,” Miya said coolly.
Both of us looked up.
Miya stood near the fence.
Akane stood beside her with a cheerful smile on her face..
And several feet behind them… Hikari.
Arms crossed and with a grumpy look.
Naturally.
Tadashi immediately stood up.
“I’ll be over there,” he pointed at a random spot far away.
“You coward.”
“I value my life.”
He walked away.
Traitor.
Well, at least I didn’t get stabbed 27 times.
Then again, there’s still plenty of time left in the day.
I decided to sit down.
If I’m going to get verbally abused, I may as well be in a comfortable position.
Miya stepped forward first.
Which surprised me.
“…You think Hikari will surpass me?”
Straight to the point.
I was starting to like how much of a straight shooter this girl was.
“I think you’re both monsters.”
“…That wasn’t my question.”
“It was my answer.”
“…Fair enough.”
Akane giggled then she sat beside me.
“I missed this~”
“What?”
“You~”
“Unfortunately.”
She smiled then playfully hit my arm.
“Mean~”
“Accurate.”
“Still mean~”
Yet somehow she moved closer anyway.
Meanwhile Hikari hadn’t said a word.
She was staring at the court.
Specifically the basket.
Specifically not looking at me.
Which meant she was definitely thinking about what I’d just said.
After what felt like ages, Hikari finally looked at me.
“You really think that?”
I returned her gaze.
“What?”
“That I’d catch up.”
There was something different in her voice.
Not anger.
Not pride.
Something quieter.
More vulnerable.
The version of Hikari that almost nobody got to see.
I shrugged.
“Of course.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“You don’t have to be faster than Miya, Hikari…”
Pause.
“…You just have to keep improving faster than Miya.”
Silence.
Then…
“…Tch.”
Classic.
But this time she couldn’t quite hide her smile.
“…I hope that’s true,” Miya said.
Hikari blinked.
“What?”
“…It would be more fun.”
For the first time all day… Miya smiled.
A real one.
Small.
Brief.
But genuine.
Hikari immediately pointed at her.
“YOU CAN SMILE?!”
“…Occasionally.”
“I DON’T TRUST IT.”
“…Reasonable.”
And just like that, the tension broke.
The rivalry remained.
The competition remained.
But now there was something else underneath it.
Respect.
The beginning of it, anyway.
Eventually Akane and Miya left.
Hikari stuck around and we shot the ball for a bit.
Then we sat down at a nearby bench.
“Are you still feeling down, Hikari?”
She didn’t answer for the longest time.
She eventually nodded.
“It’s just… when I lose… it feels like I wasn’t good enough. Like why am I wasting my time?”
I didn’t respond immediately.
For a second, Hikari looked smaller.
Not physically.
Just…
different.
Less like the loud, unstoppable force she’d always been.
More like the girl underneath it.
“You’re being stupid,” I finally said after what felt like an eternity.
Hikari’s head snapped toward me.
“WHAT?!”
I pointed at her.
“I don’t like that part.”
“What part?!”
“The part where you think losing once suddenly means you aren’t good enough. I held my tongue yesterday but I’m not now.”
She looked down at her shoes.
“Hikari…” I shrugged.
“…You’re one of the strongest people I know.”
She reddened like a tomato and covered her face with her hands.
After a few moments.
“…Tch.”
“Hikari…”
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t even say anything!”
“I know.”
“Hikari…”
“What?”
“If you beat her…”
“WHEN,” she snapped.
“Fine.”
I rolled my eyes.
“When you beat her, try not to become even more insufferable.”
Hikari smirked.
“I’ll make no such promises.”
I laughed and then stood up to head home.
“Hey, Kaito…”
I glanced back.
“What?”
Hikari looked away.
Then she looked straight at me.
“…Thanks.”
Pause.
“…For yesterday.” She paused again.
“And today.”
I smiled.
“Anytime.”
Hikari froze for half a second.
Then she looked away.
“…Tch.”
I turned and started walking home.
Hikari’s words of thanks kept replaying in my head.
For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Which was ridiculous.
She’d only said a few words.
Right?
I shook my head.
She really was getting weird lately.
Then again…
Maybe it wasn’t just her.
Maybe Kiyomi was getting to me.
Or maybe…
No.
Best not to think about it.
That never ended well.
Announcement on Older Chapters Will also split older chapters in future.
TY to all my readers!