Chapter 6 – If You Can’t Shoot, Just Dunk

“Basketball… huh.”

Even if it wasn’t on the level of my previous high school, this Komenuka High was still quite the prep school.

I thought studies came first, but they put way more effort into club activities than I expected. Wasn’t “well-rounded in academics and athletics” the school’s main thesis?

Studying alone would be a bit one-sided, anyway.

“Can you play basketball, Nevada-kun?”

“I have some experience.”

My build is reasonably gifted, after all.

“Then why don’t you try out for the club? I want to see Nevada-kun looking cool.”

“I’m just someone with past experience. I really don’t think I can keep up with the active players, though.”

This wasn’t a lie. With sports, if you step away even for a little while, you lose your touch.

“Ehh. Come on, it’s fine. If you can do it, please show me~ I want to see Nevada-kun’s cool side.”

“I literally just explained why I can’t.”

And so, here I was flirting in the corner of the gym with the Moon Shadow Goddess in tow.

From an outside perspective, Fushimi Nevada and Tokoyami Akira apparently looked pretty obnoxious right now.

“Hey. Don’t flirt when you come to the gym.”

A well-built, athlete-type guy spoke threateningly to me.

By the way, Sabakutani Eri wasn’t here. She had something to do and hurried home early.

So club viewing was my task for today, but the one guiding me was Tokoyami Akira.

“Coming to the gym means you want to join the basketball club?”

“No, not really.”

“Masakari-san! Nevada-kun seems to have experience!”

“Hou. Then he might be an immediate asset to the team.”

No, like I just said. It’s just past experience. The feel for the game is…

“I’ll test you. Here. Take the ball.”

He casually tossed me the basketball.

I had no choice. I stepped onto the court.

That said, my indoor shoes obviously weren’t up to spec for sports, so I borrowed some basketball shoes out of goodwill.

“Match format? Or one-on-one?”

“Let’s do a one-on-one. I wouldn’t want to bother your teammates.”

“That Moon Shadow Goddess is recommending you. You can show us something decent, right?”

“Please don’t expect too much.”

So that was how I ended up playing a one-on-one against a basketball senpai.

“I’ll let you go first. Show me your offense.”

Ahh…

“Okay. But don’t expect much.”

“Do your best~! Nevada-kun! I love you~!”

Akira dropping that much explosive fuel in the middle of the gym was honestly impressive.

I squeaked my borrowed shoes against the floor to check the grip, then dropped the received ball.

Thump, thump, thump. I dribbled.

The guy called Masakari, my one-on-one opponent, was a regular on the basketball team. He had good height and a solid build.

He was probably a center or a power forward. That meant he was on the slower side, but had a huge advantage when it came to blocking shots.

“That said, though…”

I honestly couldn’t remember the feeling of shooting a basketball very well.

I had no choice.

Thump. I pounded the dribble hard.

In that exact instant, I accelerated. A sudden change of pace.

I blew past Masakari-senpai in a single moment.

“A drive!?”

“He’s fast!”

“Wait, hold up! Masakari-san couldn’t even react!?”

I kept dribbling and penetrated the defense.

I easily bypassed Masakari-senpai and got right under the goal.

I bent my knees firmly and jumped.

I slammed down a dunk.

Wham! I smashed the ball directly into the hoop with one hand.

The rim screamed and creaked as I hung from the goal with one hand to take a quick breath.

Then I released my grip and dropped back down to the floor.

“How was that?”

I asked, though I figured it would get a pretty decent evaluation.

The reason I went for a dunk was simply because I had zero confidence in my normal shots after so long.

“Your drive just now…”

Looking at me standing under the goal, Masakari-senpai stared in absolute shock at having been blown past so easily.

“Alright, now it’s your turn.”

This time, I switched to defense. I dropped my hips low and marked him.

That said, he was a regular player. He dribbled while looking for an opening.

Squeak, squeak. Our shoes scraped against the floor.

Then, Masakari-senpai drove forward.

The moment I thought he had blown past me, I spun around right behind him.

I stole the ball while it was just slightly separated from his dribbling hand.

It was a technique commonly called a backfire steal. You go behind the opponent who just passed you and flick away the ball while they dribble.

It seemed my body still remembered how to play basketball much better than I thought.

“He stole it from Masakari-senpai!?”

“That’s not a move for beginners!”

“He just dunked with that height earlier, too!”

“What kind of athleticism is that!?”

Huh? Did I overdo it?

We finished the one-on-one match. The final score was 10 to 6. I won by four points.

“Kyaa~! So cool! Nevada-ku~n!”

I didn’t mean to show off that much, but I actually ended up winning a one-on-one against a basketball regular.

That said, almost all my shots were dunks, so I didn’t think it was really that impressive.

“Fushimi Nevada!”

Masakari-senpai approached me with extremely serious eyes.

“Wh… what is it?”

“Join the basketball club! We need your skills!”

“No, I’ll pass…”

“There aren’t many guys with a better drive than me! But you have it! I’ve never seen a drive like that before! Seriously, please join!”

“No. I’m planning to join the literature club…”

“With that level of skill!?”

“I’m just somewhat decent. Most of my shots were dunks, anyway.”

“With that jumping power, you’d be invaluable as a rebounder too. Your height isn’t even that great, so how can you jump so high!?”

There are various reasons for that.

“If you join, I’ll buy you basketball shoes with my own money!”

“I’ll pass…”

“Please! You’re the light of the basketball club!”

Even if you say that…

“Nevada-kun! You were the best!”

Akira looked at me with sparkling eyes full of absolute admiration.

“If Nevada-kun joins the basketball club, I’ll be the manager!”

“I’m not joining.”

“Even though you’re so good?”

“One-on-one and actual matches are completely different.”

Being strong in a one-on-one is an important factor, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to a real team basketball match.

Especially for me.

Even if I penetrate past the defense, in order to dunk, I have to win a physical power battle against the center or power forward protecting the paint.

I can only shoot near the basket. However, my positioning under the hoop isn’t practiced for real games at all.

In a one-on-one match, getting past the defender in front of you leaves you wide open. But actual basketball is five-on-five.

Even if you beat one guy, four more are waiting.

At a bare minimum, with a center waiting in the paint, you would have to get past at least two people.

And that is assuming they play man-to-man defense. A zone defense makes it even more complicated.

“So yeah, I wouldn’t be much help as a team asset.”

“But you looked so cool! Nevada-kun! I got so wet!”

Oh, really~