I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 11

Chapter 11: The Lunchtime Relationship

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

I finished eating two pieces of bread during lunch break and tossed the milk carton into the trash. I had a little time left. The building’s shadow was short, carrying the scent of dry leaves.

When I walked past the gym, basun, basun, an uneven rhythm reached my ears. The sound of a ball hitting the ground—sometimes fast, sometimes suddenly light.

When I turned the corner, there was a half-court with only half the lines marked. The hoop was faded, but the net looked new. On the court were a navy skirt and a white shirt. It was Asuka Hino-san. She wasn’t wearing loafers but gym shoes, and the hem of her skirt swayed in the wind. She dropped her hips and dribbled, stepped in and jumped. The net fluttered, and the ball came back. She wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand and got into position again. Even though it was midday, she didn’t use her voice. She practiced only with sound.

“Oh? Mukei-kun.”

Her voice cut through the sound of the ball. She lifted her head and looked straight at me. I remembered last night at the park. She had also been quietly shooting by herself in an empty place.

“…Hi. I’m just walking.”

“Hmm, walking, huh. As long as you’re not stalking me, it’s fine.”

She raised her eyebrows on purpose and laughed. One lock of her sweat-damp bangs stuck to her cheek.

“Thanks for yesterday. After that, my sense got a lot better, and I feel like I understood something about my form.”

“That’s good.”

“So today is review time. …And also, come practice with me. Just dribbling is fine.”

She lightly pressed the ball against my chest. The midday air mixed with the warmth of the ball’s surface.

“Is it okay for you to play in a skirt?”

“It’s fine. I’m wearing spats. …I mean, don’t make me say it.”

As she spoke, she pinched the hem of her skirt and showed it just a little. Black fabric peeked out. She really was prepared.

“Haa, well if that’s the case.”

“If that’s the case, yeah. Come on, let’s go.”

Asuka-san changed her dribbling rhythm. Left, right, right. The tiny habit where her shoulder dipped before stepping in was the same as yesterday. I only showed her the path I would take and then blocked it at the end. I didn’t use my hands. I just turned my body to cut off her angle.

“Wait, let’s do that part again.”

“Go ahead.”

“When I show left here, Mukei-kun takes half a step back, right?”

“Yeah. Because your hips rise when you close in, so—”

I started to explain, then caught the flick of cloth at the edge of my vision. The wind from her step made her skirt flutter. My heart jumped once. But the black spats were right there, so I forced my eyes back to the hoop.

“Did you see?”

“I didn’t.”

“You can see if you want, I told you I’m wearing spats.”

“I didn’t see.”

“Hehe, well, a rough girl like me doesn’t bother you anyway, right?”

She teased me, but Asuka-san’s eyes were serious.

“Hino-san, you’re beautiful, and you’re popular with the guys, right?”

“Am I? I dunno.”

The next moment—a crossover into a stop, then a quick release. The ball touched the rim, and only the net made a soft sound.

“Being able to shoot at that speed was better than yesterday.”

“Right?”

She puffed out her chest slightly. That movement made her skirt flare again. The midday breeze had no mercy. I laughed.

“…Spats sure are strong.”
 

They’re a girl’s ally. We’ve got our own preparations too.”

She took the ball again, and now it was my turn to shake her with fine dribbling. I pressed to the right and indicated the opposite side’s space with just my gaze. Her footsteps bit into the dust. She was good at closing the distance. I purposely made it look like I wanted her to reach in, then stopped at the last moment. A jump shot—short. It hit the front of the rim and bounced forward. Asuka-san picked it up.

“Weak. Daytime Mukei-kun is weaker than nighttime Mukei-kun.”

“Night didn’t have wind.”

“Excuses! Haha, not very manly of you.”

When we laughed together, the reflection from a window shimmered at the edge of my sight. At the gym entrance, through the glass, a lens glinted once. Black hair. A thin pin. Maybe Anno-san. Her posture was straight, and it felt like only her gaze was pointed in our direction.

“What? Someone here?”

“No, I think I’m just imagining things.”

“Hmm… Okay. So, continuing from before. I go right, Mukei-kun blocks me. If I get stopped there, what do I do so my hips don’t rise up?”

“It’s not ‘don’t rise.’ It’s making sure you don’t create the moment where they might rise. Keep your dribble height consistent, and don’t widen your stance too much.”

“I get the words. Still hard though!”

Don. One step. This time her skirt drew a wide arc. My eyes instinctively followed it, and I scolded myself internally. Black fabric. Safety guaranteed. A mental stamp of “No Problem” pressed itself in my head.

“Focus, focus.”

“I am.”

She smiled and closed the distance smoothly. She didn’t push with her shoulder. She came in without breaking her axis. Good angle. I was half a step late and guided her toward the baseline. At the end, I brushed the ball upward lightly with the back of my hand. As it floated…

“Whoa—”

Her footing faltered just a little. I reflexively put my hand on her waist to steady her. Her skirt fluttered once, then returned to its position.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. …Wow, I got saved, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

We exhaled together and laughed. She was breathing a little harder than I was.

“About this morning… You know, about the thing that happened to Yua? We’re making a girls-only group to go home together.”

“I heard.”

“The boys are supposed to help by making clear lines of sight and stuff. …Mukei-kun, you seem good at that kind of thing.”

“I’m not. And I don’t think I’ll be involved in that kind of thing.”

The bell would probably ring soon. Anno-san was no longer at the gym entrance.

“Kai is super fired up though. Saying he’ll protect everyone.”

“I heard.”

“He’s dumb but not a bad guy. Just… Loud.”

“His voice is loud.”

“Exactly.”

“Should we head back?”

“Yeah.”

The bell rang faintly in the distance. The sound that marked the end of lunch. Why had Anno-san been at the gym?

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