I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 6

Chapter 6: Maybe I Should Give It My All for Once

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

The smell of the gym was the same in every season. Wax, sweat, and the faint burned scent of rubber soles. The sound of feet on the floor echoed and bounced back into my chest.

“All right! My next shot’s gonna be a three-pointer!”

Okabe Kai raised his voice again. Right 45 degrees. He exaggerated the rhythm of his dribble and threw a glance toward the basketball court where the Three Great Beauties stood, almost like he was signaling with his chin.

“Mizuki! If this goes in, give me a round of applause, okay?”

From the boys’ line, small voices leaked out—“Yeah yeah,” and “There he goes again.” Even I understood why they weren’t amused. Okabe had good athletic ability. His voice was loud, and he had a way of pulling the atmosphere toward himself. So even though everyone wanted to stop him, no one could. The ball left his hand and fell through the net without touching the rim.

“Yes! See that?!”

The air of the place had been completely taken by Okabe. A murmur rose. Akira clicked his tongue and looked at me.

“…Hey, Sora. Honestly, he pisses me off. I want to stop him. But if I go at him head-on, he’ll blow past me. What should I do?”

“Hey, Akira. If you take him down, will you get popular?”

“Of course I will, right? I’d be beating the guy who’s showing off.”

“I see. Then I’ll assist you.”

“Oh?!”

I watched Okabe jogging back and took one slow breath.

“He’s right-handed and weak on the right side. Even if you fake him on his left, he’ll want to finish with his right at the end. He has a habit where his gaze shifts to the side first.”

“So detailed?!”

“You take him head-on. Close the distance by pushing with your hips. I’ll cut off the right lane. The switch signal is two taps on the floor. If he drives, we trap him on the baseline. If he switches to a jump stop, slip your hand in that instant. If you feel the ball, don’t hesitate—bat it forward.”

I had already read his movements. All that was left was timing.

“Okay. Can I throw my body if I have to?”

“You can. Just watch for the foul.”

The next defense. Okabe attacked from the right again. Akira set up high, and I placed my right foot half a step outward. Okabe’s shoulder dropped. I tapped the floor twice.

“Go.”

Akira used his body to slow Okabe’s speed. At that moment, I closed the right lane and forced him toward the baseline. Okabe panicked and stopped with a jump stop. His rhythm slipped by one beat. His hips lifted. The ball floated. My fingertips brushed the textured leather.

“—!!”

I knocked it loose. Akira grabbed it. I ran. A single vertical lane opened between us.

“Akira!”

He returned it with a one-touch pass. Under the rim, I slipped by with only a step and laid it up. The ball touched the backboard gently as Akira scored.

“Nice, Sora!”

“You too, Akira.”

Our palms slapped together. The sound was short, but the feeling lasted long.

“That was a foul!”

Okabe protested. I shook my head.

“Ball only.”

The PE teacher acting as referee nodded. The other boys sided with us. No one supported Okabe, who had been provoking everyone nonstop. He clicked his tongue and retreated to his side of the court. His voice was loud, but his breathing was rough. He had been doing flashy moves to appeal to the Three Great Beauties. He glanced that way with a frustrated expression.

I looked toward Anno-san sitting in the spectator seats. I felt like she was watching me, but maybe it was my imagination? Throw-in. Next was our offense. Okabe had the habit of watching the ball too closely. It left his back open.

“Akira, behind him.”

“Got it.”

At the high post I received the pass and dribbled. I flicked just my eyes toward Okabe. The moment his gaze got sucked toward the ball, Akira disappeared behind him. A half-beat later, I slipped a through-pass. An empty lane. Akira’s layup slid in cleanly.

“See? You watch the ball too much.”

Someone teased Okabe and laughed. I felt the atmosphere tilt again.

“Get back!”

Okabe shouted, though he himself wasn’t getting back. Restart. Okabe’s dribble grew louder again. The louder his voice, the easier his body was to read. He kept leaning right, his pivot foot escaping outward. Reading the opponent’s spacing was similar to karate. When the distance closed, people instinctively tried to create space, and their hips floated. Floating hips were easy to touch.

“Akira, half-step back. I’ll close the gap.”

“Leave it to me!”

Okabe stepped in. I was already one step ahead. I used only my shoulders and hips to show a path, then closed it at the last moment. When he switched to his weaker left, the ball rose higher than his knee. I flicked it upward with the back of my hand. A loose ball. Akira grabbed it and returned it to me for a one-two. With a single dribble, I pulled up. Two points off the board. Cheers. Applause. The boys’ faces brightened a little. I heard clapping from the girls.

“Takatou-kun’s good today.”

“Yeah… He might actually be cool.”

Not one of the Three Great Beauties, but the girls were praising Akira.

“Akira, good for you.”

“Y-yeah! Kiritani-san clapped for me!”

Akira looked genuinely happy.

“Don’t get cocky!”

Okabe shouted. 

You’re the one who’s cocky..

I thought silently. There was no need to say it aloud. After the timeout, the teacher said, “Good defensive position, that last one.” Akira laughed breathlessly and jabbed me in the side with his elbow.

“H-Hey, that felt too good. Sora, can we do the same thing again?”

“He’ll have learned from it the second time. Next time he’ll fake left and return right. That’s where—”

“I’ll be the wall and you cut him.”

“Exactly.”

It happened exactly like that. Okabe faked left, returned right. Akira slowed him with his body, I cut him off, and Akira recovered the ball. Jump ball. The air tilted toward us again. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw the spectator seats shift slightly. In the shadow by the window, her glasses glinted once in the gym light, then disappeared. Anno-san, probably. She usually read a book while observing, but now she was watching the basketball court intently.

“Mizuki-san… Do you think she’s watching me? I look cool right now, right?”

“Yeah. Nice jump shot.”

Akira was hyped, so I praised him.

“Okabe, get back!”

The teacher’s voice overlapped. Okabe clicked his tongue miserably and returned. For the remaining time, we repeated the same pattern with slight variations. Cut right, lure left, take the back, make him watch the ball. Loud voices sometimes created blind spots. The louder the sound, the clearer his footsteps became. Final possession. Akira looked at me. He signaled with just his chin. A simple sign no one else could hear.

“Go.”

I drove in. Okabe got pulled toward me. The opposite side opened. The pass flew. Akira shook the net. The buzzer. Finished.

“Nice game!”

The teacher clapped and classmates called out to us.

“Whoa, Akira’s insane today!”

“Right? I didn’t know he was this good.”

“Ah—no, it’s not me—”

Akira looked at me, but I shook my head. He made more shots than I did. The class atmosphere softened. Akira raised both hands and celebrated with a loud “Yes!!” That was fine. Then he came over to me.

“Sora, that was amazing. Seriously. It’s like… He was the one being moved by you.”

“I just read his movements.”

“Yeah, but still—”

He laughed and wiped sweat with his towel. My breathing was calm. Karate had taught me longer, faster breaths. At the edge of the court, Okabe retied his shoelaces. His face was red, but his spirit wasn’t broken. He would shout loudly again next time. That was the kind of guy he was. He really had strong mental endurance.

I glanced toward the spectator seats. Someone quietly clapped once, then laced her fingers on her lap. Her lenses glinted again for an instant. Maybe it was nothing. There was no need to confirm. But I still lifted a hand and waved toward Anno-san. 

It was time to clean up the court. Akira chugged water and nudged my elbow.

“Hey, Sora. We’re actually pretty good, huh?”

“You’ve been good from the start. He’s the loud one. We just need to use our head a bit to beat him.”

“Come on, just say that stuff makes me like the popular type.” 

“I don’t know about that.”

Akira laughed and tossed his towel at me.

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