When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 4

In the morning, I was in a rush and ended up going to school in the afternoon, but I was looking forward to the club activities for the first time since starting this new life.

“Takai, right? I’m Yuuki Midori! If you’re going to club activities, let’s go together!”

I might have been able to interact with Yuuki again. Yuuki and I had been in touch even back then, or rather, when I was older, and he was someone I could call a close friend.

“Yuuki, nice to meet you. I’m Takai Akihide. My position is SG, shooting guard. Yuuki, you’re PG, point guard, right?”

Since I always call him Midori, it feels strange to call him by his name. But suddenly calling him Midori also feels weird, so I’m in a bit of a dilemma.

“Yeah, yeah. We might be paired up in our second year, so take care of me.”

The previous time, as I say, even then, Yuuki and I were a good pair during our high school days, and I remember that we were able to participate in the city tournament.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Isn’t this kind of stiff? I mean, calling each other by last names feels a bit distant, so can I call you Aki? We’re in the same class after all.”

That’s right, this lighthearted vibe is typical of Midori. It made me feel nostalgic, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Yeah, I thought you were a good person. Then I’ll call you Midori too.”

I think I’ve gotten to the point where I can use the usual way of addressing someone naturally.

“Alright. Then let’s go to club activities. If we don’t hurry, the advisor and the club president will get mad at us.”

“Yeah.”

I change and head to the gym and hurry to go to the clubroom.

“Good morning!!!”

I greet the coach again after warming up, then do some self-practice. Since my position as SG mainly involves shooting three-pointers, I do some light shooting practice.

(Ah, this feeling is so nostalgic…)

The feel of the basketball I touched for the first time in 20 years is nostalgic. It felt like I hadn’t played basketball in a long time, but my body seemed to remember the sensation well, and the ball smoothly went through the net. This feeling is always pleasant, no matter when. I was lightly practicing when it seemed like it was time for club activities to start, so the club activities began.

After doing warm-up exercises, the basic training for building stamina begins. Basic training is mostly just running. Now that I’m older, my body is starting to wear out, and my knees often hurt. Despite this, when I run with all my might, I only get out of breath, and my knees and back don’t hurt at all. In fact, running is enjoyable. Overcome by this feeling, I was the only one running with all my might.

When I was in high school, I felt like I was more laid-back, so people around me looked at me strangely. I’m sure I was even more laid-back in my first year.

“Hah, 5-minute break!”

With the coach’s voice calling out, we, the team members, sit on the floor, drink sports drinks, and wipe our sweat. The sports drinks are made and distributed by the coach’s child, and the towels are also handed out by the coach’s child.

So, I think now that the coach’s kids are always running around and it seems pretty tough. Back in high school, I used to think that sports drinks were watered down and didn’t appreciate them at all.

The girl who came to distribute towels and sports drinks to me, Shimozono Hinano, looked puzzled when I thanked her and accepted them.

“Takai-kun, why are you suddenly giving such a formal thank you? You usually just take it without saying much.”

“I think I need to express my gratitude to the coach’s kid and the staff again. I always take it for granted that you wash our sports drinks and towels, but this is actually quite hard work for the girls, right? Towels get dirty from wiping sweat… so, thank you always.”

I accidentally said “the coach’s kid.” Even though we’re around the same age, it’s clearly not appropriate to speak to someone younger.

“…I can’t help but feel happy. I’ll keep doing my best from now on. Thank you!!”

After Shimozono-san left, for some reason, Midori approached with a smirk.

“Why are you suddenly hitting on the coach’s kid? Are you maybe after Shimozono-san?”

“No. It’s not some lowly reason like that, I just expressed my ordinary feelings of gratitude.”

Midori often meddled in my love life, but was he like that from the beginning?

“Tch, what? That’s boring… Well, but if a guy like you pulls off a handsome move, girls would probably fall for you right away.”

“Handsome move? I haven’t done anything like that.”

“You’re lying. Saying ‘thank you’ with a smile is a handsome move, right?”

Is that how it is? To me, it feels like a matter of manners. Besides, I’m an old man, and when I see someone so young, they don’t seem like a romantic interest but more like someone to protect, so I don’t think there’s a future like the one Midori desires.

“Break’s over! Line up, we’re going to practice shooting!”

“Whoa. I’ll ask you again later!”

“Even if you listen, it won’t change anything.”

Both of us hurriedly placed the sports drinks and towels we had been drinking on the gym stage and returned to the club activities.

The next morning, I was amazed by my young body that had no muscle soreness despite running around so much yesterday, and I thought, “Youth is incredible.”