When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade.

On Saturday, we reluctantly gathered at the gymnasium. The popular kids, the “yokya” group, had reserved the gym, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by their resourcefulness in such matters.

Well, it’s just half a court for about three hours, so there’s no need to worry about money.

We couldn’t use the full court because it seems another reservation was already in place, so we had to settle for half a court.

Looking at the other members from the backup group, everyone seemed lifeless. Well, no wonder, since our precious holiday was being consumed by basketball.

Anyway, to avoid angering the popular kids, I pretended to be actively practicing.

While the popular kids were practicing their shots, we, the backup group, started with passing practice. I gathered the backup members and had them practice passing, and of course, I participated as well.

As long as we can pass the ball smoothly and make some cuts, we should be fine at the sports festival. Most of the classes that go all-out in defense are probably the seniors in their final sports festival year, so I wasn’t too worried.

Watching the popular kids practice, I couldn’t help but notice that they had some pretty skilled players, especially Shirasaka, who stood out as exceptionally good.

“By the way… Kuroda, you’re pretty good at coaching! It’s kind of surprising… Did you play basketball before?”

“Well, I played in elementary and middle school.”

“Why didn’t you join in high school then?”

“The main reason was that I felt like I had done enough with basketball.”

“I see. It’s like when you defeat the final boss in a game and you get that sense of accomplishment, but then collecting all the rare items afterwards feels like a hassle.”

When one of the backup members compared it to a video game, the others joined in, saying “I totally get that!”

It hit my funny bone, and I burst into laughter. I was surprised at how much I was laughing.

The camaraderie they displayed in that moment made me laugh. Even though they don’t talk much in class, they might be surprisingly fun people to be around when they open up.

***

“Alright, let’s join the shooting practice.”

“Huh, seriously?”

“Don’t worry, if we ask Shirasaka, he’ll probably let us.”

Saying that, I negotiated with Shirasaka on behalf of the group to let us join the shooting practice, and he immediately agreed with a dazzling smile.

First, we look shots from close range and gradually moved back.

As expected, it was challenging, and not many shots were going in. Some even missed the rim completely.

Then, the door to the gym opened, and some high school students came in, all girls. Shirasaka seemed to know them and went over to talk to them.

But that was none of my concern, so I ignored them and tried to focus on the shooting practice. However, Sasaki’s surprised voice broke the silence:

“Shirakawa-san!!!”

Upon hearing that, both the backup group and the popular kids turned towards the entrance.

I didn’t expect Ayano to be here. Well, you can’t always tell just by a glance that someone from your school is visiting.

Seeing Shirasaka and Ayano talking happily together, I felt a strange uneasiness in my chest.

Then, I overheard remarks like, “They look good together,” or “Why don’t they start dating?” from both girls and boys, assuming that they were a good-looking couple.

Hearing that, I felt that uneasiness grow even stronger.

Next to me, Sasaki had a displeased look on his face. Somehow, I felt a strange sense of camaraderie with him.

However, if someone asked me if I liked Sasaki as a friend, I’d probably say no. He’s not someone I like; he’s someone I’m uncomfortable with. That hasn’t changed.

I had a feeling that this sports festival might become full of surprises and unexpected turns. And this was just the beginning.