Chapter 2: Consultation Center for Romance Newbies
Hoshimiya Hikari: What’re you doing now?
Natsuki: I just finished taking a bath. In my room now
Hoshimiya Hikari: I see
Hoshimiya Hikari: I’m about to sleep
Natsuki: You go to bed so early
Hoshimiya Hikari: But I wake up late
Natsuki: They say kids need to sleep to grow
Hoshimiya Hikari: You go to sleep late but you’re tall
Natsuki: Because I slept 12 hours a day when I was kid
Hoshimiya Hikari: Ehhh, I can’t sleep that much lol
Hoshimiya Hikari: Hey, are you free this weekend?
Natsuki: I’m free~ Wanna do something?
Hoshimiya Hikari: Yeah, something! Lol
Natsuki: What’s the something lol. Is there someplace you wanna go?
Hoshimiya Hikari: There are! Tons!
Hoshimiya Hikari: I wanna talk for a bit
Natsuki: Wanna call?
Hoshimiya Hikari: Yeah! I’ll call you~
***
“Kuaaah,” I yawned.
“You sound sleepy,” Reita remarked with a wry smile.
“Hikari and I were on a call yesterday, and next thing I knew, it was the middle of the night...” I was sleep-deprived thanks to that. I’d been taking great pains to fight against the drowsiness during our first period. Hikari was blissfully fast asleep next to me, but we would’ve stood out if I’d also slept, so I was forced to stay awake.
“I’m glad you’re getting along, but try not to sleep in the next class.”
Our next class was English. Each grade had its English classes at the same time, and the students were divided up by our test scores. Reita and I were in the most advanced level, A class. Nanase had also been in the same class up until our previous end-of-term exam, but English wasn’t her forte, so she’d fallen to the B class. Currently, Reita and I were the only ones in the advanced class from our friend group.
“Yeah, I know. It’s Kato-sensei’s class we’re talking about here,” I said.
Kato-sensei, the English teacher in charge of the A class, was easy to understand but irritable. And if you got the tiniest bit distracted, the lesson would instantly leave you behind in the dust. Plus, anyone caught sleeping was likely to get chewed out.
“What did you two talk about so late into the night?” Reita asked.
“Mm... We were discussing where to go for our date this weekend.”
Hikari had sent me all sorts of information over RINE, which had pumped up our conversation. The vast majority of the places she’d sent were sightseeing spots that we couldn’t go to immediately, and we’d ended up deviating from our original topic of finding a date spot for this weekend. But she’d sounded so excited, saying things like “Let’s go one day! We have to!” that I didn’t have the heart to stop her. I went along with it, and before long the time had crept past 2 a.m.
It was fun, but I’m sleepy...
“So what’d you ultimately decide on?”
“Well... We’re going to hang out at my place.”
Reita’s eyes widened in surprise. Yep, I’d react like that too.
“You’re not going out somewhere?”
“We wanted to, but when we thought about it more, we realized we’re both tight on cash,” I explained.
Though I had income from working, purchasing my guitar and gear had eaten up pretty much all of my savings. I’d spent a good bit on the school festival wrap-up party and our date last week too, so if I didn’t save until my next paycheck in two weeks, I’d be in hot water. I also had my band’s wrap-up party to think about.
Hikari didn’t have any money left this month either. Normally she received an allowance and could ask for more if she needed it, but it likely wouldn’t fly if she told her parents she wanted extra to go play with her boyfriend. Furthermore, she didn’t want to rely on her father too much. Poor papa... I pity him, but you reap what you sow.
“But an at-home date? Don’t you think you’re skipping a few steps?” Reita questioned.
“Honestly, I kinda agree,” I said. But won’t it sound like I’m being too self-conscious about it if I tell her that?
“Well, you and Hoshimiya-san are the type who’d like relaxing at home. When I think about it, an at-home date really suits you two. It’s nice that you can let loose and take your time.” He changed his mind and nodded in understanding.
He’s observant as always...
As I admired him, Reita grinned and patted my shoulder. “Have fun canoodling, but don’t get too wild, okay?”
For a split second, I wondered what he’d meant by that, but after a beat, I understood what he was implying. An image flashed through my mind—Hoshimiya Hikari lying down on my bed. “Huuuh?! Dude, it’s only our second date!”
“Class is starting, Natsuki.” In contrast to my panicked fluster, Reita just smiled and went to his seat.
Dammit, don’t tease me... I feel like he’s the only guy I can never win against. What’s that? I’m just too weak against love talk for someone who’s on his second round of life? Yes. You’re exactly right.
***
I managed to get through English with sheer willpower, and then we had gym next. Starting today until the ball game competition, we would be practicing for each event. Our gym classes were shared with class 1, while classes 3 and 4 held theirs together. This meant that those of us in 1-2 faced and practiced alongside 1-1.
After we finished running and warm-up exercises, as directed by our gym teacher, we all began to haphazardly practice shooting on our own. If I leave everyone to their own devices, we’ll spend all our time leisurely taking shots at this rate.
Murakami-kun, the leader of class one, came up to me. “What’s your plan?”
Why’re you asking me? He probably thinks I’m the heart of our class. “Hmm... It’s a tough call. We want to practice, but where do we start from?”
“It’s simpler to just scrimmage, yeah?” Tatsuya cut in while I fretted over what to do. “We could do basic drills, but not many guys can keep up.”
He was exactly right. And above all, playing a match was way more fun. Plus, the quickest method to acclimate the amateurs was throwing them into an actual game.
“Well, that’s true. Then let’s have a scrim, class one versus class two,” Murakami-kun suggested.
“Yeah,” Tatsuya said.
With that, our course was decided. Reita, Hino, and Okajima-kun gathered around Tatsuya and me.
“Should we pick our positions?” Reita asked.
“I’ll fill in the guards and pass the ball around. Reita, you support me. Okajima, stay under the hoop.” Tatsuya handed out instructions while spinning a ball on his finger.
I understood what he was getting at. Reita could flawlessly perform anything you asked of him, and he had a wide vision, so he was the most suitable for support. Okajima-kun was tall and well-built, so he’d be a strong contender for rebounds.
Suddenly, Tatsuya threw the spinning ball towards me. “And Natsuki, you mess ’em up.”
I caught the ball. “I thought our roles would be reversed. Wouldn’t you make a better forward?”
“Dude, I’m in the basketball club. It’d be immature to go all out. Hanging back and passing the ball around is just right for me.” A tired yawn escaped from his mouth.
“Wait, what about me? Hey, Nagiura! Don’t forget about me!” Hino exclaimed.
“Huh? Hino, just do whatever, and we’ll win,” Tatsuya replied.
“Why am I the only one who gets neglected?!”
As I watched them banter comedically, a thought crossed my mind. I get what Tatsuya is saying. It’s just the ball game competition; it’d be childish for a basketball team member to play seriously and mow down beginners. I’m sure there’re plenty who’d agree. But even taking that into account, I didn’t expect to hear as much from him. Tatsuya struck me as the type who’d want to be the star for events like this.
Reita seemed to think the same as we gave each other a look. But we didn’t have the opportunity to comment—it was time for the tip-off. The ball soared high up in the air. Okajima-kun leaped for it and smacked it in front of Tatsuya.
“Aight then, let’s score first.” Tatsuya dribbled up and passed to Reita.
Seeing that Reita was on the right wing when he caught the ball, I moved to the corner. “Reita!”
I caught his pass and turned to the front. A student wearing a number four pinny stuck to me. Our gazes locked. I flicked my eyes towards Reita and simultaneously stepped over the line with my right foot.
“Huh?!” the student cried out in surprise as I pulled past him.
I veered into a layup, stretching my arm towards the hoop, but the student wearing number six came to cover me. I retracted my hand and instead passed the ball to Hino, who was now unguarded.
“O-Oh?!” Hino shouted, taken aback by the ball abruptly flying at him.
“Shoot! You’re free!” I yelled.
Hino did as ordered and took a shot—the ball cleanly went through the hoop.
“Nice one. Amazing as always, Natsuki.” Reita high-fived me, showing his pearly whites.
“Haibara, you’re too good!” Okajima-kun roared, surprise coloring his face.
Reita and Tatsuya are chill about it because they already know about my skills, but it must be shocking for everyone else, huh?
Hino thumped my back. “Whoa, Haibara, I didn’t know you were a basketball boss!” He grinned widely and gave me a thumbs-up.
“That was a great shot, Hino,” I said, returning to defense.
“All right! Let’s defend this!” Okajima-kun yelled enthusiastically.
This guy’s loud as always. A dry smile inadvertently crept across my face. “Man-to-man good enough?” I asked Tatsuya to confirm our defensive strategy.
“Should be fine. I’ll take Murakami,” he replied.
Class one’s offense started with Murakami-kun bringing the ball in. He wasn’t part of the basketball team, but his movements were clearly those of an experienced player. The ball practically stuck to his hand when he dribbled. Still, he had a lot on his shoulders facing off against Tatsuya, an active member of the team.
“Dammit... I can’t shake him off!”
Frustrated by our defense, class one took a desperate shot—and missed. The ball clanged against the hoop and bounced upward.
“Raaaaaah!” Okajima-kun leaped up, his huge body dancing in midair. He firmly snatched the ball with both hands and then landed. Having secured the rebound, he passed to Tatsuya. “Okay! Tatsuya!”
“That was an incredible vertical jump,” Reita remarked in approval.
“In our club, aerial battles in front of the goal are my strong suit too,” Okajima-kun said.
Right, they’re both on the soccer team.
“Cool, let’s snag another point.” Tatsuya dribbled the ball from our half of the court into the other.
“Tatsuya!” I called from the wing. He sent the ball my way. I caught it, but when I looked in front of me, Murakami-kun was marking me. Huh? Shouldn’t he be on Tatsuya?
Murakami-kun read the question in my expression and answered, “It doesn’t look like he’s playing seriously, so I’m gonna stop you first.”
He’s realized that Tatsuya’s intent on only passing from behind already? That’s some snappy judgment. And he doesn’t have any chinks in his defense either. It’ll be hard to get past him.
“So you used to play basketball, Haibara? Didn’t know that.” Murakami-kun licked his lips, his eyes following all my movements.
I should return the ball to Tatsuya so we can reposition, but... “Eh, I’ll give it a try.” I wanted to test whether I could take him down.
I swayed gently. Right? Left? Pass? Shoot? I purposefully kept my movements relaxed and made a fake, toying with the ball in my hand. My tempo was the most crucial—stillness into movement. I stepped in all at once, driving to my right.
Murakami-kun reacted, though a beat late, and stuck right next to me. I could’ve continued forcing my way in and gone for a layup, but I did the unexpected and dribbled between my legs, stepping back. My sudden stop put space between us.
“What?!”
Murakami-kun’s posture crumbled while I stayed level and took a jump shot. The ball floated through the air; though it bumped into the hoop, it barely went through the net.
“Seriously?” Murakami-kun fell on his butt, slack-jawed.
“Needed a bit more force...” I muttered. We got the second goal, but my ballhandling is off since it’s been so long. I need to play more, or else I won’t be able to fix this. I’d better practice on my own to get my touch back.
“Nice, Natsuki. That was pretty slick,” Tatsuya said.
“Thanks,” I replied.
When he praised me, his tone had been the same as usual. He didn’t seem to be behaving especially differently, but that actually felt weirder. When Tatsuya plays basketball, he’s more...
“Tatsuya, is something wrong?” I asked.
“Huh? Nah, not really.” He furrowed his brows. “Something weird?”
Seeing that he genuinely seemed to have nothing on his mind, I shook my head. “No, never mind.”
Something felt off, but nothing was visibly amiss. In that case, I had no place to intrude. That was my conclusion for now.
As for the practice match, we ended up crushing class one, making double their score.
***
“Hey, don’t you think we’ve got a chance? We can win the ball game competition.”
“We’ve got Nagiura and Haibara for basketball, and all the athletic girls are playing soccer. And didn’t Fujiwara used to play volleyball? For table tennis...there’s Hoshimiya... Actually, forget it.”
“The upperclassmen are going to be on a different level, though. I’d have more hope if it were just first-years.”
After school, while Hino’s friend group talked about the competition in high spirits, I exited our classroom. I had the second executive committee meeting to attend today.
“Oh.”
“’Sup,” I said.
Just as I stepped out, I happened to run into Miori. It would’ve been weirder if we’d deliberately headed over separately, so we walked next to each other.
“What are we doing today, again?” she asked.
“We’re adjusting the point system, making stuff for bulletin boards, and other miscellaneous tasks,” I answered, recalling Yanagishita-senpai’s words.
“Hoo, boy... Sounds like a pain,” she groaned. “Hey, isn’t the student council supposed to help out?”
“Our student council has no drive,” I lamented understandingly. The student council also possessed little authority, so they rarely meddled with each event’s committee. That’s why the exec committees at our school have more duties compared to others... I think. Probably. I’ve only ever attended Ryomei, so I don’t know if that’s actually true.
“Oh, Natsuki! Hello,” Mei said when he saw me, and rushed over.
We are going to the same place at the same time, so of course we’d bump into each other on the way.
“I’m looking forward to today’s committee meeting!” Mei smiled brightly.
What is there even to look forward to?
“Is it because Funayama-san’s going to be there?” Miori asked.
“Weeell...” He giggled shyly.
“Ohooo,” she said playfully. “So that’s how it is.”
“P-Please don’t tell her!”
“I won’t. You need to convey those kinds of feelings on your own.”
As Mei and Miori chatted, the three of us turned the corner and saw Funayama-san walking up ahead. Mei’s shoulders immediately began to quake visibly as he became overwhelmed by his nerves.
“C’mon, go talk to her,” Miori said.
“Wh-Whaaat?! We’re all here, so why me?!” Mei cried.
“You’ll make a better impression if you say hi first. Or something,” I said.
While we were squabbling, Funayama-san noticed us and turned around. “Hello,” she said, bowing with great care.
“H-Hello!” Mei said. Clearly at his wit’s end, he added an unnecessary comment. “The weather is nice today!”
It’s cloudy today. Also, weather decks are fundamentally weak, so I don’t recommend them.
Funayama-san looked out the window and then with uncertainty said, “Yes...it’s cloudy.”
“Y-Yes, it is... I’m sorry.”
She fell silent, and Mei laughed awkwardly. Bro, what are you doing? He continued expelling a hollow chuckle, so Funayama-san lost her avenue into the conversation. Come on, you guys must have something else! Do you two actually want to get closer?!
Unable to bear the pressure of socializing with his crush, Mei looked at me anxiously. Don’t look at me like that. It’s your fault for only prepping a weather deck! I’ll have you know that this time around, at the outset of the school year, I built over ten conversation decks to have in my repertoire at all times! My preparations are meticulous and flawless, and I play each card with the utmost care.
Normal people don’t go that far? Hey, I’m on my second round of life, so I’m already not normal...!
“The committee meeting’s a real hassle, but let’s do our best.” I chose to enter their far-too-barren conversation by making a bland remark.
“I hope this ends in a jiffy,” Miori chimed in. Though she wore a smile, her eyes betrayed her exasperation and her thoughts of, “What the heck are they doing?”
My feelings exactly. Mei and Funayama-san were clearly relieved by our intervention. Guys, don’t be relieved! Converse! I stood next to him and furtively whispered into his ear, “Mei, can I have a sec?” I glanced at Miori, signaling, “Hey, distract Funayama-san for a hot sec!”
She nodded, exasperation written all over her face. “Say, Funayama-san... Actually, can I call you Shizuki-chan?”
“Huh? Oh yes, of course. I don’t mind.”
When the other two had jumped into their own conversation, Mei asked in a hushed voice, “Wh-What is it?”
“Can’t you talk some more?”
“I... I don’t know how to make conversation.”
“Listen carefully. The trick to carrying on a conversation is to be interested in the other person.”
Even if you weren’t interested in them, you needed to pretend like you were. And what did that specifically entail? Ask questions about them. That was the foundation of conversation. I was merely repeating the smattering of knowledge that I’d heard from someone else, but based on my experiences, it was correct.
“Of course I’m interested in her, but...”
I knew Mei was genuinely interested in the girl named Funayama Shizuki. “Then all you need to do is show her that fact,” I said. Deepening a relationship meant learning about the other person.
He braced himself and turned to her. “Um, Funayama-san.”
“Y-Yes?” she responded, her shoulders stirring slightly.
“You mentioned that you watched the school festival concert, right?” he asked.
“Y-Yes.”
“Do you possibly like rock music?”
Starting with that first? He’s a music otaku, so that’s very him.
“Yes, I do,” she replied. “It might be somewhat unexpected, but I listen to quite a lot of rock. Especially Western bands.”
“I... I like Western rock too! Which bands do you like?”
“I...like Oasis. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, right?”
“O-Of course! How could I not have? They’re extremely famous! I like them too! ‘Morning Glory’ is a masterpiece! Oh, and another Oasis song...”
The moment the topic turned to music, Mei spoke rapidly and at length, as was the otaku way. He’d settled into his comfort zone, perhaps too much, but Funayama-san listened and gladly responded with her own input. Looks like their hobbies match up; this is the ideal solution. They should’ve just done this from the get-go!
“Yeesh,” I muttered. These guys need a lot of babysitting. I glanced to the side, and my eyes met Miori’s. She was smiling wryly. “Is this how you always felt with me?”
She shrugged. “Maybe not. You weren’t this difficult.”
“When did you become my mom? I feel like I bothered you a ton.” It finally struck me that Miori hadn’t exactly been my partner in crime. Just how much was I relying on her?
“You think so? You’re the one who helped me. Anyone could’ve told you what I did. You didn’t actually need me.” She shook her head gently.
“My high school debut only succeeded because of your help,” I said. I’d originally been fated to drab, gray days just like my first round of high school. “If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be where I am today. You changed the color of my youth.”
That’s why her assertion had made me oddly indignant. “I’m grateful to you,” I continued. “I needed you. So don’t say that.”
Miori’s expression crumpled, and she bobbed her head. “Sorry.”
Mei and Funayama-san had stopped chatting at some point and were now staring at us. Crap...! I shouldn’t be talking about this here. I ended up interrupting their moment. “Oops, sorry, sorry! It’s an us thing; forget about it.”
“Y-Yeah,” Miori added. “Don’t worry, you two. Just keep chatting each other up.”
Mei and Funayama-san nodded, hopefully convinced by our attempt to smooth things over. While we were chatting, we’d reached the executive committee’s classroom of operations. Around half the members were already there. The upperclassmen leisurely made small talk.
“Hello!” I exclaimed.
I was met with a chorus of “’Sup!” and “Hey!”
Mei and the others bowed their heads too, exchanging a similar string of greetings before entering the room.
“Th-That was amazing, Natsuki,” Mei said.
“What was? All I did was say hello,” I told him. Though, I didn’t know a single person there, so it was hard for me to speak up. But it’d reflect poorly on us if all four first-years came in without greeting our seniors, you know? Plus, even if we barely know each other, we are on the same committee...
“You wouldn’t have been able to do that in the past.”
At Miori’s remark, I realized: I can do these sorts of things automatically now! Maybe I’ve also matured. I feel like not too long ago, I hesitated over every little action.
“Um, can I ask a question?” Mei whispered after we sat down beside each other.
“What’s up? You two had a good vibe going on,” I replied.
“Oh, uh... It’s not about that,” he said, his tone evasive.
Then what’s it about? I cocked my head to the side.
“Is Motomiya-san your ex-girlfriend?”
“Huuuh?!” Crud! I’d inadvertently yelled loudly, attracting all the attention in the room to myself. I hastily bowed to the staring upperclassmen. “Dude, don’t ask me weird shit out of nowhere,” I hissed in a low voice.
“W-Was it that weird? Anyone would think the same after hearing your conversation,” Mei said, baffled.
Oh, our conversation? It’s certainly not something I’d want other people to hear, but I don’t understand how that led him to conclude that she’s my ex-girlfriend! “She’s not my ex. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends...? I find that even harder to believe, though...”
I’m telling the truth, but Mei’s still doubting me for some reason. What’s so hard to believe about it?
“Okaaay, attention, please. Let’s kick things off!” Ultimately, Yanagishita-senpai began the committee meeting, so I couldn’t ask my question. Things progressed steadily. For the most part, since he’d created an outline of what we were required to decide today, all we needed to do was give our opinion on the particulars. I listened to the discussion:
“Then that settles the point breakdown for each event.”
“No objections here. What’s next?”
“The schedule for the day. I made a rough draft; if you have any opinions, please speak up.”
“Our gym has three courts, which comes in handy for these sorta events.”
“Right? It’s possible to adjust the schedule even if there are delays. Doesn’t this work out fine?”
Just when I thought we’d finished making the necessary decisions and were about to wrap up, someone unexpected raised her hand.
“Excuse me. If we follow this schedule, I don’t think the court near the school building will have enough leeway,” Funayama-san said.
It’d chiefly been third-years participating in the discussions, so everyone else was also surprised when she spoke up.
“Hmm... Good point, maybe we should allot more playtime there.” Yanagishita-senpai rubbed his chin, carefully considering her opinion.
“But wouldn’t that be hard?” said one of his third-year supporters, frowning. “The school-side court is for boys’ basketball, right? Unlike the other events, the matches are longer, and there are more boys’ teams this year. If we don’t cut down somewhere, then we’ll never finish.”
Honestly, I hadn’t been paying much attention to the deliberation, but I somehow pieced together the problem. Because boys and girls got to choose whether to play basketball or soccer, the number of teams for each event changed yearly. This time, there were more boys playing basketball, and more girls for soccer. Thus, the issue was that the court closest to the school, which was mainly allocated for boys’ basketball, didn’t have any wiggle room.
“Do you have a concrete proposal?” Yanagishita-senpai asked.
“Yes... I wrote it here on my handout. What do you think about this?” Funayama-san submitted her revised schedule to him.
The third-years reviewed it, and before long, Yanagishita-senpai gave her a thumbs-up. “Okay! Let’s go with this, then! You’re Funayama-chan, right? Thanks.”
“Oh, not at all... My apologies for being impertinent.”
“Hey, now! You don’t need to be so humble! You really saved us a lot of trouble. Also, thanks to you other first-years for giving your input. Sorry that we’ve been carrying on at our own discretion,” he said and then turned his gaze on me. “You’re Haibara-kun, yeah? The school festival concert was super awesome! It was inspirational.”
“Huh? Oh yes. Thank you very much.”
It was a strange sensation. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Yanagishita-senpai was still my captain on the basketball team, but here he was treating me as a first-year member of the light music club. Though, that was a given.
I was fond of him. We’d only been in contact for a short period, from the spring when I’d joined the team until he retired in the summer, but he’d looked out for the annoying underclassman that was myself nonetheless.
“Which event are you entering?” he asked.
“Basketball,” I answered.
“Oh! Very nice. I’m also playing basketball. Let’s have a good match if we face each other, okay?” he said amicably, and gently patted me on the shoulder. “I’m not gonna lose, though. I might have retired this summer, but I was still the captain of the basketball team.”
He grinned boldly. The glint in his eyes told me he was serious; he didn’t consider this a trifling ball game competition. But I understood why. He always meant business when it came to any sort of competition.
“I’m not going down either. I might not look it, but I’m pretty good at basketball,” I said.
“Oho! Well said! Excellent, it won’t be any fun if you aren’t feisty.” Yanagishita-senpai chuckled happily. Then he scanned each first-year in turn and said, “Hey, this is a special event. Let’s drop the stuffy formalities and have the time of our lives.”
It would’ve been fishy hearing that from someone else, but it sounded convincing coming from him. Plus, as a person redoing my teen years, I could empathize with his attitude. I can’t force others to try hard, but if we’re going to do this, then it’ll be more fun if we go all out. You’re only young once, after all.
Wait, I’m on my second run, though...
***
“Shizuki-chan, you were on point today. I was shocked,” Miori said.
The four of us first-years walked back to our classrooms together. It was our second time doing so, making it customary now.
“Not at all,” Funayama-san replied humbly. “I didn’t say anything of significance.”
She seemed troubled, but I couldn’t agree with her assessment.
“No way! It’s amazing you could speak so confidently with all the third-years around!” Miori said and sneaked a peek at Mei.
Understanding her signal, he nodded. “I think so too.” He then laughed with a faraway look. “I would’ve been too nervous to say anything back there,” he added self-deprecatingly.
You were just supposed to compliment her there—you didn’t need to put yourself down! I fretted over how she would respond, but Funayama-san shook her head.
“That’s not true. Shinohara-kun, you performed in front of such a large crowd at the school festival, remember? You even pumped your fist in the air during your introduction.”
“P-Please don’t bring that up so often,” he mumbled, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
Upset, Funayama-san puffed her cheeks up. “I will bring it up. You inspired me. Pardon my poor choice of words, but normally you’re like me... I thought you were the plain and quiet sort, but you were incredibly dazzling up there... That made me think I could change too—it made me want to change.”
Mei looked overwhelmed by her earnestness. It might seem unbelievable, but our music reached all kinds of people. Your bass, your courage, it moved people’s hearts. Good for you. I mean it. For some reason, it felt like the praise he’d received was my own, and I was thrilled.
“Unlike you, I can’t do anything grandiose, but I presumed even I could state my opinion... I was nervous, but I managed to do it.” Funayama-san’s expression softened with relief.
I’d assumed she was the type who could unexpectedly speak up in those sorts of settings, but looks like I was wrong. She mustered up her courage and resolved to change herself.
Mei was petrified, his mouth hanging open. I patted his back. He looked at me, confused and still not convinced that this wasn’t all just a dream.
“Natsuki, the fact that someone would say such nice things to me is all because you invited me to the band,” he said.
“Nope, it’s the fruit of your efforts. Have some confidence.” I thumped him on the back once more, trying to return him to reality.
“Incidentally... Shinohara-kun, what kind of bands do you like?” Funayama-san asked, changing the subject to music.
“Oh, I like Sonic Youth,” he replied. “My favorite is their album Goo. I also like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. What else? Uhhh, they’re all very famous, but...”
I wasn’t that well versed in Western bands, so I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. Miori pretended to follow along, but question marks were practically plastered on her face. Welp, I saw this coming.
“Oh,” Funayama-san suddenly said. “Are you going to have another concert? I’d love to watch.”
Mei and I wore inscrutable expressions as we exchanged looks. She wasn’t the first one to ask us; we’d gotten that question from many others. However, our band was through. We didn’t know if we’d restart with a new member. Even now, we were waiting for Serika’s answer.
And today, she wouldn’t show up to the second music room either.
***
After the executive committee meeting had ended, Mei and I went to a park near the school that had a basketball court. I’d used it sometimes during my first go-round too.
It was around 6 p.m., and the sky was dyed in the colors of sunset. The days had grown considerably shorter, but the park was equipped with floodlights, so we could play without issue even after it got darker.
“You know, I didn’t think I’d actually be teaching you basketball.” I took out the ball that we’d bought at a nearby sports shop and tossed it to Mei.
He managed to catch it despite being somewhat panicked. “I was half joking as well...but Funayama-san told me she’d cheer for me. I’m terrible at sports, but I want to do my best so I can show her my cool side.”
“Hoo, you two are hitting it off well. Now you just need to confess.”
“P-Please don’t make it sound so easy! It seems like she doesn’t loathe me, but maybe she’s merely worried about me. Besides, it’s only been a few days since we started holding proper conversations. A confession comes only after we get closer.”
“Don’t worry. Trust me, you got this.”
“You had the gall to confess up on the big stage—please don’t lump me together with you!”
“Hey, I was really nervous then too.”
I understood where Mei was coming from. He didn’t want to confess if there was the possibility of rejection. He wanted to be absolutely positive that she’d say yes. Why? Because there was a chance he might lose her. It took courage to change your relationship with someone.
Miori had informed me how Funayama-san felt about him, so I knew he wouldn’t fail. It seemed like they were taking forever from my point of view, but it would’ve been bad form to tell him that. I was in a tricky position.
“We exchanged RINE information. We’ll keep building rapport from here on out,” Mei said with a determined expression, and then threw the ball back to me.
His form loosely resembled how you’d throw a baseball, which made it very awkward. We should start with passing.
“Keep the ball at your chest and make a triangle with your thumbs and pointer fingers. Then, step forward with one leg and snap your wrists. Imagine you’re putting your weight on the ball as you push.” I explained how to do a chest pass and threw the ball back to Mei.
“Whoa, whoa!” he exclaimed as he fumbled with it, and ended up dropping it on the ground.
“For receiving a pass, ready your hands in front of your chest. Don’t be scared, and bring the ball in towards you. You struggled to catch it just now because you threw your hands out. Wait, and then catch,” I said, weaving gestures into my instruction.
Mei nodded. “O-Okay!”
After that, we repeatedly passed the ball back and forth. He didn’t have a knack for basketball by any standard, but he was sincere. He must really want to look cool in front of Funayama-san. I can empathize with that motive, and it makes me wanna help him. If he’s going to take this seriously, then it’ll be more fun to teach him.
“Nice, nice! You’re getting it now. But push with your body more.”
“Okay! L-Like this?!”
“Not quite! Look, do it like this!”
“Like this?!”
“Ermmm... Not quite!” I said. “Look, it’s more like this!”
“I got it! Like this!”
“No, that’s completely wrong.”
“Whaaat?!”
We repeated this process of trial and error over and over to drill the fundamental passing motion into Mei. He became disheartened multiple times, but I hadn’t originally had the knack for basketball either. I was certain that with steady practice, he would improve little by little. There were occasions when an ordinary person’s hard work could surpass a prodigy.
Just like when I defeated Tatsuya...
“All right! Your passing is getting there. I think you’ll be pretty helpful in a match like this,” I said.
“Th-Thank you very much!” Mei exclaimed. “It’s all thanks to you!”
“Mm-hmm, then next, we’ll work on shooting.”
“Huh? We’re...not done for the day yet?”
“What’re you saying? You’re going to show Funayama-san how cool you are, right?”
“Ha... Ha ha ha... Yes, you’re right.” He should’ve been brimming with motivation, but instead his eyes were swimming for some reason.
Does he feel bad for taking up my time? He doesn’t need to worry about that!
And thus, I taught Mei the fundamental shooting form next.
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