Disclaimer: This series and its characters are the property of Kure Yuki, Koei, and Ruby Party.
Slight warning for those of you who only know the main characters: I've used a couple of fairly minor characters in this story, but I don't think being unfamiliar with them will make the story too hard to follow.
He Shoots, He Scores
"Tsuchiura, over here! Pass!"
The pianist quickly considered his options as he dribbled with his right hand while keeping the opposite shoulder in front of Aoyama. He sent the ball in a low pass toward Sasaki, but Hihara managed to intercept it anyway. The older boy zoomed off toward the other end of the court with Sasaki hot on his trail. "C'mon, Sasaki, get it back!"
His words of encouragement couldn't give the other gen ed student the extra ten centimeters of height he needed to block Hihara's shot. The ball sailed in a neat arc through the hoop. "Yeah!" Hihara exclaimed with a triumphant jump as Sasaki retrieved the basketball. "Nothing but net!"
Tsuchiura groaned as he added two points to the other pair's score and realized they were at a tie yet again. He got free of Aoyama's guard in time to catch the pass from Sasaki, then took off down the court as fast as he could without losing control of the ball. Aoyama tried to steal, but Tsuchiura feinted back and then took a shot from just beyond the three point line. After a bounce off the backboard the ball fell in.
"All right!" Tsuchiura took the time to high-five Sasaki before he chanced a look to the side. A trio of girls he knew all too well sat having lunch, so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the game. He had hoped the shouts of pride that accompanied the more tricky shots would draw their attention, but he guessed they were too far away.
Sasaki slugged his shoulder playfully. "Game now, fraternize later." The grin on his face made Tsuchiura roll his eyes before he moved up to guard Aoyama.
The older boy's pass toward his teammate got Hihara beyond midcourt before Sasaki could cover him properly. The trumpet player's first shot bounced off the rim, but he caught the rebound and sank the ball easily on his second attempt.
A quick move on Sasaki's part sent the ball in an overhead pass to Tsuchiura, and he jumped to reach it before Aoyama. After his shoes hit the pavement Tsuchiura made his way down the court, dribbling the ball between his legs to both display some prowess and to keep it away from the older boy guarding him. The trickier move made him take longer to reach the basket, but he managed to score another two points with a jump-shot.
While Aoyama went to get the ball Tsuchiura looked back over to where he had seen the girls just minutes before. The space was empty. Confused, he looked around and caught sight of Amou standing among the onlookers with a wide smile on her face, but neither Hino nor Fuyuumi were anywhere near her.
The squeak of sneakers to the side brought Tsuchiura's attention back to the game, but not soon enough to keep Aoyama from slipping past him to a trouble-free shot at the basket. Without someone to block him, the older boy took his time with a three-pointer and sank it easily. Tsuchiura cursed under his breath. Time to stop showing off and play for real. Get your head in the game!
Gripping the ball with more force than necessary, Tsuchiura waited for a break in Hihara's guard to pass to Sasaki. The shorter boy started toward the other hoop but had difficulty getting free of Hihara. Tsuchiura saw him flounder and jerked away from where Aoyama blocked him just as Sasaki had an opening to pass the ball back. The trumpet player's attention divided, allowing Sasaki to get closer to the hoop. Tsuchiura maneuvered his way around his own guard and looked for an opportunity to get the ball back to Sasaki one more time. The shorter boy shot as soon as the ball fell into his hands and scored with a loud whoop.
Just then the warning bells rang and signaled students to return to their classrooms. Hihara groaned, but a triumphant grin spread across Sasaki's face as he looked over at Tsuchiura. "That's game!"
"We were so close," the trumpet player groused with his nose wrinkled. A second later his usual smile returned. "Tomorrow I want a rematch, you two, so don't be late!"
Tsuchiura nodded, in a good mood after winning. "All right, but be prepared to lose again, Hihara-senpai."
Aoyama, who had retrieved the ball after the final shot, shook his head as he rejoined them. "Maybe I should take Sasaki-kun for my partner instead."
"That's so mean, Aoyama!" Hihara whined as the group of them made their way to the fence's gate. The rest of the onlookers, Amou included, had already started to head back to their classrooms. Tsuchiura, who led the group of boys, stopped short when he noticed Hino running their way.
The redhead gasped in air as she reached them. "Good job!" she greeted as enthusiastically as she could between breaths.
"Hino, you okay?" Tsuchiura swung the door open and stepped out, only then noticing the plastic bag she held in her right hand.
Waving off the concern, Hino reached into the sack and pulled out a yellow-tinted sports drink. She held the bottle toward Tsuchiura with a bright smile. "Here you go, Tsuchiura-kun! You played really well today."
Stunned for a moment, Tsuchiura took the bottle without thinking. "Uh, thanks." Only after the words left his mouth did he realize that the reason she had disappeared was to get him the drink he held in both hands. The chill of it felt good after the hard exercise, and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Thanks, Hino."
"You're welcome!" Her cheerful voice made Tsuchiura feel like he could take on all three of the other boy's single-handedly. To his surprise, she pulled another sports drink from the bag and held it out to Hihara, who now stood next to him. "Here, Hihara-senpai."
The older boy cried out happily and accepted the drink. "Hino-chan, thanks a lot! This'll give me back the energy to face the rest of the school day."
Tsuchiura looked back and forth between the upperclassman and Hino, unsure what was going on until she took two more bottles from the bag and handed them off to Sasaki and Aoyama with a smile and a "good job!" for each of them. No longer feeling special, he opened his drink and took a long swig but didn't taste a thing.
A clap on his shoulder brought Tsuchiura back to the conversation. "See you tomorrow," Aoyama told him with a wave.
"Yeah, we'll beat you for sure next time," Hihara chimed in, grinning like mad as he clutched his sports drink to his chest like a treasured gift. The two of them split off in the direction of the music students' building, while he, Hino, and Sasaki entered the gen ed one and headed up to the second years' floor.
Sasaki gestured with both hands as he explained his best shot of the game to Hino. Tsuchiura couldn't get into the excitement and sighed softly. "And then Tsuchiura passed the ball back, and I..." He trailed off with a dawning look of dismay. "Oh no, I forgot my cell phone next to the fence! I'm gonna run back and get it quick before class starts. If I'm not back, will you cover for me, Hino-san?" He was already back down the stairs with a wave and a huge smile aimed at Tsuchiura before either of them could respond.
"Geez, that guy..." Tsuchiura scratched his head as they continued up the stairs. Oddly enough, he could have sworn he saw Sasaki pick up his phone and put it in his pocket when they were on their way off the court.
Hino glanced behind them with concern written on their face. "I hope he makes it back before class. We've got math next and the teacher is pretty strict."
A laugh escaped him before he could check it. "For a teacher he seems all right to me."
Pouting, Hino replied, "That's just because you're good at math so he's never hard on you. The rest of us don't have that kind of luck."
Tsuchiura rested a hand on her head briefly. "If there's ever something you don't get, let me know. I'll help you out." His mood magically lifted, Tsuchiura smiled as they reached the doorway of her classroom. "But don't think that I'll do all your work for you."
Despite the teasing tone in his voice, Hino's shoulders slouched dejectedly. "You say that like it's easy, Tsuchiura-kun," she complained with a sigh.
He laughed again and waved as he started down the hall toward his own homeroom. "Just do your best, and it'll all work out. Oh, and..." Turning, he held the sports drink up. "Thanks again for this. You didn't have to."
Hino's smile returned. "You're welcome, Tsuchiura-kun. Have a good rest of the day."
"Same to you." He watched her slide the door open and disappear beyond it before he headed back down the hallway while taking a long drink from the bottle held tightly in his right hand.