Chapter 1 – Look Who's Here!
"Shohoku!"
"Fight!"
The eyes of the team manageress, Ayako, moved approvingly over the training members. She admiringly noted the fire that burned in their eyes.
Last year, second in prefecture. This year? She smiled, crossing her arms, tapping her fan lightly against her arms. First, obviously.
"O-ho-ho-ho," Anzai, their coach chuckled as he too saw how hard they were training.
"Come on, what's the matter with all of you?" Ryota Miyagi shouted, puffing out his chest proudly. He eyed Ayako in the corner of the gym.
Watch me, Aya-chan! I'm the captain of Shohoku's basketball team now!
A smack brought him back to his sense.
"Wake up, Mr. Captain," Hisashi Mitsui growled at him before running past.
Hah! He's just jealous because Akagi didn't choose him to be Captain! Ryota guffawed before sprinting to the front.
1 I wish it wasn't so quiet around here… missing the arguments of two people, I am. ARGH! Concentrate!
"One, two. One, two."
~~
Rukawa Kaede was not a happy person.
His teachers had insisted, however much he protested, that he be placed in a remedial class immediately.
"No more sleeping in class!" the principal howled at him, slamming his fist on the table. "We will have to suspend you from the basketball team if this continues, Rukawa."
Rukawa gave a small mumble of dissent as he strolled down the sidewalk.
Thankfully, remedial was over for that day. Thankfully, too, remedial was only on one day a week, while basketball was on everyday.
Unfortunately, Sakuragi Hanamichi was in the remedial too.
The red-head had snapped two pencils, torn apart three test papers and slammed his book on the table countless times while suffering from extreme boredom.
Rukawa set his bag down on the bench in the public basketball court he normally practiced in. Drawing out his basketball, he bounced it a few times.
Moving swiftly, he sprinted across the court and dunked the ball into the hoop to vent his frustration.
~~
"Damn! Why is everything so cluttered?"
Switching on the lights with a flick of her hand, the girl surveyed the scene before her with distaste.
" I can't imagine how that boy can live in here without tripping over something every few seconds!"
Hands on her hips, she calculated the estimated time before diving into the pile of dirty clothes.
~~
Rukawa paused as the realization dawned on him.
Someone was inside his house.
As far as he knew, no one had the key to his house, yet there were definitely no signs of breaking-and-entering on the door.
He flung the door open and gaped slightly.
No more piles of dirty clothes.
The floor was clean and vacuumed. Everything was shining.
Rukawa dumped his bag on the floor and advanced to the staircase, where he could still hear the vacuum whirring.
His jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted him.
"Hika…"
An eyebrow went up.
"Hika…"
The girl tossed her hair back. "Oh, you're back, are you? I thought I could finish cleaning before you arrived but apparently your house was too messy to clean up in a few minutes."
"Hika…"
"Will you stop saying 'Hika'? It's damn annoying!"
"Hikari!" Rukawa managed to get the name out. He abruptly added another word: "Do-aho."
Tut-tutting about bad manners, Hikari ruffled Rukawa's hair and moved to the kitchen.
"I'm fixing dinner for you. I can't stand the sight of those TV Dinner boxes anymore."
~~
As he sat down at the table, Hikari came out of the kitchen, with plates balanced precariously on her arms.
"You're going to break something like this," Rukawa muttered as he relieved Hikari of her burden.
He reached for his fork but was stopped by a sharp tap on his hand. "What?" Rukawa asked, annoyed at his dinner being interrupted.
"Say thank you," Hikari warned him, untying her apron.
Rukawa rolled his eyes. "Thank you for this meal and if you don't let me eat I'm going to starve to death."
"Wow! That's the most number of words I've ever heard you speak!" Hikari proclaimed dramatically, handing Rukawa his plate. "Tuck in!"
~~
Barely a few minutes later, the plates were scraped clean and not a scrap of food was anywhere to be seen.
"I wonder where you learn to cook," Rukawa questioned his sister.
"From Grandma, where else?" Hikari replied, glaring at him. "She's worried about you, you know."
Nodding, Rukawa sidled up to the attic, where his bedroom was located. "So that's why you're here."
"Yup! To take care of you!" Hikari grinned, patting Rukawa's head and cutting off his route to the bedroom.
"No sleeping early! I know how you can sleep early and still wake up late." Hikari shook her head and dumped the contents of a nearby bag out.
"Wha-?"
Hikari proudly gestured towards the books that had spilled out of the bag. "Grandma also instructed me to help you push your grades up."
"Grandma this, grandma that," Rukawa muttered, seating himself at the table. He knew it was useless to argue with his sister.
An hour and a half later, the two of them lay exhausted on their beds.
"I didn't know tutoring you could be this difficult," Hikari groaned.
"I didn't know having you as a tutor could be this tiring," Rukawa shot back as he pulled the pillow over his head and instantly dropped into a deep sleep.
"Oh boy…" Hikari moaned. "He's already sleeping."
She switched off the light.
"Shohoku!"
"Fight!"
The eyes of the team manageress, Ayako, moved approvingly over the training members. She admiringly noted the fire that burned in their eyes.
Last year, second in prefecture. This year? She smiled, crossing her arms, tapping her fan lightly against her arms. First, obviously.
"O-ho-ho-ho," Anzai, their coach chuckled as he too saw how hard they were training.
"Come on, what's the matter with all of you?" Ryota Miyagi shouted, puffing out his chest proudly. He eyed Ayako in the corner of the gym.
Watch me, Aya-chan! I'm the captain of Shohoku's basketball team now!
A smack brought him back to his sense.
"Wake up, Mr. Captain," Hisashi Mitsui growled at him before running past.
Hah! He's just jealous because Akagi didn't choose him to be Captain! Ryota guffawed before sprinting to the front.
1 I wish it wasn't so quiet around here… missing the arguments of two people, I am. ARGH! Concentrate!
"One, two. One, two."
~~
Rukawa Kaede was not a happy person.
His teachers had insisted, however much he protested, that he be placed in a remedial class immediately.
"No more sleeping in class!" the principal howled at him, slamming his fist on the table. "We will have to suspend you from the basketball team if this continues, Rukawa."
Rukawa gave a small mumble of dissent as he strolled down the sidewalk.
Thankfully, remedial was over for that day. Thankfully, too, remedial was only on one day a week, while basketball was on everyday.
Unfortunately, Sakuragi Hanamichi was in the remedial too.
The red-head had snapped two pencils, torn apart three test papers and slammed his book on the table countless times while suffering from extreme boredom.
Rukawa set his bag down on the bench in the public basketball court he normally practiced in. Drawing out his basketball, he bounced it a few times.
Moving swiftly, he sprinted across the court and dunked the ball into the hoop to vent his frustration.
~~
"Damn! Why is everything so cluttered?"
Switching on the lights with a flick of her hand, the girl surveyed the scene before her with distaste.
" I can't imagine how that boy can live in here without tripping over something every few seconds!"
Hands on her hips, she calculated the estimated time before diving into the pile of dirty clothes.
~~
Rukawa paused as the realization dawned on him.
Someone was inside his house.
As far as he knew, no one had the key to his house, yet there were definitely no signs of breaking-and-entering on the door.
He flung the door open and gaped slightly.
No more piles of dirty clothes.
The floor was clean and vacuumed. Everything was shining.
Rukawa dumped his bag on the floor and advanced to the staircase, where he could still hear the vacuum whirring.
His jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted him.
"Hika…"
An eyebrow went up.
"Hika…"
The girl tossed her hair back. "Oh, you're back, are you? I thought I could finish cleaning before you arrived but apparently your house was too messy to clean up in a few minutes."
"Hika…"
"Will you stop saying 'Hika'? It's damn annoying!"
"Hikari!" Rukawa managed to get the name out. He abruptly added another word: "Do-aho."
Tut-tutting about bad manners, Hikari ruffled Rukawa's hair and moved to the kitchen.
"I'm fixing dinner for you. I can't stand the sight of those TV Dinner boxes anymore."
~~
As he sat down at the table, Hikari came out of the kitchen, with plates balanced precariously on her arms.
"You're going to break something like this," Rukawa muttered as he relieved Hikari of her burden.
He reached for his fork but was stopped by a sharp tap on his hand. "What?" Rukawa asked, annoyed at his dinner being interrupted.
"Say thank you," Hikari warned him, untying her apron.
Rukawa rolled his eyes. "Thank you for this meal and if you don't let me eat I'm going to starve to death."
"Wow! That's the most number of words I've ever heard you speak!" Hikari proclaimed dramatically, handing Rukawa his plate. "Tuck in!"
~~
Barely a few minutes later, the plates were scraped clean and not a scrap of food was anywhere to be seen.
"I wonder where you learn to cook," Rukawa questioned his sister.
"From Grandma, where else?" Hikari replied, glaring at him. "She's worried about you, you know."
Nodding, Rukawa sidled up to the attic, where his bedroom was located. "So that's why you're here."
"Yup! To take care of you!" Hikari grinned, patting Rukawa's head and cutting off his route to the bedroom.
"No sleeping early! I know how you can sleep early and still wake up late." Hikari shook her head and dumped the contents of a nearby bag out.
"Wha-?"
Hikari proudly gestured towards the books that had spilled out of the bag. "Grandma also instructed me to help you push your grades up."
"Grandma this, grandma that," Rukawa muttered, seating himself at the table. He knew it was useless to argue with his sister.
An hour and a half later, the two of them lay exhausted on their beds.
"I didn't know tutoring you could be this difficult," Hikari groaned.
"I didn't know having you as a tutor could be this tiring," Rukawa shot back as he pulled the pillow over his head and instantly dropped into a deep sleep.
"Oh boy…" Hikari moaned. "He's already sleeping."
She switched off the light.