The first day of the competition was for aquatics. The swimming team competed alongside other students in events such as racing, diving, and water polo.

On the second day, the terrestrial activities were held, including basketball.

Haruko squeezed into the crowded stands. It was one of the first games of the day and the place was packed even though it was one of the largest sports halls in the Sports Science Faculty building.

She managed to find a seat between two freshmen guys who seemed more than happy to let her sit between them. She looked out over the court.

I really hope I get to see the new ace play, she thought to herself. I wonder if he's as good as they say.

"Who are you supporting?" the boy on her right asked, leaning in, hoping to engage her in conversation.

"Oh - humanities!" she answered him. "It's my home faculty."

From her other side, the second boy interjected. "Do you like basketball? Do you want me to explain the rules?"

Haruko turned her head and looked at him. "No, thank you. I know how to play. Actually, I was on my middle school team."

"Middle school?" He chuckled warmly. "That's cute. But it's not the same as a university game. But don't worry, I'll help you. I'm a big fan."

Haruko furrowed her brows and did not bother to respond. She looked instead at the teams congregating on the court below.

Her eyes went first to the Wildcat who was playing with the law faculty. He was a handsome boy, with a smug grin and a natural spring in his step as if he never really needed to touch the ground. He looked incredibly fast. His jersey was in the colours of the law team – blue and white. Beside him, conversing, stood two very tall players in the same colours. Overall, Haruko considered, the law team looked rather competent.

"Hey!" a familiar voice sounded, and she turned to see Ayako fighting her way towards her. "Look!" The junior professor muscled her way in next to Haruko, carelessly knocking the boy on the right away. He tipped sideways off the bench with an undignified squeak. "Are they fielding their Wildcat in the first quarter?"

"Must be," Haruko acknowledged, still watching the court. "He's already warmed up." She eyed the professor beside her. "By the way, are you… following me?"

"What? Hahaha." The professor gave an exaggerated pfft of air. "No."

Haruko stared at her suspiciously.

"Oh! Look!" Ayako quickly directed her attention to the court below, to the players gathering there. "That's Myagi Ryota! He's one of the best university-level point guards in the country! This is so exciting! What about the Wildcat on our team? Will we field at the same time?"

"Um-" Haruko considered. In order to make the competition fairer, the rules stated that an athletics major could only play for one of the four quarters of the match. It was thus a matter of strategy whether teams would field their trump cards at the same time, or separately.

"Actually," Haruko said, "I still haven't seen our Wildcat player."

"What?" The lecturer's face fell. "Oh, no. What if he's sick? What if we have to play without one?"

Haruko looked at her askance. "You're really into this whole thing."

The older woman clenched her fist and gazed at the ceiling. "It's for the glory of the faculty," she declared. "And… some boys were offering 5-to-1 odds so…" she shrugged.

"Unbelievable. Are you really an adult?"

Ayako opened her mouth to reply, but they did not have the chance to discuss further because the game was ready to begin. All eyes were on the point guard - Myagi - who stood on the court, waving at the crowd and soaking in the applause. The rest of the team took their places nearby. Most of them looked a little nervous, except for one tall player, who was smiling.

Then, when play finally began with a loud buzz of the klaxon and the short sharp trill of the referee's whistle, Haruko's eyes became fixed solely upon the Wildcat.

She watched the way he played. Moving with stealthy grace, his feet light on the floor despite the remarkable speed of his movements. She could not look away. Only rarely did he bring in points himself. Playing point guard he made good use of his teammates, passing the ball out, or over, or sideways to someone who had the chance to put the ball through the net.

The score rapidly pulled away from the humanities team who were playing without any Wildcat to help.

Haruko leaned forwards in her seat, captivated by the game. Although she had meant to support her faculty, she could not seem to tear her eyes away from the agile and clever little point guard who dominated the centre of the court. She felt her heart sing with every smart pass, stop, dribble and spin. He was beautiful to watch. His elegant form swayed mesmerisingly with his shifting balance. He handled the ball with such finesse she felt her nose tingle. He made it look so easy. So effortless.

She could not resist getting caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd. She clapped and gasped and cheered for him, her voice drowned out by the thunder all around her. Eager to see his plays. Watching his motions with excited attention.

"He's wonderful-" she said excitedly, barely able to keep her feet still as she stood and bounced in place in excitement. Ayako nodded in agreement, her face a little flushed as she watched.

Then, the ball went outwards with a clever snap of the point guard's hands, and landed in the hands of the tall and ever-smiling law player. He rose up and shot an easy three. The ball passing through the net without a tap on the ring.

The cheering continued. Ayako's eyes followed Myagi as he moved back in anticipation of the retaliation. But Haruko's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Did… did that guy just shoot a clean three?" she asked, doubting her own eyes. She hadn't paid much attention to him before this moment. But the woman beside her only shrugged and shook her head as if she hadn't noticed at all.

Maybe it was a fluke? Nobody really expected the other team members to do very well. They were not sporting majors, after all. Law, in particular, was one of the most competitive faculties academically, and the students had a reputation for being pretty nerdy.

The ball went back to Myagi, but this time, Haruko focused on the other boy instead. The smile remained on his face. He seemed a little vacant, his lips parted in concentration, pressing his tongue between his teeth in a slightly goofy expression. He did not look like a sportsman. He did not look like a lawyer. He was handsome, and tall, but he didn't look much like he knew what he was doing at all.

But when the ball came his way once more, Haruko finally saw the way he played. His fingers drummed over the rough surface of the ball with easy familiarity. The energy in his body seemed boundless as he moved with large, exaggerated motions, passing quickly through the defenders and this time completing a simple layup with textbook poise.

"Hey-" she leaned back to the side and whispered to Ayako. "Hey. Do you see that law student?"

"Huh?" Ayako gave her an aspirated sideways glance. "No. I'm watching Myagi."

"But... he's really good," Haruko insisted.

But Ayako only shrugged, disinterested, as if to say, can't be -that- good.

Haruko turned back to the game. Her eyes kept drifting naturally back to Myagi. He was easy to watch. Magnetic in his play style. And yet she made an effort to concentrate on the other boy whenever he held the ball, which was surprisingly often. His game was different. He did not move in the same way as Myagi. He had a different sort of energy. A casual enthusiasm. Something frank and joyful in his motions.

He's the dog! The realisation suddenly struck her. He was the boy she had seen accidentally collide with the freshman ace just the other day. That's the same guy, for sure!

The buzzer rang for the end of the first quarter. The spectators were still cheering with abandon, waving to the Wildcat excitedly, amazed by the score. 31-08 in favour of the law faculty. It had been an absolute massacre so far.

The humanities team trailed dejectedly off the court to rest.

"Look at the score!" Ayako was gushing excitedly. "Oh, my god! That point guard is so good! A 23 point difference already! That's crazy! Crazy!"

"Yeah-" Haruko agreed, still a little puzzled.

Myagi was waving back to the crowd, giving a bow and thanking them for their support. His quarter was over, and he would not be able to continue to play. The 23-point lead was the gift he had given to his assigned team. Behind him, the other law players were also returning to their bench to rest.

Haruko waited to see if he would acknowledge the other talented player in the team - that dog-like boy with the eternal smile. The one who had made the majority of points by his own hand. But Myagi did not.

Well, I guess that means it was Myagi who was responsible for the team's success, she figured. The rest of the team were only playing this well because the Wildcat was facilitating them. Right?

She glanced around at the crowd even as she clapped along with them. No one else thinks otherwise. So maybe I'm... wrong about the dog?

However, she was mistaken about that. Another pair of eyes had indeed taken notice of the dog.

-tbc

ANs: I decided to change the title. Sorry if it confused you! Thanks to Caro and AddictedtoSD for your kind reviews :D