The crowd was a little more subdued at the beginning of the next quarter since it seemed no Wildcat would play. They expected a slower paced, less exciting game.

Haruko watched anxiously for the players returning to the court. There he was, that boy, still smiling, she noted. Just the same. He really looks… he really looks like he loves to play.

He did not bother to appeal to the crowd in the way that Myagi had. He did not address them, nor wave his arms or seek their acknowledgement. He seemed to know that they were not there for him.

Come on, Haruko found herself rooting for him as he stepped up to the centre. She gripped the brochure tightly in her hands and felt her heartbeat thick in her mouth.

Show them how you play.

She flushed a little as she stared.

Well.

He's... rather handsome.

Most of the crowd was quietened, disinterested, fiddling with phones or chatting among themselves. The sound of shoes squeaking against the polished court could be heard – something that previously had not been audible above the cheers.

Nevertheless, that boy stepped up to the centre and jumped high at the whistle as the game restarted, long legs and limbs all askew as his hand rose two feet over his opponent, and slammed the ball off to the side with a round, loud, thump of his palm. The ball rocketed into the hands of a newly fielded player who looked down at it for a moment in confusion.

But the boy was already running up the court to attack. His expression was bright in his eagerness. He ran with steady speed, his eyes looking for the ball even before the opposing team could gather their wits to react.

His teammate threw it across the court.

The stands were silent as the ball came to nestle safely in the boy's grip.

He set it free, letting it fall to the ground with a loud twang of rubber hitting wood. The sound filled the hall. Thump, thump, thump, he ran like he was flying, eager, excited. The defenders finally scrambled to block him, but it was much too late.

He leapt, and Haruko's heart felt like it leapt with him.

He slammed the ball into the net with a boom that seemed to rattle the windows.

Everyone – everyone – noticed that.

Haruko was on her feet. "Ah!" she could not hold back her gasp, pointing at him with one trembling finger. "He- he- he-!"

I knew it! I knew that he could play!

She was not the only one to exclaim aloud. The noise rose. At first uncertain, as if people could not understand what they had just seen. But slowly more and more people began to clap, until the lonely squeak of shoes was once again drowned out by the crowd.

The boy did not look up.

It did not seem to occur to him that the cheering was for him.

What followed was the most lively and memorable couple of quarters anyone could remember. With the Wildcat gone, suddenly it was unassuming law student who stood under a spotlight and in full view of everybody.

And not only was he strikingly handsome, he was good.

The unfortunate humanities team, who had been hoping to win back some of their lost points in the remaining quarters, were sorely disappointed. In fact, the points difference only accelerated as the boy got firmly into his groove. His enthusiasm did not dissipate. If anything, his happiness at the chance to play seemed to balloon, catching up the crowd in his momentum. It did not take long before everyone in the room was hollering for the underdog.

He did not have flashy moves. He played with simple steps. But his skill was well out of the ordinary. And his joy written so plainly on his face was infectious.

But who is he?

Rumours had already begun to circulate. People rummaging through the pages of their brochure, looking up the team lists.

"He's a second year."

"Law-?"

"Did you see him last year?"

"No."

"This guy-"

"So handsome!"

"Where did he come from?"

"What's his name?"

"Sendoh Akira."

"Who?"

"Sendoh."

"Sendoh Akira."

Everybody loved to watch him play. There was something that was simple and pure in his steps. His enthusiasm and bounding energy. His love of the game. The ball that he pursued with single-minded determination.

Two quarters passed before anyone even knew it. The stamping feet. The cheering and the excitement. A crazy euphoria in which Haruko shouted herself hoarse. She could not remember the last time she had enjoyed a game so much.

And the boy noticed none of it at all, all of his focus and all of his pleasure seeming to come from the ball in his hands and the feel of the wind against his face as he ran.

However, a pair of sharp blue eyes watched him silently from the bench, growing brighter and brighter with every pass, every dash, every point scored. Leaning forward slightly. Waiting.

It was not until the fourth quarter that the Wildcat who was playing for the humanities team stepped up to the edge of the court, silent and fierce. There seemed to be a fire in him. Hot and cold in equal measures.

His eyes lifted to the scoreboard to see that forty-five points separated the two teams.

Forty-five points.

He had twelve minutes to make up the deficit.

Despite the mountainous nature of the challenge it was not impossible. And all that stood in his way was this…. dog

There was a hunger in him. It had been a while since Rukawa Kaede's eyes had shone so bright. Since he had felt this… anticipation.

Haruko looked up from her phone when the crowd went suddenly silent. She looked around, bewildered, finally focusing on what had caught their attention.

"Oh-!" she breathed in astonishment.

The freshman ace stood by the courtside, dressed in the humanities colours. He did not do anything in particular, merely approaching the line, watching, not a flicker of emotion in him. But he drew every eye at once. His eyes and his expression were sharp and cold. He stood dangerous, poised, and ready.

"The freshman is on our team!?" Ayako turned to Haruko. "Did you know?"

Haruko shook her head mutely, her jaw hanging slightly agape, and her pupils forming into small hearts. She leaned forwards in her seat excitedly.

And yet, when she glanced towards the law faculty team, a strange feeling of discomfort entered her chest.

That Sendoh Akira, she thought to herself, had become a tiny hero. Everyone had been rooting for him, carrying him on the tides of their excitement, inspired by his play. But now their favourite plucky underdog was going to put to the test.

I... want them both to win.

The dog who plays with sincerity.

And this cat, who seems so dangerous and strong.

Haruko tilted her head, and didn't know who to support.

Sendoh Akira was in the middle of taking a long swig of water when he suddenly spotted the freshman ace standing there. He leapt out of his seat at once, spilling water all over his teammate.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"It's- it's him!" Sendoh said in amazement, ignoring the complaint. The rest of the team turned their heads to see, and one by one, looked aghast.

"Oh my god. And just when we were doing so well."

"Just our luck."

"Of course they had to have that guy."

Sendoh turned back to them excitedly. "You know him? Have you seen him play?"

They stared up at him blankly. They all looked tired to the point of collapse. Only Sendoh was still bounding around somehow.

"Well, no," someone admitted. "But they say he's really good."

At that moment, their Wildcat ally Myagi returned with arms full of glucose drinks for the team. He too saw the freshman on the other team, and he hesitated for a moment, his smile slipping slightly.

Sendoh was beside him in a moment. "Hey. He's your teammate, right? What's he like?"

"Uh – that guy? Myagi winced slightly. "He's… a bit intense."

"Yeah? But he plays well, right?" Sendoh insisted.

Myagi frowned. "I guess. He plays small forward, but he's dangerous both inside and out. Don't let him get into his stride because he can rack up points really fast."

"Is he..." Sendoh hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Is he… nice?"

Myagi blinked at him. "Nice?"

"Yeah, you know..." Sendoh circled his hands in his attempt to articulate. "To his friends."

Myagi looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Friends?" he echoed. "Rukawa Kaede doesn't have any friends."

"Oh-" Sendoh frowned, not having expected this answer. "But- he seems so-" he trailed off into silence. Then he thought of something else, and perked right back up again. "But he does really... love to play basketball. Right?"

"I- I guess-" said the bewildered Wildcat.

Sendoh smiled. "I would really like," he said with conviction, "to be his friend."

The buzzer sounded, and it was time to return to the court.

-tbc

ANs: Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Caro, Moonlily, and Ari! To answer the question, there's no specific update schedule; I'm really busy so I am just working on this whenever I can. Thanks for your patience as always! T.T

Well I changed the title back again. Actually I can't decide on a good one T.T any suggestions will be very welcome! Right now it is the most ironically titled fic I've ever written XD maybe I'll keep it cos it's dumb and I find it pretty funny ;)