Chapter 3 – "Fishy" Day
It had been a week since Kasumi and I met Rukawa. I thought I was over the whole incident. But it turns out I was wrong. I found myself watching more basketball games on TV than going outside to hang out. "It seems to me that you have basketball fever." Aunt Reiko said. "Do you think?" I replied. She nodded.
"The high schools will soon be competing with each other to go the Inter High competition," she explained. "Inter High?" I asked. "The Inter High is on a national level. There will only be two teams that will represent Kanagawa. One of which will most likely be Kainan." Aunt Reiko further explained. "Why do you say that?" I inquired, now captivated by the subject.
"Well, Kainan has been the number one team here in Kanagawa for 16 years in a row. I don't think they plan on breaking that winning streak. But the question now is 'who will be number 2?'." Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kasumi butted-in. "Ryonan, of course."
After much debating with Kasumi, I soon gave up. "Ha! I've beaten you! How dare you think that any other team could ever beat Ryonan!" she exclaimed while pointing at me. I sighed and said, "But you're the one that said that Shohoku had a shot at going to the finals…" Kasumi crossed her arms. "I did say that. But that doesn't mean that they're going to the Inter High, now does it?" I shrugged and sighed.
I decided to take a walk since it was sunny outside. "Do you want to come with me Kasumi?" I offered. She declined my offer. She said she had better things to do. "Besides, it looks like you could use some time to yourself." Kasumi added.
I walked along the seashore. It was very calm and the view was magnificent. I walked for a couple more minutes and was about to turn around and leave when I saw a familiar figure in the distance. "Could it be…?" I asked myself. I walked up to the figure and to my surprise, found out that I was right! It was Sendoh Akira!
He was sitting down on the port fishing. I approached him slowly so as not to disturb him. He turned around to look at me. He placed his index finger over his mouth and winked. "The fish are probably sleeping," he whispered. "We wouldn't want to wake them." I smiled at his charm. He motioned me to sit beside him. Just as I sat down, he handed me the fishing rod. "Here, you have a try."
I took the rod with both hands. I'd never fished before so I was very nervous. As if reading my mind, Sendoh smiled and said, "Just take in a deep breath." I nodded and took in a deep breath. I started to feel better afterwards. But just as I started to feel at ease, something started to pull on the fishing rod!
I screamed. Sendoh fell back. I screamed again. "Why are you screaming?" he asked. "I think I've caught something!" I yelled. He smiled at my simplicity. "Hold on." He wrapped his arms around me to keep me from falling into the water and told me step-by-step how to reel the fish in. After struggling for a couple of minutes I had the fish.
I held up the fish triumphantly. "Looks good." Sendoh said cheerfully. I laughed. "Wow, this must be a foot long! I can't believe I caught it." Sendoh smiled. "I mean; I can't believe we caught it." I corrected myself. Sendoh shook his head. "No, I think you deserve most of the credit. I've been waiting for quite a while but none of the fish seem to come to me."
"I guess you're not their type." I said. He smiled as he gave me a pat on the back. He fixed all his stuff and put it in his backpack. "What did you say your name was?" he asked. "Koyama Sekami. But you can just call me Sekami." He looked at his watch and said, "Well Sekami, it's still early, how 'bout we go grab some lunch?" Sendoh offered. I shrugged. "Sure."
Sendoh and I arrived at a small café. We sat at a table outside. "I love this place," I said. "The coffee tastes great here so I come here a lot." Sendoh looked at the menu. "Since you seem to be more of a coffee- person than I am, I'll trust you to order for me." He said as put the menu down. "I'm flattered. Do you have a sweet tooth?" I asked. Sendoh thought for a while then nodded.
"What will you two be having?" the waiter asked. "We'll have a cappuccino and a mocha please." I said. "And two plates of spaghetti please." Sendoh added. I smiled. "Don't tell me you're going to eat two plates of spaghetti by yourself." Sendoh waved his hand dismissively. "Of course not. The other one's for you." I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. "So, what are a mocha and a cappuccino?"
"Well, a mocha is a mixture of coffee and chocolate. A tablespoon of chocolate syrup and a dab of unsweetened whipped cream to be exact." I explained. "While a cappuccino is a drink made by adding foaming hot milk to an espresso." He looked at me thoughtfully as the waiter served our coffee and cakes. "What about an espresso?" he asked. "An espresso is a very strong black coffee made of coffee beans roasted black and brewed under steam pressure. Usually made by machine."
"Impressive, it looks like you really know your coffee." Sendoh said. We took a sip of our coffees and sighed. "Delicious." Sendoh said dreamily. I nodded. "Isn't it? I knew you'd like it. By the way, that was an impressive game you had last week." Sendoh looked at me. "Thank you." I turned a bit red when he said that. "I'm merely stating the truth. There's no need for thanks." I said. "What do you think about Rukawa?" he asked inquisitively. "He was amazing!" I said. "He was so graceful, so magnificent. When he had the ball it was like poetry-in-motion." I said half daydreaming.
"Do you like him?" he asked. "What? Oh, I think he's great but that's all." I said as I came back to reality. I was starting to turn red again. "Is that so…? It sounds like you like him." Sendoh teased as took a bite of his cake. "You sound so absentminded when you talk about him. I think I'm jealous." I laughed and gave him a soft nudge. "Stopping teasing me! You're making me blush." I said as I put my hands over my cheeks. He laughed with me.
It was about 2 o'clock when we decided to leave. I was just about to take my wallet out when Sendoh stopped me and said, "Allow me." He paid for our bill without hesitation. I felt quite embarrassed. "Thank you." I said as we left. "I was merely fulfilling my duty as a gentleman. There's no need for thanks." Sendoh said with a smile. "Well, I was merely fulfilling my duty as a lady by thanking you." I replied coolly. "Ooh, great come- back." We laughed.
"So, where do you live?" Sendoh asked. "Not very far. Only a few more blocks from here." We had been talking to keep things lively. I found it easy to talk to him since he was very charming. There was no wonder Kasumi liked him so much. "I'll walk you home. That is, if it's ok with you." I nodded. "That would be great."
We finally reached my house. "Well, there it is." I said pointing at the house. "It's very charming." Sendoh complimented. "But not as charming as you." I said teasingly. "Now who's flattering who?" Sendoh said lightheartedly. I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks for everything. I had fun today. Maybe we could do it again some time." I said. Sendoh gave me a pat on the head. "Sure. Why not?" he said as he winked. "See you at school on Monday." He waved and left.
I entered the living room to see Kasumi lying on the couch staring at the ceiling. "What are you doing looking at the ceiling? I thought you had better things to do." I said as I sat down on the armchair. "I do. Staring at the ceiling is one of them. So, how did your day go?" she asked. "Not bad," I said with a smile. "Not bad at all."
"I guess some time alone really helped you get in tune with your inner-self. You look so happy." Kasumi observed. I shook my head. "I wasn't alone for very long. I wasn't alone at all." Kasumi sat up. "Really? Why?" I shook my finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Can't tell you. You might try to kill me." Kasumi crossed her arms. "Why would I try to kill you?"
"I'm gonna kill you!!!" yelled Kasumi as she chased me around the living room. "I told you you'd try." I told her about my day with Sendoh and the next thing I knew she was trying to kill me. "Why didn't you take me with you?!" she screamed. "You told me you didn't want to go!" I yelled back. Just as Satoshi came down the stairs, I hid behind his back. "Protect me Satoshi, Kasumi's gone berserk." Satoshi nodded. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." He made a really good impression of a basketball player defending the basket.
"Why are you siding with her?! I'm your sister!" Kasumi exclaimed. "She's the only one who's considerate enough to buy me something when shopping. Unlike some people I know." Satoshi explained. Kasumi pouted. "Aw come on Kasumi, you know I didn't mean that!" said Satoshi as he gave his sister a hug. I said and gave Kasumi a pat on the head. "See, today wasn't so bad was it?"
It had been a week since Kasumi and I met Rukawa. I thought I was over the whole incident. But it turns out I was wrong. I found myself watching more basketball games on TV than going outside to hang out. "It seems to me that you have basketball fever." Aunt Reiko said. "Do you think?" I replied. She nodded.
"The high schools will soon be competing with each other to go the Inter High competition," she explained. "Inter High?" I asked. "The Inter High is on a national level. There will only be two teams that will represent Kanagawa. One of which will most likely be Kainan." Aunt Reiko further explained. "Why do you say that?" I inquired, now captivated by the subject.
"Well, Kainan has been the number one team here in Kanagawa for 16 years in a row. I don't think they plan on breaking that winning streak. But the question now is 'who will be number 2?'." Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kasumi butted-in. "Ryonan, of course."
After much debating with Kasumi, I soon gave up. "Ha! I've beaten you! How dare you think that any other team could ever beat Ryonan!" she exclaimed while pointing at me. I sighed and said, "But you're the one that said that Shohoku had a shot at going to the finals…" Kasumi crossed her arms. "I did say that. But that doesn't mean that they're going to the Inter High, now does it?" I shrugged and sighed.
I decided to take a walk since it was sunny outside. "Do you want to come with me Kasumi?" I offered. She declined my offer. She said she had better things to do. "Besides, it looks like you could use some time to yourself." Kasumi added.
I walked along the seashore. It was very calm and the view was magnificent. I walked for a couple more minutes and was about to turn around and leave when I saw a familiar figure in the distance. "Could it be…?" I asked myself. I walked up to the figure and to my surprise, found out that I was right! It was Sendoh Akira!
He was sitting down on the port fishing. I approached him slowly so as not to disturb him. He turned around to look at me. He placed his index finger over his mouth and winked. "The fish are probably sleeping," he whispered. "We wouldn't want to wake them." I smiled at his charm. He motioned me to sit beside him. Just as I sat down, he handed me the fishing rod. "Here, you have a try."
I took the rod with both hands. I'd never fished before so I was very nervous. As if reading my mind, Sendoh smiled and said, "Just take in a deep breath." I nodded and took in a deep breath. I started to feel better afterwards. But just as I started to feel at ease, something started to pull on the fishing rod!
I screamed. Sendoh fell back. I screamed again. "Why are you screaming?" he asked. "I think I've caught something!" I yelled. He smiled at my simplicity. "Hold on." He wrapped his arms around me to keep me from falling into the water and told me step-by-step how to reel the fish in. After struggling for a couple of minutes I had the fish.
I held up the fish triumphantly. "Looks good." Sendoh said cheerfully. I laughed. "Wow, this must be a foot long! I can't believe I caught it." Sendoh smiled. "I mean; I can't believe we caught it." I corrected myself. Sendoh shook his head. "No, I think you deserve most of the credit. I've been waiting for quite a while but none of the fish seem to come to me."
"I guess you're not their type." I said. He smiled as he gave me a pat on the back. He fixed all his stuff and put it in his backpack. "What did you say your name was?" he asked. "Koyama Sekami. But you can just call me Sekami." He looked at his watch and said, "Well Sekami, it's still early, how 'bout we go grab some lunch?" Sendoh offered. I shrugged. "Sure."
Sendoh and I arrived at a small café. We sat at a table outside. "I love this place," I said. "The coffee tastes great here so I come here a lot." Sendoh looked at the menu. "Since you seem to be more of a coffee- person than I am, I'll trust you to order for me." He said as put the menu down. "I'm flattered. Do you have a sweet tooth?" I asked. Sendoh thought for a while then nodded.
"What will you two be having?" the waiter asked. "We'll have a cappuccino and a mocha please." I said. "And two plates of spaghetti please." Sendoh added. I smiled. "Don't tell me you're going to eat two plates of spaghetti by yourself." Sendoh waved his hand dismissively. "Of course not. The other one's for you." I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. "So, what are a mocha and a cappuccino?"
"Well, a mocha is a mixture of coffee and chocolate. A tablespoon of chocolate syrup and a dab of unsweetened whipped cream to be exact." I explained. "While a cappuccino is a drink made by adding foaming hot milk to an espresso." He looked at me thoughtfully as the waiter served our coffee and cakes. "What about an espresso?" he asked. "An espresso is a very strong black coffee made of coffee beans roasted black and brewed under steam pressure. Usually made by machine."
"Impressive, it looks like you really know your coffee." Sendoh said. We took a sip of our coffees and sighed. "Delicious." Sendoh said dreamily. I nodded. "Isn't it? I knew you'd like it. By the way, that was an impressive game you had last week." Sendoh looked at me. "Thank you." I turned a bit red when he said that. "I'm merely stating the truth. There's no need for thanks." I said. "What do you think about Rukawa?" he asked inquisitively. "He was amazing!" I said. "He was so graceful, so magnificent. When he had the ball it was like poetry-in-motion." I said half daydreaming.
"Do you like him?" he asked. "What? Oh, I think he's great but that's all." I said as I came back to reality. I was starting to turn red again. "Is that so…? It sounds like you like him." Sendoh teased as took a bite of his cake. "You sound so absentminded when you talk about him. I think I'm jealous." I laughed and gave him a soft nudge. "Stopping teasing me! You're making me blush." I said as I put my hands over my cheeks. He laughed with me.
It was about 2 o'clock when we decided to leave. I was just about to take my wallet out when Sendoh stopped me and said, "Allow me." He paid for our bill without hesitation. I felt quite embarrassed. "Thank you." I said as we left. "I was merely fulfilling my duty as a gentleman. There's no need for thanks." Sendoh said with a smile. "Well, I was merely fulfilling my duty as a lady by thanking you." I replied coolly. "Ooh, great come- back." We laughed.
"So, where do you live?" Sendoh asked. "Not very far. Only a few more blocks from here." We had been talking to keep things lively. I found it easy to talk to him since he was very charming. There was no wonder Kasumi liked him so much. "I'll walk you home. That is, if it's ok with you." I nodded. "That would be great."
We finally reached my house. "Well, there it is." I said pointing at the house. "It's very charming." Sendoh complimented. "But not as charming as you." I said teasingly. "Now who's flattering who?" Sendoh said lightheartedly. I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks for everything. I had fun today. Maybe we could do it again some time." I said. Sendoh gave me a pat on the head. "Sure. Why not?" he said as he winked. "See you at school on Monday." He waved and left.
I entered the living room to see Kasumi lying on the couch staring at the ceiling. "What are you doing looking at the ceiling? I thought you had better things to do." I said as I sat down on the armchair. "I do. Staring at the ceiling is one of them. So, how did your day go?" she asked. "Not bad," I said with a smile. "Not bad at all."
"I guess some time alone really helped you get in tune with your inner-self. You look so happy." Kasumi observed. I shook my head. "I wasn't alone for very long. I wasn't alone at all." Kasumi sat up. "Really? Why?" I shook my finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Can't tell you. You might try to kill me." Kasumi crossed her arms. "Why would I try to kill you?"
"I'm gonna kill you!!!" yelled Kasumi as she chased me around the living room. "I told you you'd try." I told her about my day with Sendoh and the next thing I knew she was trying to kill me. "Why didn't you take me with you?!" she screamed. "You told me you didn't want to go!" I yelled back. Just as Satoshi came down the stairs, I hid behind his back. "Protect me Satoshi, Kasumi's gone berserk." Satoshi nodded. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." He made a really good impression of a basketball player defending the basket.
"Why are you siding with her?! I'm your sister!" Kasumi exclaimed. "She's the only one who's considerate enough to buy me something when shopping. Unlike some people I know." Satoshi explained. Kasumi pouted. "Aw come on Kasumi, you know I didn't mean that!" said Satoshi as he gave his sister a hug. I said and gave Kasumi a pat on the head. "See, today wasn't so bad was it?"