Part 2
"I'm glad you approached. I've been waiting for Mitsui all along." Coach Anzai said.
"Waiting? Why?" I asked.
"Oh, you'll just find out later. I'll move that boy to tears, you'll see." The old man laughed heartily.
"Sounds impossible," Haruko said.
"Oh, but it's true." Coach laughed. "Just watch."
"Okay," Ami just said.
I started to pray.
We already arrived at the gym. Many teachers were knocking like crazy on the door.
"What's wrong?" Coach Anzai asked.
"Sir, there seems like a fight going on inside. We've heard hard hitting everywhere. And shouting too," a teacher said.
"Mitchan IS back," Coach Anzai knocked at the door. Nobody opened. Coach Anzai knocked still. "Open the door. Open the door. It' me, Coach Anzai."
After a while, Kogure opened the door. "We're sorry," Kogure said.
"What happened?" Ami asked Kogure.
"Long story." Kogure said. "So many things happened between those fateful forty minutes. Akagi came. Sakuragi was hit. All of us were hit. So many things,"
We looked at what was happening. Almost everybody was hit. Sakuragi, Rukawa, Ryota and some others were bloody. Mitsui and some friends of his were bloody too. Sakuragi's friend, Yohei was there along with the other friends of his, too.
Coach Anzai walked into the gym.
Mitsui stared at Coach Anzai. His lips were trembling.
"Is that you, Mitsui?" Coach asked.
"C-c-coach." Mitsui sttuttered. "Yes, it's me.."
Tears started to form in Mitsui's eyes.
Everybody was surprised.
I felt sorry for Mitsui.
"I know you're a good boy." Coach smiled.
Mitsui started to fall on his knees. "I'm sorry. Coach."
My heart started to melt. Poor guy, I thought.
I gasped at the words he said next.
".I want. to. play again.," he said. "I wanna play again. I wanna play basketball again. Please let me," he said in between tears.
"You're very welcome to enter the team again. You know that, Mitchan," Coach Anzai smiled.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven."
Mitsui smiled. He looked at me. It was hair-raising but he just smiled at me.
"Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all."
+++
That same afternoon, I decide to go to the mall to buy some school materials.
"What could that Mitsui be doing right now?" I asked myself.
I passed by a barbershop. Unknowingly, a very tall guy bumped me.
"Watch where you're going," I snapped.
Then I looked into his eyes. Looks familiar.
"I'm sorry."
Could he be.?
He smiled. He had complete teeth.
But his teeth are incomplete. oh well.
I just smiled too. He resembled somebody, though I'm not quite sure whom.
And by the way.
.HE'S CUTER THAN RUKAWA. :)
After he left, I looked at him a little while longer. Then I just shrugged my shoulders. "Oh well," I said.
+++
Me, Haruko, Ami and the two other friends of Haruko watched the practice again. Haruko and me were pissed off because we weren't able to watch Rukawa play yesterday because of the big fight that happened.
"Good shot, Rukawa!" Kogure cheered.
We cheered. "Kaede's so good," I thought.
Then, Miyagi passed the ball effortlessly. He smiled proudly.
"Great pass, Miyagi! You haven't changed a bit at all." Akagi praised Miyagi. They did a high five.
"Of course," Miyagi said. "I have unwavering bball skills."
"Ryota, you're great," Ayako said. She gave a thumbs-up to Miyagi.
Miyagi blushed profusely. Then he tried to keep his cool. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Ayako too. Ayako cringed and threw a face towel on Miyagi's face.
Then, the gym door opened.
Everybody turned to see whom it was.
Everybody gasped. Kogure smiled.
Us girls looked, too. We were all shocked.
"Waaaaiiiii!!!! Is he that freaky mad gangster who tried to kill us all!!" Sakuragi cried. Rukawa nodded.
Akagi looked at him. "At last, he's back."
Miyagi grinned. "He already got tired of envying me. He's changed his life now."
"So it IS him," I said.
It was none other than Mitsui. He flashed a smile. "I'm back,"
"That's the spirit, Mitsui." Kogure said.
"The MVP is back and now ready to make waves among everybody." Mitsui said.
Haruko looked at me. "You saw him?"
"I did." I said. "And I think he's cuter than Rukawa, too."
"Then that means Rukawa is all mine?" Haruko asked me.
"Nah. He's still mine." I laughed.
"All right!! They're back! There's new hope for the team!" Kogure said.
"You're right, Kogure." Akagi said.
As they resumed practice, they passed the ball to Mitsui. Everybody wanted to see how he still fares: If he's still the great MVP of Takeishi or he has already deteriorated.
Hanamichi made a run for the ball too. Mitsui laughed.
"Don't dare an MVP," he warned Hanamichi.
Hanamichi chortled. "Yeah right!"
But Mitsui WAS right. He jumped to do a long shot.
Everybody gasped.
"His specialty: The long shot," Akagi said. "Just like in our freshman year,"
And the ball went in. "Yes!" Mitsui cried with glee. "I can still shoot!"
"All right, Mitsui!" Haruko cheered.
"Go, go, go, Micchy!" Hanamichi's friends cheered.
"Hey Micchy, that shot was unfair!" Sakuragi cried.
"No, it isn't. It just means I'm still good." Mitsui said with a satisfied grin.
I stared at him. Unbelievable.
Then suddenly, Mitsui smiled at me. He gave me a thumbs-up sign.
I looked elsewhere. He was only looking at me. I also smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign too.
"Oooh, I think I'm beginning to notice some chemistry between a girl next to me and the Mister Comebacker Number Two on the court!" Ami nudged me. "Wooohhh!" they all teased me.
Mitsui looked at them and laughed. They other players grinned too, except for Rukawa of course. He just looked at me. It was like his cold blue eyes stabbed my eyes.
"I think Micchy likes somebody." Kogure said.
"Ah, I'll just stick to my Aya-chan!!!" Miyagi looked at Ayako. He also gave a thumbs-up sign to Ayako while acting all loved-up. But Ayako stuck her tongue out at him. Miyagi sighed. "Oh well,"
"I'll stick to Haruko!" Sakuragi whispered to Miyagi. They did a high five.
"What did you say?" Akagi asked.
"Oh nothing!" Sakuragi laughed. "Gori has such strong senses!"
"What?" Gori asked again.
"Nothing!!!" Sakuragi cried again. He turned to Rukawa.
"What's the problem, stupid fox?"
"Nothing, moron." He said as looked at Sakuragi. Then he walked away.
"What's wrong with this guy?" Sakuragi asked Ryota. Then he just shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind,"
+++
"I'm glad you approached. I've been waiting for Mitsui all along." Coach Anzai said.
"Waiting? Why?" I asked.
"Oh, you'll just find out later. I'll move that boy to tears, you'll see." The old man laughed heartily.
"Sounds impossible," Haruko said.
"Oh, but it's true." Coach laughed. "Just watch."
"Okay," Ami just said.
I started to pray.
We already arrived at the gym. Many teachers were knocking like crazy on the door.
"What's wrong?" Coach Anzai asked.
"Sir, there seems like a fight going on inside. We've heard hard hitting everywhere. And shouting too," a teacher said.
"Mitchan IS back," Coach Anzai knocked at the door. Nobody opened. Coach Anzai knocked still. "Open the door. Open the door. It' me, Coach Anzai."
After a while, Kogure opened the door. "We're sorry," Kogure said.
"What happened?" Ami asked Kogure.
"Long story." Kogure said. "So many things happened between those fateful forty minutes. Akagi came. Sakuragi was hit. All of us were hit. So many things,"
We looked at what was happening. Almost everybody was hit. Sakuragi, Rukawa, Ryota and some others were bloody. Mitsui and some friends of his were bloody too. Sakuragi's friend, Yohei was there along with the other friends of his, too.
Coach Anzai walked into the gym.
Mitsui stared at Coach Anzai. His lips were trembling.
"Is that you, Mitsui?" Coach asked.
"C-c-coach." Mitsui sttuttered. "Yes, it's me.."
Tears started to form in Mitsui's eyes.
Everybody was surprised.
I felt sorry for Mitsui.
"I know you're a good boy." Coach smiled.
Mitsui started to fall on his knees. "I'm sorry. Coach."
My heart started to melt. Poor guy, I thought.
I gasped at the words he said next.
".I want. to. play again.," he said. "I wanna play again. I wanna play basketball again. Please let me," he said in between tears.
"You're very welcome to enter the team again. You know that, Mitchan," Coach Anzai smiled.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven."
Mitsui smiled. He looked at me. It was hair-raising but he just smiled at me.
"Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all."
+++
That same afternoon, I decide to go to the mall to buy some school materials.
"What could that Mitsui be doing right now?" I asked myself.
I passed by a barbershop. Unknowingly, a very tall guy bumped me.
"Watch where you're going," I snapped.
Then I looked into his eyes. Looks familiar.
"I'm sorry."
Could he be.?
He smiled. He had complete teeth.
But his teeth are incomplete. oh well.
I just smiled too. He resembled somebody, though I'm not quite sure whom.
And by the way.
.HE'S CUTER THAN RUKAWA. :)
After he left, I looked at him a little while longer. Then I just shrugged my shoulders. "Oh well," I said.
+++
Me, Haruko, Ami and the two other friends of Haruko watched the practice again. Haruko and me were pissed off because we weren't able to watch Rukawa play yesterday because of the big fight that happened.
"Good shot, Rukawa!" Kogure cheered.
We cheered. "Kaede's so good," I thought.
Then, Miyagi passed the ball effortlessly. He smiled proudly.
"Great pass, Miyagi! You haven't changed a bit at all." Akagi praised Miyagi. They did a high five.
"Of course," Miyagi said. "I have unwavering bball skills."
"Ryota, you're great," Ayako said. She gave a thumbs-up to Miyagi.
Miyagi blushed profusely. Then he tried to keep his cool. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Ayako too. Ayako cringed and threw a face towel on Miyagi's face.
Then, the gym door opened.
Everybody turned to see whom it was.
Everybody gasped. Kogure smiled.
Us girls looked, too. We were all shocked.
"Waaaaiiiii!!!! Is he that freaky mad gangster who tried to kill us all!!" Sakuragi cried. Rukawa nodded.
Akagi looked at him. "At last, he's back."
Miyagi grinned. "He already got tired of envying me. He's changed his life now."
"So it IS him," I said.
It was none other than Mitsui. He flashed a smile. "I'm back,"
"That's the spirit, Mitsui." Kogure said.
"The MVP is back and now ready to make waves among everybody." Mitsui said.
Haruko looked at me. "You saw him?"
"I did." I said. "And I think he's cuter than Rukawa, too."
"Then that means Rukawa is all mine?" Haruko asked me.
"Nah. He's still mine." I laughed.
"All right!! They're back! There's new hope for the team!" Kogure said.
"You're right, Kogure." Akagi said.
As they resumed practice, they passed the ball to Mitsui. Everybody wanted to see how he still fares: If he's still the great MVP of Takeishi or he has already deteriorated.
Hanamichi made a run for the ball too. Mitsui laughed.
"Don't dare an MVP," he warned Hanamichi.
Hanamichi chortled. "Yeah right!"
But Mitsui WAS right. He jumped to do a long shot.
Everybody gasped.
"His specialty: The long shot," Akagi said. "Just like in our freshman year,"
And the ball went in. "Yes!" Mitsui cried with glee. "I can still shoot!"
"All right, Mitsui!" Haruko cheered.
"Go, go, go, Micchy!" Hanamichi's friends cheered.
"Hey Micchy, that shot was unfair!" Sakuragi cried.
"No, it isn't. It just means I'm still good." Mitsui said with a satisfied grin.
I stared at him. Unbelievable.
Then suddenly, Mitsui smiled at me. He gave me a thumbs-up sign.
I looked elsewhere. He was only looking at me. I also smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign too.
"Oooh, I think I'm beginning to notice some chemistry between a girl next to me and the Mister Comebacker Number Two on the court!" Ami nudged me. "Wooohhh!" they all teased me.
Mitsui looked at them and laughed. They other players grinned too, except for Rukawa of course. He just looked at me. It was like his cold blue eyes stabbed my eyes.
"I think Micchy likes somebody." Kogure said.
"Ah, I'll just stick to my Aya-chan!!!" Miyagi looked at Ayako. He also gave a thumbs-up sign to Ayako while acting all loved-up. But Ayako stuck her tongue out at him. Miyagi sighed. "Oh well,"
"I'll stick to Haruko!" Sakuragi whispered to Miyagi. They did a high five.
"What did you say?" Akagi asked.
"Oh nothing!" Sakuragi laughed. "Gori has such strong senses!"
"What?" Gori asked again.
"Nothing!!!" Sakuragi cried again. He turned to Rukawa.
"What's the problem, stupid fox?"
"Nothing, moron." He said as looked at Sakuragi. Then he walked away.
"What's wrong with this guy?" Sakuragi asked Ryota. Then he just shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind,"
+++