MITSUI'S COUSIN
Chapter 1
Mitsui paced around the basketball court, his head facing the floor, talking to himself. He had been like this all day; his face was dead pale and he ignored everyone who tried to talk to him. He seemed to be worrying about something . but he never said anything about it. Then, one of the doors opened. Mitsui hadn't took notice of it and bumped into the door, sending him flying backwards.
"Oww ." Mitsui groaned, massaging his forehead.
He looked up to see who had come in.
"Akagi-sempai?"
Akagi's huge gorilla-like face looked down on the fallen Mitsui.
"Get up," he said.
Mitsui pulled himself up. The rest of the basketball team members strolled in to the gym.
"Ne, Micchy. What's wrong with you?" asked Ryota, sniggering at his swollen forehead.
"It's-it's nothing, really ." Mitsui replied.
Kogure put a hand on Mitsui's shoulder.
"Come on, we're teammates. You can tell us your problem and maybe we can all solve it for you," said Kogure, smiling. "I can't stand seeing one of my friends suffering."
Mitsui sighed.
"It's just that-that . uh ."
"Spit it out, lumpy head," said Sakuragi.
"My-my cousin's moving to Shohoku tomorrow," Mitsui finally said, heaving a long sigh.
"Nani?! You mean that your COUSIN is worrying you till you look half-dead?" said Ryota, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that your cousin is a human- eating monster, right?"
"You don't understand ." Mitsui shook his head. "She's a nightmare."
"SHE?" said Ryota. "How bad can -"
"Please don't interrupt him, Ryota-san," said Kogure.
"She's an ex-gangster -"
"Like you!" Sakuragi shouted. Ryota elbowed him in the chest.
"She loves to pick up fights -"
"Just like you!" Sakuragi shouted again. Ryota punched his stomach.
"She's totally insensible -"
"Like you!" Ryota shouted, pointing at Sakuragi. Sakuragi gave Ryota a major head-butt.
"She loves to call people dumb names -"
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi shouted, pointing and Ryota. The two of them started punching each other.
"- and she plays basketball."
"Basketball?" said Kogure. "That's good to hear."
Mitsui shook his head. "She's very selfish and plays as though she's the only one playing."
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi and Ryota shouted at Rukawa. Rukawa threw the basketball he was holding at them, missing Ryota by inches but it hit Sakuragi's face, squashing it like a pancake.
"Do'aho ." Rukawa muttered.
"She's in her first year and bullies the seniors," Mitsui added. "She always wins the fights and sometimes sends the big guys to the hospital."
"That's a bad cousin, all right ." said Ryota.
"Don't worry, Mitchan! I shall conquer her tiny self and squish her like a hatcape!" Sakuragi said, laughing insanely.
"It's PANCAKE, Sakuragi," said Kogure.
"Oy, what are you doing there?!" shouted Akagi. "Practise! We have a game against Ryonan in two days!"
"Ryonan?" said Mitsui. "The day after tomorrow?"
"You forgot about it?" said Ryota. "You're blur, aren't you?"
"Iya, iya . it's just that . I forget about everything whenever I think about my cousin ... all I think about is how badly tortured I'd get."
"Ryota! Mitsui! Didn't you hear what I said just now?!" Akagi roared. He pulled Ryota and Mitsui to the center of the court.
"Dribble!" he said.
Ryota and Mitsui picked up a basketball and dribbled it. They stared at each other, squinted their eyes and then burst out laughing all of a sudden. They shouldn't have - because Akagi got so mad at them that he gave them the famous 'Gorilla Head Punch' and made them run around the court ten times.
***
Mitsui woke up the next day, his head and legs still aching from yesterday's basketball practice. He brushed his teeth and had a light breakfast before he started his daily morning exercise. Then, he left for school as usual. Everything seemed different from yesterday. He was much more cheerful compared to what he was yesterday. Mitsui tried to remember what worried him so much yesterday - he might have forgotten it after his body started to ache during Akagi's life-threatening practice.
He walked to school and headed to the basketball court. Everything and everyone was as normal as you could get, until -
"TEME, BAKA!"
Mitsui heard someone shouting and punching another person - it must be a fight. He had the urge to go and check it out, as fights were normally entertaining. He turned round the corridor and saw not one, but three big guys moaning on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Then, he saw three girls standing at the same spot, two of them shaking violently at a corner and one of them grinning maliciously.
"Ikuzo. I don't want to pick a fight with the same people again," said the girl who was grinning.
They walked past Mitsui and into the crowd of students in the school compound. Suddenly, something struck Mitsui's mind. That girl . her red hair . the purple eyes . it was his cousin!
Chapter 1
Mitsui paced around the basketball court, his head facing the floor, talking to himself. He had been like this all day; his face was dead pale and he ignored everyone who tried to talk to him. He seemed to be worrying about something . but he never said anything about it. Then, one of the doors opened. Mitsui hadn't took notice of it and bumped into the door, sending him flying backwards.
"Oww ." Mitsui groaned, massaging his forehead.
He looked up to see who had come in.
"Akagi-sempai?"
Akagi's huge gorilla-like face looked down on the fallen Mitsui.
"Get up," he said.
Mitsui pulled himself up. The rest of the basketball team members strolled in to the gym.
"Ne, Micchy. What's wrong with you?" asked Ryota, sniggering at his swollen forehead.
"It's-it's nothing, really ." Mitsui replied.
Kogure put a hand on Mitsui's shoulder.
"Come on, we're teammates. You can tell us your problem and maybe we can all solve it for you," said Kogure, smiling. "I can't stand seeing one of my friends suffering."
Mitsui sighed.
"It's just that-that . uh ."
"Spit it out, lumpy head," said Sakuragi.
"My-my cousin's moving to Shohoku tomorrow," Mitsui finally said, heaving a long sigh.
"Nani?! You mean that your COUSIN is worrying you till you look half-dead?" said Ryota, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that your cousin is a human- eating monster, right?"
"You don't understand ." Mitsui shook his head. "She's a nightmare."
"SHE?" said Ryota. "How bad can -"
"Please don't interrupt him, Ryota-san," said Kogure.
"She's an ex-gangster -"
"Like you!" Sakuragi shouted. Ryota elbowed him in the chest.
"She loves to pick up fights -"
"Just like you!" Sakuragi shouted again. Ryota punched his stomach.
"She's totally insensible -"
"Like you!" Ryota shouted, pointing at Sakuragi. Sakuragi gave Ryota a major head-butt.
"She loves to call people dumb names -"
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi shouted, pointing and Ryota. The two of them started punching each other.
"- and she plays basketball."
"Basketball?" said Kogure. "That's good to hear."
Mitsui shook his head. "She's very selfish and plays as though she's the only one playing."
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi and Ryota shouted at Rukawa. Rukawa threw the basketball he was holding at them, missing Ryota by inches but it hit Sakuragi's face, squashing it like a pancake.
"Do'aho ." Rukawa muttered.
"She's in her first year and bullies the seniors," Mitsui added. "She always wins the fights and sometimes sends the big guys to the hospital."
"That's a bad cousin, all right ." said Ryota.
"Don't worry, Mitchan! I shall conquer her tiny self and squish her like a hatcape!" Sakuragi said, laughing insanely.
"It's PANCAKE, Sakuragi," said Kogure.
"Oy, what are you doing there?!" shouted Akagi. "Practise! We have a game against Ryonan in two days!"
"Ryonan?" said Mitsui. "The day after tomorrow?"
"You forgot about it?" said Ryota. "You're blur, aren't you?"
"Iya, iya . it's just that . I forget about everything whenever I think about my cousin ... all I think about is how badly tortured I'd get."
"Ryota! Mitsui! Didn't you hear what I said just now?!" Akagi roared. He pulled Ryota and Mitsui to the center of the court.
"Dribble!" he said.
Ryota and Mitsui picked up a basketball and dribbled it. They stared at each other, squinted their eyes and then burst out laughing all of a sudden. They shouldn't have - because Akagi got so mad at them that he gave them the famous 'Gorilla Head Punch' and made them run around the court ten times.
***
Mitsui woke up the next day, his head and legs still aching from yesterday's basketball practice. He brushed his teeth and had a light breakfast before he started his daily morning exercise. Then, he left for school as usual. Everything seemed different from yesterday. He was much more cheerful compared to what he was yesterday. Mitsui tried to remember what worried him so much yesterday - he might have forgotten it after his body started to ache during Akagi's life-threatening practice.
He walked to school and headed to the basketball court. Everything and everyone was as normal as you could get, until -
"TEME, BAKA!"
Mitsui heard someone shouting and punching another person - it must be a fight. He had the urge to go and check it out, as fights were normally entertaining. He turned round the corridor and saw not one, but three big guys moaning on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Then, he saw three girls standing at the same spot, two of them shaking violently at a corner and one of them grinning maliciously.
"Ikuzo. I don't want to pick a fight with the same people again," said the girl who was grinning.
They walked past Mitsui and into the crowd of students in the school compound. Suddenly, something struck Mitsui's mind. That girl . her red hair . the purple eyes . it was his cousin!
