"Oh no! It's already 4. I hope Taoka sensei won't mind." Aiko said as she
glanced at her watch. "Where is the gym anyway.maybe I should ask
somebody."
She saw a guy standing next to the vending machine and walked up to him.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where the school gym is? I'm new here and don't really know my way around here." Aiko asked the guy. She noticed that the guy had spiky hair and was holding a can of 'Lemon Juice' in his hand. "He reminds me of Mizuki."
"Sure! Anyway I'm going there too. Come on" the guy said as he threw the can into a trashcan nearby.
***************************
"Is everybody present?" asked Taoka sensei. Then only did he notice that their spiky-headed captain wasn't there. "Where's Sendoh? This is the third time he's late since he became the captain.when he gets here."
Suddenly the gym door opened and in walked Sendoh with Aiko behind him.
"Where have you been?!" Taoka sensei asked him angrily. "Oh Aiko, you're here!"
"I'm sorry I'm late Taoka sensei.anyway it's not his fault, I couldn't find the gym so." Aiko told Taoka sensei.
"It's all right. Everybody gather round, I have an announcement to make. Everybody, meet your new team manager.Aiko Kaiokii." Taoka sensei announced.
"Hey, isn't she the ace of the.." whispered one of them.
"Yeah.I didn't know she will look so kawaii." the other whispered back. Slowly every one of them started whispering. Aiko only stared awkwardly at them.
The guy that had showed her the way to the gym earlier came up and introduced himself, "Hi! Welcome, I'm Sendoh Akira, captain of the team. It's nice to meet you!" he said as he held out his hand, smiling widely.
"Nice to meet you too." Aiko replied as she shook his hand and smiled back at him. "He really has a nice smile."
"This is the vice-captain, Hiroaki Koshino, and this is Kiccho Fukuda." Sendoh kindly introduced every basketball member in the team. Aiko had a hard time memorizing all their names at once.
"It's nice to meet all of you, I think we should start training now.it's kinda late already." Aiko told the team.
"She's starting to sound like a team manager already." Koshino whispered to Hikoichi.
"Hmph!" HIkoichi answered. (He was jealous!^_^)
"Okay people, settle down.let's start training now!" Sendoh shouted.
*********************
Basketball practice had already ended.
"Okay people! Hit the showers!" Sendoh ordered his teammates who obediently obeyed.
"Wow, I should learn a thing or two from him." thought Aiko.
A few seniors stayed back to shoot a few hoops, including Sendoh himself. Aiko stayed back to finish her report on the players statistics. "Okay.who is this again?" Aiko asked herself.
Slowly, one by one, the seniors that had stayed back started to leave the gym. Finally, she was the only one left with Sendoh in the gym.
"Aren't you going home?" Sendoh asked Aiko.
"I'll be going as soon as I finish these reports.I'll close up the gym." she replied.
"You don't expect me to leave you here alone.I'll wait for you." Sendoh said.
"No, it's okay.really. I'll be alright by myself.you should go first.it's late."
"You sure?" Sendoh asked. " I'll be in the changing room.I have to go get some things."
"Okay. If there's anything I'll look for you."
"Sure." Sendoh replied as he walked out of the gym.
***********************
"Okay that's all.finally." Aiko said as she started to pack her things. She stared at the stage at the end of the gym and saw a few basketballs in the corner. She picked one up and started to dribble it. "Mizuki won't mind if I go home a bit later."
Meanwhile Sendoh was on his way out of the school. As he passed the gym, the lights in the gym were still on and he heard the sound of a basketball being bounced. "Who could that be?"
Sendoh opened the gym doors slowly and peeked inside. To his surprise he saw Aiko dribbling the ball, and making a perfect 2-point shot from the free-throw line.
Sendoh couldn't help but clap. Aiko immediately turned around and saw Sendoh standing at the door.
"That was a nice shot." he complimented as he walked over to her.
"Oh, that's nothing."
"Would you mind if I challenged you to a one on one game? I really would like to see how the ace of the Japan's National Girls Team plays." Sendoh asked politely.
"Sure!" Aiko answered.
"Since you're a girl I'll let you have the starting ball." Sendoh said as he passed the ball to Aiko. Aiko dribbled the ball steadily before she ran to the net. Sendoh guarded her closely but she managed to break away from the defense. Aiko did a jump shot that went in.
"Nice one, Aiko-chan!" Sendoh said while giving her a thumbs-up.
"I'm sure you can do better, come on.be serious." Aiko said to her opponent with a smile.
Sendoh took the ball and started to dribble it, Aiko stood in front of him in defense position. He stared at her as she stared back into his eyes with flaring red eyes full of seriousness. "Wow! I've never seen anybody with such beautiful eyes."
In a flash, Aiko just moved forward and stole the ball from him. "Huh? What the.so fast?!" Sendoh thought to himself. Aiko dribbled the ball steadily up to net and made a dunk even before Sendoh could stop her.
"It's 2-0, come on, Sendoh-sempai.play up!!!" Aiko said as she grinned at Sendoh.
The game continued with dunks and more dunks, the score was now tied 19-19. Sendoh had the advantage over Aiko.
"Come on.I'll just wrap up this game!" Sendoh said as he got ready to shoot.
"Not so fast." Aiko mumbled as she jumped and tapped the ball gently out of his hands. She dribbled out of the 3-point D and got in a position to shoot. Sendoh stepped in front of her, ready to stop her when she just moved back and made a fade away 3-pointer.
"Good game, you really are a good player. I'll be looking forward to our next match," Sendoh said with a wink.
"Thanks, I'll be looking forward to it too.It's so late! I better get going," Aiko said as she picked her bag from the floor.
"Hey, why don't I walk you home? It ain't safe for a kawaii girl like you to be walking around at this time," Sendoh offered as he smiled cheerfully at Aiko.
Aiko blushed at the spiky-headed captain's compliment. "I don't think it would be.Oh, what the heck.why not?" Aiko gladly accepted his offer.
********
After a looonnngg walk home.
"Wow! Do you really walk to school all the way from here?!" Sendoh asked as he stared amazingly at Aiko.
"Not exactly.actually I jog to school," Aiko told Sendoh.
"WHAT ?! JOG ?!"
"Yup, trains up my stamina.Umm.Sendoh-sempai, you weren't playing seriously just now, were you?" Aiko asked Sendoh curiously.
"Well.you can say that.you weren't playing seriously too, right?"
"Not really. I don't really play seriously until a critical moment.and my captain often strangles me because of that."
"Sounds like an old friend of mine.By the way, I've noticed you really have beautiful eyes.it makes you look so."
Aiko noticed that Sendoh was staring at her in a very strange way, she blushed and looked away from him.
"Err.It's getting really late, you better get home.Thanks for walking me home, Sendoh-sempai. Oyasuminasai(Good night) Ja ne!" Aiko changed the subject abruptly.
"Bye, Aiko-chan." Sendoh waved as he watched Aiko walk into a house with an amazing garden. " I wonder if Aiko planted all these?" Sendoh thought as he saw a lot different kinds of flowers in the garden, there was hardly any place for Aiko to walk!
Sendoh walked back home. When he was reaching for his keys, he noticed something furry gently rubbing his leg. He quickly looked down. "Hazel! What are you doing outside of the house ?!" Sendoh said as he picked the black cat up and carried her into the house.
"Hungry?" Sendoh asked while stroking the cat. The cat purred and meowed in reply.
"You've really grown big. I wonder what Mizuki will say when she sees you," Sendoh said as he poured some cat biscuits onto a bowl. The black cat stared at Sendoh with it's big hazel green eyes. "Mizuki.where are you?" Sendoh wondered.
**************
"AIKO!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!! I WAS ABOUT TO CALL THE POLICE!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED OR SOMETHING!" Mizuki yelled at her housemate, concerned about her safety.
Aiko had to cover her ears to prevent herself from getting deaf. "I'm really sorry for not calling.But could you stop yelling? You're really starting to sound like my mother." Aiko pleaded.
"Okay, I'll stop but you better have a good explanation for this.I waited half the night for you." Mizuki said as she folded her arms.
"Mizuki.it's only 8 o'clock.anyway, I was chosen to be Ryonan high school's basketball team's team manager.I had to stay back to do some paperwork.sorry I didn't call you. I was too busy filling out statistics for the coach."
Mizuki finally cooled down. "Oh.next time tell me. So what's for dinner? I'm starving!" Mizuki said as she heard her stomach growling.
"Oh! So that is what all this is about! You're waiting for me to cook for you! Why don't you cook for yourself once in a while?" Aiko asked as she playfully punched her friend's back.
"And risk blowing up the whole house?! I don't think so! Come on, Aiko- chan! I'm starving here! I can't wait to eat your cooking!" Mizuki asked impatiently while holding on to Aiko and pretending to be a person who had been stuck in the desert for days.
"You mean you can't wait to eat.Okay, okay .Just get off of me!" Aiko said as she shoved her friend off her. " You don't expect me to cook while you're on top of me, don't you?"
She saw a guy standing next to the vending machine and walked up to him.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where the school gym is? I'm new here and don't really know my way around here." Aiko asked the guy. She noticed that the guy had spiky hair and was holding a can of 'Lemon Juice' in his hand. "He reminds me of Mizuki."
"Sure! Anyway I'm going there too. Come on" the guy said as he threw the can into a trashcan nearby.
***************************
"Is everybody present?" asked Taoka sensei. Then only did he notice that their spiky-headed captain wasn't there. "Where's Sendoh? This is the third time he's late since he became the captain.when he gets here."
Suddenly the gym door opened and in walked Sendoh with Aiko behind him.
"Where have you been?!" Taoka sensei asked him angrily. "Oh Aiko, you're here!"
"I'm sorry I'm late Taoka sensei.anyway it's not his fault, I couldn't find the gym so." Aiko told Taoka sensei.
"It's all right. Everybody gather round, I have an announcement to make. Everybody, meet your new team manager.Aiko Kaiokii." Taoka sensei announced.
"Hey, isn't she the ace of the.." whispered one of them.
"Yeah.I didn't know she will look so kawaii." the other whispered back. Slowly every one of them started whispering. Aiko only stared awkwardly at them.
The guy that had showed her the way to the gym earlier came up and introduced himself, "Hi! Welcome, I'm Sendoh Akira, captain of the team. It's nice to meet you!" he said as he held out his hand, smiling widely.
"Nice to meet you too." Aiko replied as she shook his hand and smiled back at him. "He really has a nice smile."
"This is the vice-captain, Hiroaki Koshino, and this is Kiccho Fukuda." Sendoh kindly introduced every basketball member in the team. Aiko had a hard time memorizing all their names at once.
"It's nice to meet all of you, I think we should start training now.it's kinda late already." Aiko told the team.
"She's starting to sound like a team manager already." Koshino whispered to Hikoichi.
"Hmph!" HIkoichi answered. (He was jealous!^_^)
"Okay people, settle down.let's start training now!" Sendoh shouted.
*********************
Basketball practice had already ended.
"Okay people! Hit the showers!" Sendoh ordered his teammates who obediently obeyed.
"Wow, I should learn a thing or two from him." thought Aiko.
A few seniors stayed back to shoot a few hoops, including Sendoh himself. Aiko stayed back to finish her report on the players statistics. "Okay.who is this again?" Aiko asked herself.
Slowly, one by one, the seniors that had stayed back started to leave the gym. Finally, she was the only one left with Sendoh in the gym.
"Aren't you going home?" Sendoh asked Aiko.
"I'll be going as soon as I finish these reports.I'll close up the gym." she replied.
"You don't expect me to leave you here alone.I'll wait for you." Sendoh said.
"No, it's okay.really. I'll be alright by myself.you should go first.it's late."
"You sure?" Sendoh asked. " I'll be in the changing room.I have to go get some things."
"Okay. If there's anything I'll look for you."
"Sure." Sendoh replied as he walked out of the gym.
***********************
"Okay that's all.finally." Aiko said as she started to pack her things. She stared at the stage at the end of the gym and saw a few basketballs in the corner. She picked one up and started to dribble it. "Mizuki won't mind if I go home a bit later."
Meanwhile Sendoh was on his way out of the school. As he passed the gym, the lights in the gym were still on and he heard the sound of a basketball being bounced. "Who could that be?"
Sendoh opened the gym doors slowly and peeked inside. To his surprise he saw Aiko dribbling the ball, and making a perfect 2-point shot from the free-throw line.
Sendoh couldn't help but clap. Aiko immediately turned around and saw Sendoh standing at the door.
"That was a nice shot." he complimented as he walked over to her.
"Oh, that's nothing."
"Would you mind if I challenged you to a one on one game? I really would like to see how the ace of the Japan's National Girls Team plays." Sendoh asked politely.
"Sure!" Aiko answered.
"Since you're a girl I'll let you have the starting ball." Sendoh said as he passed the ball to Aiko. Aiko dribbled the ball steadily before she ran to the net. Sendoh guarded her closely but she managed to break away from the defense. Aiko did a jump shot that went in.
"Nice one, Aiko-chan!" Sendoh said while giving her a thumbs-up.
"I'm sure you can do better, come on.be serious." Aiko said to her opponent with a smile.
Sendoh took the ball and started to dribble it, Aiko stood in front of him in defense position. He stared at her as she stared back into his eyes with flaring red eyes full of seriousness. "Wow! I've never seen anybody with such beautiful eyes."
In a flash, Aiko just moved forward and stole the ball from him. "Huh? What the.so fast?!" Sendoh thought to himself. Aiko dribbled the ball steadily up to net and made a dunk even before Sendoh could stop her.
"It's 2-0, come on, Sendoh-sempai.play up!!!" Aiko said as she grinned at Sendoh.
The game continued with dunks and more dunks, the score was now tied 19-19. Sendoh had the advantage over Aiko.
"Come on.I'll just wrap up this game!" Sendoh said as he got ready to shoot.
"Not so fast." Aiko mumbled as she jumped and tapped the ball gently out of his hands. She dribbled out of the 3-point D and got in a position to shoot. Sendoh stepped in front of her, ready to stop her when she just moved back and made a fade away 3-pointer.
"Good game, you really are a good player. I'll be looking forward to our next match," Sendoh said with a wink.
"Thanks, I'll be looking forward to it too.It's so late! I better get going," Aiko said as she picked her bag from the floor.
"Hey, why don't I walk you home? It ain't safe for a kawaii girl like you to be walking around at this time," Sendoh offered as he smiled cheerfully at Aiko.
Aiko blushed at the spiky-headed captain's compliment. "I don't think it would be.Oh, what the heck.why not?" Aiko gladly accepted his offer.
********
After a looonnngg walk home.
"Wow! Do you really walk to school all the way from here?!" Sendoh asked as he stared amazingly at Aiko.
"Not exactly.actually I jog to school," Aiko told Sendoh.
"WHAT ?! JOG ?!"
"Yup, trains up my stamina.Umm.Sendoh-sempai, you weren't playing seriously just now, were you?" Aiko asked Sendoh curiously.
"Well.you can say that.you weren't playing seriously too, right?"
"Not really. I don't really play seriously until a critical moment.and my captain often strangles me because of that."
"Sounds like an old friend of mine.By the way, I've noticed you really have beautiful eyes.it makes you look so."
Aiko noticed that Sendoh was staring at her in a very strange way, she blushed and looked away from him.
"Err.It's getting really late, you better get home.Thanks for walking me home, Sendoh-sempai. Oyasuminasai(Good night) Ja ne!" Aiko changed the subject abruptly.
"Bye, Aiko-chan." Sendoh waved as he watched Aiko walk into a house with an amazing garden. " I wonder if Aiko planted all these?" Sendoh thought as he saw a lot different kinds of flowers in the garden, there was hardly any place for Aiko to walk!
Sendoh walked back home. When he was reaching for his keys, he noticed something furry gently rubbing his leg. He quickly looked down. "Hazel! What are you doing outside of the house ?!" Sendoh said as he picked the black cat up and carried her into the house.
"Hungry?" Sendoh asked while stroking the cat. The cat purred and meowed in reply.
"You've really grown big. I wonder what Mizuki will say when she sees you," Sendoh said as he poured some cat biscuits onto a bowl. The black cat stared at Sendoh with it's big hazel green eyes. "Mizuki.where are you?" Sendoh wondered.
**************
"AIKO!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!! I WAS ABOUT TO CALL THE POLICE!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED OR SOMETHING!" Mizuki yelled at her housemate, concerned about her safety.
Aiko had to cover her ears to prevent herself from getting deaf. "I'm really sorry for not calling.But could you stop yelling? You're really starting to sound like my mother." Aiko pleaded.
"Okay, I'll stop but you better have a good explanation for this.I waited half the night for you." Mizuki said as she folded her arms.
"Mizuki.it's only 8 o'clock.anyway, I was chosen to be Ryonan high school's basketball team's team manager.I had to stay back to do some paperwork.sorry I didn't call you. I was too busy filling out statistics for the coach."
Mizuki finally cooled down. "Oh.next time tell me. So what's for dinner? I'm starving!" Mizuki said as she heard her stomach growling.
"Oh! So that is what all this is about! You're waiting for me to cook for you! Why don't you cook for yourself once in a while?" Aiko asked as she playfully punched her friend's back.
"And risk blowing up the whole house?! I don't think so! Come on, Aiko- chan! I'm starving here! I can't wait to eat your cooking!" Mizuki asked impatiently while holding on to Aiko and pretending to be a person who had been stuck in the desert for days.
"You mean you can't wait to eat.Okay, okay .Just get off of me!" Aiko said as she shoved her friend off her. " You don't expect me to cook while you're on top of me, don't you?"