Chapter 2
Sendoh stifled a yawn as he listened to the monotonic droning of the teacher standing at the front of the class. Out of the corner of his eye, he sneaked a peek at Shiroyuki, who was sitting at the table on his right.
Maa, at least I get to look at him. God, he's too beautiful for his own good.
When Shiroyuki glanced at him, he gave him a big smile.
-
Shiroyuki returned Sendoh's smile with a small one of his own, albeit a little forcefully.
One look at the smile on his face, and you don't have to be a psychic to know what he's thinking about.
He turned his attention back to the teacher, clasping his hands together and cracking the knuckles a little.
I feel like beating the crap out of someone. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to do so anytime soon.
Just then, the teacher turned around to write something on the board.
Oh no… don't turn your back on us sensei! If you do-
A few pieces of neatly folded paper suddenly landed on his table, and Shiroyuki resisted the urge to groan out loud.
Here we go again…
After making sure that the teacher wasn't looking, he picked up one of the papers and unfolded it. The note read:
Dear Shiroyuki-kun,
I brought you a bento from home. It's not much, but I hope that you will like it. I'll give it to you during the lunch break, so please wait for me.
Yours sincerely, Momo-chan.
Shiroyuki picked up another note. This one read:
Dear Shiroyuki-kun,
I know you like sushi, so I've brought you some today. I made them myself, and I hope that you will like it. I'll give it to you during lunch break, so please wait for me.
Yours sincerely, Hanako-chan.
The rest of the notes contained more or less the same message, and by the time he had finished reading all of them, he had calculated at least 8 different kinds of food waiting to be eaten during lunch break.
Akira is going to be so happy, Shiroyuki thought wryly.
And rightly so. From the moment he first stepped foot in the school, Shiroyuki had been dubbed as the next best thing to arrive in Ryonan after Sendoh Akira. Exactly one day later, Sendoh was disregarded completely and tossed aside as the thing of the past.
Sendoh didn't mind. Not one bit. At least, not when he kept getting free food for lunch courtesy of his long-lost-and-then-found cousin. Everyday, during lunch break, bentos will be stacked on Shiroyuki's table, and Sendoh would help himself to the variety of food available.
Shiroyuki was only too happy to let him, as he couldn't possibly have finished everything by himself. More than once, he had to give out the bentos to his classmates so that the food wouldn't go to waste. Still, there were times when he had to throw some away. He could only pray that Kami-sama wouldn't punish him for all the wastage.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
The bell for lunch break rang, and the teacher gathered his things before exiting the room. The students stood up to greet him, and then, half of them, mostly girls, walked to the back of the class, each of them with a nicely-wrapped bento in their hands.
"Hey, Yuki-kun, don't forget to leave some for me," Sendoh jokingly said. This time, instead of a smile, he earned himself a glare from Shiroyuki.
"It's not funny, Akira," said Shiroyuki, as he braced himself for the onslaught of girls and bentos to reach him.
Sendoh laughed. "Don't worry, Yuki-kun. You can always count on me to help you finish all the food."
The scowl on Shiroyuki's face grew deeper, but he quickly put on a neutral expression on his face when the first girl reached his table.
Say cheese, Shiroyuki.
-
After school…
"I'm off to practice now. You want to come and watch?" asked Sendoh, as he stuffed everything into his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Yeah. I'll be watching from the audience stand," Shiroyuki replied.
"That's fine with me. Although I must say that it would be nice if you'd join the team. We can always practise together on the weekends, whenever there's no practice," said Sendoh, looking at Shiroyuki hopefully.
"I don't think so, Akira. I mean, for one thing, I don't like playing basketball. For another…" Shiroyuki trailed off.
"For another?" Sendoh prompted.
Shiroyuki shook his head. "Nothing. I just don't have any interest in the sport, that's all." Like Sendoh, he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Are we going to the gym or not?"
"Ah, hai." A little disappointed that his persuasion didn't work, Sendoh lead the way to the gym, while Shiroyuki followed him from behind.
Suddenly, Sendoh turned around and faced Shiroyuki again.
"If you won't join the team as a player, then how about as a manager?" he asked excitedly.
Shiroyuki raised her eyebrows. "Manager? Of what?"
"Of the team, silly. If you become the manager, then you can follow us everywhere. Practice games, tournaments, vacations… It'll be fun. What do you think?"
Shiroyuki considered his words carefully, deep in thought.
"So?" Sendoh prompted Shiroyuki out of his thoughts.
"You make it sound so easy. What about Taoka-sensei? What about that cute little short guy Hikoichi?" Shiroyuki pointed out the problems.
Sendoh blinked at the question. "What about Hikoichi?"
"Isn't he the manager of the team? I mean, I keep seeing him with that trusty notebook of his. Not to mention he's always shouting "Unbelievable!" whenever he sees what he deems as one of your spectacular performances on the court."
"Hikoichi's not the manager. He's a member, a player of the team. It's just that he likes to jot down things, mainly about basketball, into his notebook, that's all," said Sendoh, waving his hand dismissively.
"Ok. But then you still need to persuade Taoka-sensei. I don't think he'll think it's a good idea."
"Daijoubu. Leave everything to me. You just have to tell me whether or not you'll take the position."
Shiroyuki looked at Sendoh, who looked back at him, his eyes all shiny and hopeful. Curving his own lips into a smile, Shiroyuki nodded his head and said, "I'm in."
"Yosh! Let's go then," Sendoh said enthusiastically. Not wanting to waste precious time, he practically dragged Shiroyuki all the way to the gym, while the latter shouted at him to stop, to no avail.
-
"What!"
"Think about it, sensei," said Sendoh in his best I-Have-An-Idea-So-Good-You-Are-Going-To-Agree-With-Me voice. "With a manager around, you won't have to worry about a lot of things anymore. Yuki-kun will handle all the management of the team, from the bookings of the train tickets to the-"
"Wait just a second, Sendoh-san! What about me?" Aida Hikoichi interrupted, much to Sendoh's annoyance.
"Hikoichi, you're a member of the team. Not the manager. You participate in the practices. A manager doesn't."
"B-But…"
"No buts, Hikoichi. Now run along and practise with the others, will you? I need to convince Taoka-sensei here," said Sendoh. He practically pushed the poor boy onto the court, before going back to the waiting and tapping-his-foot-impatiently coach.
"Taoka-sensei," he began, but was cut off by Taoka-sensei.
"Sendoh, this is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard in all my years of coaching. Our team does not need a manager. It didn't have a manager before this, it doesn't need one now, and it won't need one in the future. That is all, Sendoh. Now go back to practice."
"Please sensei. I'm asking you, no, I'm begging you to reconsider. Yuki-kun will most definitely do his best for the team. I can assure you, he'll be the best manager you'll ever see in the history of basketball," Sendoh pleaded.
When that didn't work, Sendoh decided to go for the kill. "I'll do anything, sensei. Yuki-kun will do anything."
Shiroyuki, who had been standing aside and watching in silence, raised an eyebrow at this.
Taoka-sensei cast a look at Shiroyuki, while Shiroyuki looked back at him nonchalantly. Then, Taoka-sensei looked at Sendoh, who was looking at him with the most imploring look he could muster.
"Alright. This boy here can become the manager of the team…"
"Yes! Thank you sensei!" Sendoh whooped in joy.
"If he can put in 3 consecutive three-pointers."
Sendoh stopped jumping around. "Eh?"
"I said, he can become the manager if he can put in 3 consecutive three-pointers," Taoka-sensei repeated, a smirk on his face.
"But sensei, Yuki-kun doesn't know how to play basketball," Sendoh protested.
"Which is why I don't think he's a suitable candidate to become a basketball team manager. A manager should know the basics of the game to be a good manager," said Taoka-sensei. The smirk on his face grew wider. Taoka Moichi, you're a genius!
"But-"
Any further arguments on Sendoh's part were broken off when he heard the sound of a ball being dribbled from the centre of the court. He turned to see Yuki standing just before the three-pointer line, dribbling a basketball with her right hand.
"Yuki-kun?"
Shiroyuki appeared not to have heard Sendoh calling him, but even if he did, he didn't show any signs indicating otherwise. He just continued dribbling the ball, catching the attention of every other people in the gym.
Then, without a slightest hint of hesitation, he brought the ball up in front of him, jumped and shot. Everyone watched as the ball flew through the air in a graceful arc, before landing in the basket with a swish.
Taoka-sensei's jaw fell open, as did the rest of the people in the gym. Sendoh managed to keep his intact, but he opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.
Meanwhile, Shiroyuki retrieved the ball and returned to the same spot. Like before, he dribbled the ball a few times before jumping up and making his shot. And like before, the ball went into the basket without so much as touching the rim.
Taoka-sensei's jaw couldn't have dropped any lower than it already was.
Once again, Shiroyuki retrieved the ball, and as he got ready for the last shot, Sendoh recovered from his shock and cheered at the top of his lungs. "Yeah, Yuki-kun! Go for it!"
Coupled with Sendoh's cheers, it was impossible for the third and last shot not to make it to the basket and fall through the hoop. The corner of Shiroyuki's mouth lifted a little to reveal a tiny smile.
Eat this, Taoka!
Gradually, the silence that had filled the gym when Shiroyuki began to take his shots was replaced with quiet whisperings among the people present. Hikoichi began his "Unbelievable!" tirade, while Taoka-sensei still hadn't picked up his jaw from the ground.
"Well sensei, I guess this means that Yuki-kun is now officially the manager of the Ryonan basketball team, ne?" said Sendoh.
He didn't get an answer from the still-shocked Taoka-sensei, but he didn't need to. Looking at Shiroyuki, he gave him a thumbs-up, which the other boy responded with a smile and a wink.
Oh Kami-sama! He just winked at me! And that smile… he's just too gorgeous for his own good.
Instantly, the smile on Shiroyuki's face disappeared, and he slapped a hand on his forehead. For goodness sake, is that all that he can think of!
Sendoh was too busy swooning to notice anything.
Tbc...
