" You should be the manager!" He said this with a huge smile and bright eyes. He was clearly excited.
"No" She crushed his eagerness with her bluntness.
"Wh-What? Why not?"
"I just don't want to do it." She paused for a second, looking out the window a sad look on her face, "I don't like basketball."
Kiyoshi frowned and leaned further onto her desk, "Liar." It was lunch time so they had plenty of time to talk and he would get her to be their manager.
She glared at him for a second before looking away again, "I'm not lying. I really don't like basketball."
She heard a sigh, "then look me in the face and tell me that you hate basketball Naomi."
She looked him straight in the eye, "I do not like basketball. Now leave me alone Kiyoshi-san." When she saw his face fall she sighed, "Why do you want me to be the manager?"
"I just wanted someone to watch over them and tell me how they're doing. I thought that Naomi would be the best since she already knows basketball, but if you don't want to then that's fine.
I'll just bother Hyuga or Riko and have them update me as well as play or coach the team."
She visibly deflated, she had planned on completely rejecting him but now that just seemed impossible with the kicked puppy act he was giving her. "Ugh, fine I'll do it, but you owe me taiyaki Kiyoshi-san. A whole school of them."
His face lit up immediately and he ruffled her hair, "Thanks Naomi! I'm sure you'll like it! And if not you'll like the team!"
She couldn't help but smile at his excitement she shook her head slightly before changing the subject, "How's your therapy going?"
Kiyoshi leaned back a bit, popping a piece of candy into his mouth, "Pretty good, I should be ready to play around Interhigh and if not then, then during the training camp in the summer."
Naomi leaned her head against her left hand, her right hand drawing mindless patterns in her notebook, "I would wait until the summer training camp."
"Oh? Why is that?"
She continued to draw patterns not looking at him, "Well, if you go back during the Interhigh tournament there's a much higher chance of you re-injuring your knee. But if you wait until the summer you would, in a way, slowly re-integrate yourself in the game and thus reduce the chance of hurting yourself again." When she finished she finally looked up her eyes seeking approval.
He looked thoughtful for a second before a grin broke out on his face, "alright, I can wait a bit longer." She smiled back at him, "Oh you should meet the team today! The first tryout is today so you should go check them out and introduce yourself I'll text Riko and Hyuga so they know you're coming."
Naomi looks lost for a second before she realizes what's going on, "Oh, right sure I'll go I guess." She begins to pout clearly not happy about being convinced to manage the basketball team.
Kiyoshi just laughs at her, "C'mon Naomi! You'll like it I promise! You'll meet the vets and all of the new players and..."
Naomi continues to listen as Kiyoshi drabbles on about how much fun she will have. She listens to his voice as it draws her in, it's kind and puts all of her worries to ease. There's no fighting, she's completely drawn in and there's no going back.
She smiles and nods along. "I'm sure I'll enjoy being the manager Kiyoshi-san."