"Every morning…"
"There's this one person…"
"I'm always dying to see."
"And that person is…"
"Woah!"
Off raw instinct, the teen raised his right arm, blocking the basketball that was threatened to collide with his head.
"Are you alright?!"
Coal eyes met hazel as the source of the flying object crossed the gym before stopping before the boy.
"I'm fine."
The junior high student rubbed his forearm, a slight bit of irritation stirring in his skin.
"I'm so sorry. I was practicing my elbow passes."
The brunette raised her lithe fingers, calmly caressing the slightly red skin on her junior's forearm.
"That must've stung. It's turning a little red."
What little red stained his forearm was nothing compared to the crimson that cocooned his face, bringing with it an embarrassed heat.
"I'm fine really, I mean it!"
"But…"
The brunette gave a pout, her lightly glossed lips curling down as she seemed to think for a bit.
"Oh! I've got just the thing."
"?"
Digging through her shorts, the older of the two produced a moderately sized candy bar, its red packaging popping out against her lightly tanned skin.
"Here. Have this."
Her junior grabbed the candy bar, bringing it closer to his face to inspect it.
"She pulled a candy bar from her pocket?"
Scooping the basketball from the floor, the brunette offered her junior a light smile.
"Think you can forgive me?"
All said Junior could do was respond with a slow nod, his blush seeming to further tenfold.
"Of course I forgive you!"
"I attend Eimei Junior & Senior High School…"
"It's a combined high school with a powerhouse sports program."
"After the season ended for my junior high Kyokushin team, I've been inviting myself over to practice with the high school team."
"There's open practice in the mornings and I try to show up earlier than everyone else, but…"
"The first one to arrive is always…"
"Chinatsu Senpai from the girls' basketball team."
"In the still-chilly gymnasium…"
"She practices her shots over and over."
"That's how Chinatsu Senpai is…"
"And I love her for it."
"Aw man, I'd sure love to marry her."
"Not gonna happen."
The blonde pushed his glasses upward a bit before throwing another right straight, the punch cutting through the air.
"Dude, that's harsh!"
"How would you just suddenly get married to her?"
Taiki shrugged his shoulders before throwing a right-leg front kick, a sharp exhale following it.
"I dunno, but seeing her first thing in the morning every day? It'd be paradise!"
Kyo shook his head before taking a step forward and raising his right arm in a high block.
"Back up a little bit, there's no way you could even date her. Chinatsu Senpai's the basketball team's future MVP. She's not only got the skills, but a good personality too. She's incredibly popular both on and off the court; I even think she was featured in some magazines."
Turning to his friend, Kyo looked the boy up and down, skepticism in his eyes.
"You, on the other hand, may be all right at Karate, but you're not even a little bit popular. They just let you practice at the high school."
Raising his right leg, Kyo pivoted, snapping the limb out in a crisp roundhouse.
"Face it, you're on the bottom of the totem pole."
Dropping the kick, the blonde rested a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"To put it another way…Chinatsu Senpai's the seeded team, and you're who gets eliminated in the preliminaries. That's how different the levels are between you two."
"Really?"
"Really. Besides, you two don't have much in common except for practicing freakishly early."
The raven raised his arms, using them to form an X over his torso.
"Nuh uh, we do have something else in common."
"And that is?"
Taiki offered the blonde a small smirk, bringing his right hand up to support his chin.
"I'll have you know my mom's an alum of Eimei's basketball team!"
Kyo could only roll his eyes.
"Private schools have a lot of legacy students."
"I get what you're saying, Kyo. But still, you've gotta rise to the challenge. Because you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take."
The boy then eagerly slammed his right fist into his left palm, a wide grin stamped on his face.
"Besides, going up against a powerhouse is fun in its own right."
The blonde couldn't help but smile, a portion of his friend's passion leaking into himself.
"Then at the very least…focus on advancing to the quarter-finals. Like, get her to know your name or get her number."
"Good point."
A bite of silence filled the space as Taiki fiddled with the gi pants around his legs, rolling them up slightly.
"SUPRISE ATTACK!"
The fist never got the chance to connect as its target ducked, allowing it to pass harmlessly over his head.
Taiki then turned about-face before throwing a right uppercut toward his attacker's chin, stopping just short of contact.
"Awe man…are you always on guard?"
"No, you just suck at surprise attacks."
The pink-haired girl stuck her tongue out in disagreement before changing the subject.
"Anywho, watcha talkin' about?"
Retracting his fist, the raven-haired teen turned away from his classmate, a twinge of pink on his cheeks.
"It's nothing…but just for reference, what sorta things do girls like guys to do for them?"
Realization clicked instantly for the gymnast, causing her to bring her hands up to her face in excitement.
"No way! Don't tell me you've got love problems!"
Reaching outward, Hina gave a few reassuring pats to the boy's back, an open smile on her face.
"If so, just leave everything to me!"
A long, drawn-out moment of silence filled the air before Taiki turned toward his blonde friend.
"Is coach coming today?"
"I should've never asked Hina. Her taste is way too particular."
As he approached the gymnasium, Taiki stopped dead in his tracks, the object of his affection catching his sight.
"The gym must be locked…nows my chance! I gotta talk to her!"
Walking up to the gym door, the Karateka stood beside his crush, face tinted red despite the chill.
"…"
"Maybe I'll just keep quiet."
Turning his head to the side, Taiki clutched the grip trainer in his fist, the device squealing in response.
"Achoo!"
Coal eyes widened before turning toward the upperclassmen sitting on the steps, watching as she rubbed her irritated nose.
Crouching beside the girl, Taiki stripped his scarf off his neck, presenting it to the brunette.
"Um, excuse me! You can borrow this if you'd like!"
"Huh?"
As quickly as he presented the scarf, the raven reached behind his back, grabbing his back before opening it and producing a thermos.
"I also have warm tea!"
Digging through it further, the boy then produced a couple of small white squares.
"And hand warmers as well!"
Instead of offering a response, Chinatsu just stared at the Karateka, a blank look on her face.
"Crap! I charged in blindly!"
Clearing his throat slightly, Taiki shifted his eyes to the pavement, avoiding eye contact with his senior.
"Wha-What is it?"
"I was just wondering…what you were going to pull out next."
"Wha?"
"I'm just joking!"
She punctuated her sentence with a giggle before reaching out and grabbing the thermos, bringing the bottle to her lips.
"This is really good!"
"T-Thank you..."
Setting the tea down, Chinatsu grabbed hold of the scarf offered to her, raising it up before delicately wrapping her junior.
"You're shivering a little. You need it more than I do."
Finishing her action, the brunette grabbed the thermos, handing it back to its rightful owner.
"Try not to catch a cold…Taiki Inomata."
Shock kissed his features as the aforementioned teen stared at his senior, his mouth slightly agape.
"How do you know my name?"
Grabbing her bag, Chinatsu stood, ready to head into the gymnasium.
"Hm. Good question."
Pointing downward, the brunette drew attention to the teen's scarf; specifically, the tag attached to it.
"You have a good mom."
"OSU!"
Whipping his right hip forward, Taiki raised the corresponding leg, snapping the limb out in a clean arc.
The high round made unimpeded contact with his opponent's head, knocking the teen down to the mat.
"1…2…3! Point - Taiki Inomata! Match - Taiki Inomata!"
The teen offered a bow to his downed opponent before sliding off his helmet, dropping it to the wayside while patiently awaiting instruction.
Before long his opponent rose to his feet, mimicking the bow before removing his head guard as well.
"That's enough for now. Take a break."
The raven nodded his head before stepping to the edge of the mat, facing the flag, and bowing before stepping off of the grounds.
"I need some air after wearing that stuffy helmet."
Coal eyes firmly affixed to the exit of the gym, Taiki took strong strides toward it, eager to breathe in fresh, sweat-free air.
Until a familiar face caught his eye.
"Chinatsu Senpai… she's with the girl's basketball coach."
"Watcha lookin' at?"
The elbow heading toward the pinkettes face halted dead in its tracks as its owner recognized the voice.
"Hina!"
Tossing an eye back to his senior crush, Taiki raised a defensive hand, waving away any forming allegations.
"I wasn't looking at anything!"
The gymnast rolled her eyes before following where his sights once settled, landing on a particular brunette.
Turning back to her friend, Hina raised her right hand, resting it atop the boy's shoulder.
"Don't aim too high now."
"Like you're one to talk!"
Shrugging his compression shirt-clad shoulder— the upper half of his gi loosely around his waist—, Taiki turned back toward his senior, eyes watching the two intently.
"I just thought she looked really serious, so I couldn't help but watch."
The gymnast just rolled her eyes in response before stroking her chin, mischief in her eyes.
"Now that I think about it, I think I saw her walking alone with some guy."
"WHAT?!"
"Just kidding~"
"Taiki Inomata."
"You still practicing?"
The brunette nodded her head, an almost solemn look on her face.
"I wasn't happy with how I played during today's practice."
"It's not good to overwork yourself."
Just the slightest bit of guilt stained her eyes as her fingers wrapped tighter around the ball.
"I know…I just wanted to hold the ball a little longer."
Turning toward the hoop, Chinatsu raised the aforementioned ball, ready to shoot it.
Rather than doing so, however, she passed it to her junior, a smile replacing her once melancholic frown.
"How about a game of one-on-one?"
"Come again?"
Humiliation.
It's what the boy felt after being on the receiving end of an ass-whooping greater than any received during his long tenure as a Karateka.
And to make it worse, he got his ass beat by his crush.
"Let's take five."
"I'm *wheeze* sorry."
His senior giggled in response before chucking another free throw, draining it with ease.
"You're just what I expected from a Karateka you're quick on your feet."
The raven wiped a bead of sweat away from his head, eyes drifting to the bright red practice helmet he'd come to the gym to retrieve.
"Well, my mom was on the basketball team. We play together sometimes."
"Same with my mom. We used to play together even before I started youth basketball."
"We've got that in common!"
Draining another free throw, Chinatsu turned her head to her junior, curiosity brimming within her.
"Have you ever considered trying out for basketball?"
Brief rumination flooded the raven's face as he thought about the possibility.
However, just as briefly as it appeared, it vanished as the teen formed an X over his torso.
"I don't think I'm really cut out for the teamwork aspect of basketball…"
"Sorry to hear that."
Waving his hand, Taiki dismissed the apology before continuing.
"Besides, I really like Karate. Standing on that mat, all by myself, the feeling of all that responsibility falling on me."
The younger of the two grinned as a firey passion began to brew beneath his eyes.
"Whether I win or lose, it's all on me…I get a thrill from the pressure."
"…That's pretty masochistic."
Raising the ball, Chinatsu prepared herself to shoot another free throw.
"But I can see that. So that's why you practice so hard."
"…I could say the same about you."
"Hey! Just take the compliment!"
Taiki lowered his gaze, focusing on the gym floor as opposed to his senior.
"I mean, Chinatsu Senpai, you were practicing after your last game of junior high, right?"
"What?"
"It must've been a year and a half ago. Practice was canceled that day but I happened to come to school since I lived nearby, plus I had some gear to stow, and that's when I saw you practicing. After that, I heard how your team just barely missed the cut for nationals."
The teen clutched his calloused fist, bringing the appendage to his torso.
"That must've really crushed you, to train so hard just to barely fail. Thinking of that, how frustrated you must have felt, inspired me to work just as hard."
For the first time since reminiscing, Taiki looked toward his crush, coal eyes meeting hazel.
And what the former saw briefly stunned the boy.
Shock was clearly stamped on his senior's face as a moderate blush crossed her cheeks, the red serving to amplify her wide, doe-eyed expression.
"I…forgot about that."
Before the two could speak any further, a third voice cut through the space.
"Time to head home kids!"
"Chinatsu Senpai, what are you doing…in my house?!"
Before the girl could answer, the raven's mother interjected.
"Oh, Taiki, you're awake. Remember what I was talking about before? This is Chinatsu Kano. Starting this spring, she'll be living with us."
"Thank you for having me!"