In Those Days (1)

Translated by rsa16
Edited by bachi
Proofread by CosmicRunner

Read the PDF version —> HERE

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

It was the first autumn after entering junior high school.

With the third-years having graduated already, the court felt as if it had gotten slightly more spacious. There, Hinano was practicing shooting drills alone. It was voluntary practice—after club activities had already ended.

While everyone else was either playing one-on-ones or working on passing drills together with their friends, Hinano, who was completely isolated in the women’s basketball team, had to make do and practice what she could on her own.

If asked, she couldn’t say that she didn’t feel lonely. But there was just nothing that she could do about it. She didn’t have a choice.

If she had one small saving grace…

“Oh! Hina, huh? Staying late again today too?”

…It would be having this one friend at the very least, who’d always speak to her like this—cheerful and bright.

“Oh… Yamato. Yeah, I just wanted to try out some three-point shots,” she answered with a shy smile.

That was really just a pretense, however. The real reason that she stayed behind was because she knew that Yamato would also be getting his own extra practice in.

“Huh, really? But it feels like I always see you working on your shooting. Don’t you ever do one-on-ones too?” Yamato asked with a clueless face.

“Th-That’s…”

Caught off guard by Yamato’s innocent question, Hinano hesitated.

And then, he gave her a gentle, wry smile, as if he’d already figured everything out. “Still too shy to talk to strangers? Geez, you’re hopeless, Hina.”

With that, Yamato suddenly grabbed Hinano’s hand.

“Y-Yamato?!”

Her mind went completely blank the moment he took her hand. But Yamato, completely unfazed, walked towards the first-year female club members, tugging her hand along.

“Hey, you girls over there! Mind letting us join in?”

Yamato boldly charged ahead, approaching the group of girls without a second thought. It was as if he were challenging them; it was a feat that Hinano could never hope to replicate.

“Huh? Isn’t that Izumi? Why are you trying to join in with us?” One of the more outgoing girls from the team turned to answer him.

“Well, I’d been getting kinda left behind by the guys on the boys’ team lately. So I figured I’d get my groove back by absolutely destroying you girls in some one-on-ones,” Yamato boldly declared.

Hinano paled. His words just now were bound to make people mad. Sure enough, the girls’ voices erupted in protest.

“The hell you say?! Don’t underestimate the girls’ team!”

“Yeah! We’re gonna flatten you, Izumi!”

“Also, what kind of lame excuse is that? You’re so petty!”

In the midst of the girls’ torrents of insults, Yamato simply raised the basketball and cheerfully laughed. “Bwahahaha! I hear nothing! If you’ve got a problem, settle it with skill!”

“Alright—everyone, surround Izumi! It’s time to show him the power of the girls’ basketball team!” one of the girls ordered.

The moment that command flew out, all the team members present on the court jumped in and began to encircle Yamato.

“Hey, wait! You cowards! I said one-on-one! This is like, eight-on-one!”

“Aw, look at that, Izumi. You have a harem!”

“Feels less like a harem and more like I wandered into a gorilla nest… Ouch! Who just kicked me!?”

“Dunno. A gorilla, maybe?”

“Ow! Okay, wai—time out, time out! I’ll apologize!”

Even though they’d surrounded him, the atmosphere between Yamato and the girls’ team was oddly light and seemed to have relaxed. Hinano had been worried at first, but it seemed that, in a way, this was their own way of communicating.

One of the girls stole the ball right from his hands. “Alright, I got the ball!”

“Pretty sure I got fouled like ten times though?!”

“Know the fright of self-refereeing! Pass!” Dismissing Yamato’s complaint, the girl turned towards Hinano and tossed the ball—right into her hands.

“M-Me?” Hinano said, bewildered. As everyone’s gaze shifted their focus onto her, she reflexively froze.

Finally having broken free from the horde of goril—uh, girls—Yamato stepped in front of her.

“Alright! This time it’s really one-on-one! Hina, face me!” Yamato dramatically pointed his index finger at Hinano, thrusting it towards her.

“Go get him, Hiiragi-chan!”

“Izumi totally sucks at blocking shots, so you got this!” The girls on the team cheered Hinano on with excited voices.

“Come on, bring it.” Yamato too stood waiting, a somewhat gentle expression on his face.

Ah… I see.

—They were trying to include her.

The moment she realized that, the tension in her body began to somewhat ease.

Right now, if it was with Yamato…

Maybe she could take the leap into their circle.

“Y-Yeah! I’m coming for you, Yamato!”

“Alright! I’ll crush you and get my revenge!” Yamato responded to Hinano’s new-found courage, albeit as small as it was.

She charged at him dribbling, the ball in her hands.

It was at that moment that shy, friendless Hinano began to change.

And—just maybe, Yamato too.