Kevin stepped closer, glancing around the court with a nostalgic smile. "Wow… doesn't this take you back?"
I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"
He scoffed lightly. "Don't tell me you forgot? Walking home from middle school, stopping at the park for hours? You and Yu used to be terrible!"
Of course, I didn't forget. Despite everything that's happened, I still remember those days clearly. Back then, whether it was snowing or raining, we would always play on the same court together.
Kevin began laughing as we reminisced about the old times. While his words may have come off as harsh, to him, it was just nostalgia. Like laughing over old photos. It was something you could do with your friends easily.
Except…
He's not my friend anymore.
I forced a thin smile and laughed along.
Yu, however, let out a loud sigh as he stepped between us defensively. "Maybe that was back then, but Hoshino and I are way better now!"
Kevin's eyes narrowed slightly. "Really? Then let's play a game and find out. Five versus five. Full court. Loser's ball. First to 21. Is that a deal?" He wore a challenging smirk.
Yu's smile flared. "You're on! I've been meaning to have this rematch for a while!"
Back then, we were a group of six people. You'd think that we'd distribute the teams evenly, but we didn't. Yu and I, despite being the worst in the group, were always paired together. It's not bullying; it's just funnier if the two worst people are playing together. In a twisted way, I can see the entertainment in that.
"Okay," Kevin said. "Then it'll be my friends against yours. You have six people over there, Yu, so someone will have to sit out."
Julie raised a voluntary hand immediately with a groan. "Ahhhhh, I'm done for the day. I'm too old to be playing this long. I think I'll head home. Good luck, you guys."
She turned to the two student council members. "And as for the two of you, we will continue our discussion on a later date. There is still time before the sports festival starts after all."
The prez stared at her, unimpressed. "Are you sure? This happened the last time, too. We were out for lunch, but you got so full that you went home to take a nap."
Julie flinched. "W-well… Okayyyyy, fine. Next time it'll be for real. I'll meet you guys at school."
With that, Julie waved us goodbye and left. Kevin clapped once, gathering our attention. "Okay, then it looks like that's your team. You guys can start since you look tired."
He tossed Yu the ball. As we walked to our side, I looked at my team. Sora's back wasn't as straight as usual. Remi kept wiping sweat from her brow. Luna was dragging her feet. Yu looked fine—but his breathing was heavy, and his sweat had soaked through his compression shirt.
Everyone was completely worn out.
I bit the inside of my mouth. I looked at the ground, my hair shielding my face. A vivid, stinging heat began to well in my eyes.
I… want to win.
I can lose anytime.
I can lose to Julie at the arcade.
I can lose to Remi in streetball.
But this game…
I absolutely refuse to lose this game.
Suddenly, my hair was brushed back. Yu was there, his pure smile shining as radiantly as ever. "C'mon! Let's show him how much better we've gotten."
I hesitated, then nodded—giving him a smile of my own. "Yeah, let's do this."
Yu held out his fist. "Don't keep me waiting. I know you want to~."
I rolled my eyes. "...Do we really have to?"
"Of course! We always do this. It's a sign of our friendship!"
I sighed and bumped his fist.
*Bump*
His smile widened. Meanwhile, mine… felt a little more real.
With that, Yu, who was holding the ball, stepped out of bounds and inbounded the ball to me.
The game had begun.
***
Normally, once the ball is inbounded, your teammates sprint to the opposite end—but mine were so tired that they were still hovering near our side of the court. Not like I could blame them or anything. Besides…
It's fine. I wanted to do it on my own, anyway.
I exploded down the court alone. Two defenders closed in instantly. I glanced left at Sora. I extended the ball toward him as if passing. He flinched, hands ready. The defenders shifted. I pulled the ball back, spun right, and blew past them.
One more defender stepped up. I crossed the ball through my legs—left to right—and left him standing still. Finally, it was just Kevin. He wore a contentious smirk.
"Wow! You really have gotten better! You might even be better than me now!"
I didn't respond.
I drove at him—then stopped abruptly. He blinked. By the time his eyes opened, I had spun on my right heel, driving my left foot deep into the concrete. He followed the momentum, but I spun back, creating a massive gap.
I jumped off my left foot, fading away, and chucked the ball with one hand. It was a completely unorthodox shot, barely arching in the air. It slammed against the backboard and dropped through the net.
Kevin stared at the basket, his mouth agape. "H-how…?"
Suddenly, Yu's bellowing laugh filled the park. Even under all our gazes, he didn't stop. He was wiping away mock tears from his eyes. "Oh man! I didn't think you'd use that shot on anyone but me! That really is your move!"
Kevin stared at him in total disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"I told you, we've gotten a lot better. Just because we stopped playing with you, doesn't mean we stopped playing," Yu explained, his voice full of pride. "Hoshino and I play together at least twice a month. When we started, he was a lot better than me. But because I'm so much taller and bigger, I eventually surpassed him."
He paused, memories flashing in his head. "But… he never gave up. One day, he invented that move just to beat me. In normal basketball, it should never work. But here it is."
Kevin let out a soft scoff of realization. "I guess I was wrong about you." He turned to me and gave me a small bow. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to keep playing. I thought you hated the sport."
I silently shook my head. "It's fine. I mean, you were right. I did hate the sport back then. After playing with Yu, though, it's pretty fun."
Kevin nodded once.
With that out of the way, I tossed the ball to Kevin, and he inbounded the ball. The second possession had begun.