Chapter 13: Summer Break Training Part
Club activities continue as usual, even during summer break.
Wednesdays are off, and we also get Saturdays and Sundays off during summer break.
Basically, except for Sundays, every day is either club activities or, when there's no club, summer cram school at the prep school.
I want to get in some solid training while the fire's still burning!
In August, there's also the basketball club's training camp, so it's a hectic schedule.
My best friend Sho seems to be busy with his part-time job, too—it sounds tough.
...Speaking of which! Sho got totally hooked on playing 3-on-3 basketball for the first time with his coworkers at his part-time job!
We promised to meet up at night soon to play basketball together!
I'm super excited!
Lately, I've also been seeing Nagase-san a lot, who sits next to me and is in the girls' basketball club.
After all, she practices on the court right next to ours, and sometimes when I glance over at their court, our eyes meet and she waves at me.
...I wish she wouldn't do that, since it makes the other club members jealous.
I'm a beginner, so I don't get enough practice.
Even though I got to play in the summer tournament, it's still not enough.
Still, beginners have the privilege of improving as much as they practice, so pushing myself to exhaustion at club every day is fun and helps me forget my worries.
Nagase-san has been playing basketball since middle school, so she gives me all kinds of advice.
I'm grateful.
She mischievously smiled and asked, "Want to exchange addresses?" but... right now, I'm not good with women...
Cute girls, beautiful girls—something about them just instinctively scares me... I know I have to get over it, but it makes me break out in a weird sweat.
By the way, Nagase-san also goes to the same cram school as me.
Though we don't talk at cram school.
Anyway, after the third-years retired, the new second-year captain calls out and gets everyone fired up.
When the generation changes, the policy and team color change too!
Or so you'd think...?
Sahori: "Hey! I can't hear you guys!"
The former ace (lol) from the third-years keeps showing up all the time.
Honestly, he comes even more often than he did during the period when a lot of the current players were slacking off.
It's annoying. Since he doesn't have to run himself, he tries to increase physical training! He tries to butt into practice! He chats up the female manager who's actually working.
He even messes with the girls' basketball club.
Hitting on other girls in front of his girlfriend? Even so, Airi-senpai never gets angry and always keeps her gentle smile... But seriously, Sahori-senpai is such a pain, just ignore him, will you?
In the basketball club during summer break,
Airi is a Buddha, Sahori should be left alone
became our motto.
After using up the whole morning on club activities, I thought I'd get lunch at the downsized school cafeteria, and right then Satsuki passed by in front of me.
Satsuki is in remedial classes. She was walking by with a few other students, looking really fed up, when our eyes met.
"But, really? I always thought Mishima-san gave off a smart aura? So you're in remedial classes, huh?"
"I know, right!"
Satsuki: "..."
Satsuki glared at me, her face turning red, and quickly walked away.
Satsuki is really sensitive about embarrassment.
She probably doesn't want anyone to see her having to take remedial classes during summer break... And after being told that, she must feel super humiliated.
She was weak in English and math, but she was always good at Japanese and social studies...
I wonder if she can understand and empathize with things like the author's feelings or the characters' emotions in Japanese now? Thinking about pointless stuff like that, I finish my lunch and head to the film club in the cultural club building.
One of my best friends, Tanaka-kun, is practically the king of this place now.
I've known Tanaka-kun since middle school, and since we're in the same class, he's become one of my closest friends, battling alongside Sho and the "perfect girl."
...Even with what happened this time, he quietly left me alone. I'm just grateful.
He's been organizing the upperclassmen and our year and thinking up all kinds of plans for the fall.
Tanaka: "For the fall cultural festival, the film club has to shoot a movie and submit it to the high school video contest!"
"..."
Tanaka: "You may only be a ghost member, but Kousuke-kun, you've got talent! If you've got any good ideas or hints, let me know!"
I nod.
Tanaka-kun starts hyping me up to the upperclassmen.
Tanaka: "Kousuke-kun's got real talent! You saw it before, right? The riverside duel! That was his project, and he did all the editing! He even looked great in drag! He played the witch in the play at the cultural festival! That was Kousuke-kun! You saw it, right? If we can't find a heroine, let's just make a whole movie with Kousuke-kun!"
Hey, quit it. There's still footage of that?!
Tanaka-kun seriously overrates me.
But even so, he ranked third in the year on the final exams.
He's smart, but his ideas are always a little out there.
I spent about two hours hanging out in the film club as a break.
Anyway, when I left the school building in the evening to go home, I heard something.
In the hallway beside the school building, is that a guy and a girl?
"...Sorry, I don't think I can go out with you."
A refreshing good-looking guy was, a bit rudely, turning down a chubby girl, looking apologetic...?
Or maybe not. He was pretty blunt about it.
I don't know the whole story.
But from the context... a confession... right?
"Ah, ah, s-sorry... I guess I thought so."
The chubby but cute-faced girl said that, bowed her head, and dashed off at lightning speed.
The guy gave me a look that seemed to say, "Don't watch us!" and walked away with a cool face.
It's only the third day of summer break.
Every day I'm desperately busy with studying and club activities!
But I already feel like some kind of trouble is heading my way...!