Sachiko slid open the student council room door. Papers rustled across crowded desks, keyboards clicked, and the printer in the corner whirred as it spat out another stack of documents.
Two members were working, one flipping through a ledger while entering figures on his laptop, the other sorting papers into neat piles.
Sachiko let out a slow breath and stepped inside.
"Is President Yoshida here yet?"
She glanced around the room.
The two members looked up. One shook his head, straightening in his chair with a faint creak, before turning back to his work.
"Not yet. She said she'd be a little late."
"I see..." Sachiko nodded.
One of the members sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at the papers spread across the desk.
"We still need to finalize the sports budget requests... Football, track, baseball, and the boys' basketball team, too. Their coach, Nanaho Fukazawa from Class 2-S, turned in their forms pretty late."
He tapped the basketball team's paperwork with his pen before letting it fall onto the desk.
Sachiko's hand froze above the desk.
He clicked into another spreadsheet.
"The basketball team's request came in around nine last night." His eyes narrowed as he scrolled through the figures.
"What a waste of the school's budget. Ever since Seiji left, that team hasn't stood a chance. And their coach is just another student, for crying out loud."
"Yeah, I know Nanaho Fukazawa. She's in my class," the other member said.
He slowly turned toward his colleague.
"If you want the rest of your school life to be peaceful, I'd suggest keeping those opinions to yourself."
He let out a long breath and rubbed his forehead.
"That girl is a handful, that's for sure."
Sachiko lowered her gaze to the floor.
That's right... Tetsuo's joining the basketball team.
She pressed her lips together.
Is he really the same person I used to know?
A memory surfaced in Sachiko's mind.
Tetsu-kun, dribbling a worn-out basketball in the snow. His bare feet were red from the cold, but a bright smile remained on his face.
...It really has been that long, huh?
Sachiko blinked, her gaze returning to the sheet of papers.
That's right... Doesn't Haruko play basketball, too?
It's been so long since I last watched her play... or even spent an entire afternoon with her.
Her eyes drifted toward the window.
Maybe not since junior high...
"Vice President."
The voice pulled Sachiko from her thoughts.
"Should we wait until President Yoshida arrives before we begin the agenda?"
Sachiko raised her head and glanced around the room.
"No. I'm sure she wouldn't want us to waste time waiting for her."
She straightened in her seat and picked up the documents in front of her.
"Let's begin."
At Hachioji Academy, the teacher's voice faded into a muffled drone in Haruko's ears.
A faint breath escaped her parted lips as her head drooped forward.
"Haru!"
A little boy's voice rang out in her memory.
Young Haruko blinked up at him.
"What is it?" she asked, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Let me show you something cool."
Haruko shifted her weight, tilting her head to the side.
"You've been wanting to see me do this for a long time, but you were too afraid to ask."
He lowered himself into a slight crouch.
The basketball struck the ground.
He pushed it between his legs, then caught it on the other side.
Haruko gasped, her eyes glistening.
"Whoa! You're so amazing! That's so cool!"
The boy grinned.
"You really think crossing the ball between my legs is amazing? Just wait until you see this trick."
He straightened up and carefully balanced the basketball on the tip of his finger.
The ball began to spin.
Faster and faster, until its edges blurred before her eyes.
Haruko's mouth fell open.
"How did you learn to do that?"
"I honestly don't remember," he said.
He paused, glancing at the spinning ball before looking back at her.
"All I know is that I'm able to do this. But it's amazing, isn't it, Haruko?"
"Haruko! Haruko! Haruko Takahashi!"
"Ahh!"
Haruko shot upright, blinking rapidly as she stared at the classroom around her.
Her cheek felt damp where it had been pressed against her arm. She quickly wiped the corner of her mouth, only to find a thin string of drool clinging to her finger.
"Err... y-yes, sir! Yes, sir!" she stammered, snatching her textbook off the desk.
The book slipped in her hands as she hurried to open it.
A few students snickered. Others covered their mouths, their shoulders shaking.
"Ms. Takahashi, please continue where Takeru left off," the teacher said, tapping his pen against the podium.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Haruko flipped through the pages, her eyes darting across the text.
Wait, where is it? Where's the line?!
"Um... sir, I'm afraid I don't understand this."
"That's because you're holding your book upside down, young lady."
"Huh?"
Haruko looked down.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh... my bad, sir."
The classroom erupted in laughter.
She hurriedly turned the book around, strands of hair falling over her face. The tips of her ears burned as she lowered her head.
"Read line six on page eighty-six in the textbook."
Haruko swallowed hard and fixed her eyes on the page.
"And there he stood all alone, forgetting all the hard work he had done, all the things he had accomplished, all the great men and women he had met throughout his life, and all of his loved ones. He cried when he came to the realization that the old man was right."
"Thank you, Haruko. That was excellent English. Well done." The teacher paused, giving her a pointed look over his glasses. "But next time, please don't use my class as a nap session."
"I'm truly sorry, sir."
Haruko bowed her head.
When the bell rang, the classroom erupted in chatter. Chairs scraped against the floor as students gathered their belongings and filed into the hallway.
Haruko packed her textbook away and stepped outside.
She made her way to a worn wooden bench beneath a large cherry tree and sat down.
"I haven't had a dream like that in years..."
She tilted her head back, watching the cherry blossoms drift past the branches.
"I wonder if it's a message..."
Her gaze followed a petal as it floated toward the ground.
I can't remember his face clearly anymore. Where did he come from? Is he even still around?
He just appeared out of nowhere... and then disappeared without a trace.
That little boy...
He was always smiling, but... I could tell he was hurting, too.
"Haru, you look troubled."
Haruko turned her head.
Sayaka stood a short distance away, watching her.
"No, it's nothing like that, Sayaka. I was just lost in thought."
Sayaka walked over and lowered herself onto the bench beside her.
"Haruko, listen... Are you bothered by what our teammates say about you behind your back?"
Haruko paused.
"I don't like the way our juniors gossip about you. Ever since we lost that game last season, they've been acting like they're better than you."
Sayaka leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"It must be hard having to train and play alongside them when you know what they're saying. If it's getting to you, just give me the signal. I'll talk some sense into those idiots."
Haruko raised a hand.
"That won't be necessary, Sayaka."
She lowered her hand to her lap.
"Maybe their words would've gotten to me in the past. But I've spent enough time worrying about what other people think of me. These days, I'd rather focus on becoming a better player."
Sayaka glanced at her, then tilted her head with a sideways smile.
"All right. I'll take your word for it."
Haruko's smile faded as she looked down at her hands.
We were up by six points halfway through the second quarter of our second-round match. The score was twenty-two to sixteen.
I was playing great defense and making some really good passes. Everything was going well...
But then the opposing team figured it out.
I couldn't score.
There was nothing Coach could do. I was the only second-year who could play well enough to earn a starting spot. Sayaka, Suzume, and Kotone were still inexperienced back then.
I was the only one he could rely on.
So, Coach had to decide whether to take me off the court. But even if she did, it wouldn't have changed much.
For the rest of the game, the opposing team left me completely unmarked and focused on shutting down my teammates. They knew I couldn't score, so they forced me to take shots whenever the shot clock was about to run out.
Her hands tightened into fists.
I was useless. I couldn't help my team at all.
In the end, we lost thirty-seven to twenty-six.
Coach never blamed me for the loss. Neither did the third-years. They all told me I'd done my best.
And yet...
After our former captain and coach chose me to be this year's captain, our juniors completely lost it.
They started talking behind my back. They avoided me whenever they could, and when Coach wasn't around, they ignored my instructions like I wasn't even there.
It was awful...
But I'm not going to let that happen again.
"This time, I'll aim for the top and win once and for all."
Sayaka stood and held out her hand.
"Then let's go show them who we are."
Haruko looked at her outstretched hand before breaking into a smile.
"Yeah!"
She took Sayaka's hand and let her pull her to her feet.