Chapter 321: The Worse You Play, The More You Love It; A Gift From Clow Reed
Kasugano Sora's words left both Ichihara Yuuko and Lucifer momentarily speechless. Was this truly a student evaluating her own school? The assessment felt a bit too ruthless.
Lucifer's eyebrow twitched. "Um… Sora, is that really how you see the Katagiri school teams? And you specifically pointed out tennis and basketball…"
Kasugano Sora nodded, her expression unchanging. "That's right. Because Katagiri's best tennis performance seems to have been a 6-2 loss in a singles match. After that, they were all sent home with straight 6-0s. They never even reached a tie-break."
While the technology in Ichihara Yuuko's world wasn't quite as advanced, the sport of tennis certainly existed. She was stunned. "Uh… that doesn't sound like a matter of being weak. That sounds like they're completely unsuited for the sport altogether."
Sora let out a soft sigh. "Exactly. That's why Katagiri has a tennis club, and even a tennis team, but their matches are more like school excursions. They go, they play, they get sent right back. At this point, it's basically just a recreational activity. You can forget about actual competition."
Cerberus, listening in, blinked his beady eyes. "Oh… What about basketball? Kise and those guys are super good at basketball, right?"
Another sigh escaped Sora's lips. "It's rare to see a boy over 1.8 meters tall at Katagiri. To form a basketball team… I'm afraid things might not end well for them."
Lucifer thought for a moment. "I remember Kise and his friends' average height is… ah. It seems Katagiri really wouldn't stand a chance. Is it really that bad?!"
(Somewhere else, Kuroko and Akashi sneezed. 'Sorry, we're dragging the average down… But we can still play!')
Ichihara Yuuko also found the situation absurd. It was one thing for a single sport to be weak, but for so many to be at this level was baffling. Did this school truly only focus on academics?
Clinging to that last hope, Yuuko asked, a little unwilling to give up, "Then… what about soccer, or baseball?"
Hearing this, Kasugano Sora gave Ichihara Yuuko a look filled with deep pity. Yuuko froze. That look… it made her feel as if Katagiri's situation was far more dire than she could have imagined.
Sora explained helplessly, "When it comes to sports, Katagiri is practically cursed, especially compared to the people Brother Ren knows. For tennis, you have powerhouses like Seigaku, Hyotei, and Rikkai Dai. Basketball goes without saying… Ryota and the others are so tall they make any team from Katagiri look like children. Soccer is just okay, nothing special, and Teitan's soccer team is pretty good. As for baseball…"
With deadpan precision, Kasugano Sora rattled off a list of various sports, only to conclude that, aside from perhaps track and field, there was nothing Katagiri could even pretend to be competitive in.
A strange sense of sympathy washed over Yuuko and the others. They pictured the scene: Katagiri's teams practicing diligently, only to be sent home at light speed the moment they stepped into a real competition. The fact that this cycle of crushing defeat could still inspire generations of students to carry on… it was a special kind of fighting spirit.
The corner of Lucifer's mouth twitched as she tried the absurdity. "So… in short, Katagiri's school teams are the type that get stronger with each setback, and their love for the game only grows the worse they are at it?"
This phrasing—'the worse you are, the more you love to play'—made Kasugano Sora nod emphatically. "Mhm! That's right! That's exactly what I mean. Their spirit is commendable, though. They always talk about 'friendship first, competition second,' but I think Katagiri's sports department secretly hopes their opponents won't offer them any friendship at all."
Ichihara Yuuko sighed, shaking her head. "What a pitiful collection of teams… But if that's the case, then their academics must be exceptionally good, right?"
At this, Lucifer, Kasugano Sora, and Cerberus all turned to look at Yuuko with that same expression of deep, deep pity.
Yuuko's mouth twitched. "No… it can't be…"
Sora said helplessly, "Katagiri is like the perfectly average student in a class. Whether it's sports or grades, they just do enough to pass. So the education is okay, but it's definitely not considered good."
"Then what is it outstanding at?" Yuuko demanded, completely bewildered.
"Good school spirit!" the three answered in perfect, solemn unison.
Ichihara Yuuko didn't quite understand, but she was thoroughly shocked. Had they really sacrificed both academics and athletics to focus entirely on school spirit? It was like playing a video game where you wanted to increase your attack and speed, but all your skill points were automatically dumped into an attribute that was already maxed out.
"Well, that's good in its own way, I suppose," Yuuko conceded with a weary sigh. "At least you don't have to deal with… unpleasant things. It encourages students to rely on their own efforts."
Sora nodded. "That's true. And what's interesting is that the students at Katagiri do love to study, but… the brilliant ones are truly brilliant, and the struggling ones are truly struggling. Most of them are just floating around in the middle."
"Ah… This is truly, unbelievably absurd."
"Mhm," the three chorused again.
At this point, Kasugano Sora turned to Ichihara Yuuko. "Sister Yuuko… how do you play tennis in your world?"
Yuuko, startled by the question, answered as if it were obvious. "Isn't it just two people hitting a ball back and forth with rackets? I've seen it before."
Sora tilted her head. "Oh. In that case, you might be in for a shock when you watch the match today. The tennis here is… quite impressive."
"Eh? Both you and Lucifer have said that. Now I'm actually a little curious…"
Meanwhile, Ren had received the gift Clow Reed had left for him. As he opened the notebook and began to read, a strange expression crossed his face.
'Hmm? Is this Clow Reed's last will and testament? Or is it… a matchmaking profile?'
Finding the contents rather amusing, Ren continued to read as he walked, his expression shifting into one of playful curiosity, as if he had discovered a fascinating secret.
'Eh? There are even some magic spells recorded in here. But I don't have any magic power, so that's useless to me. Oh well, I'll just read it as a novel and a diary… But this really does look like a blind date setup. I wonder how Yuuko will feel when she sees it.'
"See what?"
Ren had been so engrossed in the notebook that he hadn't realized he had already made it back downstairs. Ichihara Yuuko, who had been about to ask what Clow Reed had left behind, caught the tail end of his musing.
Ren shot her a strange look, then broke into a smile. "Nothing. Just thinking aloud. Besides, Yuuko, I seem to recall you saying you weren't interested in this sort of thing."
Ichihara Yuuko nodded curtly. "Whatever that two-faced schemer left for you, I can't imagine it having anything to do with me. Of course I'm not interested."
"Oh? Is that so?" Ren asked, a knowing glint in his eye.
"Wait… what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing at all. It's no big deal. Eh? Looks like someone really did come for breakfast."
At his words, even Yuuka Kazami, who had been quietly observing, turned her head toward the entrance. At that very moment, the shop door began to glow with a soft light, just as the 'Closed' sign was about to flip on for the night.
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