Chapter 145 The Start of the Match

That was Arae-sans story that I heard from Nitori-san and Houjou-san.

Of course I wouldnt assume that she quit basketball because of that incident. There was a rumor that she originally intended to continue playing basketball in high school, but something probably happened and made her become like this. That said, we didnt know why she would antagonize Amami-san so much.

I wonder whether her ex-teammates words were impactful enough to completely change her nature?

I sent the summary of her circumstances to Nitta-san and she replied to me not long after.

[Nina: Ah, so thats why she never talked much about her middle school days.]

[Nina: Come to think of it, none of her cronies are from the same middle school as her.]

[Maehara: Is that so? Well, whatever. Her sad past doesnt justify all her actions up until now.]

[Nina: Oh, Rep, are you angry? Its unusual for you to act like this.]

[Maehara: Well, she said something inexcusable]

I told her what happened and honestly, anyone would get angry if they were in my position.

[Nina: Wait, are you telling me theyre going to play in that kind of situation? Will they be okay?]

[Maehara: Dont worry about them, lets just believe in them.]

[Nina: I guess~ Theyre dependable after all, huh?~ You too though, Rep~]

[Maehara: Me?]

[Nina: Of course.]

[Nina: I mean, they could persist because of you, dont you know that?]

[Maehara: Wait, what do you mean?]

[Nina: Ah, my homeroom is over, so Im going ahead~ My match is coming up after this one.]

[Maehara: Dont run away! Whatever, do your best, Nitta-san.]

[Nina: Mhm! Well, I dont wanna push myself too hard though~]

After that, Nitta-san went to the gym to prepare for her match.

She said something that bothered me, but I couldnt do anything about it right now. Ill make sure to follow up about it later.

Besides, there was a more pressing matter than that. I had to go to where Umi and the others were.

After homeroom, I quickly made my way to the gym. Other than the basketball match, class 10 had a soccer match scheduled at the same time, so most of the people went to the field to cheer for the soccer team.

That left a few people watching the basketball match, a few boys who were really infatuated with Amami-san and girls who were close to Arae-san. Everyone else probably felt reluctant to watch them because of the conflict between them.

Well, the fewer people the better, I guess. Now, I could cheer for both Amami-san and Umi without much hesitation. I still felt embarrassed about cheering loudly though, so Ill do it in moderation.

I sat down in an inconspicuous place on the side of the court so I wouldnt get in other peoples way. I could see Nitta-san from here, mingling with the other students of class 7.

The teacher who acted as a referee blew the whistle and the students who were assigned to take the jump ball went to the middle of the court.

They were Amami-san and Nakamura-san.

Good luck, Amami-chan~ Lets do our best~

Mm, likewise.

After they shook each others hands lightly, the match officially began.

Like the practice match, Nakamura-san would probably win the tip off because of her height advantage.

What power!

Ugh Haa!

The ball was thrown directly above the center of the court and as expected, Nakamura-san was the one who touched the ball first. However, a moment later, Amami-sans finger also touched the ball and she forcefully took it away from Nakamura-san.

Woah, seriously?

Holy I thought she was flying for a second there.

I could hear some comments from the other students who were watching the game. Amami-sans ability didnt surprise me though, Ive seen her practice many times after all. I knew she was able to do this much.

Like Umi, she was coached by both Nitori-san and Houjou-san. Amami-san specifically, was taught how to win the tip off and had been practicing it for a while.

There was no way that Nakamura-san could beat her if she didnt put in at least as much effort as her.

In any case, class 10 now had the advantage and Arae-san was holding the ball.

If things were to proceed like the practice match, Arae-san would break through class 11s defense and score the first points.

Here.

But it seemed like Arae-san would do exactly what she said this morning. She immediately threw the ball back at Amami-san.

The ball that bounced toward Amami-sans feet was weak.

If Umi wanted to, she would be able to steal the ball with ease.

Cmon, go and attack already. The shot clock is ticking.

In response to Arae-sans stubbornness, Amami-san dribbled her way toward class 11s half of the court.

She immediately faced Umi, who had a puzzled look on her face.

Ill say this now, Yuu. I wont go easy on you, okay?

Mm, it wouldnt be fair if you do.

Alright, lets do this.

Mm.

It seemed like Amami-san decided to put aside the drama and continue playing normally for now.

Meanwhile, Arae-san wasnt moving much. She was only moving around lazily near half court. However, she would occasionally disturb class 11s movements and force them to make mistakes in their plays.

M-My bad, Asanagi-chan!

Go, Yuu-chan!

Nakamura-san had some difficulty marking Amami-san, who was faster than her. The latter easily slipped past her with the ball.

The ball was in the possession of class 10 and the shot clock was winding down, so this was the only chance she had to shoot.

However, instead of shooting the ball, she turned around.

And passed the ball to Arae-san.

W-Wha?!

Arae-san reacted quickly and tried to catch the ball, but the pass had quite a bit of speed behind it and it bounced off her hands.

Right after that, the referee blew the whistle.

Eh? What happened?

Why did she pass the ball like that instead of shooting it?

Some people were confused at this development, but the people who knew about their issues just let out a sigh of resignation.

Amami, you!

You thought I was joking, Arae-san? Not in the slightest. Now, lets embarrass ourselves.

Amami-san was just as stubborn as Arae-san.

TL: Iyo

ED: MaltedBarley