As the final school bell rang, Tetsuo, Noboru, Shino, and Makoto made their way to the indoor basketball court.
"I'm so sore. I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard during the PE session yesterday," said Noboru as he massaged his shoulder.
"Yeah, my legs feel so heavy that I can barely move. I even fell asleep during fourth period today," said Shino.
"Quit your complaining. It's just part of the process of getting better," said Makoto with a yawn.
"You're one to talk. You skipped training yesterday just so you could get more sleep. Plus, you look more worn out than both of us, you lazy punk," said Noboru.
"Hey, don't lump me into the same category as you. All I know is that Nanaho is going to make you make up for the day you missed, and trust me, it's brutal. She's really crazy when it comes to basketball—she's an obsessed creep," said Noboru.
"Oh really now? I'm a crazy, obsessed creep, is that so?" said Nanaho with a deadly smile as she stood behind Noboru.
"Oh shit, I'm so dead," muttered Noboru as Nanaho slapped him on the head.
"You better be ready for training today. You're going to wish you never said those words. And that goes for both of you as well. Especially you, Makoto Kurai. Skipping training is going to cost you dearly," said Nanaho as she hummed happily and skipped ahead of them.
"That girl definitely has some problems," said Makoto with a sigh.
After changing into their training gear, Shino and Noboru noticed the writing on Tetsuo's jersey.
"Wow, Tetsuo, did your little sister give you that shirt?" asked Noboru, trying to hold in his laughter.
"Yes, she did," replied Tetsuo as he looked at the words she wrote.
"It looks nice, really manly," said Noboru teasingly.
"Don't listen to him, Tetsuo. He's just making fun of you. But that's really a nice thing she did for you—it's really cute," said Shino.
"You know what? Shino is right. You have a nice sister, and with this jersey, it's almost like she's right here watching you and cheering you on," said Makoto.
"You're right. It really does feel like she's here with me," said Tetsuo as he experienced a strange feeling he didn't recognize.
"Damn you, Makoto, ruining all the fun," Noboru muttered to himself.
The first-years then made their way to the court.
"Nice, they're all here," said Liam with a smile.
"I see you finally made it to training, Kurai. Welcome," said Yukio.
"Yes, thank you," he replied.
"Tetsuo, where were you yesterday? It's not like you to miss training. What happened?" asked Hayato.
"I was locked in the storage room after PE yesterday."
"So you're telling me that you were locked in there the whole day? How did you get out?" asked Takahiro.
"I was locked in all night. The track coach was the one who helped me," replied Tetsuo.
"And here I was thinking you'd become a bad apple. I'm so sorry to hear that, but you missed training, so you still have to make up for it," said Nanaho.
Why is she always trying to sugarcoat her words with that smile? It makes me sick, Noboru thought to himself.
"Um, Tetsuo, that's an interesting choice for a jersey," said Nanaho, looking at it oddly.
"Yeah, I'm just noticing it. Who gave it to you? Your little sister or something?" asked Hayato.
"Yes, she bought it and wrote these words on it as a gift for our second year of moving here," said Tetsuo.
"That's really cute. You have a wonderful sister. Is she beautiful?" asked Liam, impressed and touched.
"That's weird on so many levels, dude," said Hayato.
"You have a very caring sister, Tetsuo. Just by reading those words, I can tell that she loves you," said Nanaho with a smile.
"She's right. I have a little brother, and that little shrimp always acts like he doesn't care, but he's always interested in how my day was and in basketball," said Takahiro.
Why are they making such a big deal out of it? It's just a stupid shirt, Noboru thought to himself jealously.
Something tells me that Noboru is going to make training a pain today, thought Makoto with a sigh.
"Alright, before we start today's session, I want you guys to warm up, shoot around, and do some layups, because today is going to be fantastic," said Nanaho excitedly.
At Hachioji Academy, the girls were practicing their offense for their upcoming match. Suzume had the basketball at the top of the three-point arc while both Sayaka and Kazue cut through the paint. Suzume then signaled Kotone to set a screen for her while Kazue set a screen for Haruko. She immediately passed the ball to Haruko, who set up and shot a three-pointer. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the rim, and she missed.
Crap, what's wrong with me? Why can't I score as much as I used to? Haruko thought to herself in frustration.
"It's okay, Haruko. Don't think too much about it. Today is just an off day," said Sayaka.
"Yes, and it's not like you didn't make any shots. You scored six out of the ten you took, so hold your head up," commented Kazue.
"She's right, Haruko. Don't stress about it. We have two more weeks before our matches start," said Suzume.
"And just to add, if you still feel unsatisfied with your performance, you can always call that hottie Tetsuo and have him train you again," said Kotone.
"You're right. Thanks, everyone," said Haruko.
But I think the reason I'm missing is because I can't focus. What was my sister doing out so late… and she was with Tetsuo? I can't get the thought of seeing them together off my mind. And the fact that Tetsuo might be that little boy from back then… If that's the case, then that changes everything, thought Haruko as Coach Maeda looked at her with concern.
"Yo, Maki! Shoot the ball!" shouted a second-year as he passed it to Maki.
Maki then kicked the ball with all his might, and it went straight through the net.
"Let's go!!" shouted his teammates as they celebrated.
As the basketball team for Toshigawa practiced their shots, Noboru took a near jump shot that swished. Shino went up for a layup and scored. Takahiro shot a bank shot that swished. Yukio drove in and then pulled up for a mid-range shot that swished. Liam drove and slammed the basketball into the rim while Tetsuo focused on shooting three-pointers. Hayato also practiced his three-point shots to warm up. As for Makoto, he just stretched, and after finishing, he sat down and started yawning.
"Okay, guys, that's enough. You can relax now," said Nanaho.
"The reason I asked you guys to warm up your shots is because you'll be playing against each other in a four-on-four setting. Now that we have the right number of members, training will be even more effective for the upcoming season," she explained.
"Will the four-on-four be for forty minutes?" asked Takahiro.
"No. Instead of the usual forty minutes with ten-minute quarters, I'll be cutting it down to fifteen minutes per half, which is thirty minutes."
"Will it be seniors versus freshmen?" asked Noboru.
"I was thinking about that, but I doubt the four of you stand a chance against Liam, Yukio, Takahiro, and Hayato.
"So instead, I've chosen teams for this friendly game. On Team A, we have Makoto as the leader. On Team B, Hayato is in charge of formulating a plan.
"On Makoto's team, we have Shino, Yukio, and Tetsuo.
"On Hayato's team, we have Noboru, Liam, and Takahiro."
"Okay, we can definitely work with this team," said Yukio.
"Alright, guys, just let me know when you're ready so we can start this match," said Nanaho, eager to see how the game would unfold.
"Yes, let's go win, Liam!!" shouted Hayato.
Liam responded with a confident "Yes!"