Chapter 18

RAW

I felt a sense of nostalgia from the smell of the wooden gym floor, even from the ball itself.

It had been a while since I had touched a ball on the gym court.

The rule was simple: three rounds, the one with the most points wins. As per the original agreement, I told the students who had volunteered to be spectators, and then I faced off against Sato-kun.

We decided who would go first with a rock-paper-scissors. Sato-kun would go first.

Honestly, the size difference between us was significant, and it was clear that I was at a disadvantage. I didn’t think anyone expected me to win.

I tried to recall how this match had even come about, but the truth was, I wasn’t planning on losing easily. A small smile crept onto my face as I thought about how much I had changed, how I felt like I could win now.

From a distance, I saw Chinatsu praying for me. She was one of the few who believed in my victory, and I was okay with that. She was an important person to me, and as long as she believed in me, that was all that mattered.

Focus. Focus.

I felt myself diving deeper into concentration.

Strangely, I could sense not just the ball in front of me but also the sounds and presence of the spectators.

*First round.* Sato-kun came straight at me, dribbling hard. My body reacted without thinking. He looked surprised, but I couldn’t quite steal the ball; his reach was long. He had a body built for basketball, something I envied. He pushed me under the basket, using his size advantage, and shot.

*Basket!!!*

The pressure was there, but he made the shot cleanly.

However, I think it surprised him that I didn’t get outplayed easily. I could hear some voices around me murmuring in surprise at my movements.

Now, for my first round.

*Dunk!!!*

I made a swift drive towards the basket.

I was never particularly fast, but my burst of speed from a standstill was always something I was praised for. The quickness of my first step, I was confident no one could beat me in that.

Sato-kun had only seen me in PE before, so this was the first time he had faced me at full speed. I quickly outpaced him and finished with a layup.

*Swoosh!!!*

I could see the change in his eyes.

It was clear that even if he had heard about me from Sakurai-san, seeing me up close was a different experience. If he had stopped me at that moment, I would have had no chance.

*Second round.* He put up more of a fight but still scored under the basket.

In truth, it was a strange matchup, a power forward and a point guard. There was a height difference of more than 15 cm.

(He’s strong, both physically and in his reactions. But his handling isn’t as good as I thought. How long has he been playing?)

As I thought this, I calmly received the ball and set up at the starting point.

*Second round.*

“Next, I’m stopping you,” Sato-kun said, lowering his stance to prepare for the dribble.

In a 1v1 game like this, a player like me struggles when I can’t get past them because of the height difference.

“Is that so? But I’m still going to take the ball,” I replied.

“Huh? You’re getting cocky now?”

“Here, a short guy can’t afford to lose his spirit.”

With that, I cut in quickly. The ball felt like it was sticking to my hands today. I could tell he was taking me more seriously than before, and this time, he kept up with my speed, not letting me get by.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on his face, but it quickly turned into shock.

Now, I was going to pull out a technique that was nearly unbeatable on first try.

I sank deeper and feinted a drive before stopping and hitting a fadeaway jumper.

Shinji once told me that he didn’t understand how I could make that shot, but I practiced it relentlessly in middle school when I couldn’t grow as tall as I wanted. This move was key because it allowed me to either pass or take the shot myself.

*Basket!!!*

The bank shot went in beautifully, and I could hear gasps of surprise, especially from the basketball and sports club members in the crowd.

*Third round.* Sato-kun attacked again.

He tried to push me under the basket, but I cut his dribble and forced him into a mid-range shot.

*Swish!!!*

He made the shot effortlessly.

“Whew... this is tougher than I thought,” I muttered.

“The game’s not over yet. We keep going until someone wins,” he said.

At this point, it seemed like I was going to lose if I didn’t stop him. I had nothing else to rely on but my offense, and if I couldn’t keep up with him on defense, I was done.

---

I watched as Sato-kun made his third shot.

My clenched fist had turned white. I could see the worried expressions of Saki, Yuko, and Rena, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the game.

Despite all the support I was getting, no one seemed to think I could win. The voices around me were filled with hope, but everyone still expected Sato-kun to win.

“I’ll say this now, but don’t worry. I think I’ve got this,” a voice suddenly came from behind. It was Aizawa.

“Yeah, I trust you,” Chinatsu said, smiling and looking at Hajime.

She was the one who believed in me the most. Her support was a comfort, and it was clear she believed I would win, even without saying a word.

---

*Third round.*

I could sense that Sato-kun was now wary of my dribble speed.

In his mind, with or without overtime, he didn’t think he could lose. However, as a basketball player, his pride wouldn’t let him be beaten again, especially after three times.

This was all going as I expected. I threw out a challenge.

“... Don’t hold it against me, but this is a bit of a trick,” I warned.

“What...?” Sato-kun asked, confused, just as I took a step back, dribbling away from the basket.

Sato-kun, who had been leaning backward to match my speed, couldn’t follow me as I created a small gap.

In an official game, the defense would have switched, but in a 1v1, you usually go straight for the basket on the first move.

I shifted just slightly outside his awareness.

With my sharp burst of speed and excellent court vision, plus my secret weapon, the three-point shot, I felt confident I could nail it. This move was something I’d worked on countless times, and it had been the reason I made it onto the starting lineup in middle school.

Before Sato-kun could even reach out to block, I released the ball, and the moment I shot, I knew it was good.

*Swish!!!*

The sound was incredibly crisp, almost haunting in the quiet gym.

Despite all the tough memories from my middle school basketball days, this sound was beautiful. It was a sound I had come to love.

“That makes it 7-6. We agreed the one with the most points after three rounds wins, so I won,” I said, raising my hand triumphantly.

The gym erupted in cheers, especially from the basketball club members in the front row. No one expected Sato-kun to lose, and now they were congratulating me. I couldn’t help but smile.

---

I looked around for Chinatsu, but before I could find her, a shock ran through my body.

I was wrapped in a soft embrace. I instinctively caught her.

“Chinatsu, you always jump on me like this,” I said.

Amidst the cheers, I could hear more voices of girls shouting my name, while some boys mixed in with grumbles.

“Hajime! Hajime! You were so cool!”

Chinatsu’s radiant smile shone as she hugged me tightly, the first to come and celebrate. She had believed in me from the start, and now she was the first to congratulate me.

“Hey, that doesn’t count. That wasn’t part of the deal, it’s overtime, right?” came a distant shout.

But most of the voices, whether loud or soft, were filled with admiration and praise. The voices of those who mattered to me were clear.

As I returned Chinatsu’s embrace, I saw the expression of frustration on Sato-kun’s face. He laughed a little and said, “I lost. You’re not rusty, huh? As expected of the fourth from the runner-up team in the middle school basketball tournament.”

“Huh? You knew about that?”

“Yeah, I did. My girlfriend back then was really into basketball manga. I went to watch your team in the middle school tournament, and I remember seeing you play. You were amazing, and even though you were only in your second year, you got chosen as one of the best players. I thought you were so cool... You know, I actually started playing basketball because I looked up to you back then.”

“... What?”

“Yeah. When I found out we were going to the same high school, I was excited, but I was also wondering why you weren’t in the basketball club. I noticed you were called ‘second best’ a lot, and I couldn’t figure out why. But when I heard about you in the 1v1 match, I was kind of excited, like ‘Wow, I’m playing against this guy!’”

“Oh... So you were trying your best to win just because of that?”

“I had no choice. If I lost, I would’ve been too embarrassed!”

“I see, so you were secretly rooting for me.”

“Wait, what? You were cheering for me secretly?” I asked in surprise.

Sato-kun laughed sheepishly. “Well, you can’t exactly say that in front of everyone, can you? It’s pretty embarrassing to admit, but yeah, I respected you. Even though you weren’t in the basketball club, I still admired your skill.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his honesty. It was kind of touching. The competitiveness was strong in him, but there was also a certain respect for me as a player. It felt good to have earned that respect, even from someone who was my rival.

“Well, I guess we’ll both have to keep improving. You’re strong too, and I’m sure if you keep practicing, we’ll have an even more interesting match next time,” I said.

“You better believe it! I won’t let you off so easily next time,” he replied with a grin.

As the match ended, Chinatsu was still clinging to me, but I could tell she was just as happy with the victory. It felt strange—so much had changed since I first entered high school, and I was slowly starting to appreciate the people around me more.

The gym was buzzing with excitement, the echoes of cheers still ringing in the air. Some students were heading back to their classrooms, while others gathered in groups, talking excitedly about the match.

“Good game, Hajime! You were incredible!” Rena shouted from the crowd, giving me a thumbs-up.

Yuko and Saki also came over, their faces beaming with pride. "We knew you could do it," Yuko said.

“I didn’t doubt you for a second!” Saki added, patting me on the back.

It felt like the whole school was congratulating me. It was a far cry from the time when I was in middle school, where I was always under the radar, too shy to make friends.

Now, it seemed like everything had changed. My relationship with Chinatsu had deepened, and I was starting to make a name for myself—not just as the guy who was good at basketball, but as someone who could be relied on.

Looking around at my friends, I realized how lucky I was.

But even so, I knew this was just the beginning. There was still so much I wanted to do, so many goals I had to reach.

And with Chinatsu by my side, I felt ready for whatever was coming next.

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Volume 4 - Me, Her, and our Changing World (End)...