MTL: Dexter, Kael
FTL(Hardest Part): KayL
TLC/Editor: Alisa
Final Editors: G-String
Note: We are using the Chinese Official Translation and Original Japanese Raw in our translations. Our Editors and Raw Readers (Translators) have done their best to give you the best quality English translation. We hope you enjoy reading Chiramune as much we do!
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9
──Swish.
After my two-handed three-point shot passing through the ring for the hundredth time, I, Aomi Haru, finally relaxed my shoulders and let out a deep breath.
Ever since we splitted at Takokyu, our self-practice sessions had lasted until nearly 7 pm. Sen, Yo, and the first-years had all been practicing diligently without showing any signs of leaving, so I had even forgotten to tell them they could call it a day whenever they wanted.
I couldn’t help but feel proud of how much we had all changed.
As I was wiping the sweat with the hem of my t-shirt, I turned to my partner, who had helped me with passing drills.
“Thanks, let’s call it a day here.”
Even though Nana had also just hit her hundredth shot, she remained calm.
“Your accuracy has definitely improved with practice.”
“Thanks, but you’re one to talk.”
Although I hadn’t counted properly, Nana had probably only hit around 120 or 130 shots to reach her hundred, whereas I had easily exceeded 200, and might be even close to 300 shots.
As if sensing my thoughts, Nana smiled and turned her back, giving everyone clear instructions on cleaning up.
Actually, I was scolded by my teammates when I confessed that I had been secretly practicing my three-pointer without them.
“Why didn’t you talk to us about it?!”
“Well, I thought it would be confusing if I hadn’t gotten the basics down first. I didn’t want to drag you into extra practice.”
“Are you serious? The three-point shot is something that you can only get a sense of by hitting it repeatedly in real-game situations. Even if you make eight out of ten in practice, you might not even make four out of ten in a game. Especially if you’re just practicing shooting from a fixed position without even having passes. Though it’s better than nothing, it’s incredibly inefficient!”
“Uh, sorry about that.”
In reality, just receiving Nana’s random passes already significantly lowered my shooting accuracy. It wasn’t even worth considering what would happen if it were a real game situation with a defense.
I often asked Nana, “Why didn’t you go for a three-pointer just now!?” and while I didn’t think that’s entirely wrong, I now realized how amazing it was to have a partner who could calmly make these shots in a game.
However…
I hugged the basketball tightly.
“I’ve gotten stronger.”
My words towards him were not a lie.
Ever since the game with Aki-san and Kei-san, my play has been improving at an almost joke-like pace. For those who had played sports for a long time, there were moments like this.
In my opinion, the so-called growth was not a smooth curve.
Of course, my skills and stamina were improving day by day, but there were times when I felt stagnant, unable to move forward.
Even though I pushed myself to the limit during practice, both in quality and quantity, my body was unable to keep up with the ideal plays that were always racing through my head.
However, one day, it happened.
I suddenly leap up two or three stairs at once, as if the ceiling had opened up above me. My body felt as light as if I had shed my former self and caught up to the plays I had envisioned, eventually merging with them perfectly.
It was like breaking out of a shell, surpassing a wall, or grabbing hold of something.
There were certainly moments like that, and for me, I think it was during the game the other day, more specifically when I heard Misaki-chan’s words.
“──You’re not warriors, you’re fighting girls.”
Those words blew away all of my doubts.
Suddenly, the promise I made with everyone at Takokyu came to mind.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of me being a cheerleader at the sports festival.
There were many ways to participate in the school festival, but without a doubt, preparing for the dance performance was one of the most time-consuming and challenging tasks.
From choosing the theme to selecting the costumes, music, and choreography, we had to come up with everything ourselves and put in a lot of effort to learn and perform it.
Last year, I probably would have ignored it because it would have interfered with my basketball practice.
I would have said, “If I have time for something like that, I’ll just practice instead.”
But now, as I thought about the man I love, I realized that the more I devoted myself to basketball, the more I yearned for him.
And the more I yearned for him, the sharper my basketball skills became.
That’s why I made my decision without hesitation.
Even if I lost the excuse of accompanying him to baseball practice and the privilege of spending summer vacation together, I could still be by his side.
I wonder what we’d talk about, what kind of moments we’d share, and what kind of memories we’d leave behind.
I would embrace all of them and turn them into my strength.
Maybe, just maybe…
I might not need an answer, I didn’t even have to take a serious gamble.
I think… I must be the happiest right now.
If just thinking about him could fill me with so much joy, did I really need to wish for anything more?
The truth was, I knew it all too well.
I had irretrievably linked him and basketball together. For that reason alone, I knew I could become stronger, but also know why I knew fear.
Because everything had two sides, I would think about it from time to time.
If this love were to end, would I still be able to stand on the court, staring at the hoop with the same gaze?
…No, it’s impossible.
I didn’t know if I could let go and focus solely on basketball again, or lose the will to fight and never came back to this place.
But one thing was certain.
If this love ends, so will I.
In that case…
I couldn’t help but grab my chest.
Rather than ask for something selfish like wanting him to look at me, it’d be enough as long as I could keep looking at him.
If losing both was inevitable, then I’d rather keep holding onto both.
…I hope we could continue this kind of relationship forever.
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Plebian Translation 