Episode 14: What the Eyes Follow ⑵

Saturday mornings mean waking later than when heading to school.

I rise slowly and head to the library during the day.
But today, nerves woke my eyes early.

Today I’m going to watch Mai’s basketball match.

That’s all.

I’m just tagging along to watch Endo-san.

　But if Endo-san plays the best in the match, I’ll have to accompany her shopping next Saturday.

Going out together? We’re not even friends. Or rather, what exactly is my relationship with Endo-san? No matter how I look at it, I think we’re just the person teaching and the person being taught – nothing more, nothing less.

Why did she ask me that?

The distance I’d been trying so hard to keep from Endo-san had closed, and I felt a slight tightness in my chest.

　I wore a pale blue tank top dress with a lightweight cardigan over it, and wove a small braid into my hair beside my right ear.

“My hair’s grown…”

My bob had reached shoulder length.

Having finished getting ready, I decided to leave the house.

The sound of balls bouncing could be heard from the school gym. Outside, members of various teams were stretching, running, and shouting encouragement to warm up.

My school’s gym is certainly spacious, but I’d never seen a tournament with so many different teams gathered here. Having never been to such a place before, I felt almost overwhelmed by the crowd.

“The match’s starting—”
A message from Mai arrived on my phone.

I headed for the second-floor lobby to cheer from above. The match had already begun in the gym.

　Looking down from above, I spotted Mai and Endo-san immediately.

It wasn’t that I was consciously searching for them; it was simply that they alone shone brightly, standing out from the crowd. All the players were sweating, their faces flushed.

I find the sport of basketball truly remarkable. There are ten players on the court, and though it should be smaller than a football pitch, they move around within it so intensely you can see them gasping for breath.

　Feeling it would be a shame to just watch, despite Mai inviting me, I’d looked up the rules online and in videos beforehand, so I had a rough grasp of them.

Mai, who usually seemed perpetually lethargic and carefree, was moving with intense focus during the game. Not particularly tall, she played guard, acting as the team’s playmaker, orchestrating their movements.

“Hina!”

Mai passed the ball to Endo-san.

　Endo-san released the ball towards the hoop the instant she caught it. The motion was so swift the opposing players couldn’t react.

Swoosh

The spinning ball made a crisp sound as it passed through the net of the basketball hoop.

The three-point shot went in, adding a bunch of points at once.
Mai and Endo-san high-fived each other in celebration.

　Basketball, stripped of its finer rules, is a remarkably simple sport: the team that scores more baskets wins. Generally, a basket scores two points, but shots made from beyond a certain line are worth three points due to their difficulty.
Endo-san had made several of those difficult shots.

Mai was assisting Endo-san to make her shots easier. Other seniors, seemingly, were also cheering the team on, raising their voices.

　How cool…

I have a connection with those two, who are shining so brightly.

Compared to them, I…

Have nothing.

The buzzer sounded to end the second quarter, ushering in the long half-time break.

The players who had been on the court were hydrating, resting, or having a meeting. Though only second-years, the two of them were at the heart of the team, rallying the squad together.

Perhaps because I’d been watching too intently, Mai spotted me despite the crowd.

“Hoshizora! You came! Thank you!”
She waved from the first floor towards the second-floor lobby.
I didn’t want to draw attention, so I put my finger to my lips, but she waved vigorously without hesitation. I returned the wave, somewhat reluctantly.

Noticing Mai’s reaction, Endo-san looked over here too.

　She looked over at me with a distinctly surprised expression and started talking to Mai about something.

What could they be discussing?

Knowing Endo-san, I’d expected her to wave over with her usual fake smile, but instead she looked over at me with a serious expression.

She stared at me so intently I couldn’t look away, until the half-time buzzer sounded and the players began preparing for the second half.

The match continued. The seniors scored points, not wanting to be outdone by Endo-san. Honestly, I couldn’t keep track of who scored what anymore, but athletes giving their all in sport are all impressive. Above all, my friend Mai, and Endo-san, were more impressive than anyone else.

I’d intended to come see Mai and catch a glimpse of Endo-san while I was at it, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Endo-san.

It felt unfair.

Beautiful, great figure, popular at school, decent grades, a good personality, and athletic too.

　God is unfair.

Not that I was being compared to anyone, but I felt wretched.

After a close match, my school lost, but that didn’t matter. My heart was pounding, I was moved, and it hurt.

I was sure Mai would come find me once she’d calmed down, so I just sent a message saying, “Great match. I’m heading home,” and left the gym.

　Having neglected my studies in the morning, I spent the afternoon catching up in the library.

Studying is all I have.

I wished I had something sparkling like Endo-san.

But that’s my own fault for only ever studying.

After I stopped talking to my sister completely, she tried to speak to me several times, but I ignored her every time. I remember her suggesting we do something together, but I didn’t want to talk at all, so I shut her out.
Maybe back then, I should have been working on expanding my own capabilities.

“Haa… Regretting that time won’t change anything.”

A heavy sigh escaped me.

Despite not studying much for the mid-term exams, I came top by a landslide.
I have no intention of slacking off with my studies.
But I also feel this desire to expand what I’m capable of doing.

　The handkerchief my sister gave me came to mind.

My sister is the sort of person who can do anything, like Endo-san. She excels at both academics and sports, is taller than me with a great figure. Above all, she’s incredibly beautiful. I’ve heard she’s quite popular too.
However, she said her favourite thing was sewing. She’s particularly skilled at embroidery, and it was she who made that yellow handkerchief for me.

Sewing…

　As I pondered this, I realised thirty minutes had passed since my break and hurriedly resumed studying.

Summer is hot, and there are many times when I just drift off.
It must be summer’s fault that I have so much on my mind.

As I was lost in such vague thoughts, something incredibly cold suddenly touched my neck.

I let out a strange sound, even though I was in the library.

Turning around, I found Endo-san standing right in front of me.

　She kept pressing a can of cola against my neck.

Why…?

Before I could speak, stunned, Endo-san spoke.

“I looked for you after the match finished, you know. Figured you’d be in the library, so I came over once everything was done.”

I didn’t understand. There was no reason for her to come here.

Endo-san showed me a piece of paper.

It had names and numbers written on it.

“The manager tallied up the total points scored in today’s match. I came top, you know.”

So that’s it… She’d come thinking I might not keep my promise or had forgotten about it.

There was another skilled senior on the court, but Endo-san probably scored one point more than that senior.

“I never said I’d give you a reward. I only said I’d think about it.”

I answered that way, having no real intention of following through, despite saying I’d think about it. Endo-san looked at me as if she’d seen something terrifying.

“You monster! Come on, I worked hard!”

Her loud voice made me flustered. Talking here wouldn’t get us anywhere, so I decided to pack my things and leave the library.

　Her doll-like smile as she looked at me made me wonder where that serious face from the court had gone. I hated this look on Endo-san. I thought being glared at would have been far preferable.

Whatever I said, Endo-san probably wouldn’t give up.

“Saturday’s fine. I want to buy something too.”
“Eh…?”
“What? If you don’t want to go, I won’t.”

Endo-san frantically shook her head.

“No, I really didn’t expect you to say yes. So then—”

Endo-san’s phone was pointed at me.

I tilted my head, unsure what she wanted, when she said, “It’s better to have each other’s contact details when we meet up on the day, right?”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to exchange contact details, but registering the number of someone I didn’t particularly want to have much to do with felt awkward. However, I couldn’t very well go back on what I’d said now, so I agreed to exchange numbers.

　As soon as I got home, Endo-san messaged me.

“Thanks for today! What time shall we meet on Saturday?”
“Any time is fine.”
“How about around ten o’clock?”
“Yeah.”
“Yay! Looking forward to it.”

I ended the conversation with a random sticker.

Saturday feels depressing. If anyone from school spots me, they’ll probably say something.

　The people around Endo-san would probably pounce on me, and if I wasn’t careful, Endo-san might get treated badly.

I wouldn’t mind what happened to me, but I felt a little reluctant for Endo-san to have a bad experience.