Chapter One: “The Princess Wants to Win Over the Prince” — Part Five
“I cannot wait for the club showcase.”
“You just want to see Iori-senpai.”
“Obviously. She’ll be in her uniform.”
I was practically vibrating with anticipation. Yuuri gave me her customary unimpressed look and sighed.
The first-year club showcase was about to begin in the gymnasium. I had already confirmed through careful research that Iori-senpai would be presenting for the basketball club.
I couldn’t wait to see Senpai in her uniform. I’d seen photos plenty of times, but never in person.
The football club went first, and the showcase continued with three minutes per club. The girls’ basketball club was tenth.
“The girls’ basketball club currently has fifty members. Practice is demanding, but we have the results to show for it — last year we competed at nationals.”
The club captain was the one at the microphone. She turned and gave a signal, and Iori-senpai stepped out from the side of the stage.
Senpai in her uniform is absolutely incredible…!
And hang on — basketball uniforms show a lot of skin, don’t they?! Is it really all right for me to be seeing this for free?!
Iori-senpai moved to centre stage with a display of skilled dribbling, then stopped perfectly still in a shooting stance.
If this were a court instead of a stage, she’d have put that ball straight through the hoop.
“Second year, girls’ basketball club — Yaoji Iori. I’ve been playing since primary school, but we also have members who started in high school.”
Senpai was speaking slightly faster than usual. She was probably working from a prepared script rather than her own words. The fact that I could tell the difference now made me quietly happy.
“So we welcome both experienced players and complete beginners alike.”
Senpai gave a bow and applause rang through the gymnasium. Students who’d been half-asleep through the other clubs were suddenly paying full attention.
That has to be the Iori-senpai effect…!
Iori-senpai’s beauty was so overwhelming that a hundred supers wouldn’t do it justice. Of course everyone in the room was captivated — technically every last student in this school could be considered a rival in love.
Not that I intended to lose to any of them.
…Actually. If I joined the same club as Iori-senpai, wouldn’t that bring us even closer?!
Basketball practice was serious — almost no weekends off, training camps during the long holidays, away games and practice matches.
I’d made up my mind. I was joining the basketball club.
I was going to join and spend my whole school life side by side with Iori-senpai.
☆★☆★☆★☆★
“Sorry, what? You’re joining the basketball club? You?”
The moment I shared my decision, Yuuri’s reaction was nothing short of rude.
“Do you have a fever? Are you coming down with something?”
“Just a terminal case of lovesickness.”
“Give it a rest. Seriously, maybe don’t. You have absolutely zero athletic ability.”
“…Shut up.”
She wasn’t wrong, unfortunately. I had never once finished anything other than last in the fifty-metre dash. Three years running, I came dead last in the middle school cross-country race.
Ball sports were no better — when we’d played basketball in PE, I couldn’t even dribble properly.
“I just don’t want Senpai getting close to any of the other first-years.”
“Well, why don’t you start with the trial period and see?”
For the next two weeks, new students could try out any clubs they liked. My plan was to start basketball club practice today.
“What about you, Yuuri? Are you joining anything?”
“Home economics club.”
“…That’s actually surprising.”
She was just as indoorsy as me, so I’d figured she’d go for something in the cultural stream. But I’d never once heard her say she liked cooking.
“Were you even listening? It looked the most relaxed and low-effort of all of them. And it’s still better for my transcript than not joining anything.”
Very Yuuri. She clearly had no intention of taking it seriously.