The rainy season had arrived, bringing with it showers day in and day out. I was enjoying every day recently. I can say my high school debut is a success at this point, right? However, something’s been on my mind—Sakura is acting strangely dispirited lately. I feel like our entire class lacks energy because of that.
“Good morning, everyone!” Which is why I have to greet them all extra cheerfully. An extrovert’s gotta become the class mood maker, after all.
These days, I had more opportunities to interact with my classmates. Only a short while ago, I basically just hung out with Nagiura, but my high school debut couldn’t be called a success if I didn’t have a lot of friends. So, I had made an effort to be proactive in talking to anyone and everyone. At first, I was nervous because of my shy nature, but I had gradually found my footing.
“Ha ha ha... Hey, Haibara. It’s kinda annoying how hyper you are,” Hino said in a teasing tone, his smile sarcastic.
“Huh? Really?” I asked.
“Everyone’s sleepy in the morning. You’re too cheerful, and we just can’t keep up.”
Well, there’s no issue if they think I’m cheerful, right? I used to be gloomy; going a bit overboard is just right for me, I think. “I’ll be careful. Thanks for the advice!” I replied, thinking it was just playful banter.
I was able to chat pretty effortlessly with the other boys in the class by this point, but it was harder when I was talking to a girl. I just get so nervous. At this rate, finding a girlfriend will remain nothing but a dream. I want to be able to talk to them better.
I scanned the classroom and spotted Sakura, who was still abnormally down. It wouldn’t be very extrovert-like to leave her be, so I’ll try chatting her up.
“Sakura, you got a sec?”
“Huh? Wh-What’s up, Haibara-kun?”
“You seem a little down lately. I was wondering if something’s wrong.”
“Do I? There’s nothing going on with me, though!” She gave me a troubled smile and averted her gaze.
“But, you know, maybe I can help you— No, I want to help!”
“Ha ha ha, Haibara-kun, you’re so dependable. I’ll go to you if I’m ever in any trouble!”
“Sure thing, but isn’t something bothering you right now?” I persisted.
Shiratori jumped in then. “Haibara-kun, Uta’s actually been stressing about her height. Try not to remind her,” he said.
“Oh, is that what it is?” I asked.
“Hey! Rei! Don’t just say stuff!” Sakura protested in a panic.
Apparently, it’s true.
“She’s been working hard and drinking lots of milk lately. Let’s just watch over her for the time being,” Shiratori said with a soft smile. Sakura bopped him on the back.
If that’s why, then it’d be better not to bring it up too much. I can’t relate to how someone with a height complex would feel...but is it something to be that depressed about?
✦ ✦ ✦
I ate lunch with Nagiura at the school cafeteria. When we returned to our classroom, I caught sight of Hoshimiya reading near the window.
“Yo, Hoshimiya. What’re you reading?” I asked.
Her head shot up with a start.
Was she that engrossed in her book? Really sorry about that!
“Oh, Haibara-kun. I’m reading a mystery called The Hero Detective.”
“Huh, sounds interesting.”
“It’s very interesting! Please give it a read!” She smiled brightly at me.
Her expressions are as animated as always. She’s so cute! And she likes books too, so I feel a sort of kinship with her. I read light novels, though.
“Haibara-kun, do you like novels?” she asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’d say so?” I wanted to show her that we had a common hobby, but I also wanted to hide that I was an otaku. Because of that contradiction, my answer ended up sounding vague.
“Really? What kind of works do you like, then?” she pressed.
“Huh?! U-Um... Sorry, nothing’s coming to mind at the moment.” Crap! I can’t think of a single normal title.
Hoshimiya smiled gently. “Oh, I get it. When you like a lot of series, you don’t know which one to say, right?” She had misinterpreted my reaction in a favorable way.
“Y-Yeah, that’s right!” I responded.
Lately, I had worked up the courage to strike up conversations with Hoshimiya every so often. She always beamed at me like the sun while we chatted, and I found her super adorable. I could feel myself falling for her harder and harder.
“I’ll give The Hero Detective a read too,” I said, trying to expand our discussion topics.
“The movie adaptation is coming out soon, so you could also try watching that instead,” she suggested.
“Huh, really?” It’s that popular? “Hoshimiya, are you going to watch it too?”
“Um... Yeah, I plan to.”
Wait, isn’t this my chance to go to the movies with her? I can’t let this opportunity get away from me. I mustered up my resolve and said, “So, hey, Hoshimiya, if you’re down, why don’t we—”
However, Nanase called out to her as if to purposefully interrupt me before I could finish. “Hikari, can I borrow you for a moment?”
Her intervention took the wind out of my sails, and I clammed up.
“Oh, Yuino-chan.” Hoshimiya swiveled her gaze away from me, onto Nanase.
Only then did Nanase seem to notice me. She apologetically put her hands together. “Oh my, were you two in the middle of something? I’m sorry, Haibara-kun.”
“N-No,” I stuttered. “It’s fine. We were just talking about books.”
“Really? Then I’m going to borrow Hikari for a bit.”
I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose, but Nanase’s timing is always awful. She often cuts in right when the conversation is getting good. And we never chat as a group of three either. I’ve stuck around a bunch of times, but Nanase only ever addresses Hoshimiya. It makes me feel awkward.
✦ ✦ ✦
After school began my practice from hell. That being said, as of late, I’d built up enough stamina to barely keep up. The problem was my technique. I could make layups now, but I couldn’t shoot from a distance. When we split up into teams for practice scrims, it took everything I had to grab a rebound.
“Right on, Haibara. Nice rebound!”
“Th-Thank you very much, Yanagishita-senpai,” I managed to say through ragged breaths.
Yanagishita-senpai patted me on the back. “Looking good. You’re improving slowly and steadily!”
I had considered quitting numerous times, but I could still persist thanks to Yanagishita-senpai, a third-year. He was the captain of the boys’ basketball team and often took care of me, the worst player on the team.
“Work hard; you’ll get better. I guarantee it,” he said.
Even now, I could plug away because of him. After practice had ended, I would even stay behind to train on my own and catch up with the others. I had been rather plump at the beginning of the year, but I had slimmed down quite a lot. I was about the perfect size for fighting for the ball under the net. My speed was an issue, though.
“Listen, Haibara. The left hand stays relaxed. That’s the trick.”
“Isn’t that a Slam Dunk quote?” I asked.
He laughed boisterously. “Yep, figures you’d have heard of it. How about you give it a try?”
Formal practice had ended, and it was now the time when I trained on my own. Yanagishita-senpai was giving me shooting pointers, and Nagiura, who was supposed to have gone home, had come back. He looked like he wanted to say something as he watched me and Yanagishita-senpai practice. Is something up?
When I took a break, I called out to him. “Nagiura, you’re not going home?”
“Hey, Natsuki. Don’t get too dependent, okay?” he whispered in a low voice so Yanagishita-senpai couldn’t hear.
Confused about what he meant, I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
Nagiura kept his eyes on Yanagishita-senpai, who was practicing three-pointers, while he answered. “Interhigh prelims are starting soon. This summer will be Yanagishita-senpai’s last chance. Honestly, I don’t think he should be looking after you. He should be using that time to practice instead.”
“But he’s the one who said he’d teach me...”
“Yeah, because he’s a nice guy. You should show some moderation, okay?”
That honestly pissed me off. Why is Nagiura complaining about my relationship with Yanagishita-senpai? In the first place, it’s not like senpai spends the entire time teaching me anyway. While I train on my own, he does too. Usually, the only ones who stay this late are him and me, so Nagiura probably just doesn’t know that.
“I only stay after practice because I want to improve. Yanagishita-senpai feels the same. And he doesn’t spend the entire time teaching me. We do our own thing most of the time. What’s so wrong about that?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s true, but it looks bad. We’ve got a student who’s already kinda out of place as it is, and now people are saying a certain someone’s stealing Yanagishita-senpai’s time too. I can’t keep defending you.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” I don’t have a clue what Nagiura’s talking about. It looks bad? Why? Kinda out of place? Who, me? Nah, he can’t mean me. I mean, my high school debut is a success. I’ve camouflaged as an extrovert without any problem.
Seeing my reaction, Nagiura murmured, “Don’t look at me,” and left.