CH 43

After school that day, I went to Moonbucks to meet up with Sei-Chan.

We decided to meet at Moonbucks instead of leaving school together.

If we left the school together, I’m sure I’d definitely be put on the blacklist.

No, well, maybe not the blacklist but still…

I ordered a regular iced coffee as usual, and Sei-chan bought some kind of sweet again.

This is a legitimate after-school date.

In my previous life, I never would have dreamed about having a date with Sei-chan.

I’m just really happy at the moment.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Sei-chan scooped up the cream on top with a spoon straw and ate it cutely with her small mouth open.

It’s agonizingly cute just looking at that sight.

“No, I was just thinking about how competitive Sei-chan was during lunch.”

In truth I was really just looking at how cute Sei-chan was at the moment.

“Uuu, well… Forget about it.”

“Hmm? Eh? What?”

She said something awkwardly, what did she want me to forget about again?

“Well, I got a little heated during the exchange with Tojoin-san…”

“That’s nothing to be worried about. The whole ordeal was instigated by Tojoin-san anyways. So it’s fine.”

“Well, yes, but.. well, are you disgusted with me?”

Sei-chan said this as she sipped on her drink and sneakily glanced at me.

My heart instantly skipped a beat.

I know you weren’t aiming for it, but why are you so cute?

“I’m not disgusted with you, I thought that part of you was cute too, I like you.”

“I-Is that so, b-but well…”

Sei-chan continued to sip her drink, looking a little embarrassed.

“A-Ah, the boys are playing baseball right? Shigemoto said that he was good at it.”

“I used to play baseball in elementary school, so I think I can do better than most people. But I think I’ll still lose to Yuuichi, who’s basically an amateur.”

That guy’s skill really doesn’t make sense at all. How can an amateur hit two home runs off of one of the best pitchers in the prefecture?

That’s the protagonist of a sports manga for you. [TLN: Guess it turned from a Rom-com to a sports manga now.]

Well, if I put it that way, then Sei-chan and Tojoin-san are pretty amazing too.

“You’re going to face off against Tojoin-san, will you be okay?”

“What do you mean, “okay”? You don’t think I’m going to lose, do you?”

“Eh, no, not really, but…”

I just wondered if she would be fine since the competition was just a spur of the moment thing.

I didn’t expect Sei-chan to react like that.

“I will not be defeated by that mouthy Ojou-sama. What? Are you her’s or my boyfriend? Do you think I’m gonna lose against her?”

“I can’t believe it, Sei-chan just called me her boyfriend.”

“T-That’s not the point. D-Don’t bother saying that out loud.”

Of course I knew that the part Sei-chan wanted me to listen to was completely different but I just couldn’t get my head out of the other half.

“Y-Yeah, well. You know, you’re my b-boyfriend now. S-So that’s nothing to get so excited about.”

“Fufu, I guess so. But you did stutter when you called me your boyfriend.”

“Kuu… I-I won’t say it ever again.”

“Ehhh… I don’t want that. Call me that again.”

Ahh, I’m so happy that Sei-chan called me her ‘boyfriend’.

It’s sad how she’ll never say it again though. [TLN: She’ll call you darling.]

“D-Don’t tease me too much. It’s embarrassing.”

“Got it.”

“I don’t think I can actually trust your ‘Got it.’”

“Ah right, About whether Sei-chan can win against Tojoin-san. Of course, Sei-chan will win against Tojoin-san.”

“Oi, don’t just change the subject all of a sudden.”

“I didn’t change the subject, I just went back to the original topic.”

Yes, that should have been the first thing we talk about after all.

My girlfriend, Sei-chan, won’t lose to Tojoin-san now, will she?

“O-Of course.”

Okay, I managed to fool her.

It’s fun to tease Sei-chan because her reactions are so cute. Ahhh, I want to keep teasing her forever and ever.

However, it’s not good to overdo it either, so I have to keep it to a level that Sei-chan wouldn’t mind.

“None of the girls in class have played basketball before, have they?”

Yeah, there are only a few people who’ve just done it briefly in gym class, including me.

Well, I guess you could say that Sei-chan is experienced since she can beat some of the best in the prefecture by just playing it briefly during PE.

“I think there were three basketball players in Tojoin-san’s class.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, Yuichi told me, so I’m pretty sure.”

Yuuichi is on the basketball team, so he has some interaction with the girls’ basketball team. A basketball game is a sport played by a team of five.

No matter how much stronger Sei-chan was compared to Tojoin-san, if the difference between the other teammates was too great, it would be very tough to win the match.

“Fumu, I see.”

Sei-chan sipped on her drink and thought for a moment.

“Then the story is simple. All I have to do is defeat Tojoin-san and the three basketball players by myself.” [TLN: BRILLIANT I LOVE YOU SEI-CHAN KYAAA~] [ED: too cool 4 me.]

“Wow, you’re so cool, I’m so in love with you. Oh wait, I’m already in love.”

“D-Don’t say it out loud.”

I can’t help it now, because Sei-chan is just too cool for me.

And the best thing about it is that Sei-chan might actually be able to pull it off.

“In basketball, it’s the three-pointers that get the most points.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

As a rule of basketball, a normal shot is generally two points.

However, there is a semicircle drawn far from the ring, and if you hit from outside the semicircle, you get three points.

“That means even if our opponents hit 2 points and I hit all my three-pointers, we win.”

“That’s a wild plan, but I guess it could work.”

Of course, that’s what the numbers say, but in reality, it can’t be that easy.

Three-pointers are hit from a distance, so the probability of them going in, multiple times in a row, would simply drop.

Even a pro would only hit 30% of their three-pointer shots.

It’s usually impossible to hit all your shots in a single game.

This is the reality for me and Sei-chan, but it’s also the world of a manga called “Ojojama.”

And well, Sei-chan is one of the most athletic characters among the cast.

If she tries her best, maybe it could actually work.

“Well, it’s not like I’ll hit all my shots during the match though.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Okay, let’s practice.”

“What, practice? You mean basketball practice?”

“Of course. The match is on Wednesday, so we need to be ready by then.”

“Oh, you’re so serious about it.”

“I don’t want to lose to Tojoin. She’s Shiho’s rival in love, so she’s my rival as well.”

“That’s the Sei-chan I know.”

“Besides, it’s because of her that I have to help Shiho cook.”

“Eh? Maybe that’s the real reason.”

“N-No. The main reason is definitely that she’s Shiho’s rival. The fact that she was the reason that I have to help Shiho in cooking plays only a small part in it.”

I wonder why, I still think the reason she’s up set is because of the food.

“W-Well, that’s the plan. Anyways, I need to practice basketball so that I don’t lose to Tojoin-san.”

“Where do we go to practice, though?”

“There’s probably an ‘Around One’ nearby. They could have a basketball court over there.“ 

“Ah, there it is.”

Around One is an amusement facility where you can play various sports together.

There are also bowling and karaoke facilities, and depending on the store, there’s even a place where you can play basketball with others.

“All right, let’s get on our way.”

“Eh? Right now?”

“Of course. The match is the day after tomorrow, so we only have time to practice today and tomorrow.”

“So cool… Seriously.”

I didn’t expect Sei-chan to be so serious about it.

Maybe Sei-chan is even more competitive than I had previously thought.

“Well, Hisamura, will you go with me?”

Sei-chan asked me with an upward glance, a little anxious and with a hint of anticipation in her voice.

That’s not fair, Sei-chan.

You don’t have to ask me that, I already know the answer beforehand.

“Of course I’m coming. After all, I am your boyfriend, right?”

“R-Right, as expected from my boyfriend.”

“Ah, yabe. My nose is bleeding.”

“WHY?!”

It’s because Sei-chan is too cute.

For the first time in a long time, I got a nosebleed because of Sei-chan.