[LN] Kanojo ni Uwaki Sareteita Ore ga - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2 - Invitation

"Good job."

We greet each other briefly and enter the gymnasium.

It is the usual gymnasium used by the basketball circle "start".

Beside him, Shinohara sounded dismayed.

"I've been here before. ......"

"Don't give me that disappointed look, this is a place for people's circle activities. It's rude."

"I thought it would be a "special" place, but it's not too much to ask! I was expecting so much!"

It was only recently that Shinohara joined our activities as a manager. If he was brought to this place because he was told it was a special place, it is certainly not an unreasonable reaction.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You can be my manager again as an apology."

"Senpai, do you know what an apology is? Why does being a manager count as an apology?"

I don't expect it to be an apology, but I also assumed that this would not be boring.

I remember that Shinohara seemed to be having a lot of fun when I was manager.

"You don't like it?"

"I don't mind ....... I don't mind it. It's just that I'm getting a little excited and I feel like I'm being rolled around in my seniors' palms, and I don't like it."

Shinohara is mortified and picks up her bag again.

"I'm going to go change my clothes then. Please tell Mr. Todo I'll borrow his jersey!"

"Know, Know"

After making a circle mark with his finger, Shinohara turned away with a pout and walked to the locker room.

Despite his expression, Shinohara's steps seemed very light.

◇◆

The distinctive smell of a gymnasium can be felt in both municipal gymnasiums and school gymnasiums.

Sometimes when I sit in the space by the wall, I can feel the slight vibration of the ball and feel like I am one with the spacious gymnasium.

I love those moments, too.

"When was the last time you came to practice in a row?"

My circle friend, Todo, asked me while tying the laces of my bash.

I stopped going to the circle after I broke up with Reina, but even while we were dating, I never attended the circle very often.

Perhaps it has been quite a while since they have participated in consecutive practices.

"Maybe it's been six months."

Todo nodded in response to my answer.

"That's probably about it," he said. That's why they brought her back in a row."

At the end of Todo's line of sight was Shinohara in a jersey.

Shinohara, her hair tied back, is chatting with a circle member.

He is still a communal ghost.

"The point is, you want to show off, don't you?"

"It ain't like that."

"I don't know."

Todo laughs as he lightly rubs the soles of his bash shoes with his palms.

I scrub the soles of my shoes the same way. This way I can get rid of the dust that adheres to them and feel good about playing.

As I carefully removed the dust, Todo opened his mouth again.

"Well, if I had that kind of desire for approval, I would have brought Ayaka here long ago."

Hearing those words, I wondered if that guy would come if I called him.

Indeed, Ayaka and I are good friends. Ever since high school.

But Ayaka has never tried to join my community in college, even though she has invited me into hers.

Even when I was dating Reina, that girls never once tried to see me.

"I don't think he's coming."

"I'm not surprised. Surprising."

"Surprising?"

"I have an image of Ayaka-san as being very light on his feet. She is very friendly to everyone."

Todo then stands up.

With the ball in one hand and Todo walking into the court beside me, I stopped scrubbing the soles of my shoes.

"...... really has changed."

The perception of Ayaka by those around her changed.

That's what I thought at the last test fatigue drinking party held the other day.

Few people at this university would know Ayaka when she was said to have a difficult personality.

I was happy about that, but at the same time I felt a little sad.

But that space is the fruit of Ayaka's efforts. It would be cruel for me to deny that.

In high school, Ayaka Mino.

As I tried to think back, the phone I had by my side vibrated, bringing me back to reality.

It must be a modern disease when people bring their phones even to the gym.

"Mmm."

When I checked the screen, I found that the sender of the message was Natsuki Tsukimiri.

She was a girl at the test fatigue drinking party invited by Ayaka.

We had gone out for drinks once after that.

One of the new connections we have made since parting ways with Reina.

Still, I hesitated for a moment whether to open the talk screen.

Once you have read the message, you are forced to reply.

I was never very good at lines where I felt obligated to reply.

If the other party is Ayaka or Shinohara, they can be carefree, but their relationship with Natsuki is not that deep.

I go back to the notification section once to check the content. Only the beginning of the message can be seen from the notification box.

─ ─ If it's not a big deal, I'll reply after the practice.

I looked at the content and found that it was something like, "We're having a party for Valentine's Day, would you like to come? I thought so, and then I looked at the contents of the party.

Unexpectedly intrigued, he opens Natsuki's talk screen.

The picture of the venue that had been sent to me looked like a small, clean club room, a structure that would look great on social media.

The idea of a party on Valentine's Day piqued my curiosity greatly, but the problem was the material attached from Natsuki.

The brief summary section reads, "Only pairs of friends, male and female, may enter.

Probably to equalize the number of men and women.

There may be an intention to reduce the number of men looking for pickups.

However, we really want the management to take care of such a combination of ratios.

I guess they can offer such a strong condition because it is probably a famous and popular venue among students who go to parties, but it is a nuisance for me, who have never been to such a party before.

"Maybe a ...... pass."

Alcohol will be served, and since Shinohara is still a minor, it is wise not to invite him.

If this is the case, the only member of the opposite sex who can be invited to these events without hesitation is Ayaka.

However, Ayaka is also busy with part-time jobs and club activities, and the probability that she will have free time in her schedule on Valentine's Day is low.

I responded, 'I'll go if I can,' which had about a 6% chance of going, and turned off my phone.

There was no unresolved desire for a Valentine's Day party.

◇◆

Twenty seconds left.

The clock is ticking on the end of the practice match. The score was 12-15, three points behind.

I'm keeping the ball and looking for a path to pass the ball.

"Look, seniors, right free! Pass pass pass!"

At Shinohara's call, I throw my gaze to the right side.

Todo raises his palm toward us as he runs toward the opponent's goal.

"Todo!"

I feinted to shift the center of gravity of the opposing defense and released a long pass from the open space.

The ball lands one body length in front of the player and bounces, and Todo jumps on it and grabs it tightly.

Unable to block his shot, Todo's shot went straight into the goal, putting him one goal ahead of the opposing team.

"Nice!"

A Senpai circle member lightly pats Todo on the back.

Todo has been playing basketball in minibus since elementary school and is the most talented player in this circle.

I get pretty excited about matches when I'm teammates with Todo, too, because he can handle even somewhat reckless passes.

"Senpai, the game isn't over yet!"

I was about to pass a very long pass from under the opponent's goal to the player in front of me when I heard the voice.

They put him on speed, and he was able to penetrate all the way to the bottom of his own goal.

What a sloppy defense, even if it was a lapse in concentration.

"I want it!"

The opposing player gets into a layup position.

The ball moved momentarily to the waist.

The eerie sound echoed through the gymnasium.

Steal successful. The ball leaves the control of the opposing player and rolls down court as a loose ball.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Todo running toward the opponent's goal again. He believed the ball would connect with his own.

As soon as I touch the ball, I twist my body and release a long pass using centrifugal force.

This swiftness in switching between offense and defense is what makes basketball so exciting.

I gave a small gut-punch when I saw that Todo had scored on a buzzer-beater to turn the tables.

"Yay, Todo nice seriously!"

A teammate runs up to Todo, and Todo is squeezed.

It's just a circle activity, just a practice match.

Still, it is the nature of former athletes to get excited even if they don't want to if they can win a last-minute cross game.

I approached Todo and patted him on the back and labored over him.

"That's a great shooting percentage! Thanks for the help."

I say, and my teammates agree and get excited.

But for some reason, Todo just chuckled a little bit and processed off to the corner of the court.

The girls' match starts on the same court, so I have to be there.

"Senpai!"

I hear the call and I head in a different direction than my teammates.

There is only one person here who calls me a Senpai.

In the first place, I could not remember many people in college who called older students "seniors," other than this little devil of a Kouhai.

"Senpai, good job!"

"Thank you. It was fun!"

He sits down, saying so.

Muscle fatigue has decreased somewhat recently, thanks to frequent exercise.

Basketball games are longer than other sports in terms of mileage, so even if you don't do the physical fitness menu, you will naturally gain fitness by participating in the games.

Of course, this is at the circle level.

"Now stand up. Suddenly sitting down after a strenuous workout is hard on your body."

Shinohara says so and offers me a towel.

It was my favorite towel, the one I kept in the corner of the gym.

"A bruise."

They hand me towels and call out to me, just like a real manager.

It may be difficult for him to actually be the manager since he doesn't seem to go to the other circle members much by my side, but I don't think he would want that either.

The only reason they are here is because I only brought them here halfway by force.

Standing up and hanging the towel he received around his neck, Shinohara turned up the corners of his mouth.

"The steal and pass at the end was awesome. The MVP of the game right now is definitely the senior."

"No, it's Todo, isn't it? If he hadn't made the decision, it would have been wasted."

In fact, it was Todo who was praised by his teammates.

Since Todo is also the best at basketball, it feels somewhat strange for me to be praised so highly.

But Shinohara shook his head at my words.

What are you talking about? If you hadn't connected on the chain, it would have been a losing battle.

"I can't deny that, though. Well, thanks."

I thank him and now reach out to accept the water bottle in Shinohara's hand.

Then Shinohara raised the water bottle above me and my hand cut the sky.

"Senpai."

"What the hell?"

"Senpai, that wasn't an honest thank you, was it? I mended it!"

Shinohara sniffs.

I don't know about your self-esteem, but I think the act of connecting passes is something that should be praised more, not only in basketball, not only in sports," he said.

"...... that is?"

"In other words, I'm taking the senior who got no praise from anyone and giving it to me instead!"

Shinohara offered his water bottle this time and spluttered.

"Senpai year, that was awesome!"

"...... eh."

I'm sorry to hear that.

One person who was praised by his teammates was Todo.

I felt nothing about the lack of praise because I took it for granted.

Who wouldn't be happy to receive a compliment with a genuine smile?

"Thank you ......."

I thanked him honestly, and this time Shinohara nodded with a look of satisfaction.

If you can tell whether a person is honest or not by the tone of his voice, he is a horrible junior.

"It's no exaggeration to say that my shouts made the difference between victory and defeat! Senpai, you didn't realize that Mr. Todo was free, did you?"

Shinohara says this and smiles mischievously.

I was tempted to deny it, but the fact is that Todo was not in my sight.

"Oh, that was really rather nice timing. I guess Shinohara really was a basketball player."

"Yes. ...... What? Am I being praised now? Am I being put down?"

"I have to admit, I had my doubts about whether it was true or not, because the last time I saw him, his shooting form was so bad."

"You are disgraced! Senior ungrateful!"

Shinohara is indignant and approaches me to take the towel away from me.

At that moment, I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Look out!"

I turned around at the sound of someone's voice and saw an orange sphere about to snatch my ear.

And where they're going, I'm afraid...

Reflexively, you reach out and the ball strikes the back of your hand. You frown at the dull pain.

The ball bounced off the ground and tumbled around.

If I hadn't have put my hand on it, it would have hit Shinohara directly.

Basketball is a No. 6 ball.

Unlike a chocolate pie, it may not be painful, depending on where it hits.

Just in time.

Looking toward the court, I saw that the women's game had already started, and the ball had most likely come flying toward us due to a passing error or something.

A ball hitting the bleachers is not so unusual an occurrence in a basketball game.

"Are you okay?"

When I asked, Shinohara said in a loud voice after a short silence.

"Don't do something cool all of a sudden, Kyu! What's the matter with you?"

"It's too unreasonable!"

As Shinohara disappears, a girl, who must be the player who made a passing mistake, chases after him to apologize.

After they were out of sight, the gymnasium was filled with small laughter.

For someone who has participated only twice, he is quite at home in this circle.

I exhaled, a trick I could never duplicate, and went back to my beloved phone.

"I'm tired of ......."

Muttering this, I turn on my phone.

There was a new notification on the screen and when I checked it, it was from Natsuki.

I heard that they still did not trust my reply, "I'll go if I can."

The notification, which can be viewed from the lock screen, reads, 'I guess that means you're not getting on! (Laughs)'.

"I'm not sure I'm getting on ...... when they say they aren't."

It's not that I don't want to go, but in any case, I have no partner, so there is nothing I can do.

If the party is a party where alcohol is served, you cannot invite Shinohara, taking into consideration the fact that there is age verification.

Ayaka would never have an open schedule on Valentine's Day either. In all probability, she is invited to a circle or some other gathering.

Unlike me, his friendships are now many times larger than mine.

But I can't think of any other girls I could invite to a "Valentine's Day party" other than those two.

Going with Natsuki is a bit of a hurdle for me.

I guess I'll have to say no.

There is no need to force yourself to go anywhere.

I would be lying if I said that I don't miss having no plans for Valentine's Day, but spending one's free time is the exclusive domain of college students.

If you notice, Valentine's Day will be over as a joke.

I run my finger over my phone to clearly refuse early on for Natsuki's sake.

The moment I sent the refusal, the plastic bottle hit my thigh.

Déjà Vu.

I looked up and saw Todo with a ball in his hand, smiling and saying, "A treat".

"Oh, seriously. I don't know what it is, but if you're buying me a drink, I'd appreciate it."

"Ha, keep doing that, MVP."

Todo smiles freshly and sits down beside me.

He dexterously opened the lid of the plastic bottle with one hand and brought it closer to me.

"Here, cheers!"

"Oh, cheers, cheers."

They cotch each other's plastic bottles and quench their throats with sports drinks.

Sports drinks are still the best way to soak up the body after exercise.

"Thank you very much. You bought me a drink again today, just like the other day."

"I told you earlier, it's the MVP reward, the reward."

Todo rolled the ball to an unoccupied area and rested his back against the gym wall.

"Shinohara called me the MVP, too. Well, I'm honestly happy."

"He looks happy, but he's not happy. I really don't know whether he's a self-promoter or a weak one."

After saying this without sarcasm, Todo slurps down a sports drink.

I think I am honestly happy right now, but it seems that from the outside it seems that way.

But," he said, "I see. I see that Mr. Shinohara said the same thing to you earlier."

"Oh. They told me right after the game. Mysteriously pissed off."

Hearing my words, Todo giggled.

"I know how you feel. Yuu is like that every time, so I was going to tell you sometime too."

"Yeah, what?"

He said, "It's also a great thing to connect on a chain of paths. I was also displeased when he praised me in the game just now. I mean, if you were the first to praise me and make such a trend, you wouldn't be praised by anyone."

Todo quickly puts the empty plastic bottle against my chest.

"Well, that's good, because it means I now have someone by my side to praise me. It makes me angry in a different way."

"I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say."

I think it would be weird to thank him, but on the other hand, it would be something different to return the favor with a joke.

Todo's smirk made my phone shake as I tried to make light of the situation after all.

It's from Natsuki.

['Ehh, come on! It'll definitely be fun!']

"Yeah. ......."

I didn't think they would bite back.

A little too much heat for just an invitation, don't you think?

"What's wrong?"

Todo asks curiously.

It is against manners to show the contents of the line to others, but, well, it is okay to show this content.

In the first place, I think it suits the atmosphere of the place better if Todo goes there than if I go there.

"I was invited to a Valentine's Day party. I just turned it down."

When I said this, Todo also seemed to be intrigued by the word "Valentine's party" and asked me an interesting question.

He said, "Heh, that's good. Why don't you go? It's so seasonal."

"You're supposed to go in as a male-female pair. You go, go with her."

I send the image with the party details to Todo's phone.

Surprisingly, there was a lot of fine print, so I didn't feel like looking at it.

Todo looked at the image I sent and shook his head.

"Nah, sure, it's a fancy venue. Not for me."

"Yeah, why?"

"I think the main reason is that we don't have a regular schedule. I've promised to spend Valentine's Day alone with her."

"I'm not sure if it would have been possible if it wasn't held on the same day. If it wasn't held on the same day, would you have had a chance?"

When I asked, Todo shook his head again.

"No, I think Yu should go to this kind of thing rather than me. I'm sure she'll be happy to go with you."

Todo looks at Shinohara, who is chatting on the court side.

Certainly, Shinohara, who can converse with anyone without separation, would be happy to come.

"He's got a great sense of humor."

"...... I didn't mean it that way, but, well, so be it. So, what do you think?"

"No. He's underage. He's a minor."

I kicked him off, and he nodded.

"Oh yeah, it would be a hassle if there was an age check."

The way to convince me is unethical, but oh well, that's the charm.

I nodded to Todo, "Yes, yes," too, and downed my sports drink.

"Then how about Ayaka-san?"

Todo asks without thinking.

I shook my head at the question as well.

"I thought about it, too. You can't, no matter what you think."

"What's in your heart?"

"Unlike me, he's busy."

When I told him, he exhaled.

"You know, you never know until you ask someone out."

"You don't know how big his community is."

"I know. Ayaka was at another circle's drinking party I went to the other day. She was very familiar with me."

"Kokowa.."

For those who knew Ayaka in college, they would always wonder why she is on special good terms with me.

In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way if I were in the opposite situation.

I said, "Well, you know, just try it out and call him. You don't know where else to go."

Todo urges me to push back.

I had no choice but to call Ayaka.

As I listened to the dial tone, I wished I had a separate message.

After waiting for about four calls, the dial tone ceases and a noise is heard.

Next, I heard the sound of steady footsteps.

It appears that Ayaka is currently outside.

[Hello?]

"Hey Saika, I heard there's going to be a party on Valentine's Day. I heard there's a party on Valentine's Day, let's go together."

When I ask him out, Todo laughs in a whisper, "Out of the blue!" I asked him out, and he laughed in a whisper.

If it were any other girl, I would take a slightly different approach, but for Ayaka, this is just the right amount of quick talk.

Of course, there is also the fact that they are comfortable because they assume they will be rejected.

[What, it's so abrupt. Okay, I'll leave it open.]

"What?"

I couldn't believe my ears.

[Oh my God, what happened?]

"What's wrong ......"

It is something of a miracle that Ayaka is available on Valentine's Day.

It is natural to be surprised.

"...... that's pretty easy. Didn't you have a schedule or something?"

[Don't ask me what's out of the ordinary, I said I know what I'm talking about.]

From his reply, I guess he had plans.

He had a prior commitment and agreed to my invitation.

I don't know what you are refusing to schedule, but I apologize for your prior commitments.

However, no amount of Ayaka would turn down an appointment that would be important for socializing, and in that sense, I feel less guilty.

[I'll be at my part-time job soon. See you soon.]

"I see. I see."

The fact that they agreed means that I have plans for my Valentine's Day.

As I opened my mouth with this thought in mind, I gave an unexpectedly tart reply.

"Ayaka gives a small laugh, 'What?".

[A little more on the chain, please?]

"I'm playing basketball in my club. I'm playing basketball at the circle right now."

[What? I thought it was a little cute, but give me back my maidenly love!]

"I don't care! You think you know what you're doing!"

I shouted louder and the circle members turned their attention to us.

Todo pretends to be unaware and ties the laces of his bash.

"Well, good luck with your part-time job."

[I'm kind of baffled, but oh well. Bye. Thanks.]

He thanked me at the end and the call with Ayaka was cut off.

When I look at Todo, he is giving a thumbs up and showing his white teeth.

"You see!"

"That's ....... Surprise."

"Absolutely absolutely absolutely."

Laughing, Todo sat up lightly.

"It was at a drinking party. For some reason, Ayaka was there at my circle drinking."

"The one you were talking about earlier?"

"I told her how Yuu was doing at the circle. So once there, I told Ayaka-san how things were going at Yu's circle."

"Don't talk about anything you don't have to."

When I pout, Todo puts his hands together.

I said, "I'm sorry. But, you know, Ayaka's reaction was different. It was interesting to see how close you really are".

I am honestly happy about that.

Does Ayaka profess to be close to me even when I'm not around?

─ You've got a really good environment.

"Good, good, good."

"Ha-ha, what's that?"

Todo laughs as he bends over.

They are starting to prepare for the next game.

I sit up as Shinohara re-enters the gymnasium and comes into view.

Unlike Todo, my back is very heavy.

I exhaled, still not getting enough exercise.

————

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