Chapter 122 – Warm-up Match (2)
Both Amami-san and Umi looked all fired up. Since there was no way that I could keep up with them, I decided to stay put to watch from the sidelines.
The match would be one-on-one, half court, first to ten points. Possession would change on a missed shot attempt, steal, or out of bounds.
Whoever won the tip off would be on offense.
“Maki, can you toss the ball for us?”“Mm… Uh, I don’t know what to say at times like this… Good luck, I guess…”
“Mm! I’m going to do my very best! You’ve only been seeing my cute side lately, so I’ll show you my cool side this time~”
“You know, I’m fine with just seeing your cute side…”
Umi looked so enthusiastic this time. Normally she would laze around like a cat at my house, but at times like this I’m reminded that she was actually good at sports.
Ever since she started dating me, she had been going out less and slacking off more and I could see parts of her getting rounder, but it seemed like that wouldn’t affect her physical capabilities.
She was probably working out behind my back, as expected of my girl.
“Now that’s unfair~ What about wishing me luck too, Maki-kun? I’m not your girlfriend, but aren’t we still friends? Also, we are on the same side for the interclass match!”“Ah right, good luck, Amami-san.”
“…Why so monotone?!”
“Well, I mean…”
If it was a real match, sure, I would be rooting for her, but this wasn’t a real match, so obviously I would root for Umi.
Anyway, I wished them to have a good game and not injure themselves.
“That’s our lady-killer~ Having two cute girls trying to get your attention~ Way to go, Rep~”
“What lady-killer? How about you come here and take my position?”
I kicked Nitta-san out of the court and went to the center where Umi and Amami-san were waiting for me.
“Don’t be nervous, Maki-kun~ It’s okay even if you mess up the toss, just make sure to direct the ball here~”
“That’s the whisper of the devil, Maki. Here’s a real advice, focus your gaze on me and throw the ball at me, that’s how you do a proper toss.”
“Sure sure.”
I would love to toss it toward Umi, but I had to be impartial. So I will toss the ball properly and straight up and down.
“Alright, ready?”
““Mm!””
“Okay… Here. We. Go!”
““!””
The moment the ball left my hands, both of them immediately leapt and reached for it.
Umi reacted slightly faster, she jumped as high as she could and stretched her hand as far as possible to touch the ball, but sadly it wasn’t enough.
“EEEIII!!”
“!”
Right before she was able to touch the ball, Amami-san snatched it away from her. Using her middle finger, she flicked the ball toward herself and using that momentum, she threw the ball in the direction of the hoop.
Since she won the tip, she would be on offense first.
Sure enough, when the ball reached the free throw line, Amami-san caught it and immediately attempted to shoot.
“Alright! Here’s my first score–”
“–As if I’d let you!”
However, right before she was able to shoot, Umi swatted the ball out of her hands and sent it flying out of the court.
It landed right behind Nitta-san with a great force.
“…That surprised me, Umi.”
“That’s my line. You seem to be as good as always.”
It seemed like after the first jump, Umi realized that she wouldn’t win the tip, so she immediately went on the defensive and prevented Amami-san from shooting the ball.
I was surprised that Amami-san could stay in the air for that long,but at the same time, I admired Umi’s insight, she was able to outwit Amami-san during that short exchange.
Not only were these two pretty, but they were also this good at sports. Amazing.
“Alright, now it’s my turn. I won’t hold back, okay, Yuu?”
“…Mm… Hehe… Make this game fun for me, Umi~”
They checked the ball while showing each other fearless smiles. (E/N: Checking is a pass back and forth between the offensive and defensive players before restarting play.)
The atmosphere inside the court was getting even more intense. I hoped that they wouldn’t get injured.
“Good work, Rep~ That was a good toss!”
“I was lucky. Anyway, Nitta-san, can you play basketball?”
“I can play a little, obviously I’m not as good as those two… One of my exes back in middle school was the basketball club’s captain, so I’m quite familiar with it… Wait, what are you making me say, Rep? Now I remember that cheater’s ugly mug… Ugh…”
“You are the one who babbled on… Anyway, since you’re familiar with it, can you be the referee?”
“I’m not good at being one, I only know the obvious kind of fouls, but sure.”
She started doing stretches before taking the whistle that was included in the equipment box and put it around her neck. After that she walked on the court to act as a referee.
With that, my job was done. Well, not exactly, I still had to watch over them.
…And of course, I had to pray for my cute girlfriend’s victory as well.
