Gimai Seikatsu - Days With My Step Sister

Prestigious school or otherwise, the hype on event days is palpable.

And the most enthusiastic among us was Yoshida.

"We're gonna win!"

He was single handedly hyping up everyone around him. The sheer energy for what he was really chasing today was seriously blinding. It was like it was only sunny around him, while still the rainy season for the rest of us.

In contrast, a few students who were pretty shitty at sports were in the corner of the classroom, staring dead eyed down at the schoolyard.

"C'mon, guys, chins up!" Class Rep said, adjusting her glasses as she addressed them.

She clapped her hands together, a beaming smile plastered on her face.

"Just do your best and have fun! Oh, and make sure everyone drops by the classroom during lunchtime today."

Everyone looked a bit confused.

"We, the temporary Home Economics Club of our class, have made some treats. We got permission to use the Home Ec room. So, we'll be waiting for you with loads of rice balls!"

A collective, "Oooh" swept through the classroom.

I ignored the excited chatter around me, remaining seated, and tilted my head in confusion.

"Temporary Home Economics Club?"

"Class Rep's idea. Five of us, including me, decided to make lunch for everyone," A familiar voice answered.

When I turned towards it, I saw the small face of Kodama, known as the best dribbler on our class's basketball team.

"...Hm? Kodama, is that... the filling for the rice balls?"

"Bingo. Huh, Asamura, you cook?"

"Um, ah, no..."

I mean, it was obvious just by looking at the container he had. There were pickled plums, salmon, kelp, and bonito flakes[1]... Who wouldn't think of rice balls seeing all those?

[Bonito flakes, also known as katsuobushi in Japanese, are thin, dried, and smoked flakes made from bonito fish.]

"Well, I guess I know that much, at least."

Kodama put the ingredients he was checking back into his lunch bag and stood up.

"Alrighty, I'll put these in the Home Ec room's fridge and then join everyone. I'm counting on you!"

"You too."

It's us who should be saying that. After all, our key players in the basketball team were Yoshida, who claims he's good at any sport, and Kodama, who's skilled at basketball despite his small stature.

I'd heard Kodama used to play basketball in junior high, so he's an experienced player. He said he quit because he didn't grow any taller, but aside from the active club members, he's probably the best in class.

Kodama joined Class Rep and three others. Three girls and two boys. Ah, I see, so that's the temporary Home Economics Club.

As the group were walking out of the classroom, Kodama turned around and waved. Those left in the classroom called out, "We're counting on you for something delicious!"

Class Rep said, "Leave it to us!" in a funny accent as she left too, making everyone crack up.

"We've gotta win if we want to enjoy the food! C'mon, let's roll, Asamura!"

Egged on by the fired-up Yoshida, I also left the classroom to change my clothes.

The sports festival at Suisei High takes place between midterms and final exams.

It's not unusual for the rainy season to have kicked in around this time, so sometimes it can be canceled due to bad weather. Fortunately for us, the rainy season this year hadn't started yet and we were blessed with clear skies.

It's a school-wide event, and all classes from first to third year participate in a tournament format. After the opening ceremony at the central ground, the students disperse to their respective competition venues.

Yoshida and I were in basketball, so we made our way to the gymnasium. We were crossing the schoolyard towards the kamaboko-shaped[2] building when someone called out to us.

[Kamaboko is a traditional Japanese food made from fish paste that is typically shaped into a semi-circular or oval shape.]

"Yo, Yoshida, Asamura!"

It was Maru. It was news to me that Maru was also in basketball, but Yoshida seemed to know already. The three of us, who had coincidentally shared a room during the school trip, headed to the gym together.

Maru made an exaggerated face like he hadn't seen me in ages. It'd been a hot minute since we last talked. We just hadn't been able to much of late. It wasn't because we weren't in the same class anymore or anything like that, Maru had just been busy since becoming a third year.

"How's it looking? Think you can win?"

He wasn't talking about the sports festival.

Maru had been busy — so exhausted that he couldn't even make calls at night. Reason being, the regional qualifiers for the summer Koshien[3] tournament were starting in July.

[Koshien is a famous baseball stadium in Japan known for hosting the National High School Baseball Championship, a prestigious high school baseball tournament held twice a year.]

"Well, freaking out now isn't gonna change anything," Maru said in a resigned tone.

Yoshida pursed his lips.

"What? I heard our baseball team is pretty strong this year. You're aiming for the Koshien, aren't you?"

That's quite the surprise. The Koshien? As in, the dream stage for all high school baseball players?

"Huh. I didn't know our school was that strong."

"Come on, Asamura, it's your best friend's team we're talking about."

"No, I mean..."

I knew they weren't weak, but I had no clue they were Koshien-level strong. Maru had never once mentioned it.

"It'd be a miracle if we pull it off, honestly."

See, even Maru himself says so, and he's the baseball team's main catcher and captain.

"It okay to be so pessimistic?"

"Look, Asamura, I don't get overconfident. If I'm just hoping for a miracle, I can't do my job as captain. I know our capabilities and will do everything in my power to win."

"That's so like you, Maru."

"But think about it, man—if you can somehow make it to Koshien, you might go pro, right?"

"Pro, huh..."

Yoshida's eyes shined as if it were his dream.

That reminds me. I think around the time of the parent-teacher interviews last year, Maru said something like, "Just because you're in the baseball club doesn't mean you can make baseball your job."

"Well, if we can make it into Koshien, there's a higher chance of catching a scout's eye. Only if we can get in, that is. Obviously we'll do our best to win."

"Is it that hard?"

"Objectively speaking, yes. We're not like those famous schools where a bunch of promising players from all over Japan gather. We don't have the luxury of endless funding and fancy facilities."

"...I see."

"As I said before, I don't think it's easy to go pro. But in this last tournament, I'll give it everything I've got to see how far I can go. If, by the end of it, I catch a scout's eye—"

Hearing Maru speak so matter-of-factly, Yoshida sighed, clearly thinking the road ahead was tough.

"—It ain't easy. And, Yoshida, I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think is most needed for a professional athlete?"

"Dunno."

"What about you, Asamura?"

"Um… skills, I guess?"

I figured you probably need a certain level of skill to become a pro.

"That's important too, sure. But, in my opinion, a pro needs to have a 'performance worth paying to see.' And, it has to be unique to that player."

"A performance unique to the player…?"

"Professional baseball is entertainment, after all. They're essentially paid for 'showing their play.' You could even say they 'captivate' their audience. Just making your team win isn't enough, in my opinion. In the end, pros are basically like self-employed business owners."

"Ah… I get it."

"Isn't that also a kind of skill?" Yoshida remarked.

"Could be. I don't know. Anyway, to put it simply, it's about being able to make a play that moves the audience... but I haven't really thought about it too much."

For a moment, Maru's gaze shifted from the gymnasium we were walking towards and drifted off into the distance.

"I really have no idea how my play looks to others."

"Well, yeah... You can't really see yourself from an outsider's perspective, can you?"

Maru smiled faintly.

"True enough. I wish I could experience it just once, though. But, there's no point in hoping for a miracle, like getting scouted by the pros. And thinking about how to play impressively, something I have even less idea about? That's pointless too."

Maru… is really hard on himself.

"I'm not saying it's a realistic option, but there's always a chance. I believe that giving it your all while believing in that chance will enrich your life when you look back on it later."

Yoshida smiled wryly.

"Man, that definitely doesn't sound like something a baseball club member would say. Sounds more like a line from a wise traveler in an RPG or something!"

"You got me," Maru said with a sly smile.

"It's about whether you can seize the opportunity when it comes. Those who aren't prepared won't be able to grab it. It might be a chance with very low odds, something that might not seem realistic, but I practice everyday in hopes of that moment."

"I reckon you're already pretty awesome, Maru, having secured both a regular position and the captaincy already."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, and I won't go easy on you either."

"Go easy?"

Yoshida and I tilted our heads in confusion, and Maru shook his in disbelief.

"What, you guys haven't seen the match schedule? If we both win one game in this tournament, our teams will face each other."

" "Ugh." "

Yoshida and I groaned in unison.

"So we're going up against Suisei High's mastermind, huh…?"

"Hahaha, Yoshida, did I not just say flattery won't get you anywhere? Relax, I'm a beginner at basketball too."

With that, Maru walked through the gymnasium doors, waved, and went over to his own class.

"Hey, Asamura..."

"Hm?"

"During PE, I heard from a guy in the class next door that Maru's been researching who's in all the basketball teams of all the third year classes."

"You serious…?"

I wish he'd take it easy just for this sports festival. But that's just not his character, is it…

When I entered the gymnasium, I was immediately surrounded by the sound of shoes squeaking on the polished floor and the thumping of balls.

On one side, a volleyball match was underway, and on the other, a basketball game. Both had already started.

This was my third sports festival in high school, but it was my first time participating in an indoor sport.

"Quite a lot of people come to watch, huh?"

There were clearly more spectators than people waiting for their games. A bunch of students had even climbed up to the catwalk to watch from above.

"It's like this every year," Yoshida said.

"Really? I've always been in tennis."

I struggled to remember if there were this many spectators around the multiple tennis courts. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention in the previous years.

"Well, there's air con."

"Ah, makes sense."

By this time of the year, the heat outside was already pretty intense. The gym was big, so it's not exactly comfortable, but it was definitely better than being under direct sunlight. On my way to the basketball court assembly point, I crossed paths with Ayase-san, with the volleyball team. We exchanged glances and small nods. As our eyes met, I noticed Yoshida quickly glance our way, but I pretended not to notice.

***

Our first game began roughly 10 minutes later than scheduled. Our opponents were a team of second years who seemed to have a taller average height than us. They looked formidable.

The jump ball went up, and the opposing team successfully tapped it, meaning we were on defense from the get go. They passed the ball around, then sunk a shot off a dribble.

"Don't sweat it! Let's get one in now!" Yoshida yelled loudly. Ever the mood maker of our team.

"Asamura!"

The ball was launched in my direction along with that shout. I passed it off to Yoshida, who had backed up to the three-point line. He boldly chanced the shot from there. It miraculously made it in, putting us ahead.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Yoshida struck a triumphant pose.

"Nice pass, Asamura-kun," Kodama called out to me as we passed each other on our way back to defend. His praise wasn't just for the goal, but for the play leading up to it. That's the kind of praise you'd expect from a seasoned player.

I was happy to take the praise, but I also felt it was Yoshida's skills that truly stood out.

When we reset for a throw-in due to a foul, I backed up to the sideline and noticed Makihara-san among the students watching from the stands. It looked like she'd come to watch with a friend, sitting next to her. She was probably told when the match was scheduled. I wonder if she saw Yoshida's three-point shot earlier.

The game continued, with both teams equally matched.

I tried to pass the ball to Yoshida as much as possible. Not just so he could show off to Makihara-san, but to win as well. We had a better chance of winning if I let the guy with the highest shooting success rate take the shots.

There were seven of us in our class's basketball team, including substitutes. Aside from Kodama and Yoshida, the rest of us, including myself, had fairly similar skill levels.

We rotated out when we got tired, but by the end of the first half, all of us were out of breath. We were trailing by one point.

"Let's all be more aggressive in taking shots in the second half."

I was surprised to hear that from Yoshida.

"You too, Asamura. Don't hold back and take your shots."

"Uh... alright."

That being said, Yoshida had the highest shooting success rate. All I could do was to pass the ball to a teammate in a good position when it came around, and in the end, we had to rely on Yoshida to make the final shot.

Yoshida made the shot just in the nick of time, and we scraped through to win our first match.

The whistle signaling the end of the game blew. Yoshida excitedly ran up to Makihara-san.

I spotted a familiar broad back moving away in the distance. Maru.

Had he come to watch our game...?

Apparently our next opponent would be a formidable one too. One who wouldn't compromise and would keep a keen eye on their opponent until the very end.

***

I thought her movements were a bit stiff.

We had an hour until our next match, so our basketball team was pulled to the opposite side of the gymnasium to cheer for the girls' volleyball team. It was Ayase-san, Class Rep, and Satou-san's team. This was the first time I'd seen Ayase-san play volleyball up close.

Her movements were stiff, and she'd been making a bunch of mistakes. It was her first time, sure, but I don't remember her saying she was this bad at receiving and tossing the ball.

Plus, maybe because she was panicking, she only made more and more mistakes, and the opposition started targeting her.

Except for the finals, volleyball games are single-set matches. One stumble can lead to a quick defeat. I was watching in silence, but when she failed to receive and tumbled to the floor, I couldn't help shouting, "Ayase-san!"

Our eyes met for an instant.

She quickly looked away and then, bam, slapped both of her cheeks. Satou-san, her teammate, looked surprised by the sudden gesture.

The opposing team missed their serve, narrowing the point gap from three to two.

When our side's volleyball team got the serve, Ayase-san, who was at the front, stepped back to serve.

The white ball, served with a perfect floater form, fell deep into the opponent's court.

It landed between the players, adding another point and reducing the gap to just one.

The ball was returned.

As Ayase-san smacked the ball on the floor, she backed up to the end line. Even the cheering squad, who had been shouting encouragement, fell silent, probably not wanting to mess up her focus as she prepared to serve.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to glare at the opposing team.

You can do it, Ayase-san!

The next serve she released got picked up by the opponent this time. But, they failed to transition it into an attack within their three touches, turning it into a chance ball for us. Satou-san, who was playing as the libero, deftly picked up the ball, passing it to the setter, a short-haired girl. Umm… What was her name again? Regardless, she set a brilliant toss which Class Rep then beautifully spiked.

Impressive. She used the springing force from her legs to make a high jump and spike the ball, which landed just inside the end line. It's a tie! A roar of cheers erupted.

Once it gets to this point, the momentum usually swings to the side that caught up. Ayase-san also started to perform as if her earlier slump was a figment of my imagination.

And in the end—they won! Seeing Ayase-san and the others so happy, I felt a warm sense of satisfaction.

Ayase-san turned around. Our eyes met. She sent me her gratitude wordlessly, mouthing… Thank—You, maybe.

I hadn't really done anything special. But, if something got through and Ayase-san calmed down, then that was good.

The time for the third round (second round for us) match was fast approaching.

***

I was thinking back to last year's basketball class.

Maru was a player we could never quite get the better of during those basketball lessons.

Though, given Yoshida's athletic ability, he wouldn't be outmatched by Maru. That meant even if I personally couldn't beat Maru, our team still had a chance to win. Same went for Kodama. We had two fairly skilled basketball players on our side.

And, on the flip side, it looked like there were no experienced basketball players on Maru's team. Maru appeared to be the most skilled among them.

I figured out that much during the first few exchanges of offense and defense.

On paper, we should have had the upper hand, but we were trailing behind Maru's team.

Maru was focused on completely shutting down our main players, Yoshida and Kodama.

They assigned their tallest player to the short Kodama, not to play man-to-man defense, but to wait under the basket for Kodama to drive in. Kodama was nibble, and could dodge a player bigger than him with a feint, but sadly, he was hardly ever successful with long-range shots.

As for Yoshida, he was double-teamed. So, predictably, he couldn't freely take shots with two players guarding him.

You'd think a team of amateurs adopting a formation like that would leave a gap somewhere, but that was exactly Maru's aim. The remaining three players, me included, weren't good enough handling the ball to reliably score.

I received a pass. Holding the ball, I started dribbling towards the goal.

Maru, moving his hefty frame agilely, stayed on me. He maneuvered around me, blocking my path.

The small eyes behind those glasses formed a sly grin. I scanned the court as I continued dribbling. As usual, Yoshida had two markers, and Kodama, wary of the goalkeeper under the basket, had retreated to a relatively distant position. That left—Yamazaki and Nakano. Maru reached out for the ball I was dribbling—

I'm going to lose it!

"—Yamazaki!"

Calling out the name, I twisted my body desperately, trying to pass the ball towards Yamazaki, who was near the 3-point line's end. But Maru's outstretched hand was a feint. His arm didn't actually extend, and he lunged at the ball just as I was about to pass it to Yamazaki. Maru's big hand grazed the ball practically the second it left my hand. The ball, caught between my hand and Maru's, popped straight up. Damn it.

I jumped to try and grab the bouncing ball. It grazed the tips of my fingers, changing its trajectory, and bounced towards a lanky guy from the opposing team. Swiftly catching the ball, he passed it immediately.

Straight to—Maru.

At some point, he had started running. Charging towards our goal, Maru unleashed a beautiful layup shot off his dribble. The ball floated up gracefully and swished through the net without even touching the rim.

Cheers and screams erupted all at once.

We got steamrolled for the rest of the first half and found ourselves down by five as the whistle blew.

***

"We need a game plan! We've gotta strategize!" Yoshida declared. "Think of something, Asamura."

"That's a tall order for me"

"Kodama, then! Don't you have any ideas? You've got experience, don't ya?"

"Honestly, my junior high basketball team wasn't that strong… Hmm. Lemme think."

We sat in a circle on the side of the court, resting. Just about two minutes remained before the start of the second half.

Kodama glanced at everyone's faces before speaking.

"We might be able to do something if we can shake off the other team's marks."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Kodama guessed the strategy that Maru had probably come up with.

"In this team, I think Asamura is the one who receives the most passes. He's good at observing the surroundings and being in the right place at the right time."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Kodama's observation. Well yeah, I'm aware of that too. My strength is in team play.

"But I believe Maru-kun is aiming for that."

"Meaning?"

"Because, Asamura-kun, you mostly pass and rarely shoot yourself, right? So, from the opponent's perspective, it's safe as long as you have the ball. They probably want to leave you unmarked, making it easier for you to receive passes. If they mark Yoshida-kun and me, three out of our five team members are essentially neutralized. We can't win this way."

"What should we do?" Yoshida asked.

"I think the basic strategy is to do the unexpected. Asamura-kun, I want you to be near the goal as much as possible. Preferably near the guy wearing number four, who's marking me."

"The tall one? Just by staying near him?"

"If possible, I'd like you to shoot once in a while. Otherwise, they won't be drawn to mark you."

"I'm not as skilled as Yoshida, though."

"Asamura-kun."

Kodama looked at me seriously.

"Y-yeah?"

"It's not about whether it goes in or not. A guy who's decided not to shoot isn't a threat. No one will pay attention to you because of that. They'll think it's fine to leave you be. It's just what Maru would be counting on."

No one will watch me, huh.

For some reason, I remembered what Maru had said.

"I really have no idea how my play looks to others," or something like that.

I thought it would be fine not to be noticed since I was trying to be like a shadow player... But if you think about it, being able to play without standing out and still helping your teammates win would be a play of a higher-level player, wouldn't it?

Wasn't there a manga with a plot like that?[4]

[Not sure what manga he is talking about. It's not specified.]

So a basketball newbie trying to be a silent powerhouse would just end up getting overlooked, huh?

The whistle blew, and the referee signaled for the players to gather on the court.

The second half began.

***

I did as told and tried to position myself as close to the opponent's goal as possible when we were on the offensive.

I hovered around the lanky number four player. Predictably, he looked annoyed, and kept glancing my way.

Kodama passed to me. I pretended to turn and shoot, but instead returned the ball right away. Lanky number four glanced my way for just a moment, making him late in defending against Kodama. Seizing his chance, Kodama cut in and scored, narrowing the score gap from five points to three.

Cheers erupted from the classmates who'd come to support us. Everyone was on cloud nine, with shouts of "Nice one!" and "Keep it up!" flying around.

The game reset with the opposing team in possession of the ball.

There was no choice but to play defense here, so I quickly fell back and fortified our defense. I would return to our goal when defending and try to get as close to the opponent's goal as possible when attacking.

Little by little, we narrowed the score gap until we were just one point behind.

Then, we transitioned into a fast break from an intercepted pass. It was tough, but I sprinted up to the goal. As my breathing grew ragged, another pass came from Kodama.

However, Yoshida already had two defenders marking him. As I looked around for another teammate, I saw Maru coming at me out of the corner of my eye. Lanky number four quickly switched to mark Kodama, blocking the passing lane.

Maru tried to intercept the ball again.

Pretty much the same thing happened in the first half. Back then, I tried to pass back and got blocked, losing the ball. And now, Yoshida, my go-to scorer, was marked too. Which means, there's gotta be an open teammate somewhere.

Maru was barrelling towards me like a heavy tank.

I need to pass—No. No time. I didn't have time to look.

I turned my back to the charging Maru and spun around to face the hoop. I took a single step then kicked off the floor, letting the ball fly from my hand.

A collective gasp came from the crowd.

The ball bounced off the backboard, looking like it'd be sucked into the net. Please go in! I willed it, but to no avail. It did a half circle around the ring and bounced out again.

The opposing team grabbed the rebound, connected their passes, and scored, widening the point gap again.

If only it had gone in!

I raced after it but was too late. I bit my lip, feeling both frustrated and guilty.

A gentle pat landed on my back.

"That was a good try, man."

Looking up, I caught Yoshida giving me the thumbs up as he passed by.

"You got this."

"Just keep taking those shots!"

Words of encouragement came from Kodama and Sasamoto too.

The game's tempo went back and forth.

I went back to doing the same routine as before, receiving passes and connecting the ball to my teammates.

Huh?

But now it felt easier to connect passes compared to before. Whenever I got the ball, the opposing team would suddenly tighten their defense around the goal. More importantly, Maru stopped recklessly charging at me. He was probably wary of me pulling another spin and shoot.

Soon enough, I was winded and substituted out. When I made my way to the side of the court, my classmates told me how close my previous shot was. Was it really that close?

After a little break, I returned to the court.

By then, the point gap had closed, and we were only trailing by one.

"Come on, Asamura~! You can do it~!" A voice shouted from behind me.

I turned around to see who it was. Class Rep. Satou-san and Ayase-san were with her too.

I turned my attention back to the court.

The clock was ticking, less than a minute remained.

Our side started with a throw-in. I caught the pass and immediately scattered it to my teammates. The strategy remained the same; In the meantime, I ran and positioned myself under the basket. Kodama made a dribble and passed a bounce pass to me from outside the three-point line. I turned around and pretended to shoot, but instead, twisted my body towards Yoshida, who was in my peripheral vision.

They probably thought I was going to shoot, as the defenders rushed toward the goal, leaving Yoshida unmarked. I passed the ball through that open space.

Yoshida released his shot from just inside the three-point line.

The ball drew a beautiful arc through the air and fell towards the hoop. I thought it was in… But with a dull thud, the ball didn't go in and bounced away.

It missed?!

Everyone's hands reached up for the ball as it fell, mine included. And, by some stroke of luck, the ball came my way. It landed in my hands. Where's Yoshida?

My eyes searched this way and that… and met Maru's. No, not him. Yoshida was to the left. I noticed him running from the three-point line toward the goal. Now's my chance to pass. But just as I was about to, I saw Maru charging at Yoshida. He glanced at me. I also saw the referee teacher staring at the clock, whistle in his mouth. Time was running out.

The whistle could blow at any moment. If I passed to Yoshida, he might make the shot. But I figured Maru would anticipate that, which was why he was charging at him.

Which option had a better chance of succeeding?

If someone asked me why I made my decision, I'd probably say Kodama's words were still in the corner of my mind: "I think the basic strategy is to do the unexpected." So I raised the ball and pushed my arm diagonally forward, towards the goal. With a push of my palm, I let the ball go.

To be honest, I could barely see the basket. So I was just grateful the desperate shot I made even hit the backboard. I'm pretty sure it was sheer luck. And the fact that after bouncing off the backboard, the ball was sucked into the hoop was nothing short of a miracle.

The final whistle sounded almost exactly as the ball fell through.

"WOOOOO!"

"WE WON!"

While my classmates celebrated, I, exhausted, collapsed onto the gym floor.

A large shadow loomed over me. Maru.

"I figured you'd pass. You really got me there," he said, expressing his surprise with a voice tinged with both amusement and shock.

"I always thought I was the type of person to just pass too."

"...What're you on about?"

"I don't know. I don't even understand it myself. But man, am I shattered!"

A teacher chewed me out for lying sprawled out on the floor, saying the next match was about to start. I reluctantly picked myself up and lined up for the customary post-game bow. The sports festival was part of the curriculum, and our school, Suisei High, took formalities like those seriously.

As I walked toward my cheering classmates, I was greeted with applause.

Yoshida came up to me and repeated, "Nice job, dude!" over and over again while vigorously patting my back.

"Sorry I couldn't pass more often," I apologized, but Yoshida looked surprised.

"It's all good. Winning is what matters!"

Class Rep, Satou-san, and Ayase-san were all smiles.

Despite our hard-fought victory, our team ended up losing in the next match. Ayase-san's volleyball team also lost in the semifinals. The best performance for our class turned out to be Hoshino-san from the girls' tennis team, who made it all the way to second place.

And like that, Suisei High's third year sports festival came to a close.

***

Since I didn't have a shift at work that day, I just went home, ate dinner, took a bath, studied, and went to bed.

My old man was working overtime, as usual, and Akiko-san had already left for work.

Ayase-san and I were chilling out and sipping tea after dinner. Instead of green tea, we had chilled roasted tea from the fridge. The coldness of it felt refreshing as it went down my throat.

"Today was so tiring, wasn't it?" Ayase-san said with a sigh, and I nodded in agreement.

"After all the crazy practice this past week, it's no surprise, I guess. I mean, I've never really thrown myself into a sports festival like this before."

"Me neither."

"Maru has been doing this all along, after all. It makes me think that people who are really committed to sports are amazing."

It's not like I can say much, since I only took part in the sports festival for a week because it's part of the school's curriculum, but still, I reckon I caught a little glimpse of what it's like for people who've been doing this day in, day out, year after year.

"It's kinda like your cooking, Ayase-san."

Ayase-san shot me a wry smile.

"But it's just something I do every day."

"That's what's amazing about it. And it's delicious too."

"Thanks. But I only cook for myself and our family… Um, you mentioned Taichi-san works in food product planning, right?"

"He told me he did, yeah."

I'd only recently learned the details of my old man's job. He wasn't the type to talk about work at home, so there was a lot I didn't know.

"Well like… If you sprinkle salt and pepper on your food, it might turn out dry and hard to eat, but that's your personal preference."

True enough. Ayase-san doesn't have any trouble eating it like that herself.

"I can remember that and make adjustments for those preferences, but it's not like I'd go out of my way to adjust them to taste for random people."

What does that mean?

"Um, what I'm saying is, I don't know what impression the general public might have of my everyday cooking. I basically just make it according to my own tastes."

"Ah, I get you."

"But Taichi-san has to consider all that when he's planning."

"That sounds... difficult."

Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

"And it being 'just' delicious won't cut it either."

This time it was Ayase-san's turn to tilt her head in confusion.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it being 'just' delicious?"

"Think about it this way: You like salt and pepper on your fried eggs, I prefer soy sauce. So, imagine a seasoning that mixes half the salt and pepper and half the soy sauce."

"Huh?"

"Would that create a taste that would satisfy both of us?"

"No way," Ayase-san replied instantly.

"See?"

"I like that amount of seasoning because it suits my taste, and it's the same for you... Yuuta-niisan. Besides, salt and pepper and soy sauce are two distinct seasonings. Just mixing a little of each won't make a universally perfect flavor—Oh, I get it. That's what you mean."

Ayase-san seemed to catch on quickly when I put it in cooking terms, her area of expertise.

"So you're saying that if you go for an 'average taste,' you'd end up with a flavor that satisfies a bit of everyone's taste. Sure, it might turn into something everyone can eat, but also, everyone might be a bit unsatisfied."

"Probably, yeah."

"But that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?"

"Well there's a problem with that approach."

"A problem?"

Yet again, I found myself remembering what Maru had said.

"I really have no idea how my play looks to others."

I think that resonates with Ayase-san's statement about her cooking. That she only adjusts her cooking to her own taste, and doesn't have confidence that others will find it delicious.

Maru added more to that too. He said professional athletes are basically self-employed, so it's not enough for them just to perform well. They need to perform in a way that is unique to them.

"I can imagine conducting surveys with customers, or compiling data on individual taste preferences, and creating a recipe that averages those out. Kind of like a golden ratio."

"Well... hypothetically speaking."

"If you mechanically average a huge amount of data, there should be only one recipe that comes out. I suppose that's what's deemed 'average' or 'normal'."

"Yeah."

Since she nodded, I went on with my argument.

"If we just wanted a recipe like that, we wouldn't even need to have planning meetings, right? Because it would just be decided in one single way."

Ayase-san's eyes went wide and she let out an, "Ah."

"I feel like a lot of new food products are marketed with catchphrases like 'super spicy' or 'ultra fluffy'. But, if you think about it, they aren't really aiming for the 'average'. They're selling a unique product experience."

A player's performance needs to be unique…

"That's true. Yeah. I don't particularly like super spicy or super sweet things. Ah, Maaya might go for the super sweet stuff though."

So Narasaka-san has a sweet tooth does she?

"So, even if you don't tailor your cooking to others' tastes, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be shared with the world. Obviously it still needs to be edible though."

"But, I don't think my home cooking would be good enough to sell."

"Well, as long as it's delicious to me, I'm happy."

"T-thanks," Ayase-san murmured, looking away shyly for some reason.

It hadn't really been a compliment, I just voiced my honest opinion.

"Plus, if it sells, that means you could become a professional."

"I already had my hands full just making something edible. But since I came to this house, my cooking gets nothing but praise, so it's actually kinda confusing..."

"I'm grateful."

I put my hands together and bowed playfully, and she turned away with a, "Hmph."

Honestly, while I do find Ayase-san's cooking delicious, I can't confidently say it's at a professional chef level. Besides, I doubt my taste buds are that refined. So, I didn't want to say it if I didn't mean it, and the truth is, my only option was to deflect with a joke.

But today, more than ever, I was reminded of how little we sometimes know about ourselves.

"You too, Asamura. Don't hold back and take your shots."

"A guy who's decided not to shoot isn't a threat. No one will pay attention to you because of that. They'll think it's fine to leave you be."

What Yoshida and Kodama had said echoed deep in my ears.

While thinking about the taste of Ayase-san's miso soup, it hit me that, actually, I'd never seen Maru playing baseball. I wonder how he plays.

"Oh, by the way," Ayase-san started saying, gently putting her glass of roasted green tea down on a coaster. "Thanks to your plays, your basketball team made it to the top four. You're surprisingly good at sports, Yuuta-niisan."

"No, no, that was all Yoshida and Kodama. I just focused on team play."

"But the last point was from your shot, Yuuta-niisan."

"I just took a desperate shot, and luckily it went in, really."

I'm not particularly athletic; I'm well aware of that. I'd rather spend my time reading books.

"It's alright! You were the MVP in my eyes," she said with a shy smile.

I couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed too.

"T-thanks," I muttered, and turned away just like she did earlier.

She suddenly burst out laughing.

"You're blushing!"

"I'm just not used to compliments."

Ayase-san kept laughing until we started cleaning up.

***

That night, just as I finished studying and was about to climb into bed, my smartphone beeped. It was a LINE message.

Yoshida:[Cheers for today! Really appreciate it!]

Apparently, going off his next message, he had successfully confessed his feelings to Makihara-san afterward.

I thought about how to reply.

I wanted to say that I just passed the ball so our team could win. I genuinely believe his confession was successful because of the good impression he'd made on Makihara-san through their regular interactions. Yoshida is a good guy, after all.

But people often talk about compatibility too. Just because you're a good person doesn't guarantee they'll say yes. What one person finds "desirable" might be "unpleasant" to someone else. Still, from what I observed in the cafeteria when they were sitting across from me, Makihara-san and Yoshida seemed to get along well enough.

That said, there's no point in going on and on about it. The words Yoshida wants right now are—

Yuuta:[You're welcome.]

After shooting that off, I sent the simple message Yoshida was hoping for.

Yuuta:[Congrats.]

I got a sticker of a triumphant pose in reply. Classic Yoshida.