Everything appeared to return to normal the next day, with one notable exception. Makiyama wore a perpetual scowl.
The freshmen, who had just returned from their trip couldn't make any sense of this. They had achieved victory against Hibiya, which should have been the cause for celebration. Usually, Assistant Coach Makiyama would at least crack a small smile.
What added to the confusion was that when they approached the upperclassmen, hoping for an explanation, their seniors seemed to possess some hidden known, but remained tight-lipped.
Baffled, they turned to Hikki for answers.
Hikki sighed, trying to find words that would reveal too much. "Let's just say, we witnessed something unusual yesterday."
The cryptic response only fueled their curiosity.
With their upcoming game just around the corner, the players expected a light training session to maintain their fitness. However, today's practice turned out to be unexpectedly grueling.
After the demanding training session, Assistant Coach Makiyama halted the team as they were about to head to a nearby fast food joint for some relaxation.
"I need everyone except the first-years to stay for a bit today," Makiyama instructed, earning groans of disappointment from the older players.
The freshmen, baffled by this, left the gym in a state of confusion.
"What's all this about?" Momoharu grumbled loudly.
Hikki offered a faint smile as he explained, "The seniors are getting some extra practice..."
"Huh? Why?" Momoharu asked, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.
"Don't look at me, I'm in the dark about this too,"
Hikigaya said nonchalantly as he lied through his teeth, raising his shoulders slightly.
"Is ir really okay though? We've got another match tonorrow. Making sure they're in their best shape should be the priority, not extra training," Mibuchi questioned as they headed towards their destination.
Masahiko took a bite of his snacks while nodding in agreement with Mibuchi's concerns.
All eyes turned to Hikki, expecting an explanation.
"Well, you're right in a way. But it should be fine. We're the starters now," Hikki clarified.
Momoharu's face lit up with a wide grin. So, that means we'll get more playtime, huh?"
Mibuchi stayed quiet, deep in thought. In most cases, experienced players were prioritised as starters. In their case, while first-years could get a shot at starting, it usually depended on the data provided by Asuka to adapt to the opponents.
And to the fact that all first-years were now Meikō's starters, a team considered a top contender for the tournament, was unprecedented. It didn't seem possible unless something extraordinary had occurred.
Hikki understood Mibuchi's perspective.
However, what Makiyama had witnessed the previous day was not something typical in the basketball scenez Particularly in middle school, having a first-year player control the entire flow of the game was unheard of.
Assistant Coach Makiyama and Head Coach Yamato had come to realise that they had underestimated not only Hikigaya, but also the rest of the first years who were placed in the first string along with him. That's why Makiyama decided to put the freshmen in the starting line up, believing that more playing time would help them develop their talents faster, which was something that Head Coach Yamato agreed with.
"Hey, look at this, all the prodigies hanging out together," a voice interrupted their conversation. They turned to see a tall, athletic guy with dark brown hair.
"Who's this dude?" Momoharu whispered, clearly puzzled. Mibuchi adjusted his hair and shrugged in response to his friend's question. Ogiwara sighed lightly and explained, "That's Tsunayoshi Masayuri."
"The one who always skips practice, right?" Ikari asked, his brow furrowing in uncertainty.
Masahiko nodded, not really caring but munching on a new snack he had found in the school cafeteria.
Masayuri, feeling ignored and slightly irritated, approached them. It just so happened that the person closest to him was Hikki.
Seeing this, Momoharu whispered again, "Uh-oh, this doesn't look good."
"Huh? Why?" Ikari asked, clearly puzzled.
But before anyone could answer Ikari's question, Masayuri casually reached out as if he was about to put his hand on Hikki's shoulder. However, to his shock, the world suddenly spun around him, and he found himself sprawled on the ground, gazing up at Tokyo's night sky.
"...Huh? What just happened?"
Masayuri muttered, his confusion evident. He had no idea what had just occurred.
Hikki looked down at Masayuri and calmly said, "Please don't touch me out of nowhere. I really dislike it..."
Upon hearing this, Masayuri met Hikki's cold piercing gaze, and it felt like Ryouta's eyes were drilling into his soul. A strange sensation of suffocation washed over him.
Before Masayuri could make sense of the bewildering sensation, Hikki continued to walk ahead, leaving him utterly baffled by the strange turn of events.
Ikari's mouth formed a surprised 'O' shape as he watched Hikki walk away, his actions leaving a lingering sense of amazement.
The rest of the group merely shrugged and quickly followed Hikki, catching up to him as they moved along.
Momoharu scratched his head and explained, "See, that's waht happens when you touch Hikki suddenly without thinking..."
Mibuchi, wearing an amused smile, shook his head slightly.
"But, Momoharu-kun, I saw you do that sometimes though?"
Watanabe walked alongside the others, glancing back at Masayuri's bewildered expression on the ground.
Mibuchi said, adjusting his immaculate hair as he spoke, "It's a bit different..."
"...Hikigaya already considers Momoharu a friend, so it's fine for Momoharu to do that." He continued, holding a black hair brush in his hand.
"Actually, I can relate. I don't like it when anyone, even a friend, carelessly touches me."
Mibuchi added, his tone reflecting his usual seriousness.
Momoharu chuckled, brushing off the topic. He felt a bit shy as he scratched his neck awkwardly. "Haha, let's drop it. Hey, Ryou, how did the match go yesterday?"
His laughter shifted the conversation to a topic everyone was eager to discuss. All eyes turned to Ryouta, even Masahiko, who typically kept to himself, looked at Ryou for an answer.
Hikki grinned as he shared, "I must say, without you guys, the match was made much more difficult than it should have been, that Hibiya match was easily the toughest we've played."
This response caught everyone off guard.
"Aww, you missed us Hikigaya-kun!" Ogiwara exclaimed as he smiled at his friend while putting an arm around the shorter boy.
"Well, yes. I perform much better with you guys than I do with the seniors, I know exactly what your preferences are and where to play the ball exactly, with the seniors, I have much more difficulty predicting their preferences without intense data collection." Hikki explained while removing Ogiwara's arm from his shoulder.
"Damn, the match was really that tough, I should've skipped that trip like you, Ryou," Momoharu lamented, his face reflecting his regret. It must have been a real challenge if Ryouta considered it a tough match.
With that, they dove into discussing the game, seemingly forgetting about Masayuri's brief intrusion as if he were a passing nuisance.
–––
TBC
