Favorite Lesson (Slam Dunk Fanfiction)

十三 Lesson 12: A Little Bit of Everything

First Day of Summer Vacation

Shizuoka Prefecture- University

"Takezono wins first place in science quiz bee". 

The group stood on the stage and bowed. They were individually awarded medals. 

Bus Stop

"Aren't you going back with us?", Riku turned and stared at the lady. "My friend happened to be around the corner. Don't worry, I already notified my brother about this", Amane waved. "See you in school, Mizutani", the upperclassman entered the bus. 

"Let's see. I still have an hour before Yuzuki's practice game", Amane looked at her watch. At a distance, she saw a familiar jersey. "Ah, Shohoku", she slightly made her voice loud getting the attention of the group. "A fan. Great, I need someone to keep track of your scores and also a little bit of help in managing you", Ayoko approached her and just started dragging the lady. 

Jousei High

"Thank you for having us here", they all bowed. 

"Then, how come you're here?", Rukawa surprisingly opened his mouth after his long silence. There's no moron who riles him and everyone is focused on having a practice game. "Your manager just kept dragging me around saying that she'll need extra hand. Come to think of it, your team is quite unique", Amane commented. 

The two first years proceeded to walk towards the bench. All the others tilted their head. It is strange that Rukawa is talking to another female being. "Rukawa-kun, so how was it at Haruko's house?", the lady slightly elbowed him. It made all the Shohoku players flinched. "She was staring at me the whole time", the lad answered. Haruko was staring at him while doing the rest of the practice test. He was able to answer them all. The reason why he failed was because he prioritized sleeping over answering the exam. Amane just laughed listening to Rukawa's narration how their captain was angered that they failed the exams. 

"Let's go and beat their ass", Miyagi, the second year point guard felt ticked off with the aura the other team is emitting. 

The players went to change their clothings. Ayoko approached Amane who started preparing the water bottle with the freshmen. "I never saw Rukawa talking to other girls. Do you guys know each other for a long time?", the manager was curious. "I think we just met three months ago", the lady put her hair up on a ponytail.  "That's surprising. I feel a little sad for that girl", Ayoko had Haruko's face flashed on her mind. "Could it be that you are-", she wasn't able to finish her sentence. "May we ask someone from your group for scoring?", one of the players from Jousei approached them and gave a flirting look at Amane. 

Amane received a message from Yuzuki for her not to bother watching the practice game since it's a sure win. The lady sent a photo of the court that received a big grin response from her friend.

"Make sure to tell me more about what will happen in this camp"-Yuzuki

After the game, the players were all led in the cafeteria. 

Cafeteria

Amane leaned on the table and watched Rukawa sleeping soundly. "So you sleep to conserve your energy for basketball. What a commitment", she chuckled and continued eating her food. "We were amused seeing Rukawa being comfortable with a girl", Mitsui and the rest of the team arrived with their plates. "Are you his-?", Kogure was about to ask when Takenori shook his head. "You gave a good beating to Sendo-san during the last game. He moped around it but its annoying how easy it was for him to get back", Amane pouted. "See, I told you that I saw her with Ryonan's ace", one of the freshmen whispered but it was still loud. The Captain gave them a glare. 

"Sendo-san is a good friend of mine. I wanted him to win the district game and for him to continue playing with the current team but more of it, I think him playing against Shohoku brought something else inside. His love for basketball was more than ever. Next year, you have to watch out but for now, I guess I have to root for your team as wee", the lady gave a thumbs up. It made the players sat properly and feel pride on their game. Rukawa woke up and saw his teammates with determined expression even after losing in the first game. He looked in front of him and saw Amane having a friendly conversation with Ayoko. "You're awake. I went to grab your food. Time to eat", the lady turned to face his direction. Rukawa just stared at the food and back to Amane. She was quick to shift her attention to continuing her conversation with Ayoko about visiting beaches during summer vacations. 

It was out of the ordinary. He would catch ladies staring at him with uncomfortable amount of time but he became accustomed with it. As time passed by, he learned how to brush off the squeals and chattering when he passes by the corridor or while waiting at the bus stop. There was something about Amane that makes it comfortable for him to converse with. She gives the same vibe as Ayoko, someone who knows his value as a basketball player. She would casually praise him but it didn't feel like empty words. She sounded as if she knows what she was talking about. Was it because of the amount of time she spent with Sendo? The thought of Sendo made him feel ticked off. Still, he wasn't able to beat him during the last game. 

Night Time

Classroom

Amane and Ayoko was given a classroom to sleep in for the night. Jousei High had a male manager so they were the only one who needed a separate room. The upperclassmen fixed the futon while waiting for Amane to come out from bath. She smiled feeling excited to spend the night with a younger lady who seems to have a rich experience with males. She was looking forward for juicy stories. 

Gymnasium

Amane saw the light from the gymnasium from the corridor and wondered if someone forgot to turn off the lights. She felt the suspense and thrill of ghost hunting so she dove into the excitement. The lady slowly walked and for whatever reason, she thought of surprising the ghost. She entered and gave a loud shout of "booo!". The black haired lad turned to him with uninterested eyes. "Tch, it's just Rukawa-kun. I thought this will be the day that I will kill a ghost with a heart attack", Amane sighed. "How can you kill something that's already dead?", Rukawa turned towards the basket and effortlessly made a basket. 

Amane wiped her wet hair and sat on the floor. "It's already 7 in the evening. You were told to rest since you'd be early tomorrow. Are you okay with waking up that early?", the lady reminded. "It's training so I'd be fine with it", Rukawa answered and pick a ball. "Heh~ I thought you'd whine and complain", the lady stretched and place her hair towel on the floor. "I'm quite bored from just scoring. Should I also try to beat Shohoku's ace?", Amane hummed. "I won't hold back", Rukawa slightly raised his chin. He will not back out from any challenges. "Just one basket. If I win just one, that means I already win", Amane pointed out. 

The lady held her hands asking Rukawa to pass the ball. After the ball was passed, Amane started with slow dribbling. She tried to make a fast three but Rukawa already towered over her and slapped the ball. "You really don't hold back", Amane whined. Rukawa stole the ball and shot a three. Amane tried all the strategies she can think of but can't win over Rukawa's height and agility. The lady started to have seeds of sweat on her forehead. "You're pushing me to my edge", the lady kept a score in her head. Rukawa shrugged and it somehow ticked her off. She run while dribbling, it might have been the timing of her running or the coordination of her feet but she tripped and fell. Rukawa run to her side and checked on the lady. 

Amane smirked and stood, she was able to make a quick three. She raised her arms in the air. "Woah! I won", she said in glee. After three seconds, she felt a stinging pain on her ankle. She twisted it. 

Chapter end.