Notice Me, Senpai! (English)

Meeting Basketball Captain Senpai

It was a free period for Nala. She wanted to go to the library, but she overheard that the mean girls from her class were going there. It was a surprise to hear them going to the library, but Nala didn't want to take the risk. Instead, she decided to spend her free time on the in-campus park.

She sat underneath a tree shade and took out her journal and a pen. She is a journal girl and she knew that she always be. As she was doodling something in her journal, a ball bumped unto her head - hard. "Ouch!" she exclaimed. 

As she was rubbing her head, a shadow appeared. "Are you okay?" Nala looked up to see a basketball player in front of her. 

"I'm so sorry. My teammate threw the ball hard and I wasn't able t catch it properly. Are you okay?" he apologized.

She knew that he was sincerely sorry for what happened. It was obvious in the tone of his voice. "It hurts, but I think I'm fine," she assured the player.

He looked really worried. "I don't think so. You look pale."

Nala looked perplexed. A hard bump on her head isn't enough to make her pale. Maybe he's hitting on her. 'All basketball players are real players too, right?' Nala realized that she was stereotyping the guy, which wasn't right, so she shook the thought away.

"Umm, are you really okay? Maybe I should take you to the clinic. Come, I'll help you stand." He offered his hand.

Nala didn't want to go to the clinic but for to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, she accepted his hand. He even picked up Nala's things and brought it. "Don't worry. I can bring this."

As they walked towards the clinic, Nala realized that they looked like a couple. The thought alone made her face red so she let her hair fall down to hide it. Surprisingly, the player brushed her hair aside and tucked it behind her ears. "You shouldn't let your hair cover your pretty face." Looking away, Nala just nodded. "By the way, my name's Makoto. I hope that you won't hold a grudge at me just because of what happened."

"I won't." Nala smiled at him.

Makoto flashed a big, happy smile in return. "Great! So maybe you can tell me your name?"

"It's Nala. Thank you for bringing me here," Nala said as she opened the door to the clinic. "You can return to the court. You're in the middle of practice, right?"

Makoto scratched his nape. "But you ..."

Nala cut him off. "It's okay. I'm okay."

Makoto took his phone from the pocket of his shorts. "Give me your phone number. Text me when the doctor is done checking you. I want to make sure that you're not injured." She took his phone and entered her number before returning the phone back to Makoto. Upon getting his phone, he gave Nala her things and left.

As Nala entered the clinic, her phone beeped. She took it out and read the message. 

"The ball hitting you was a blessing in disguise. I'm so happy to get your number. I hope that we can be friends, but in the meantime, I do hope that nothing serious happened. Take care. - M" 

The school nurse called on Nala. "You're red. Are you okay? Come here, quickly. I'll get your vitals before the doctor arrives in a few minutes."