The atmosphere in the Ga Center underwent a subtle shift after Katsuragi Keima gave his consent. Specifically, a visible cloud of steam seed to erupt from the top of Sakura Airi's head.
"I—I-I-I—Study! I an, learn!" She gestured frantically. "Basketball! Right! Basketball!"
"Airi, put the cara down first," Karuizawa Kei said, facepalming. "How are you going to shoot hoops holding a cara?"
"Oh—right!" Airi finally realized she was still clutching her precious cara. She scrambled to hang it around her neck, but the strap sohow got tangled in her hair. She spun around twice on the spot, nearly tripping over her own feet.
"...Do you need help?" Keima asked.
"N-n-n-no need!" Airi's face was red enough to serve as a traffic light.
Kiryuin Fuuka leaned against a nearby cabinet, watching the scene with great interest. She felt her choice today was absolutely correct—entertainnt of this caliber couldn't be bought for any price.
Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath, deciding to break the deadlock. "Your shooting form is completely different from what I've seen!" She walked up to the machine, picked up a ball, and weighed it. "I'll try first."
She struck what she considered a standard shooting pose, aid at the hoop, and threw with force—
The ball traced a graceful arc and accurately... slamd into the rim, bounced off, and nearly clobbered a passerby.
"Sorry, sorry!" Kei apologized quickly, her pride a bit wounded.
"Kei-chan, that was amazing!" Airi clapped sincerely. "It almost went in!"
"...Are you praising ?"
"Yes! It was just a tiny bit off!"
Kei's mouth twitched.
'Isn't "a tiny bit off" just another way of saying it didn't go in?'
Keima pushed up his glasses, analyzing in his usual calm tone: "That shot just now had too much power."
"I know that! So do you have a way to adjust it?"
"Use less power," Keima nodded.
"...Isn't that obvious?!"
"Didn't I just demonstrate? The movent from before is the most efficient."
"That movent... I don't want to do it!" Kei said with a frown. Keima's way of playing was purely focused on scoring. That motion... passersby would be terrified just looking at it.
Kiryuin Fuuka let out a "pfft" of laughter from the side.
Next was Sakura Airi's turn. She stood at the free-throw line, holding the ball with both hands, her entire body as tense as a violin string about to snap.
"..." she muttered to herself. "Gotta relax... Keima-kun said gas require relaxation..."
Soon, Airi's expression suddenly beca incredibly serious. This was her mont to show her strength in front of Keima! She had been watching his every move with wide eyes; she saw everything clearly!
The current Sakura Airi wanted to prove her ability to him! She was no longer her forr self! If it were the old Airi, she wouldn't even have appeared in a place like this. But now, she had grown! Today, she would take an even bigger step forward!
Then she threw—
The basketball flew straight toward the ceiling like a cannonball at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye.
???
Everyone present was filled with question marks.
"Wha- Wha—!" Airi covered her head and crouched down, as if the ball would crush her the next second. The ball bounced off the ceiling, hit the floor, and went bouncing away into the distance.
Total silence.
"..." Kei spoke with difficulty. "What was that just now?"
"I-I don't know..." Airi's voice ca through the gaps in her fingers, sounding tearful. "It... it flew up on its own..."
"That was a shot, not a satellite launch," Kiryuin Fuuka's shoulders were shaking. She was using imnse willpower to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Keima looked sowhat blankly at the ceiling, where a mark from the impact remained. He had to admit... did the usually frail-looking Sakura Airi actually possess such monstrous strength?
Keima swallowed, walked over to retrieve the distant ball, and handed it back to her. "Try again." His tone was as calm as if nothing had happened.
Airi looked up, her eyes red like a bullied small animal. "B-but I..."
"That last ti was muscle stiffness caused by excessive tension. Relax, look at the hoop, and use your wrist." Keima paused, adding a rare supplentary remark: "It won't hit you."
Airi stared at him blankly.
'Keima-kun said... it won't hit ...'
"...!" She nodded hard, took a deep breath, and stood at the line again.
This ti, the ball traced a wobbly arc that was at least heading toward the hoop.
Thud!
It hit the backboard and bounced back, landing right in her hands.
"Did-did it go in?" Airi asked nervously.
Kei's tone was complex. "That's hitting the board, not a basket."
But Keima nodded. "At least it's progress."
Airi's eyes lit up instantly. "R-really?!"
Keima nodded. After all, there was no room left to regress. At least this ti the ball flew in a sowhat correct direction.
And so, Sakura Airi began her shooting "cultivation." On the fifth try, the ball hit the rim. On the sixth, it flew just over the top. On the seventh, finally—finally—
Swish!
A clean basket. Airi froze in her shooting pose, motionless. "It... went in?"
The counter on the screen jumped, emitting a cheerful sound effect.
"IT WENT IN!!!" She suddenly jumped up, hands high in the air, spinning around twice. "Keima-kun, did you see?! It went in! I made it!!"
She turned and rushed toward Keima with excitent—then screeched to a halt half a ter away like a braking animal. "S-sorry... I got too excited... I lost myself for a mont."
Her face began to burn again. She had completely forgotten herself and behaved quite out of character. Though she had only scored 1 point after playing for so long, for Airi, it was a qualitative leap.
Keima looked at her, and his gaze behind the lenses seed to soften for a fleeting mont. "Yes, I saw. Very good."
The steam started rising from Airi's head again. Karuizawa Kei watched from the side, her heart a ss of emotions. She thought of her own shots—so far, her hit rate was zero.
"I'm going for another round too." She rolled up her sleeves and walked to the machine. "If Airi can make it, there's no reason I can't."
"Good luck, Kei-chan!" Airi cheered.
Kei took a deep breath, aid, and shot—
Clang! Hit the rim.
Again—
Clang! Still the rim.
Again—
This ti, the ball spun twice on the rim, wobbled... and fell out.
"...!" Kei's ntal state was beginning to crumble. "Is there sothing wrong with this machine?!"
"The machine is fine," Keima said calmly. "It's a user issue."
"You—" Kei glared at him, but he had already lowered his head to continue playing his handheld.
Kiryuin Fuuka finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Interesting," she said. "So this is the atmosphere of your first-year class. It's much more interesting than I imagined. It's a pity this school doesn't allow students to repeat a grade."
One of the main reasons Kiryuin found the school boring was the excessive competition. In the eyes of the students, everyone was a rival. A relaxed, happy ti playing gas like this was almost unheard of.
"Aren't you here for the first ti too, Senpai?" Kei said crossly.
"Yes, but my 'first ti' was much more spectacular than yours." Kiryuin glanced at the 380 score on the screen. Kei was speechless.
Just then, the automatic doors slid open again. A tall figure walked in. Pale blonde hair, sharp eyes, and a uniform with a Student Council armband—Nagumo Miyabi. His gaze swept the arcade, accurately locking onto the group at the basketball machine.
"Yo, quite a lively crowd." His tone was casual as if he were just passing by, but the glint in his eyes betrayed him.
Kiriyama Ikuto followed half a step behind him, his expression subtle. Even though Nagumo had previously said he wasn't interested, he later sought Kiriyama out saying they should "pass by" here. In reality, Nagumo was dying of curiosity!
Kiryuin Fuuka raised an eyebrow. "Nagumo? What are you doing in a place like this?"
"Passing by," Nagumo said without blinking. "And to see the legendary..." His gaze landed on Katsuragi Keima. "...Katsuragi-kouhai."
Keima lifted his eyelids from his handheld. "Who?"
Nagumo's smile froze for an instant. Kiriyama whispered from the side: "Vice President, he's asking who you are."
"I understood." Nagumo took a deep breath, putting his smile back on. "I am the Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi. Second-year Class A."
"Oh." Keima nodded, then went back to his ga.
Total silence. Kei and Airi exchanged a look, both thinking the sa thing: 'He really isn't interested at all?!'
Kiryuin Fuuka laughed softly, her tone filled with obvious amusent. "Nagumo, it seems your fa doesn't work so well with the first-years."
Nagumo's smile didn't waver, but the corner of his eye twitched. "It's fine," he said, still composed. "We'll get to know each other."
His gaze swept over everyone again—Kiryuin, Airi, Kei—and finally landed on the boy playing gas. "Are you playing basketball? I'll give it a try too!"
As he spoke, Nagumo walked to the machine and began a beautiful display of shooting. It must be said, his form was perfect, perhaps even a bit showy—but no one was paying attention to him. Keima and the others had already moved to the machine next door.
After finishing, Nagumo turned around, wanting to reclaim so dignity. "300 points. I rember the school record was around 280? I broke the record by accident..."
"Nagumo, look!" Kiriyama pointed at the big screen in shock.
"What's the big deal, it's just breaking a record—What? Five hundred plus?!" Nagumo's voice nearly trembled. He turned his head sharply toward Keima. Is that Katsuragi Keima? For real?
Just then, he saw Keima, who was giving a demonstration, break the record yet again.
'Is that a human movent?!'
Thinking this, Nagumo, who disliked being ignored, stepped quickly to his side. "Katsuragi-kouhai, if you have ti, why not co by the Student Council? I have so things I want to discuss with you."
Keima didn't look up. "When?"
"Whenever is convenient for you. How about today?"
"Can't do today."
"...?"
Keima finally looked up and pushed his glasses. "I have to teach them basketball today." He pointed at Airi and Kei.
Airi's face went red instantly. Kei wore an "I don't need you to teach " expression—but she said nothing.
Nagumo was silent for a second. Then he smiled, more brilliantly than before, but for so reason, it sent a chill down one's spine. "I see. Another day, then."
"But I have a question, Nagumo-senpai," Keima said.
"Oh? What question?"
"Why do you seem concerned about , Nagumo-senpai? We haven't t before."
"Are you seriously asking that?" Nagumo quirked an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Kiryuin Fuuka. "After all, you're the only one this woman has ever taken so seriously."
Keima fell silent. Previously, Kiryuin told him he was being targeted by Nagumo. Although he said he didn't care, he had wondered why. He even guessed it might be because of Horikita Manabu. Turns out, it was her doing.
"Nothing else then? As the Vice President, I am quite busy."
"Even though you ca here idly," Kiryuin remarked.
Nagumo ignored her, turned, and left with a composed stride. Kiriyama followed quickly. At the door, Nagumo stopped, turned his head, and said in a voice only the two could hear: "That Katsuragi Keima... is quite interesting."
Kiriyama didn't dare respond. The automatic doors closed behind them.
Inside the Ga Center, the atmosphere relaxed. "...Who was that just now?" Airi asked softly.
"The Student Council Vice President, I think," Kei said with a complex tone. "The leader of the second-years." Karuizawa Kei had heard of this man as well.
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