Sakuragi cried bitterly.
Normally, his best friends were always waiting to laugh at him. Every time he fell in love, they did everything they could to embarrass him. But now, this guy Oliver, whom he'd just met, was actually supporting his love life!
"Brother!!"
Sakuragi's face was full of tears as he lunged toward Oliver.
"Alright, alright! Go find Haruko! She's all alone up there, it's kind of pitiful."
Oliver quickly pushed Sakuragi away and gestured toward Haruko walking ahead of them. Sakuragi caught the signal, saluted dramatically, and dashed forward.
"Haruko-sister..."
Sakuragi scratched his head sheepishly.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Sakuragi-kun?" Haruko tilted her head in that adorable way of hers.
"Ah! Um... The weather is so nice today! Hahaha!"
Watching the two chatting casually, Oliver smiled to himself. Mito and the others caught up and walked beside him.
"That was pretty cool, bro," Mito said.
"Hmm? What was?" Oliver looked at them, puzzled.
"We thought you'd be competing with Hanamichi for Haruko, but you actually helped him out."
Mito glanced at Sakuragi, who was grinning like a fool. Everyone chuckled.
"Look how happy he is. Must be in heaven right now."
"Haruko really is cute," Takamiya added. "If Hanamichi didn't like her, I'd go for her myself. Don't you feel the same, Oliver?"
"Me? Nah, I just think the two of them make a good pair. Don't you think so?"
Oliver motioned for them to look ahead. At that moment, Sakuragi said something that made Haruko laugh aloud.
Everyone stared.
"This is the first time I've seen a girl talk to Hanamichi for this long..."
"Me too..."
"Dang it! I wanted to see him get rejected for the 51st time!"
Probably still coming, Oliver thought. He knew Haruko had a thing for Kaede Rukawa in the manga, so it was only a matter of time before heartbreak struck.
They soon arrived at a nearby baseball field, just as Haruko had mentioned.
"Here we are! This is where I usually come to play!"
Haruko smiled brightly.
"Only Shohoku students really hang out here, and they're all in class right now. So, we have the place to ourselves!"
"Haruko-sister, you have amazing taste! Hey, you guys! Say thank you to Haruko-sister!"
"Thank you very much!" the group echoed in unison, bowing.
"Oh, everyone is so polite! Don't worry, we can all just play together!"
Haruko waved her hands, a little flustered.
"This place..."
Oliver smiled quietly to himself. He remembered this field. In the anime, Sakuragi had practiced layups here with Haruko. Now it was happening in real life.
"Haruko-kun," Oliver stepped forward, "Would you mind helping Sakuragi with his training? He's a beginner and doesn't exactly take me seriously. But I think he'd listen to you."
"Me?" Haruko looked surprised. She glanced at Sakuragi, then back at Oliver. "If he doesn't mind, then I'd love to help."
Sakuragi nodded like a bobblehead, his eyes misty with gratitude.
"Alright, Haruko-sister! Let's train over here so we don't disturb Oliver-brother!"
"Well then, Sakuragi-kun, how is your dribbling?"
"Dribbling? No problem at all!"
He picked up the basketball and shouted triumphantly.
"Hehehehehe!!"
"What the--!?"
Oliver stared, dumbfounded, as Sakuragi began expertly dribbling the basketball around his waist and under his legs at lightning speed. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who couldn't dribble five minutes ago!
"Wow! That's amazing, Sakuragi-kun! You're so fast! Your dribbling is incredible!"
Haruko clapped in awe.
"This guy..."
Oliver couldn't help but click his tongue.
With Haruko's encouragement, Sakuragi was transforming into a basketball savant. When Oliver had first started out, it had taken him nearly a month to dribble that well. Sakuragi, on the other hand, was a natural.
While Sakuragi trained seriously with Haruko, Oliver went off to begin his own training.
--
Meanwhile, back at the gate of Heguang Middle School...
"Weird. My brother said he'd be on the school basketball court. Why can't we find him?"
"Chika, maybe he forgot he was supposed to meet you."
"No way! I reminded him this morning!"
Furukawa Chika stood at the gate with her hands on her hips, fuming.
"How could he forget his adorable sister?!"
"Uh... maybe he has a girlfriend?"
Her best friend, a ponytailed girl standing beside her, said this casually. But Chika froze.
"...What did you say?"
She turned slowly, smiling, but that smile was ice cold.
"You said my brother ditched me... for another girl?!"
"Scary!! Calm down, Chika! I was just joking!!"
The best friend recoiled, shielding herself.
In her mind, she could almost see a terrifying martial god phantom looming behind Chika.
"Right, right! That's impossible. My brother's never been popular with girls! No way he'd find one now."
She waved her hands dismissively, and her friend rolled her eyes.
"He's a high school freshman now. Having a girlfriend is totally normal... Not that I said anything."
Sensing Chika's mood darkening, her friend zipped her lips.
"Oh! Did I mention my brother's going to Shohoku High? It's really close to my school too!"
Chika beamed.
"He's amazing at basketball, so I told him to go to Ryonan. But he said he picked Shohoku so he could protect me! Isn't that sweet? What a clingy brother!"
...Who's the clingy one here? her friend wondered.
"Anyway, let's go check out Shohoku High together! It's close by, and I want to see where he'll be studying."
"Wait, I should probably go home..."
"No time to argue, let's go, sis!"
Dragging her reluctant best friend along, Chika marched toward Shohoku High.
Soon they reached the school gate.
"Wow... Shohoku High is pretty nice!"
Chika admired the red-brick gate and the tall cherry tree out front.
"Hey, doesn't your brother play basketball? There's a court on campus. Maybe he's there."
"Great idea! Take me there!"
Following her friend's lead, Chika hurried toward the court.
"Uh... isn't that your brother?"
They spotted Oliver doing push-ups in the court.
"Oh? It is him! Bro--"
Chika's greeting caught in her throat.
On the court, Haruko jogged over, carrying bottles of water.
"Is everyone thirsty? I brought drinks!"
"Thanks, Haruko-sister!!"
Sakuragi and the others grabbed the water eagerly. Only Oliver kept training, sweat pouring down his face.
"Oliver-san, here."
Haruko trotted up to him and offered a bottle with a radiant smile.
"Oh? Thank you, Haruko-san. You're very thoughtful."
Oliver smiled and took a long drink.
Chika and her friend stood frozen in place.
"It's over..."
The best friend whispered in horror.
Chika stood dead still, her aura darkening rapidly.
"Hey... who is that girl?"
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