Chapter 153: Lucky Hug
Tokyo nights were different from Kanagawa.
High-rise lights replaced the seaside stars, traffic noise drowned out the ocean's whisper, and the air carried that distinctly urban scent—asphalt heat mingling with faint exhaust fumes.
"Been waiting long?" Yagami Sorato handed the bag to Chinatsu Yui.
Though he wouldn't need a bento tomorrow, Yagami still returned the empty container at the usual time. Perhaps he hadn't realized it, but after Ryonan's tactical meeting ended, an unsettling restlessness had lingered in his chest.
"Was it good?" Chinatsu asked expectantly.
"Of course."
"Hehe." Chinatsu accepted the bento box. Today she wore a light blue sundress with a white knit cardigan, her hair loosely tied in a ponytail with a few stray strands softly framing her face.
Kind of cute.
"Good luck tomorrow! Mom's coming to watch too!" Chinatsu pumped her small fists enthusiastically.
The summer night breeze drifted past. Yagami looked at her and suddenly spoke. "Yui."
"Mm?"
"Take a walk with me."
Chinatsu paused, then broke into a smile. "Okay, give me a second."
She turned and jogged into the hotel lobby, handed the bento box to the front desk for storage, then said something quietly to the staff on duty. Yagami waited outside. Through the glass doors, he could see her profile as she stood at the counter, fingers tucking loose strands behind her ear and adjusting her hair tie.
Five minutes later, she pushed through the doors again, her hair still showing signs of hasty grooming, swaying gently in the night breeze.
"Sorry for the wait." Chinatsu walked to Yagami's side, her voice light. "Let's go."
They walked side by side. At first, neither spoke.
Chinatsu stole a glance at Yagami beside her. His hands were in his pockets, his gaze calmly fixed ahead, his profile sharp under the streetlights.
This blockhead. He's the one who suggested the walk, and now he won't say anything.
"Are you nervous?" Chinatsu finally couldn't help asking.
Yagami was silent for several seconds. "A little."
"You're actually admitting it." Chinatsu's heart tightened. In her experience, Yagami wouldn't directly acknowledge emotions like that.
"But," Yagami continued, "more than that, I'm excited."
"Excited?"
"Yeah." The corner of Yagami's mouth curved upward slightly. "After all, it's the national championship finals. And the opponent is that captain of the Generation of Miracles."
"What was his name again... Akashi something? I think I saw him in a magazine!" Chinatsu pondered.
She'd worked so hard cheering for Yagami this morning that she'd completely skipped the afternoon Rakuzan-Yosen game, going straight back to the hotel for a nap. She'd even turned down her friends' invitation to go shopping.
Hmph. She'd definitely make Sorato compensate her properly later.
"Akashi Seijuro," Yagami supplied.
"Is he really strong? Stronger than that Sawakita from Sannoh?"
"Hmm, hard to say." Yagami thought carefully. "But in terms of pressure, Akashi feels more intense."
Sawakita was strong, but throughout today's game he'd never shown urgency, as if he'd never considered losing—that Sannoh could lose.
Yagami had felt something similar himself once—right before losing to Touou.
It wasn't just Sawakita. All of Sannoh Industrial carried that atmosphere. Not arrogance, but excessive confidence in their own strength.
Which was exactly why Yagami knew that the next time they met, Sannoh would be far more dangerous than today.
"Don't worry! You definitely won't lose to them!" Chinatsu bounced ahead of him. "I did a divination!"
"Heh, first time I've heard you can tell fortunes," Yagami chuckled.
"Hmph. There's lots you don't know about me."
They turned a corner and found a small park ahead. Metal slides, swings, and climbing frames stood silently in the darkness. A toy shovel left by children during the day still lay in the sandbox.
The park was completely empty at night.
Chinatsu walked to the swings and sat down, her toes lightly touching the ground to create a gentle sway. Yagami took the swing beside her.
"Tomorrow's the national championship finals..." Chinatsu murmured.
Honestly, Yagami had changed so much since entering high school. But Chinatsu never imagined he'd reach this stage so quickly.
"I actually know why you've had that weird expression." Chinatsu turned her head, looking at Yagami seriously.
"You know?"
"It's because you're still far from 'number one in the nation,' right!" Chinatsu blinked, ultimately deciding to say it.
"You actually remember that."
"Of course I do! You really startled me that day." Chinatsu pumped the swing harder. "You suddenly got all serious in the living room saying 'I'm going to become the number one basketball player in the nation.'"
"I thought you were joking."
"You thought I'd gone crazy."
"Ehehe." Chinatsu stuck out her tongue. "But I realized later you were serious. I'd never seen you practice basketball that intensely before. Dad always had to force you."
"Mm... so that's why there's still distance between us now..." Yagami understood where his unease came from.
"Don't worry! You definitely won't lose to them!" Chinatsu repeated. "When you win, I'll treat you to a super deluxe feast."
"Nothing if I lose?"
"There'll still be something, but it gets downgraded to just a regular feast." Chinatsu's eyes glinted mischievously. "So for the suuuper deluxe feast, you have to win!"
"Only a suuuper deluxe feast?"
"Of course not!" Chinatsu said immediately, then lowered her voice somewhat bashfully. "There's... there's also... I want to see you holding up the championship trophy. You'll look so cool!"
Yagami looked at her slightly flushed profile, a warm emotion welling up inside him. This feeling was unfamiliar yet natural.
"Yui, thank you."
"For what?"
"Many things." Yagami paused. "Thank you for coming to all my games during this time. Thank you for the good luck charm at the festival. Thank you for... always being by my side."
Chinatsu hadn't expected him to say any of this. She froze completely, her cheeks reddening at visible speed.
"Wh-why are you suddenly saying all this!" She turned away flustered, not daring to look at him.
"Just stating facts."
"Well don't say them out loud!" Chinatsu protested quietly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress.
Yagami chuckled softly, deciding not to tease her further.
They fell silent again, but this silence wasn't awkward. Instead, it carried a comfortable tranquility. Yagami's last trace of tension dissipated.
Half an hour later, they'd walked back to Chinatsu's hotel entrance. Light from the lobby spilled warmly through the glass doors.
"Well then," Chinatsu turned to face him. "Good night, and good luck tomorrow!"
"Good night. Get some rest," Yagami said.
Chinatsu nodded but didn't immediately go inside. She hesitated, then suddenly stepped forward, opening her arms and lightly hugging him.
It was an incredibly quick embrace, barely lasting a moment.
"That's a lucky hug!" She stepped back two paces, announcing loudly, then spun and dashed into the hotel. "See you tomorrow!"
Yagami stood there, savoring the lingering warmth in the air, a smile spreading across his face.
"Tomorrow, we have to win."