As the school bell rang, some students made their way to the cafeteria to buy lunch, while others brought theirs from home.
"I need to ask him if he was that boy I met in the past. I'm certain it was him. Their eyes are similar... I have to act fast," Sachiko said to herself. She turned around and called out, "Hey, Kawaguchi!"
But to her surprise, he had already left.
"He already left? Why is he in such a hurry?" Sachiko asked herself.
"Sachiko, let's have lunch together," Naomi said as she pulled out her lunchbox.
Sachiko nodded in agreement and sat with her.
As Tetsuo walked down the hallway, his seniors were mesmerized by him.
"Wow, that guy is really tall and handsome. I wonder if he's available," said a second-year girl.
"Look, he's a first-year. Why would you be interested in a boy in a lower grade?" another girl asked.
"When it comes to love and romance, age doesn't matter," the first girl replied.
"Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" the other girl sighed.
Tetsuo, who was wandering around the school, accidentally bumped into a girl and quickly apologized. She assured him it was okay as she picked up her things and walked off. What Tetsuo found fascinating about her was her eyes—they were as cold as his.
"I'm glad I studied hard to attend this school. It's more prestigious than I thought it would be. Well then, it's time for lunch," Makoto said as he yawned.
"Kurai, wait up!" shouted Shino as he tried to catch up to him.
"Huh? What's up?" Makoto asked.
"Um... you left your book on the desk in class," Shino said in a low and shy tone.
"Oh, thanks. If that's all, I'll be on my way now. See you," Makoto said as he walked off.
"Hold on a second! Please wait!"
"What's the matter now?" Makoto asked, turning back.
"Um... I was going to ask if you could accompany me to the basketball club, please. I want to sign up, but I'm sort of nervous and afraid to go alone," Shino admitted, fiddling with his fingers.
"This guy is going to be a target for bullies. He's too weak and shy for a boy... I'll probably have to stick around him and prevent that. However, that's going to be a pain," Makoto thought to himself. "What I don't understand, though, is why out of everyone in our class, he chose me to accompany him."
"Is that a yes?" Shino asked hopefully.
"Fine, let's go. This is the first and last time I'll be doing you a favor—since you returned my book to me," Makoto said as both he and Shino headed to the indoor basketball court.
As they got closer to the gym, they could hear the sound of basketballs bouncing and shoes rubbing against the court. As they approached the door, they saw a person jump into the air and dunk the basketball.
"Amazing! That was so cool!" Shino exclaimed, mesmerized by the dunk.
"And that's game! Not bad, Takahiro, but you still haven't won against me to this day," said the guy who dunked.
"Well, that's because you're as agile as ever, Yukio," Takahiro replied.
"He might be as good as his older brother when he was in his third year," Takahiro thought to himself as he spotted both Shino and Makoto.
"Hey, Yukio, looks like your dunk caught someone's attention. We're short on players—why not try to recruit them?"
"Short is an understatement; it's only the two of us. So it's worth a shot," Yukio said as he walked over to them.
"He's coming over here..." Shino thought nervously.
"Hey, you two are freshmen, right? My name is Yukio Hamaguchi. I'm a third-year and the captain of the basketball team," Yukio introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Katsuragi Shino! I... I came here to ask if I could join the basketball club!" Shino shouted.
"I like your energy! Sure thing, you can start training after school today," Yukio said with a smile. "And you? Do you wish to join as well?" he asked, turning to Makoto.
"No, I'm not really a fan of the sport. I just followed him here so he could ask to join. Besides, it would be too much work for me," Makoto replied just as the bell rang.
"Damn, lunchtime is over... I'm going to starve until school ends. Let's go, Katsuragi. Class is about to start."
"Wait up, Kurai! See you later, upperclassmen!"
"So, what did they say?" Takahiro asked.
"Let's just say we have an extra member," Yukio replied. "By the way, did you know that the observant one was famous in junior high for basketball? Makoto Kurai—one of the best point guards in the district back then. He stopped playing a while back... I wonder why?"
"This year is going to be one of the best, I'm certain," Yukio said to himself with a smile.
"I hope we can enter the tournament this year. If we don't, we won't make it to the inter-high, and we won't be able to reach our dream," Takahiro said.
"We will. I'll make sure of it," Yukio replied.
"As shown in this projection, we can see that oxygen is diffusing across the walls of the capillaries. This is known as the process of gaseous exchange. Furthermore—"
Hayami-sensei was interrupted by the bell, signaling the end of class.
"And the bell marks the end of the day. Read up more on the topic, and please note that starting tomorrow, I will not be teaching every subject. The handbook issued to all of you has the timetable for your classes. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow," Hayami-sensei said before leaving the classroom.
"I can't miss my chance again," Sachiko thought as she swiftly turned around.
"Hey, Kawaguchi—"
"What? He already left?! Why is he always in such a hurry?" Sachiko asked herself.
"Hey, Sachiko, let's go! Karaoke awaits us!" Naomi called.
"Alright, let me pack my bag first."
"Usagi, sorry for keeping you waiting. Were you waiting long?"
"No, I practically just got here."
"Okay, let's go home," Tetsuo said as Usagi nodded, and the two started walking.
"So, how was your ranking in the entrance exams? Was it good?"
"You could say so... I came in first place."
"What?! Good job, big brother! What was your score?" Usagi asked eagerly.
"I got a perfect score in all the subjects I took."
"Whoa! That's so cool! I'm so proud of you!"
"Thank you, but it's not really all that great," Tetsuo said.
"What do you mean?! A perfect score—that's insanely awesome!"
"If you say so..."
"Jeez, can't he at least be happy about his accomplishments?" Usagi thought to herself as she pouted.