The Giant and the Pocky Girl

Practice Game

It was the final week of vacation and I was back in Tokyo. Our coach had organised a practice match between the girls Seirin team and girls Meisei team, AKA our number one rival team. They took out second place in the female highschool league.
Our coach encourages us to knock out the competition one step at a time. 
To make it even playing grounds we are currently at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium. I just finished tying my shoe laces as coach started talking about strategies. 

"Higurashi, Mido, Ito. I want to you shooting like your lives depend on it. I want all net tonight ladies. I don't care if it's one point or three. We take what we can." 

"Like our lives depend on it?…..Coach isn't that a overdramatic?" Yuka said hesitantly. As expected coach sprayed her in the face with a small water pistol to the cheek. 

I still don't know where she keeps that….or how she got so good at aiming.

"Just because it's a practice game doe snot mean we don't take it just as seriously!" She yelled proudly. 

"You heard Coach, get your asses into gear. Understand?!" Barked Nozomi with a stupid amount of authority. 

Nozomi as a third year and our Captain is certainly terrifying.

Nozomi, Akane and Yuka were our Center, Power Forward and Shooting Guard (in that order.) Sora was now our Small Forward while I had been shifted to Point Guard. 

Izanami Shiori, Ohara Imari and Kawana Miki made up the other hybrid positions in our team. They were our quiet aces, they only played hybrid positions and were usually benched until we needed a major shake up. 

Coach also happened to be Nozomi's older sister. She was in her final year of University for Sport Science and liked to Coach basket all in her down time. She was the older version of Nozomi….but significantly shorter, think 5'2 in height….if I'm being generous.
I looked up into the stands and found Riko waving down at us…..with Otoosan and Ojisan. 

Oh no.

I waved back hesitantly, in true form I received nods from the Aida family while Otoosan jumped out of his seat and waved like a maniac. 

"Nakazawa are you….Why didn't you mention your father was here?!" Coach hissed as she quickly pulled out a pocket mirror to check her make up and hair. 

"Coach….I will change my name and move to an unknown country if you ever date my father."

"Why are you getting in the way of true love Saya-chan?!" She melodramtically fake cried on my shoulder. 

You can sure see the family resemblance with Nozomi….

"And Nakazawa. No shoving people this game or atleast make sure you aren't seen." Coach barked as Meisei walked out of their locker room. 

I'm never living this down.

The girls on the Meisei team were, how should I say….intimidating as fuck. A number if them were quite tall even for our team who had three players over 5'9. As intimidating as they were as a unit most of the girls were lovely. A few of us had hung out before after games. 

"We all know what we are doing and what strat we are starting with?" 

"Yes Coach!" We all said in unison. 

"Good, go out there and show them what we've been working on over break!" 

We all walked out onto the court and said our 'hellos' and wishing each other a good game. I took one last glance back up into the stadium and noticed the stands had become significantly more occupied.