It Started with a Hello

xxxi

Warning: This chapter might contain content that is triggering.

...

"Captain, your girlfriend is here," Hara said, pointing to [Last Name] who was standing by the gym doors.

"Oi, [First Name]," Hanamiya called out, "stop standing there; you look stupid."

She rolled her eyes playfully, knowing full well he didn't mean it. "Where should I watch?"

"You can sit on the bench," Yamazaki offered from said bench.

She nodded, and awkwardly placed herself next to him.

"Captain, your girlfriend is pretty," Hara commented, blowing a bubble.

Furuhashi gazed at the boy with a blank look. "You better be careful with what you say to the captain," he warned.

Hara looked from him to Hanamiya, meeting the glare that was on his face.

"No worries, Captain. I won't steal your girl."

After the initial conversation, they resumed practice.

[Last Name] took note of each one. She assumed that Hara, the one who blew way too many bubbles, was probably the closest to Hanamiya-- which isn't saying much because even then, there was a lot of tension between the two of them at times. Furuhashi was the one void of any emotion, but at least knew his limits around Hanamiya. Seto... well [Last Name] couldn't figure out anything from him, since he was asleep the whole time. Yamazaki was the only once who was nice to her (Hara only seemed to tease her to get to Hanamiya).

[Last Name] knew that they had an underhanded way of playing basketball, and always wondered how they practiced. They used a third string player to stand in as a referee, and they played against the second stringers. They would play like normal, and attempt to injure the other players. She noticed that they actually wouldn't hurt them, and they would stop before an elbow or knee made contact with a player. This helped them figure out how to cover it without the referee noticing. But she was surprised they wouldn't injure the third stringers. At least they had some morale.

"Can we have a break? I feel like I'm going to die," Yamazaki complained.

"Then die already," Hara said, setting himself next to [Last Name].

Hanamiya walked up to her and grabbed the towel she was offering, wiping his forehead.

"I'm sorry about these idiots, [Last Name]-san," Furuhashi said, appearing beside Hanamiya.

She smiled. "It's fine. But, um, does he always sleep during practice?"

They looked at what she was talking about.

"Seto?" Yamazaki questioned, "That's all he ever does."

She looked back at Hanamiya. "And you're okay with that?"

He shrugged. "As long as he does what he's supposed to to do."

[Last Name] listened to the ongoing conversation about the Winter Cup. Their goal was to defeat Seirin, who defeated them twice in the last two years.

"Isn't Seirin the school that won the Winter Cup last year?" she asked.

Hanamiya scoffed. "They won't even survive this year."

"They won against Rakuzan, Captain," Furuhashi stated, "it won't be that easy."

Hanamiya glared at him. "I know that, stupid."