That Manager - Kuroko no Basuke (Book 1)

第22Q

For the next three days, Seirin lost all the practice games with the absence of Kagami, who kept running on the beach from the gym to the convenience store and back to buy drinks, bringing the cans one at a time. After the third practice game, the Seirin team was tired and followed Riko and Yasu back to the guesthouse where they stood in the backyard with big pails of ice cubes.

"What is this?" asked Kuroko, who was as confused as the boys.

"It's my special icing technique." replied the coach. "It's great for sore muscles and fatigue."

The upperclassmen and Kuroko, who played in the game earlier, rolled up their pants or shorts, and buried their legs into the ice cubes, hissing at the coldness. "That's cold!" cried Koganei.

"We ended up losing all our games." said Izuki.

"Have we gotten worse?" asked Koganei.

"Not at all." assured Kiyoshi. "You've definitely grown. Have some more confidence. We're strong!" Though he tried to encourage everyone, the first years noticed his legs shivering from the cold.

'He can't do it...' sulked Furihata. 'This guy can never do it.'

'He looks so stupid.' commented Kawahara.

~Time skip~

Yasu exited the toilet and started to walk towards the cafeteria when she noticed someone was still playing basketball on the empty parking lot, where a basketball hoop was placed for pratice. Out of curiosity, she left the guesthouse and went closer, seeing it was Kagami. He dribbled the ball and made some baskets for some time until she interrupted.

"You're working hard." she commented, stopping him to look at her.

"Not really." he said. "I was just putting this ball away, so I thought I'd practise a little first." He then looked at her with a glum expression. "Actually, I've been running on the beach by myself during this whole trip."

Yasu blinked owlishly, noticing the purple aura around him. "And?" she responded.

"And the game's always over by the time I got back!" he said. "Why did I even come here?"

"What?" said the girl with a raised brow. "You still haven't noticed?" Her question caught him off guard. "Try jumping." She nodded her head at the basketball hoop, taking the ball for him to make a jump. He took a few steps back and charged at the basketball hoop, jumped using his left and slammed his right hand on the board, leaving his hand print higher than the hoop.

"You're tired from all that running, so that's all you can manage now." said Yasu. "Try jumping the other way now." Kagami was surprised at first, but he went to take a few steps back. This time, he jumped with his right leg and slammed his left hand on the board. But he hit it too hard and sent the hoop tumbling back, not giving him the chance to use it as a support for a proper landing.

"Kagami!" Yasu rushed over to try and prevent him from hitting the ground, making his upper body land on her lap while his legs were dangling from the bush. The boy stared ahead, only to meet her concerned face, and flinched at how physically close they were before his face flushed. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah!" he stammered, being unable to move from the spot. 'She's... warm.' he noted. 'It's not like I'm touching her, but... I feel warmth coming from her.'

"Do you understand now?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Your greatest weapon is your jumping power, but you haven't drawn out your full strength. That is why I asked Riko-senpai to excuse you from the games and run on the beach, as a training for your legs. For now, how you work on preparing yourself physically is all up to you." She slid both her arms to cradle his head before getting on knees, then gently placed his head on the ground and stood. "Remember to stand the hoop back. See you tomorrow."