4 Basketball Club

It was the second day of class.

Daiki almost got late in class, but thanks to his running speed that could rival Usain Bolt he arrived in time.

The day was spent with the course objectives. Apparently, many of the students were quite surprised, if not a little disappointed, by how genuinely warm and friendly the teachers at this school looked.

Even Daiki who had the habit of ditching of classes decided to discipline himself not to sleep. He rests an elbow on his desk and rest his chin on it while yawning from time to time while paying attention on the teacher in front.

It was already noon and the bell rang. It was lunchtime and students started going out to eat.

Hirata: "Well, I was thinking of heading to the cafeteria. Anyone want to come with me?"

???: "I'll go, too!"

???: "Me, too! Me too!"

Girls started to gather around Hirata. As expected of an ikemen.

Hirata: "Hey Aomine-kun. Would you like to join too?"

???: "That's a great idea!"

???: "Hey Aomine-kun, let's eat lunch together?"

Girls started to invite him too. Up until now except for Horikita, he never interacted much with his classmates.

Daiki: "Well I made a bento for myself, it's a pain going in the cafeteria. So I'll pass, sorry."

They looked disappointed hearing it. And saw a lunchbox that he got on his desk.

Hirata: "Is that so. Then maybe next time."

???: "Make sure okay?"

???: "It will be more fun if you join."

Daiki: 'Like hell it would!'

Daiki didn't want to deal with girls their type. They look very clingy, and are trying to get a cool boyfriend to raise their social status in the class. He had enough of them already in middle school.

He opened his lunchbox and there displayed a well balanced meal of vegetables and meat with the staple rice occupying most of the space. If it was an anime, the viewers could get hungry and appetite grow.

Daiki: "Itadakimasu."

He ate at a rapid pace. His chewing and swallowing in one single fluid action. Despite the speed, the food he ate were throughly grinded by his molars to prevent digestive problems. It was not even 5 minutes when he finished his meal.

Daiki: "Thanks for the food."

Then suddenly music played through the speakers of the classroom.

Speakers: "At 5pm today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No. 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No. 1. I repeat, at—"

Several students started making plans to go there with their friends and stuff.

Daiki decided to go there today and register in the Basketball Club. Though he realized going there by himself sounds kinda sad.

Daiki: "Horikita."

Horikita: "I'm not interested in joining a club."

Daiki: "Are you an esper or something? I didn't even say anything yet."

Horikita: "It's the only logical topic of conversation based on the situation."

Daiki: "Man... You're really a tough nut to crack huh."

Daiki sighed in his desk neighbor's unsociable personality. Though he's really not far off, so far he declined pretty much every single invitation his classmates offered him to hang out.

Daiki: "Are you in any clubs in middle school or elementary? Your movements looked very coordinated, so I've been thinking you must be in a karate or aikido."

Horikita's eyebrows creased and stared at him.

Horikita: "I wasn't in any clubs, but I did practice karate and aikido. Tell me Aomine, how did you come into a conclusion that I've been practicing martial arts? If anyone between the two of us, aren't you the esper?"

Her tone of voice seems serious and it was clear that she's curious.

Daiki: 'I just can't possibly say it was her muscle build right? It will make me sound like a pervert.'

He decided to come up with a lie.

Daiki: "You could say it's my gut-feeling. And they are never wrong."

Horikita: "How illogical. Coming up with conclusions based on vague ideas without concrete proof which is the act of a fool."

Daiki: "Ouch, you truly don't hold back with words don't you? Yuki-onna."

Horikita: "I'm merely stating facts. And don't you dare call me with that name again."

Daiki: "You have no sense of humor don't you. You're no fuuuuun..."

He raised stretching his arms lazily and his legs stretched underneath. Horikita acted as if she didn't hear his words and kept silent reading a book.

Daichi: "Anyway are you going in the gym building? Even though you're not interested in joining one, it doesn't hurt to take a look around right?"

Horikita: "Can't you invite anyone other than me?"

Daiki: "I could have done that, but you're the only person I'm really close compared to others."

Horikita: "Club activities, hmm. I see..."

Horikita mumbled to herself as she pondered something.

Horikita: "Well, if it's only for a little while after school, I'll go with you."

Daiki: "Seriously?"

Horikita: "If it's just for a little while. All right, we'll go after class."

And thus it was decided that both of them will go together.

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Daiki: "Woah, there's really tons of people here. I kinda want to go home, I'm really not good with crowds."

After school Daiki and Horikita came to the gymnasium just as they planned. It looks like they were on a date or something.

Horikita: "Every club seems to operate on a high level. It looks like many athletes and club members here are famous throughout the nation."

Then Horikita looked up to Daiki as if she's sizing him up. Daichi was 190 cm tall, which pretty much made him like a giant compared to Horikita which is only 156 cm. Their height difference was a whooping 34 cm. If they were really a couple, they really looked good together.

Horikita: "Speaking of which Aomine, I recalled you were an athlete who competed in the Nationals and won three straight years in middle school. Are you planning to join the same club?"

Aomine: "Well yeah. This school evaluates the students by their merits right? If I win the Inter High, the Winter Cup, and then get the MVP award. Can you even imagine how much points I could get? I'm going to be filthy rich!"

Daiki is already having delusions on how he's gonna spend all the points he will get.

Horikita: "These facilities are significantly more substantial than ordinary schools. Look, they even have O2 chambers. The equipment here is so luxurious, it puts the professionals' stuff to shame. Oh, but it looks like they don't have a karate club after all."

Daiki: "What? Were you interested in joining if they have or something?"

Horikita: "No, not particularly."

Daiki: "It seems like it'll be hard for newcomers to get into the athletic clubs. Even if a first year managed to break in, they still might just be a benchwarmer forever. I can't think that would be much fun."

Everything around here is far too orderly.

Horikita: "Wouldn't that depend on one's efforts, though? Surely by training for one or two years, anyone could get in and play."

Daiki: "Training huh... I wonder how that feels like. I can't really relate with them."

Horikita: "What are you saying. Don't tell me you started playing basketball without any practice or any sort of formal training don't you?"

Daiki: "You could say that. Honestly I only started playing basketball because me and my Otaku friends were inspired to play sports because of a sports manga. But our intentions that time was just to get a clubroom for a place we could hangout after school."

Horikita flinched by his words on how ridiculously unbelievable his story was.

Horikita: "You must be lying. No matter what, it should be impossible to win a complex sport that needed a high level of motor skills without any practice."

Daiki: "No it's true! The first time I touched a ball is when our first game in the tournament. And then from there on I just kinda figured out all on my own the rules and things to do in order to win. Before I knew it we won the Nationals becoming a Champion. Though in our second and third years many good players joined, they were pretty disappointed we didn't even have a proper coach. Our school is pretty much out in the sticks after all, but thanks to us it became a powerhouse."

Horikita became speechless. Does a prodigy like this creature even exist? Even the person she really admired who was a genius put an effort to be in a high level of their field.

Bedsides sports like basketball have many factors needed in order to win a game. Not only in-game, but also other external factors.

Tachibana: "Thank you all for waiting, first-year students. We will now begin the club fair. A representative from each club will explain their function. My name is Tachibana, the student council secretary and the club fair's organizer. It's nice to meet you all."

After Tachibana delivered the opening remarks, representatives from each club quickly lined up on a stage. It was quite a diverse crowd. The club representatives included everything from burly athletes in judo uniforms to students dressed in beautiful kimonos.

A girl dressed in archery gear stepped onto the stage.

Hashigaki: "Hello, my name is Hashigaki, the captain of the archery club. Many students may be under the impression that archery is an old-fashioned, simple activity, but it is actually a fun and rewarding sport. We welcome beginners with open arms. If you're interested, please consider joining."

As the seniors introduced their respective clubs one after the other, Daichi noticed Horikita suddenly grew tense. She looked at the stage, her face pale.

Daiki: "What's the matter?"

She didn't even seem to notice him anymore. Daichi followed her line of sight to the stage, but I didn't find anything of note there.

Daiki: "Horikita, what's the matter?"

Horikita: "....."

Eventually, everyone walked off until only one person remained. Everyone focused their attention upon him, and Daiki realized that Horikita had been staring at that specific person this whole time.

Daiki observed him while using Internal energy in his eyes to enhance it, noticing the minute details even in a distance.

Daiki: 'They quite resembled each other. Are they siblings?'

He appeared to be about 170 centimeters in height, so he wasn't very tall compared to Daichi. He was slender, with sleek black hair. He wore sharp glasses and had a piercing, calculating gaze. He looked like a very upstanding honor student. Standing in front of the microphone, he calmly looked around at the first-year students.

Horikita: "I'm the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu."

Daiki nodded as if his guess was right. Like he said his intuition is always right.

Honor Student: "The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years. Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We generally do not accept students involved elsewhere."

Honor Student: "Thank you all for coming. The club fair has ended. We will now open the reception area to anyone interested in signing up. Also, registration will be open until the end of April, so if any student wishes to join at a later date, we ask that you please bring the application form directly to the club you wish to join."

The crowd started going to the club they would want to register.

Daiki: "Horikita. I know that you have a brocon looking for your dear onii-chan's acknowledgement, but don't get too infatuated standing there."

Suddenly Daiki felt a painful sensation in his sides when Horikita delivered a viscous karate chop.

Daiki: "Gah! What is that for!"

It was unthinkable that a former superhero who mastered combat incomparable to any martial artist in this world, to be unable to react reflexively with that attack. But since it was for comedy purposes we have to make a plothole like this.

Horikita: "I think I may have to dole out rather merciless punishment to you, Aomine-kun."

Her eyes were filled with ferocity. If looks could kill Daichi might be dead ten times over.

Daiki: "Oi! Don't get violent now, geez..."

He scratched his head as he recalled she's much more of a loner than him. She might not have any friends that would tease her like he did just now.

Daiki: "Anyway I'll go to the basketball club to register. What are you gonna do?"

Horikita: "I'll leave."

Daiki: "Oh, see ya later then."

Afterwards Daichi went looking for the basketball club. Since he was tall, many sports club came to him wanting for him to join.

Daiki: "Is this a basketball club? Can I join?"

After filling up the forms, he joined the basketball club. The club president and the manager of the club seems to recognize him as a very good player and they gladly welcomed him.

Club president: "What? You are from D-class?"

Daiki: "Ah, yes. Is that a problem?"

Club president: "Not really. It's going to be tough for you huh..."

Daiki caught that small sigh and that pity look that he gave to him.

Daiki: 'It must be a foreshadowing.'

His gut tells him so.