40 Middle School Epilogue
After their short intimate moment, Momoi and Hideki stood up as she told Hideki "I have to get back, the team may search for me" Hideki told her "Sure Sa-chan, good luck out there", they moved towards the door holding hands with each other.
As they exited the room they were surprised, not by Hideki's mother but by Momoi's teammate, Kuroko, he stood there like Drax in the Avengers Infinity War movie.
Momoi then asked "Tetsu-kun! What are you doing here?"
Kuroko answered her question and said "Coach told me to fetch you. The game started a minute ago"
Momoi gasped and Kuroko saw her hand being held by Hideki and he said "Congratulations to you two. And congratulations on winning Hideki-senpai"
Hideki held his and Momoi's hands up and said "Double thanks Kuroko!"
The Seirin duo proceeded to the court while as Hideki then got to the bench, more happier than ever. Megumi saw this and asked "What happened?" Hideki looked at her with a goofy smiling face and said loudly "I got a girlfriend now Megumi!" Megumi was now giddy and she hugged Hideki and said "Congrats! It's been a long time coming!"
Hideki tried to deny that statement by saying "It's just been less than a year when we started dating." But he didn't deny it and said "But yeah, thanks for the great assist there."
The team heard this and the guys with girlfriends said "Congrats captain!" While the single men grumpily said "Congrats"and they are staring daggers at him for having a cute girlfriend.
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After the game between Teiko and Kamata West. Of course Teiko won convincingly but with a little mishap at the beginning courtesy of the genius twins, but as soon as Kuroko was in the game, the floodgate of scoring opened and Teiko outscored Kamata West. The score was 81 to 51.
Then the Top 3 teams got into the podium with the medals being awarded to them.
Hideki was still happy with the day's streak of happiness.
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As the Nationals fever died down, it was now time for the seniors Hideki, Megumi, Shogo Aoki and Renjiro Sato to bid farewell, and Hideki named Renji as the next team captain. The seniors spend some time with the team when they had free time, but it waned when High School entrance exams drew nearer.
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As that season draws closer, Megumi and Hideki were having lunch at the school cafeteria when Megumi asked Hideki, "So Hideki-kun, which school you'll go to High School?" Hideki looked at her and nonchalantly said "I don't know, how about you Megumi?"
Megumi then told Hideki, "I'll to this new school called Seirin, it's near our home, so I won't get too much lates" Hideki giggled, he knew that Megumi is an early bird and not a tardy student, it's just her punctuality in check. Then Megumi said "Well, a senpai of mine in the Sports Admirer Club go to schol there and wants to build the Club again with me as the founder again. Looks like I'll handle that one again" Megumi giggled at that while Hideki chuckled.
Hideki then thought that the school is also near as he heard some of his neighbor go to school there, so he again, nonchalantly said "I guess I'll go there too? With my smarts, scholarship won't be hard."
Megumi giggled at that statement as she thought she knew that Hideki knows that the team does not have it's own basketball team. But she just shrugged that, knowing that Hideki is joking. But Hideki was not joking.
So Megumi asked Hideki if there were team offers to which he said "Numerous, I am tempted to go there with full scholarship and free boarding but, I don't want to go far from home, and most importantly far from Sa-chan" Megumi laughed loudly at that and said "Why?! What schools offered you?"
Hideki answered her and said, "While they were numerous, the top schools that recruited me were Kaijo High, Yosen High and then Rakuzan High." Megumi knew those schools and said "Wow, those are really far schools, and even with Kaijo, you still have to take the train for an hour to get there." Megumi patted Hideki's back and said "Good luck on school hunting Hideki-kun, I know you'll get one somehow"
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While the topic of High School was on his mind, he then called his childhood friend Aida Riko for her High School choice, she answered on the phone and said "I'm going to Seirin to dodge basketball" Hideki knew of her other friend who was also a player but was always defeated in the first round of qualifiers so he thought that Seirin is a weak team as they are relatively new.
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As graduation is right around the corner, Hideki decided to go to Seirin High and try his best there. So when he went to that school, he was interviewed by the school administrators before taking the entrance exams. It was just light talks and they raised Seirin's name as having a famous player there would mean they may get more students.
Long story short, Hideki aced the exams, earning him a scholarship.
For the longer story, Hideki's exam was really easy as he covered the advanced topics in school and he had stock knowledge from his past life. So he breezed the exam and set a new record at 1 hour 30 minutes finishing all of the 5 major subjects of the examination.
After the exam the administrators again interiewed him as it was shocking he aced the exams at a relatively fast pace, so he told them that he was having advanced lessons at school as he is a top student there and is running for the school valedictorian. So they were convinced.
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Now Hideki was again eating with Megumi when he pulled out his phone on speakers and called Riko, he wanted to announce the news to them so he said "Riko, I'm here with Megumi, I've got news for you two" Megumi then said "Well what's the news Hideki, did you choose your High School?" Riko on the line also said "Spill it out Hideki! I'm in the middle of something here in this game!"
Hideki laughed and said "I chose Seirin too!"
Riko dropped her console and it was heard during the call.
Megumi dropped her chopsticks, it was heard around the cafeteria.
Hideki was puzzled by this and asked "So what's the problem?"
Riko shouted through the phone and said "Did you know about Seirin?!!"
Hideki just plainly said, "Yeah a relatively new school around the block?"
Megumi then asked "What more do you know of them"
Hideki said puzzlingly, "They have a weak basketball team"
Megumi and Riko said, "They have no team!" Riko added "You dummbass!"
Hideki now know the wrong decision of his life and said "Oh shit, maybe I can transfer"
Riko then said "Well, sorry to say I heard that most schools have finished admission. You idiot you even broken my console! You should pay for this!"
Hideki apologetically told Riko "Sorry Riko-chan, I'll pay for it! Just promise me Kagetora-ossan won't bust my ass with his shotgun"
Megumi blinked at that and asked, "That's a joke right?"
Riko then said, "Maybe he'll tone it down with his Glock Hideki, don't worry I'll handle my old man"
Megumi's face paled and said, "Want me to help?" Hideki shrugged and said, "Don't worry I got this, mom let's me cook in the cafe during the break to help with money, not that we don't need more but that's for my personal funds during the break"
Megumi sighed but still feeling Hideki's rash decision.
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Now that they are graduating and as Hideki said, he was running for valedictorian, this was true, but what's shocking is that he doesn't have competition on that position and so he has to give the valedictorian speech. Good thing that Hideki can speak in public so he accepted it.
Here are excerpts of his 2 and a half pages long speech.
"Well we are here today to celebrate three years of hard work, either academically, in sports, in other events or in life here at Hanabira"
"I would like to thank everyone who was with me in this journey."
"Mostly, I would like to thank the MVP of my life my mom, who single handedly carried me in her womb and also single handedly carried me throughout my 15 years of life. She was both my light and pillar in this life, that I will cherish as long as I live."
"Mom today you have graduated with me." Which earned a respectful chucke front he crowd.
"Lastly, I would like to thank Hanabira for giving me an opportunity to enjoy life, the school motto gave me persistence responsible enjoyment of life and activities that I do."
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After the long graduation ceremony, Hideki was now leaving the school gates, reminiscing his time here. But goodbyes are not forever and this is a start of a new journey, with his hand on his graduation toga cap and Middle School diploma.
He bid his last farewell to the school, his last as a Middle Schooler and his first as a High School student.
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Omake:
During the break, he worked his ass off the cafe and bought Riko a new console, to which she was giddy as it was the newest one with a lot of games alongside it.
