"Say, do you remember the day when we met?" asked Hayato.
"Yeah, of course I do. You were my first-ever Japanese friend. When I first came to Japan, no one in my grade would even approach me to say a single thing. I know I didn't know much Japanese back then, and the language barrier would have been an issue, but no one took the initiative to talk to me. It was pretty lonely back then. Until you came up to me one day, out of the blue."
"Hey you, big guy down here, how are you so tall? What are they feeding you?" asked Hayato.
"Are you talking to me?" asked Liam.
"Oh, I'm sorry, your Japanese probably isn't that good," Hayato said, attempting to speak in English. "Nice to meet you, my name is Hayato Nakajima, and you are?"
"My name is Liam Ainsworth."
"So, Liam, where are you from?"
"I'm from the United Kingdom, and I'm British."
"I see. What do they feed you? You are absolutely massive. How old are you, actually?"
"What do you mean? I'm fourteen, just like you."
"Damn, have you ever considered playing basketball? You'd definitely make a great player in the future," said Hayato.
"I haven't thought of that before, though I'm on the track team, so I'm not sure if I can play basketball at all."
"I see, that's too bad," said Hayato.
"It wouldn't hurt to try, though, but I can't take it as seriously as running a hundred meters."
"Fair enough, let's play after school. I'll teach you everything I know."
"Alright, thanks."
"You taught me all I knew about basketball: how to make a layup, dribble, pass, how not to travel, and you showed me a lot of videos on how to dunk, and I eventually got it. Even though basketball wasn't my main sport, I enjoyed playing it. The thrill of dunking alone is enough to get anyone hooked on the game. We would always dominate everyone in street basketball, and despite my inexperience, we would always win."
"Liam, I was wondering," said Hayato in a serious tone.
"Huh? What is it?" asked Liam.
"Would it be possible for you to join the basketball team? No, I want you to join the basketball team."
"Don't be silly, Hayato. Remember, I'm a track athlete. I've devoted myself to it for years now."
"I'm being serious. The team needs someone like you if we want to have a shot at going to the inter-high," said Hayato.
"Listen, man, I'm sorry. I really want to help you out. However, I'm devoted to running. I can't just drop it like that."
"Fine, I understand, but promise me something," said Hayato, looking Liam dead in the eye.
"And what might that be?"
"Be sure that you're running for yourself and yourself alone. Have fun while doing it. I know it may not be easy, and all odds are against you, but go ahead and leave them in the dust," said Hayato, putting out his fist.
"Of course, thanks, Hayato," said Liam as he fist-bumped Hayato.
The class was in disarray in homeroom due to the absence of Hayami and an interesting gossip amongst the students.
"Did you guys hear?" asked a girl in class 1T.
"Hear what?" asked a girl from class 1O, who was standing at the door.
"The newspaper club wrote an article on our basketball team. Apparently, they lost by one point in a practice match against one of the top schools in the prefecture, Yokonan High."
"No way, are you serious? Let me see that paper," said a girl as she snatched it and read.
"Oh my god, they're so handsome!" said another girl as she viewed the pictures in the newspaper.
"Yes, especially this one. His name is Katsuragi Shino. He's so adorable," said another girl.
"Wait, this guy is Yukio. He's in my class! He was one of the top scorers in the match with twenty-five points," said a boy in his third year.
"Wow, that's amazing. He looks so mature and intelligent. I'll definitely have to check him out during practice," said a girl in her second year.
"And this one, Tetsuo Kawaguchi. He's so gorgeous, I can't take my eyes off him. I think I'm in love," said another second-year girl.
"He was the main scorer for the team with twenty-seven points, and not only that, he's a first-year. That's quite the accomplishment."
"You can say that again. These guys are truly reviving the basketball team in Seiji's place," said a third-year girl.
"The rebirth of Toshigawa Academy's basketball team, huh? They did really well yesterday," said Naomi.
"Really? We did well?" asked Sachiko.
"Yes, they did. They only lost by a single point against the number two team in the prefecture. Oh, looks like Tetsuo made the front page. Do you want to see him?" said Naomi as she chuckled.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sachiko, blushing.
"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it."
"I'm glad that my school represented us well. Wanting to see the newspaper is only natural. It's not like I want it just to look at Tetsuo," said Sachiko logically.
"Noboru's name isn't even visible on the newspaper. Serves him right," said Naomi to herself.
"They held their own against Yokonan's main team. Even though they lost, that's still quite a feat. They only have six players and a high school girl for a coach, yet still, they gave Coach Arimoto this much trouble. Their team definitely can go places," said Makoto as he listened to Sachiko and Naomi speak.
"Hey, Tetsuo, guess what?" said Noboru.
"Huh?" asked Tetsuo as he was about to fall asleep.
"I heard that we're on the first page of the newspaper. We did a great job against Yokonan."
"Yes, we did, but not the results that I want."
Noboru spots Naomi with a newspaper. "Hey, Naomi, so you saw the newspaper? Tell me, how do I look? Don't be shy," said Noboru cockily.
"For your information, your face didn't even make the front page. But you did score eight points, so at least that's something," said Naomi.
"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome, aren't I?" asked Noboru, registering what Naomi said. "Wait, did you just say that my picture isn't in the newspaper?"
"Um, yes, I did. Who would want to see your face first thing in a newspaper? This article would have been a bust," said Naomi harshly.
"Let me see that!" said Noboru as he snatched the newspaper from Naomi.
"No freaking way! How did that amateur make it on the front page and I didn't?! He only scored two points and I scored eight. Oh, no way... unless… Rie is behind this! I'll get her for this!" shouted Noboru.