The Convenience Store

The match between Shōei and Mujinazaki just ended and the whole team doesn't have anything to do now.

"Alright. Now that we've seen how our next major enemy is as a team and as a whole, we should go back. You guys could do whatever you want until tomorrow but remember to appear in our next meeting…" Akagi looked at his teammates. After confirming that they are paying attention, he continued.

"Alright, split up! Go to wherever you want! Just don't get lost, understood!?"

"""Ouu!!!"""

※・※・※・※

Thus, we arrived at the current situation. The current roster of Kyōsen, minus Seiji, is inside a hot spring bath, relaxing. With only a wet towel to cover their lower halves, they rested their backs on the edges of the hot spring while simultaneously heaving a sigh of contentment — as if they all choreographed the whole thing.

"Mm. Relaxing after that tight schedule yesterday really is something."

At Akagi's mumblings, the loudmouth of Kyōsen couldn't help but say a thing or two.

"I thought you're not the kind of person to enjoy relaxing, Captain."

"Hmm? What? A person should relax from time to time in order to not get stressed."

"Well, what Wakamatsu meant by that is, you come off as an overly serious type of person, Akagi. That's why they thought you wouldn't be able to enjoy a relaxing time." This time, it was Kogure who spoke, addressing Akagi who seems to be puzzled by Wakamatsu's remark.

"Oh? Is that it? If we're talking about someone who can't appreciate a nice rest, it should be the one who's not here, right?"

At Akagi's question, a guy similar to Kogure — wearing a pair of glasses even though they're bathing — replied to him.

"About that, Captain Akagi. Seiji said something about bathing in a natural hot spring on a daily basis so he'll pass. "I'll just go and wander around Tokyo to relax," or so he said."

"What would he enjoy in Tokyo, anyway? Forget about enjoying the stroll, there's lots of people wandering around here so he might even get lost." This time, it was Izuki who replied go Hyuuga.

"Don't worry about that kind of small thing, Izuki. Seiji's good at memorizing things so he wouldn't have a problem…"

While engaging in small conversations, the team of Kyōsen continues to enjoy the hot spring experience. Izuki would occasionally throw some puns here and there, in an attempt to make the atmosphere even merrier, but failed spectacularly at doing so.

Meanwhile, Takeo, who managed to gain some muscles after grueling training schedules, is doing some weird dance on the side. He claims that he is stretching his body but it just looks weird in the eyes of others.

Eventually though, the others gave in to their curiosity and joined Takeo in his stretches. Thus, a weird sight of teenage guys doing something that seems to be a weird dance was born. At least, that's what it looks like in Chu Lin's eyes.

When Chu Lin joined his boys inside the hot spring, he was greeted by this sight immediately, making him blank out for a moment.

"Oi, you youngsters. What the heck are you guys doing…?"

"We're stretching, coach!" Wakamatsu said bluntly.

"Uh… Uh-huh, I… I could see that… yeah."

"Why don't you join us, coach!?" This time, it was Izumi who said so.

"I'll pass. You youngsters enjoy whatever it is you're doing. I will just relax inside the bath."

※・※・※・※

While the whole team is busy doing weird 'rituals' inside the hot spring, Seiji is leisurely walking around the vicinity of the hotel he is staying at. Rena wanted to go with him but Seiji said that he wanted to wander around alone at the moment, making the girl stop. At least that's what Seiji thought.

As he continues to walk under the scorching rays of the sun, Seiji suddenly felt a craving for something cold. A few weeks have passed after spring arrived so it's a given that the heat is starting to rise up, specially when he's in Tokyo.

'Good thing I cut my hair into something shorter,' Seiji thought while wiping off the beads of sweat that are forming on his forehead.

Looking around, he spotted a nearby convenience store.

'Great timing. They should be selling some ice cream or something, right?'

Without any hesitation, Seiji marched towards the store. When he got inside, he immediately looked for the ice creams and bought two.

He then sat down at a seat inside the store and enjoyed his newly bought ice cream. The cold, and intoxicatingly sweet flavor of the ice cream spread throughout Seiji mouth, making him smile in satisfaction.

"Yep. Rocky Road is the best flavor. The next best flavor would probably be Double Dutch…"

While Seiji is busy savouring the taste and coldness of his ice cream, a group of people entered inside. After buying some snacks, the group sat down on the available chairs around Seiji.

"Mggu…"

When Seiji lifted his head, he was greeted by the sight of a strawberry blonde colored hair. Recognizing who it was, Seiji immediately poked the person on the shoulder before waving at her with his free hand.

"Yo. Nice to see you again."

"Eh?"

The person who Seiji greeted was so surprised that all she could say in reply was a simple "Eh?", with a huge question mark seemingly floating above her head. Well, she seems to be quite confused by the sudden greeting.

Her confusion is understandable though. Since Seiji was enjoying his time and minding his own business, she didn't notice him.

"Arisugawa-kun?"

"That's me. I didn't get to greet you last time because of that noisy Dai-chan."

"We-Well… It's fine, really. I'm even surprised that you managed to recognize us. We met only once a long time ago, after all."

This girl is Momoi Satsuki, the manager of Teikō's basketball club.

"Haha, I'm pretty good at remembering things, that's why I remember you two."

Even though Seiji didn't say it, Satsuki left a lasting impression on him. That's why, even though a long time has passed, he could still remember them.

※・※・※・※

Outside of the Convenience Store, a suspicious looking group could be seen lurking around its vicinity. This group is comprised of a blonde girl with a princess-like halo surrounding her, a sporty looking brown haired girl, and a strict looking adult woman.

"What do you see Rena?" The brown haired girl asked.

"Looks like a pink-haired vixen is sitting down at a seat close to Seiji-sama…"

"A pink-haired vixen?" The brown haired girl, which is obviously Riko, was puzzled by the way of address.

"Rena-sama, how many times do I have to warn you about speaking such words?"

"Ehe~, don't sweat the small stuffs Mia. You'll start getting white hair if you stress about those things too much, you know?"

A tick mark appeared on Mia's temple when she heard Rena's remark. Out of nowhere, she pulled out her phone and started to dial a number.

Seeing her actions, Rena began to panic.

"Wait wait! We can talk about this, Mia-san. You're still a gorgeous young and unmarried woman so you don't have to take my words to heart, right? Right?"

"If you say so my lady. I was just about to check if there was reception in this place."

'Check if there's reception in this place? In TOKYO?' Rena thought.

※・※・※・※

To be continued…

[A/N¹: Next chapter will be a short game against Kyōsen's opposition during the first round of the Playoffs.]