The Big Game
After all their hard work, it was time for the big game. Big being used in the relative sense, as this was just an exhibition for the girl's basketball team to have fun during the off-season. After all, the school year had recently begun. So there was a lot of fresh young players who never had any experience at the high school level.
It also was a major deal for Takame, who would be playing her first game here. She hoped she'd be able to put the skills she practiced into use during a real game. Though she was far from the only one who had a lot riding on this. Youta also needed her to be able to find some success to be able to consider his mission completed any some form.
However he also had failed to figure out a solution for her lack of presence by now. Not only was that part of his mission, but if her teammates ignored her whether on purpose or accidental, then all of her training would've been for waste. As there would be no way to put her newfound skills into play without the ball in her hands.
For now, as the game started, she found herself on the bench as there was no way for her coach to want to start her over the seniors who needed to clean up some rust as they hadn't played since the end of the previous season.
"Huh, not really that many people watching." Youta commented as he sat in the stands alongside Mitora. While it wasn't a surprise for a preseason game, he would've thought more friends would've shown up for what was essentially the first game of the season.
"Kind of reminds me of track." Said Mitora. "Most people don't show up unless we're competing in something with huge stakes. Like championships and stuff like that. She didn't say it out loud, but she also thought about how there was a certain friend of hers who didn't show up to give his support when she went out to compete either.
"Either way, I hope she steps up and performs. I really need that to happen."
"But, there's always room for improvement. That's how being an athlete works." She responded. "You can't expect instant results just because we practiced hard with her for a couple days."
"Yeah, but my role as sports manager depends on it." He finally told her the truth about his stipulations. "Because I'm a club with just one member. I need to prove that this club deserves to stay by completing the missions I'm given. After all, it's pointless to have a sports manager if he can't manage things, right?"
"True…" She realized him losing out on the position would be detrimental to the whole point of becoming one. If he failed, did that mean they wouldn't be able to regain their chance to hang out? Even now it wasn't often, but being able to sit besides him was something she hadn't been able to properly do for a long time now.
"Did I make it in time?" Fuwaka appeared, her hair still wet from swimming in the pool. Given how empty the stands were, it wasn't hard for her to take the seat besides Youta. So that now he was pinned between the two girls while they watched the game.
"I'm surprised you're here." Mitora greeted her with a hint of unease. She assumed she'd have this full game session to just be alone with Youta, but now this other girl he had begun to get close with made her arrival.
"Us athletes gotta support each other, right?" She gave her reasoning, which was more than good enough for them. Not that she needed a good one. Even if she had no reason, there wasn't a problem for someone like her to be enjoying a game of basketball. "Plus I helped her too. So I want to see all her hard work pay off."
"I hope it pays off too." He spoke, keeping his eyes glued on Takame who remained on the bench. As long as he paid attention to her, it actually wasn't hard to make sure she didn't somehow disappear in his view. However it also wasn't hard to keep an eye on her seeing as she didn't budge from her seat.
This would remain the case for the entirety of the first quarter, which was odd to Youta. By now she should've been subbed in as the others who started on the bench eventually found themselves onto the court of play. "This isn't working out." He said, standing up from his seat.
Somehow her coach managed to forget about her again. Yet Takame hadn't gotten up to say anything as she continued to sit and quietly cheer on her team. If she wasn't a player and was actually a cheerleader, then she'd also be bad at that too. "Coach, you haven't put in Takame yet." He made a beeline for the adult, reminding her of this fact.
"Huh?" Oh my gosh I really haven't!" She had an astonished face when looking straight at the girl. "I'm so sorry, Takame go report to the game table. You'll be subbed in at the first instance of a stoppage."
"Y-yes ma'am!" She stood up straight just as she did with Youta before. However right before she could walk over to her new spot. He grabbed her with both hands, standing in front and pulling her head down to his level. "Uh, what?" She got antsy with him putting his face so close to hers.
"Do you actually care about playing?" He asked her in a stern voice. "Am I just wasting my time here?"
"What? Of course I want to play." She replied nervously to him putting her on the spot. "I'd hate to think I'm wasting your time after all you've done for me."
"Then stop sitting off to the side waiting for someone else to do things for you." He gave her his last piece of advice before she was to begin play. "I know you can do it. When I told you to come to me when I couldn't find you, you did. You're also the one who asked for help, so I know you can take some initiative."
His cold face gave off an air of seriousness which drifted away as Youta began to smile. "Now get out there and make us all proud, okay?"
"I… I will." She had never heard anyone express pride in her before. Not even her parent, but probably because she hadn't done anything of note to be proud of. Takame certainly couldn't think of a moment she held pride in herself before.
With this newfound energy, she finally got herself ready to sub in for one of her teammates. Meanwhile, Youta returned to his spot and sat down to find that somehow it seemed there was less space for himself between the two girls. Yet neither of them were interested in scooting aside to give him more breathing room.
"Come on Takame, you can do it!" He cheered out when the girl finally made her arrival onto the game floor. Unsurprisingly she took the center position, as that made more sense for her than anyone else currently playing.
Mitora looked over at him with a sad expression that no one saw. How was it now, after all the time she competed, he only just began to cheer in the stands for a girl he just met? "Remember everything we taught you."
From Takame's point of view, his cheering only made her feel as though the spotlight shone brightly over her. Which did little to aid in her growing anxiety. However the girl did her best to try and calm down, even if running back and forth on the court kept her heart rate elevated. At least it would distract her from any unwanted attention.
Speaking of attention, there grew to be a strange dynamic on the basketball court the longer she played. On defense, it seemed her opponents would fail to notice her when trying to score points. They'd think they were wide open, but going for a layup would result in her easily blocking their shots.
However on offense things were not going as well for her. There were numerous times when the opponents would forget to guard her, leaving the girl wide open for some free shots. Yet her teammates failed to capitalize and instead it felt like they were playing four versus five in this manner. Leaving the overall score of the game rather low with her as a major contributing factor.
"So is she doing good or not?" Fuwaka asked as the three continued to watch from the stands. While she was not a basketball expert, she could at least tell there was an impact, followed by no impact, being created by Takame. "I don't really get how your graded on this."
"I don't either." He replied. With only her as his lone success, all Youta could assume was that him passing his mission was in a manner closer to a "know it when you see it" kind of situation. Which sadly for him, did not feel this way when watching that girl on the court.
At this rate he feared this could be the end to his short tenure as sports manager.