"Please go out with me! Yukari."
Yukari sighed and smiled awkwardly at the guy in front of her.
Amamiya Shinichi wore his usual grin as he confessed.
"Answer's still the same, Shinichi."
Shinichi's face was immediately set to the lowest brightness setting.
She heard a pair of laughs escape from two students near the class entrance.
"Rejected again, huh? Shinichi," one of them shouted.
Shinichi dropped his head and turned toward his two friends, throwing curses at them.
It was lunchtime, and the class was bustling with chit-chat.
Although the confession was happening in the middle of class, no one cared.
Why?
Because they had seen it numerous times.
At the lunch break, when the clock would hit exactly 12, Amamiya Shinichi would ask Tachibana Yukari on a date.
At first, everyone was interested by the persistence of the black-haired guy. But after a month of seeing him getting rejected, they got bored.
It wasn't like she loved seeing dejected Shinichi every time she rejected him. In contrast, she didn't feel good rejecting him like this.
She had known him for a long time, and he was her dear friend.
But she just didn't see him in the way he wanted her to. She just wanted things to stay the same.
Shinichi could neither be described as handsome nor ugly. Actually, he had the face of a gentleman. With a sharp nose, dark brown eyes, and messy black hair, if he dressed better, took care of that hair, and stopped being so persistent about her, he could easily snatch a girl that actually loves him.
Shinichi could be a flexible guy in anything but could also be stupidly stubborn when it comes to her.
Yukari sighed and leaned her head against the table edge.
Tachibana Yukari. 16 years old. The eldest child in her family. They used to work in a government sector but threw away their lifelong profession in order to pursue their passion—opening a bakery. Yukari was only nine at that time, and her younger brother was only three.
The bakery didn't become a hit, but it wasn't failing. It was successful enough for the family of four to live comfortably. During the busy days, she helped out at the store. She was content with the way her life was, but sometimes a part of her yearned for more.
Given her persona and appearance, one could easily say that she was popular. It is right. She is indeed popular. She possessed long hazel hair that she always tied into a slender ponytail and brown eyes that captured the hearts of many male students. She had received confessions since middle school, from the same grade, juniors, and seniors alike.
But she rejected all of them. She just didn't find any of them interesting.
Most of them gave up after two or three tries. Except for Shinichi. She couldn't say that her friend is boring, but he is her childhood friend. She basically knew every detail of his life.
Her friends describe her as proud or cold. Actually, she was just uninterested. But things started to change this year.
Her thoughts shifted toward the seat near the window, just in front of Shinichi's seat. A group of friends were having a casual chit-chat. What caught her attention was the one sitting at the seat. He talked with his friends whilst the pencil in his hand idly moved to sketch on the paper.
The transfer student, Mugi Rukio, the son of the famous artist, Mugi Rentaro. Rukio transferred to their high school this year. Rukio's short blonde hair was evidence of his mother's foreign origins, and he inherited his piercing eyes and thick brows from his father. He took over the school with his good looks and over-the-top grades.
Yukari first became acquainted with him at the art club and eventually became friends, but he still addressed her formally. Not only was he an excellent painter, he was also the ace of their high school basketball club. It was rare for a junior to become an ace. His confident nature and overcompetitiveness could sometimes cause friction with other students, but he was overall well liked among his peers.
Yukari's train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he suddenly looked her way and smiled.
Yukari was first unsure of what to do. She smiled back awkwardly and averted her gaze in embarrassment.
"Oh, come on! Just confess already," a voice rang out from behind.
Her friend, Nakamura Hikari, was teasing her with a grin.
"It's not like that! I am just..." Yukari tried to deny.
"You just what?" Hikari asked with a teasing grin.
Yukari held her head down to hide her red face.
All he did was smile at her. Then why is her chest pounding like this?
"Anyway, where's Shinichi?" Hikari asked, looking around the class.
"Must be with his usual gang."
"I see. Did you reject the poor guy again?"
Yukari just nodded. She didn't want to talk about it.
"Poor Shinichi. How about you accept his confession for once? Just to see his reaction? Kinda like a joke."
Yukari frowned at her suggestion.
"You know how he is. He isn't the kind of guy who would let go of something like that easily," she said calmly.
"Also," her tone suddenly turned serious as she continued. "I know you just said it as a joke, but Shinichi is my friend. And I would never—"
"Of course. Of course. I'm sorry," Hikari interrupted with a smile, amused by her friend's reaction.
Yukari didn't look angry. She was used to Hikari's senseless jokes. Hikari walked a fine line between a playgirl and... a slut. She had been friends with them since middle school, so she was well aware of Yukari's nature and Shinichi's antics.
"Then, can I—"
Hikari stopped her words midway, surprised by the person standing beside her.
"Umm... Tachibana-san," Mugi Rukio addressed Yukari in a polite manner.
Yukari was surprised. Rukio rarely talked to her outside the art club; he spent his time mostly with his teammates.
"Ah... yes? How can I help you, Mugi-san?" Yukari replied in a formal yet sarcastic tone. She was irritated by the model student's formality.
"Ah, sorry to bother you," Rukio said, awkwardly patting the back of his head. "I just want to ask something. Umm... will you..."
Rukio didn't continue. Yukari looked at him carefully and realized something.
Her heartbeat went faster at the absurd thought as her face heated up.
"Is he trying to confess?"
"Will you become manager for our basketball team?"
Rukio squeezed out the words, bowing down to her.
"Huh?" both Yukari and Hikari exclaimed in unison.
"Excuse me?" Yukari asked in disbelief.
"Ah yes... our manager senpai is graduating soon. She told us to find a new manager. And... I was kinda bullied into finding one alone," Rukio explained, with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Oh, Kirihara-senpai is already graduating?" Yukari asked Rukio, who nodded.
Yukari was close with the current manager of the basketball team. She used to tutor Hikari, Shinichi, and her while they were in middle school.
"Have you asked others?" Yukari asked Rukio. She was not busy, but being a manager was a lot of work.
"I did. But all of them quit after a week," Rukio replied in an uneasy tone.
Yukari didn't blame them. She used to work as a manager, so she knew what it was like. It was not an easy task. On top of dealing with meatheads and rude male students, there were a lot of things they had to do, such as taking notes, schedules, etc. Their high school basketball team was one of the most famous teams in the prefecture, so it only added more workload and pressure. So, it was only natural that those girls quit.
Normally, she would have accepted it, but she felt uneasy after the incident last year.
"Please, Tachibana-san. I won't forget this!"
Rukio suddenly held Yukari's hand in both of his palms.
His act might be a request, but it only flustered Yukari.
She could feel the heat welling up on her face and could hear a suppressed giggle from Hikari.
She withdrew her hand quickly, and Rukio also did the same.
"Ah... sorry," Rukio realized what he just did.
"Ahem... well, I can manage somehow. Let's just see how it goes," she said with a flustered smile. "You have practice today, right? I will come over."
Rukio bowed his head again.
"That means a lot! Thank you, Tachibana-san."
Looking at Rukio's back, Yukari realized he was acting a bit too timid today. Even anxious. And why was his face so red? Was he also embarrassed?
But one thing was sure. The beating of her heart was still fast.
Soon, lunch break was over. The afternoon classes felt longer for Yukari. Once the class was over, she bolted her way to the basketball club.
Being a large school, it had two gymnasiums. One was reserved for the basketball team, while other teams shared the second one.
The gym door was open when she arrived. Kirihara-senpai stood with arms crossed beside the coach. She had fierce eyes and a strong build, with long red hair. She carried the very aura that screamed delinquent senpai.
The team was preparing for a practice match.
"Oh, isn't it Yukari?" Kirihara-senpai seemed surprised to see her.
"Good evening, Senpai," Yukari greeted.
The redhead manager gave a slight shoulder hug.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Don't tell me. You're the new..."
Yukari nodded awkwardly.
"Didn't Mugi-san tell you?"
"Huh... I see. Rukio was pretty stressed since he couldn't find a manager. I never thought he would bring you. Speaking of which, where is he?" Kirihara looked around, but Rukio was not there. "Well, it doesn't matter. How have you been? I haven't seen you since last summer. Are your parents still running the bakery?"
"They are doing great! How about you, Senpai, have you decided on a college?"
Kirihara let out a weak laugh, "Nope. But my stupid old man is forcing me to become a doctor."
Kirihara's father is a doctor, but her interests lie elsewhere.
Yukari realized her senior didn't want to talk about it and tried to lighten up the situation.
"By the way, why are you working here as a manager? Don't tell me. Isn't it because your boyfriend plays here?" Yukari asked with a grin.
To her surprise, Kirihara's answer was surprisingly calm.
"Yes, over there. He is the captain of the team."
She pointed at the hulking man inside the court, skillfully dribbling the basketball.
When he noticed his girlfriend pointing at him, he ran toward them.
"Yumi-chan! Did you call for me?"
"This is my junior, Tachibana Yukari. She will be the new manager once we graduate," Kirihara Yumi introduced them. "And don't call me by that name while we are at the club."
"Why? Yumi-chan is Yumi-chan."
"You big oaf. Do you want to get your ass kicked?" Kirihara shooed her boyfriend away. She looked annoyed, but Yukari noticed a faint shade of red on her cheek.
Even the ever-tough senpai acts like that in front of her boyfriend.
"Anyway, I will properly introduce you to the team later. Please wait here. I need to get something from the storage room."
"Let me help you, Senpai. I will go get it," Yukari said, putting her bag down.
"Is that so? Okay, then I just need a bag that contains the team's new jerseys. I forgot to give them out yesterday. It is labeled so it won't be hard to find."
"Okay, Senpai. I will go get it."
Yukari made her way to the storage room outside the gym.
She had been thinking about Rukio's behavior today. He was acting strange and was not like his usual self. Besides his timid nature, there was something else. She knew but she couldn't figure it out.
The gymnasium was an old building, so no one bothered to change the room labels. She tried to open the door to the storage room. She had to put in a little effort as it wouldn't open on the first try.
Only when the door opened did she realize she had the wrong room.
Because inside the room was none other than Mugi Rukio, the ace of the basketball team.
His upper body was bare, and he had a towel on his shoulder. Normally, Yukari would be embarrassed, but she didn't even have time to.
Because Rukio had already collapsed on the floor.