Game Day

Inei meets up with his teammates on the bench, sitting beside the four other starters, all looking at him and chuckling. Takiya is speaking first.

"Wow, those are some, *snicker*, nice show-out kicks!"

The other three burst out laughing along with Takiya, Inei looking down at his shoes. He wears Kyrie Sevens, painted to be an orange, purple, blue, green, and bronze color, all mixed at different locations on the shoe, along the Nike swoosh. It says "#10" on the outside of his left shoe and "Hoshi" on the right outside swoosh. The words are white with black outlining, the swooshes are orange, the left shoe is fading green and bronze, and the right shoe is fading blue and purple. Inei looks up to them but doesn't blush about it.

I will not express being embarrassed. I owe Azami this, and she deserves to have these shown. Lord only knows how much she owes the craft club for these, though, cause even though the colors clash, they mean well.

The announcer begins speaking, introducing the starters for the opposing team. The coach of Inei's team ran up to Inei, out of breath.

"Inei, I did research, and I forgot to tell you something about tonight..."

Inei looks at him; however, he is distracted by Inei's shoes.

"What are those, Inei?"

Inei shakes his head, pointing to his head. The coach understands.

"Oh, right! Tonight, your matchup is..."

The announcer cuts off the coach.

And for the away team, the starting point guard, the number one ranked player in college basketball, Washita Bakogo!

You have got to be shitting me.

Inei examines the player, the guy standing six foot three inches, super muscular compared to Inei, and looks pretty aggressive and excited. Inei begins to sweat, the coach grabbing his attention.

"Hey, you got this. Don't let Bakogo intimidate you."

Inei nods, and the lights shut out.

"It's time to play, baby. Go out there and get us this win."

Now, the line-up for your home team!

The line-up is gone down once more, the last person being Inei.

Finally, starting at the point guard position, standing six foot two inches, number ten, the revival player, Inei Hoshi!

I have a nickname already, and I haven't even played?!

The crowd goes wild, Inei goes down the line, and everyone gets hyped. The lights turn back on, introducing the head coach; Inei can hear the commentators on the side.

"Oh, man! What a matchup we have tonight, we have Bakogo, the number one college recruit who is a senior, and Hoshi, who is now known as the player to revive this program, who is a sophomore; Kevin, how do you take this Hoshi guy compared to Bakogo?"

Inei walks past them, stepping on the court, going to his position, the second commentator now speaking.

"Well, Jim, on the physical attributes other than the shoes, Bakogo stands out more as the more athletic player, but I would like to talk about Hoshi's shoes. Jim, how do you take on them?"

Azami sits in her living room in silence, seemingly scrolling through things on her phone with a sour look. Suddenly there is a knocking on her door. She looks, then gets up, creaking it open. Then the door slams loose, knocking Azami over; Yasu, Yui, Chura, and Aneko run in, Chura yelling.

"Azami! Look at the game broadcast!"

Azami crosses her arms looking down.

"Why should I? Why do any of you? He's a dick!"

Yui picks her up, dragging her to the couch.

"Just watch it!"

Yasu turns the tv on, turning it to the channel. Azami sits next to Yui, refusing to look at the tv, the other girls taking their seats watching the game. As Yasu turns the tv on, the commentator's voice becomes louder.

"Well, I will have to say, Hoshi's shoes are definitely of a strange fashion, but they probably have a larger purpose as to why they are being worn, especially on his debut game!"

Azami hears his name, looking at the tv for a peak, the tv showing her shoes mainly than anything else. She stares in amazement.

"How did he?.."

Aneko speaks to break her trance.

"We gave them to him, and we didn't even have to force him to wear them. Look at his face; even though everyone makes fun of them, he keeps his seriousness."

Azami looks back to the tv, noticing the look on Inei's face, smiling, then he does something that no one expected. He bends down, wrapping his hands around the top of his shoes, then stands straight up with the most significant smile of determination. Azami begins to tear up, Yasu speaking.

"He never meant what he said. It would help if you didn't put him in that situation, Azami. He doesn't hate you; he was just stressed out. We talked to him about it, and he agreed that he shouldn't have said what he did."

Azami smiles, crying.

"Thank you, guys. Knowing that takes so much off of me!"

Inei stands ready for the tip-off as the ball flies; Ugo wins the tip, and the ball lands in Tatamo's hands. Throwing it back to Inei, who hits it up in the air, and then when it comes back down, starts dribbling it usually. Inei dribbles toward Washito, who stands ready to defend against him. Inei begins to dribble, going between the legs multiple times, hesitates, and drives, Washito still tightly pressuring Inei, who gives a bounce pass to Ugo, who backs down the center. With that, Inei runs to the far wing, and Tatamo and Takiya set back-to-back screens. With Washito getting hit and Inei getting away, Inei runs through the paint and back to the three-point line in the middle, Ugo tossing it to him. As Inei goes to shoot, his mind fogs.

"Inei!"

And with that, his shot is blocked by the small forward on the opposing team.

"Ouch! Not a good start for Inei Hoshi, the small forward blocking his first shot of the night!"

The small forward takes the ball, throws it off the backboard, and slams it into the basket, 0-2. Inei runs back, receives the inbound pass, and dribbles it up to the half-court line, Washito at once guarding him. Washito's body hits Inei, who takes a step back, and the referee blows the whistle; a half-court violation, the opposing team's ball. Inei's coach at once begins to yell.

"INEI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

A block and a turnover immediately; this is not going well, even though I was ready.

The opposing team inbounds the ball, passing it to Washito, who drives and pushes his shoulder into Inei, who falls after a step-back midrange jumper, Washito sinking it with ease, 0-4. As he goes back, Washito puts his hand flat to the floor, indicating Inei is too small to guard him.

"You should have never tried to be better than me."

Inei gets up, grabs the ball, and tries again; Washito tries the same strategy; however, Inei nutmegs him, blasting past him, euro stepping and floating, the shooting guard hitting him on the shot knocking Inei over as the ball sinks through the net, 2-4. The stands begin to cheer as Inei gets his first basket. He goes to the free-throw line, receiving the ball from the referee. He dribbles the ball a couple of times and spends the ball in his guiding hand, focusing on the hoop, then his mind begins to trail.

Don't mess this up too.

Inei shoots the free throw, missing it. The other team's center rebounds the ball, throwing it down the court to Washito, who jumps and performs a back-scratcher dunk, hanging on the rim and letting go on the swing back, 2-6.

I never miss free throws. What is wrong with me?

Inei dribbles it up, passing the ball to Takiya, who stands on the wing, the small forward and shooting guard on the other team double-teaming him in the corner, Nakado standing open as Takiya passes it to him, Tatamo setting a screen for the center, the center setting a screen on Washito, Inei running past both screens, Washito more worried about Inei forgets about Nakado. He goes to shoot, but the power forward from the other team reaches to block him, then Nakado sees Inei open in the corner and throws it at him. Inei catches it and at once shoots, turning and looking at the stands, the ball and net making a splashing sound, then Inei runs off, 5-6. Inei hears the commentator as he runs past.

"Wow! What a beautiful shot from Hoshi! And the confidence after his mistakes to turn around on the shot! That is very talented!"

Inei smirks and gets ready for defense. As he does, Washito comes down, trying to dribble around Inei, who prevents it, then smirks.

"I studied your moves."

Washito hesitates, steps forward, then steps back, bouncing the ball between his legs. Inei's soul leaves his body as he falls back on his butt, Washito shooting the three-point shot, banking it off the backboard, shrugging at Inei, 5-9.

"I have my sources."

Washito runs off, Takiya picks Inei up off the ground, and the coach calls timeout, yelling at Inei as he sits on the bench; Connor enters the court for Inei.

"Wow. That's not the Inei I remember."

Yui speaks as they watch the coach call for a timeout. The commentators are in the background.

"This Hoshi fellow seems to have fallen to the hype around him. Does it, not Jim?"

"It sure does, Kevin. He has a turnover, a blocked shot, and his ankles broken before either team has broken double-digit points, and it seems like the coach has decided to try someone else."

Aneko shrugs her shoulders, shaking her head.

"That's what happens when you play against the number one ranked player in college, I guess."

The girls continue to chatter through the timeout, Azami looking down, then looking up.

"Girls."

They all stop talking, looking at Azami, Azami presenting a severe look.

"Get the stuff. It's not too late."

They all smile, nodding, getting up, and grabbing certain things from a closet. As they hold the stuff, Azami stops, looking at Yui.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean that's not the Inei you remember? I thought you never saw him in the gym."

Yui smiles big.

"We're doing the project, right?! Let's focus on that!"

As Yui passes quickly, Azami follows.

"Okay, but I am going to interrogate you later!"

Inei sits on the bench, watching time pass, and the score rises in the other team's favor as he listens to the commentator.

"Oh, what a move by Washito! The away team is on an eight-point run!"

"Wow, Washito, with the beautiful assist! That's a twelve-point run!"

Inei looks up to the scoreboard, seeing the score, 9-21. The coach approaches Inei, leaning down in front of him with the most aggressive look in his eye.

"Inei. You look at me and nothing else. Understand?"

Inei nods.

"You are embarrassing yourself, me, and the team. It would be best if you woke up, son. I don't know what has happened to you, but you need to get it out of your damn system. Do you understand me?! We are down twelve points, and there's half the half left. If I put you back in, you better do good, understand?!"

Inei nods.

"Get your ass in there then!"

Inei gets up to the scoring table, and the ball accidentally goes out-of-bounds by the away team. The horn sounds, and Connor runs off, giving Inei a high-five. Inei runs in, getting ready for the inbound pass, receiving it after an inbound pass reaches his hands. Inei dribbles it up, crossing the ball back and forth, sizing up Washito. After the size up, Inei hesitates, then goes in the opposite direction of the hesitation, throwing Washito off. As Inei drives, he spins towards the paint around the center, performing a reverse lay-up, the ball going through the net, 11-21. Inei runs past Washito, who gives him an awful look. Washito dribbles the ball up, calling a play. He immediately dribbles to the right, and as Inei tries to follow, he runs into a super hard pick; Inei falls to the floor, and Washito shoots a fading three, sinking it 11-24.

The crowd begins to boo at the refs for the screen, Inei slowly getting up, Washito and the center giving each other a high five as they run back down the court to play defense, Inei receiving the inbound pass. He throws the ball down the court to Takiya, but the ball is intercepted by the opposing small forward, is dribbled up, and jumps over Inei, who stands in the paint, dunking on top of Inei, 11-26. Inei receives the inbound pass.

I'm a failure. I should have never shown out. This performance is humiliating.

As he dribbles up, without any moves, he passes it on to Takiya, running over and setting a screen for Nakado, who runs his defender into the screen, and Takiya throws the ball to Nakado, who makes a simple lay-up, 13-26.

This miserable showing is going to cause a long night.

The girls wear jackets and hear the television.

"And that is halftime, the home team, 25, the away team, 47."

They all wince, knowing that that isn't good. Azami opens the door and locks it before they leave.

"Let's go! It's halftime, and we must get there before it ends and be in the stands!"

The girls take off, Azami slamming the door behind them as they run down the street to the school from Azami's house.

Inei sits in the locker room, head down, his hair covering his face.

What was I thinking? With any of this? Why did I even try? The one thing I even had somewhat close I told to leave me alone. How can I do anything else when I can't have a friend correctly?

The coach storms into the room, slamming the door with fury.

"ALRIGHT! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE, ALL OF YOU!"

No one responds.

"YOU MORONS ARE LETTING THEM USE YOU ALL LIKE THE BASKETBALL AND SHOOT YOU THROUGH THE NET! THIS YEAR IS THE ONE YEAR WE HAVE, AND ALL OF YOU ARE WASTING IT! INEI! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OUR PROSPECT, AND YOU HAVE ONLY SCORED WHAT, SEVEN POINTS?! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"

Inei doesn't look, feeling the glare of all his teammates pierce his skin. The coach doesn't say another word, storming out. Takiya looks at Inei more genuinely now.

"Hey man, it's just your first game; the fact that you have seven points compared to before is a great improvement. The coach wants the best for you. Don't worry too much, man; it's our curse anyway."

The buzzer rings.

"Time to go."

They all get up and begin to leave, Inei the last one. Inei stands, beginning to walk out sluggishly.

Why did I even show up?

The girls walk through the hallways of the gymnasium, finding a few seats close to the floor somehow, and take their spots, all blushing. Yasu is looking at Azami.

"You're going to owe us after this."

Chura nods.

"I'm not super modest, and this is embarrassing even for me now that we're here."

Azami shushes them.

"Whatever, I'll treat everyone to dinner afterward or something, a sleepover even; let's just do this when I say so."

Yui points.

"There he is!"

They begin feeling sick seeing Inei's expression, a picture of depression pasted on his face as he sets up on defense, facing their direction.

Inei stands slumped.

Why even try? There's no point.

The music cuts out, a defense track playing as Washito dribbles down slowly, calling out a play, and before he knows it, the play call is a fake, and Washito drives past Inei, driving in and getting a perfect lay-up, 25-49. Inei receives the inbound and slowly dribbles up.

"INEI!!!"

Inei looks at where the sound comes from with a shocked look, seeing something he couldn't have imagined seeing.

All five girls wear white shirts, each letter of his last name in their hair color pasted on the middle of their shirts as they are visible in the stands. Azami yells.

"We didn't come here to watch you lose! Hurry up and whoop their butts already!"

Inei dribbles, still looking at them.

They support me, even after all of it.

He looks at Washito, who has a nasty smirk, and Inei smirks back with confidence.

They didn't fail me, so I must not disappoint them again.

From the logo, Inei pulls up, shooting a three that goes straight through the net, 28-49. Washito looks at him with shock, the crowd going wild—the commentators.

"Woah! A half-court shot from Hoshi out the gate during the second half! Is this the start of a comeback?! And it seems that five girls have the same colors as the shoes he wears have shown up! This event may be the spark needed for the home team!"

On the run back, Takiya looks at Connor on the bench, pointing up to Azami.

"Hey, is that not your sister up there doing that?"

Connor looks away aggressively.

"Don't talk about it and focus on the game."

Takiya chuckles, readying for defense, as Washito dribbles down; Inei runs by, stealing the ball with ease, dribbling fast down the court, leaving Washito in the dust. Inei does something he has never shown before. He takes off from the free throw line, gaining air, slamming the ball through the hoop, 30-49. The girls cheer loudly, hearing yells now and then. Chura first.

"Go, Inei! Show them that you're a true prospect!"

Then Yui.

"We support you the whole way! Don't give up!"

Inei runs back, watching Washito dribble down aggressively, driving by Inei, going for a lay-up. However, when the ball is released, Inei comes from behind, spiking the ball against the backboard; the ball lands in Takiya's hands, starting to dribble down the court. The center is standing in the paint as Takiya dribbles in, kicking the ball back out to Inei, who catches up, taking the shot, sinking it through the hoop, 33-49. Washito dribbles up again after the shot, going to pass the ball. Still, Inei reads it at once, intercepting the pass at point blank, dribbling it down the court, Washito on his heels. Inei stops at the three-point line, Washito tripping and sliding on his stomach out of bounds; the fans go silent. Inei shoots the ball, and it goes straight through, 36-49, and the fans go wild, students jumping out of the stands and running in and out of the stadium. Washito slowly gets up and aggressively dribbles down, passing to his shooting guard and setting a pick on Nakado. The shooting guard goes past the pick; however, Inei is ready, stealing the ball from him, noticing Takiya behind him, throwing the ball up off the backboard, and turning to watch as Takiya performs a windmill dunk, 38-49. Takiya runs by, giving Inei a high five.

"Nice play Inei!"

Washito comes down, trying to perform Inei's signature move, and when he goes to shoot it, Inei jumps, spiking the ball away, blocking it hard. Then, off an inbound ally-oop, the away teams center makes a dunk, 38-51. Inei runs up, Washito and the shooting guard double-teaming Inei immediately, Inei dribbling through his legs from behind, splitting them as they run in the paint after him, and Inei fakes a floater, throwing the ball behind him to an open Nakado, who shoots the wide open three, sinking it, 41-51. From here on, whenever Washito dribbles down, they go for easy paint points, bullying Ugo and Tatamo by pushing them around. As the game progresses, both sides have gotten to 75-77, Inei getting defensive stops and easy points. The commentator is going crazy.

"Hoshi has 47 of the home team's points and has a few assists and eight steals in ONE HALF! And he has brought the team back to within two with two minutes left! Who will leave victorious?!"

Inei guards a super tired and frustrated Washito, Inei looking fresh, only breathing heavily. Washito goes to drive, Inei putting his arms up, defending well enough to where he doesn't get around, then Washito flops as he shoots, slinging himself backward; the ref blows the whistle, calling a personal foul on Inei. The crowd begins to boo the refs, Inei and all his teammates looking at the ref as if he is fixing the game. Washito goes to the free throw line, and everyone is lining up. He makes his first one, 75-78. Then, Washito misses the second, and Ugo rebounds it and tosses it to Inei. Inei catches it and shoots a three after stepping back, sinking it, the crowd bouncing off the walls, the commentators yelling.

"Bang! He makes the three! There is one minute left! The score is 78-78! Inei and his team have to force the miss or turnover!"

They run down the court, ready to defend, and Washito dribbles down aggressively as Inei guards.

"You will not beat me!"

As Washito says this, he runs straight into Inei, knocking the air out of him. The refs call a blocking foul on Inei, sending the away team into bonus. Inei lies on the court holding his stomach, everyone in the crowd booing the number one player as he puts his hand to his ear, using the other hand to raise it. Inei slowly gets up.

I can't stop. Not now.

Washito goes to the line, everyone setting up, the coach getting Inei's attention.

"Inei, you alright? Don't risk yourself; if you need to stop, it's okay. We can win the next one."

Washito makes the first free throw, 78-79. Inei shakes his head.

I can do this. We can win this.

Washito shoots and scores the second, 78-80—the full-court press begins the play for the defense.

"Thirty-seven seconds on the clock!"

They inbound the ball, and as soon as they do, the opposing team backs off, returning to half-court. Inei dribbles up, the shot clock off, Inei dribbling halfway between half-court and the three-point line, Washito guarding him and the shooting and small forwards being close in case to block the shot. As the clock ticks, Inei tries to gain total concentration.

What do I do? I feel as if he will foul me if I try to shoot anything and this referee is already making it difficult.

Inei then raises his eyebrows in realization, and gives a small smirk to Washito, who glares at him evilly.

"Do your worst, Hoshi."

The clock gets down to ten seconds. Inei goes to work, performing dribble move after dribble move, starting to lose Washito. Then, in five seconds, Inei steps forward, steps back, the ball between the legs crossover, Washito begins to fall back, and Inei fades away, shooting the three. The ball just has left his hand as the buzzer sounds, and the stadium enters silence, watching the ball travel through the air, hitting the backboard, the front of the rim, up, and in, 81-80; Inei and the home team win. People rush to the floor celebrating the game-winning shot, everyone surrounding Inei, cheering for him, the commentators going crazy.

"This has to be the craziest comeback performance in college history! People of all kinds, watch out! Cause Inei Hoshi is a driving force on this team! He scored fifty-three points and got seven assists and eight steals! I give it four games before he is the number-one player in college if he keeps performing at this level! Hoshi and the home team, celebrate and enjoy your hard-fought victory; Inei Hoshi has broken the curse!"

They celebrate, water going everywhere as the other team leaves the building, Washito slamming items and knocking over supplies. As people begin to leave, as well as Inei, a broadcaster, and a camera operator find Inei.

"Hello, Inei! May we borrow you for one moment?"

Inei points to his mouth and shows that he doesn't talk. She nods.

"Not a problem! Do you have someone who can speak for you?"

Inei doesn't budge, but then he hears behind him.

"He sure does."

He turns his head, seeing the five girls standing there. He smiles and nods, the camera lady getting ideas.

"Oh! Is she your girlfriend? That makes excellent news!"

Inei and Azami look at each other, blushing significantly, and Azami at once speaks waving her hands.

"No, no, no! It's not like that! He's just close friends with all five of us."

She nods.

"Well, okay, you guys will answer his questions, so be ready. Starting in five..."

She counts down, beginning the broadcast.

"I'm here, live, where the newest prospect Inei Hoshi and his home team beat Washito and the visiting team 81-80 in a buzzer-beating win. I'm here with Inei and five of his spokespeople, so tell me, what was his inspiration for his sneakers? Those have been a big topic on social media from the beginning of the game!"

Azami chuckles nervously, the microphone to her face while grabbing her arm.

"Uh...well, I looked up some of the best basketball shoes, and to motivate him and to remind him we were here for him, I painted Kyrie 7s the same colors as our hair to remind him that we're there."

The newscaster lady nods.

"Okay, so I'm noticing you also are all wearing shirts spelling his last name with those colors, and it seems that as soon as you five appeared, it gave Inei a new life. Is there a reason for this?"

They all five look at Inei, then at the camera, giant smiles on their faces with determination and confidence.

"Before you judge somebody, no matter how they look on the outside, they may always be amazing on the inside."

The newscaster lady nods again.

"Are we going to continue seeing fifty-plus point games from Inei?"

Azami looks at Inei, and Inei nods, and Azami speaks.

"As long as he can, he will provide them."

The newscaster looks at the camera.

"And there you have it; you will see more of Inei Hoshi this season!"

And with that, a splash hit Inei in the back of the head and body, becoming soaked with a sports drink shower from a cooler. The team is celebrating their crazy victory. As Inei goes into the locker room, showering and changing coming out, he meets up with the five girls on the way out. Azami is standing before him, Inei looking at her with eager eyes.

Azami looks down, then looks back up, smiling.

"I forgive you. Just watch what you say, and I promise I won't put you on the spot again. I do apologize for that."

Inei smiles.

"Also, we're having a sleepover tonight because I promised them one if they wore the shirts, but they were embarrassed to do it. I mean, we had planned to do it a long time ago. We got the supplies when we went to the mall when you took care of Aneko."

Oh, that would make sense.

He looks at the girls, who all look away with a pout and blush, making Inei smile. He nods to thank them, and they begin walking off. Then, as they walk, a voice rings out.

"Inei, Hoshi."

All five girls turn, Inei only tensing up, seeing a tall woman with black hair.

"How dare you enjoy life after what you had done to me."

All five girls stand in front of him, Azami speaking.

"Inei wouldn't hurt a fly! Leave him alone!"

She doesn't react.

"Inei, tell them to move, or they will get hurt."

The five girls express shock but stand their ground, and Inei stands between the girls, Azami looking, seeing tears down his face, her smirking.

"I told you I wouldn't let you forget, Inei."

Azami questions Inei.

"Inei? Who is this woman, and what is she talking about?"

Tears still stream down his face.

Rina Jomou.

She raises an eyebrow.

"Oh? So, you have not told them about me and your past?"

Inei looks down, hiding his face.

No. Not yet.