You Sure Love To Ball
"And that's all the announcements for today," Rosethorn concludes, leaving her seat and grabbing her binder. "Have a productive day, everyone."
"Bye, sensei!"
She stops by the door. "Ah, I almost forgot. I need some of you to see me in my office between the 4th and 5th periods."
She turns to us. "Edith Lee. Faith Kang. Maxine Nguyen. Hailey Chang. Minerva Kim."
Her gaze lands on me. "Imai Soujyuuro."
Ah. This might be troublesome. Did you have to address us in front of the entire class, sensei?
The other five look annoyed at our teacher, but she's already leaving.
Then, homeroom ends, and Geography class begins.
"Was that about what I think it is?" Ashleigh asks me during the 3rd period when it looks like Hijack-sensei will be late.
I turn to her. "... I can't think of anything else."
I struggle to think of any time I did anything with those girls. The most interaction we've had is Hailey and me sometimes glancing at each other during my sparring sessions with Hifumi.
"I'm not worried," I tell Ashleigh, and surprisingly, it's the truth. "This is simply something I should have done a while ago."
She accepts my answer with a slow nod. Wait... I know that face. She still has something she wants to ask but isn't sure if she should.
Hmm. Between the 4th and 5th periods...
"I'm sure they're not going to her office straightaway, so we can have lunch together before I go."
"Alright..." She agrees, meaning I was correct in my hunch. I'm slowly getting better at reading her. It feels nice.
"Good morning, class."
The teacher appears, and I turn ahead to the start of another class. Quirk Ethics is not nearly as pleasant as talking with Ashleigh, but I make do.
No, wait, I shouldn't be thinking like that. This subject is especially crucial because of my quirk, so I won't treat it lightly. Don't become a bad student because you're crushing on a girl, me.
"You're a traitor, Imai."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
I'm not, but I know better than to say otherwise.
She nods gravelly. "You understand what must be done, right?"
I repeat her gesture. "Yes."
Ashleigh takes a seat at our table, looking hesitantly between us. "... What are you two talking about?"
"Tell her, Imai."
"She already knows."
A betrayed gaze is thrown at the blue-haired girl. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
Ashleigh can only reply with a thoroughly baffled expression.
"This guy played DDR with Owari before me!" Orochi complains, stabbing her chopsticks into her food.
I shrug. "I didn't know we were going to the arcade. Hifumi just invited me to hang out."
He didn't even appear, which was weird. Bobby said he had something important at the last minute, but when I asked him about it, he didn't want to tell me.
"Ah, that. Can't you two still go there?"
"Yeah, but it's not the same. Imai said he'd never played it with someone else, so I thought it was the perfect outing. If we go after school now, I'm not even sure if he can dance again."
"Why not?" I ask, then take a bite of my food.
"Guilty feet have got no rhythm," Orochi says, smirking.
I shake my head at her but can't help but smile.
"I'll get you to laugh someday," She vows. Behind her, two of her tails nod.
"That was a joke?" Ashleigh wonders, making the hydra's heads slump in shame.
Don't be sad, Orochi. It was amusing. "The issue isn't in your punchline or delivery. I'm not that expressive in the first place."
"You've been smiling a lot more lately, I think..." Ashleigh comments.
"I've been given a lot of reasons to," I confirm, looking at one of them.
It's my first time having a social life, so I can't help but feel content.
"When was the last time you laughed, though?" The white-haired girl asks before sipping on her juice. I take in Ashleigh's abashed expression for one more second before looking at the other girl. Chewing on my udon, I try to remember.
It was... last week. When I hung out with those guys. Although that was more like a very short chuckle than laughter.
But before that...
"Oh. You're back to the stone face. What's up?"
"Just an awkward memory... you know when you laugh at something you're not supposed to?"
Like what I did with Mio when she'd found out Christopher and I tricked her. I don't regret the deed itself. But reveling in it was out of line.
"But the last time I laughed was when I hung out with Mitsurugi, Bobby, and Owari."
"Not only your first DDR duet, but they also made you laugh too? You're despicable, Imai."
I finish my meal.
"Sorry to cut my punishment short, but I have to go."
Orochi tilts her head. "Oh yeah, Rosethorn asked for you and those bitches. What was that all about, anyway?"
"It's about how I used my quirk in the exercise," I say, getting up. "They probably figured it out."
Her expression turns serious. "Ah. Well, you'll be fine if you don't trip over your words... which is very likely now that I think about it."
I nod. It's a miracle I could even talk to Sagara and her with Ashleigh's help.
Orochi didn't mind. She said it was good I decided to join a hero academy instead of proving others right about my power.
Sagara... did not really care... I think? She's a hard one for me to read.
"I'll see you two in the 5th period."
"Bye, Imai-kun."
"See ya."
I walk to the teacher's center.
I'm not sure what Rosethorn's role is in all this. Is she there to mediate between me and those girls? Is she going to scold me while they watch?
I knock on the door to her office.
"Come in."
All of them are already here. Rosethorn is behind her desk, looking at something on her computer. The others are all on their phones.
"Good afternoon."
I had thought the atmosphere would be more uncomfortable, but it's simply stuffy.
"Soujyuuro," Our teacher responds to my greeting, clicking two times on her mouse before pushing away her monitor to look at us. "Take your seat so we can begin."
The quintet stops looking at their phones as I grab a chair and sit on the opposite side of the room. They... don't look as upset as I expected.
I really should learn how to trust my classmates more. This may not be difficult at all.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Rosethorn asks.
"Yeah." I nod. "It's about our first heroics training, isn't it?"
She shakes her head. "These girls asked me to scold you for your behavior during it, but you didn't do anything against school regulations there."
"It's about your quirk," Maxine declares, glaring at me.
"Ah."
It's my fault. I promised to tell my class about it, but I haven't made much progress. It's been about a week, and over half of them still don't know.
Well, those five must have their suspicions. They wouldn't arrange this otherwise.
This is fine. I wanted to speak with everyone on my own terms, but these are the consequences of taking too long.
"Soujyuuro, the girls told me you lied about what your quirk can do. Why?"
"... Peace."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Minerva asks.
How can I put this...
"What do you think my quirk does?" I answer with a question.
I need to know how far their analysis went first.
She blinks, measuring her words before replying.
"For starters, you can absolutely read minds without looking at people. But you also have some form of mind control to make our decision-making worse."
"Impressive," I praise, nodding. "You figured out the capabilities, but it's not mind control. It's telepathy."
"Bullshit," Edith claims.
"Wait, no, that makes sense too. It's telepathy, but you're speaking inside our heads with our own voices, right?" Faith solves it for her friend.
"Yeah."
As long as the things I implant aren't too out of character, they couldn't differentiate between my thoughts and theirs.
"Creepy." Rosethorn frowns at Edith for that comment. "Can you speak with other voices too?"
I nod. "I can, but it's not very useful. If I sent a mental message to any of you with sensei's voice, it wouldn't accomplish anything."
"You're still hiding something," Maxine accuses with a slight scowl. "What about me opening that flask?"
I scratch the back of my neck, trying to find the right words. "That... that's still telepathy, but it's toeing the line between it and brainwashing."
I put a hand over my lips. "Mind over matter. A thought so powerful that your body follows it, like a reflex."
That's why it's called Mindbreaker.
Hah, who am I kidding? I know why it's called that...
"Sounds like brainwashing to me," Hailey says, checking her nails. "No lines being toed, just crossed."
"90% of all mind manipulation powers can't be resisted. Once the user fulfills their condition, the target goes under their control as far as the quirk's limits allow it. It might break after a set duration or a number of orders..."
Unwittingly, Mom's face shimmers in my vision.
I blink, and she's gone.
How disturbing. I should have tried to repeat what I said to Ashleigh. Bringing up the statistics got me in a sour mood.
"... It might not even break at all... but my quirk is different. A strong thought is still a thought. Anyone can resist it with sufficient willpower."
"You're saying my will is weak?" Maxine demands, baring her teeth.
I shake my head. "Not at all. It only worked because of what I asked you to do. But... this topic has run its course. You know what Mindbreaker can do now."
Hailey snorts. "Mindbreaker? Seriously?"
I wince. Why did I have to say it? "Yeah... blame the doctor."
"You can change it in the registry, you know? Lots of heroes do it for branding. Like, I'm pretty sure Endeavor didn't get his quirk named Hellflame when he was four," Edith considers, looking at her pocket as if wondering if she should confirm it with her phone.
"Indeed, Soujyuuro," Rosethorn interjects. "If you're unhappy with your quirk's name, you can swap it."
"I don't like the name, but I haven't changed it for... personal reasons."
It's an eternal reminder.
"Alright."
Our teacher accepts my answer.
"Whatever, keep the goofy name; I don't care."
So does Edith, in her own way.
"I think it's more spooky than goofy," Faith pipes in.
"Oh my god, can we please get to the point?" Hailey begs. "Max, I know you're a quirk nerd, but we could all be doing better things by now."
Her friend rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Creepy name, creepier power, but why'd you lie about it?"
"I wanted to keep the class in blissful ignorance. Although one aspect of my quirk can be resisted, the rest isn't. Nothing can stop me from reading and implanting thoughts on anyone around me except my sense of responsibility."
Their unhappy expressions make me sigh. "See? I know how careful I have to be with my quirk. The first time I used it on someone without consent was in the entrance exam. The second time was in that heroics training. But I can't prove these things. A person behind me will never know if I'm reading their mind or messing with their thoughts. They have to trust me."
I shrug. "Most people don't do that. It's been a constant in my life. Kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. I know now that Class 1-D isn't like that, but when I entered Shiketsu, I didn't think the pattern would break. So by hiding aspects of my quirk and putting myself in a spot where I couldn't use it— as far as everyone else was concerned—, I kept both sides of the equation in peace."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"That's sad, Soujyuuro..." Rosethorn breaks the silence, frowning at me. I can feel the pity emanating from her. "You stopped having faith in others."
It's not as simple as she believes. I was in a messy state of mind.
I hid my abilities because a part of me wanted to be left alone. To not have anyone look at me with suspicion. But at the same time, I desired to enjoy this new school life and connect with people I didn't have baggage with.
"But you know that makes it even harder to trust you now, right?" Maxine asks. "You could have taken your chances by being honest from the start. Now you're just a liar."
"Yes, I understand it was a mistake. But I'm working on it... I've spoken with some of our classmates about it."
"Who?" Rosethorn asks.
"Ashleigh. Nyoro. Orochi. Sagara. Noah. Christopher also knows because of his quirk. I didn't have to tell him."
"Huh. With us, that makes almost half the class," Minerva says. "Don't you think me and Max should have known first, though? Jugo and Chihiro, too."
"I also believed that. But..."
Most of those were chain reactions. Nyoro and Ashleigh were my teammates for that fateful battle training, and the latter introduced me to Orochi and Sagara. Christopher helped me with Mio and encouraged me to talk to Noah. There was minimal input on my part.
"I wasn't sure how to approach any of you. I would likely talk to Mitsurugi and Jugo before you five."
I bow my head. "Sorry for the trouble."
"I won't punish you for what you did, Soujyuuro," Rosethorn says, clasping her hands. "As there haven't been any incidents regarding your presence in this school, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you haven't used your quirk maliciously. I was going to scold you for your dishonesty, but it seems you're already aware of your errors on that front too. So, all I can add is... keep talking to your classmates, and don't return distrust in kind."
No incidents, huh...
I can't tell her about Mio. Not now. I still haven't found a way to make anything stick.
But this secret isn't for my benefit. If I tread this path now, there will be consequences for others, too.
"Thank you, sensei."
And I'm sorry. Your student will keep being dishonest for a while longer.
Our teacher turns to the other people in the room. "What about you five? Are you satisfied with my decision?"
"... I have one question before to decide if I can trust you," Hailey tells me. "What did you do with Hifumi during your training?"
What does she mean by that? I did what he asked... Ah. She wants to know if I tried to command him.
"If I only used mind reading, then the Mushin he's developing wouldn't stand up to all the sides of my telepathy. I didn't wish to train him incompletely, so I read his moves and put suggestions in his head to throw him off. "
She hums before nodding and smiling at me. "Alright. We're cool, then."
"I'm not happy with it, but eh." Faith shrugs. "Guess we'll have to wait and see if you're really careful with it."
"Can you at least tell us your range?" Minerva asks. "Knowing will be a big help in and out of class."
Will it? I don't think they're the type to swap classrooms to get away from me. Frankly, even the 1-E classroom might not be distant enough.
Still, if she wants to know...
"Eighty meters."
She shakes her head. "Damn. Well... I worked with Chihiro and lived, so I guess I can stay in a classroom with you."
"So we can't stay away, have no way of knowing when you're messing with our minds, and our teacher won't do anything about it... this sucks," Maxine concludes, crossing her arms with a pout. "I don't regret learning about it, though. Blissful ignorance is for losers."
"Agreed," Edith continues, nodding. She looks at me with her lips set in a thin line. "But in my case, staying close is better. If I think you're in my head I'm putting you in timeout. Our seats are close enough for me to do it."
"Okay," I accept. I did always wonder how it feels being inside Edith's danger zone.
"No threatening to banish your classmates," Rosethorn warns, annoyed. Edith rolls her eyes in response.
This was the best result I could have gotten. These girls won't trust me from the start, and I didn't expect them to. Some of them giving me a chance is enough for me.
"Can we leave now?" Hailey asks our teacher. "We don't have to give each other group hugs or sing songs together now, do we?"
"Yes, you can leave now."
We shuffle out of her office moments later, and someone is awaiting us.
"Ashleigh...?"
"5th period is about to start, and you didn't come back to class, so Orochi thought I should check..."
This is why I can't help but smile more lately. She's too cute.
I can feel several pairs of eyes on my back.
Ah.
I let my guard down.
The girls behind me walk past me and surround Ashleigh, looking between me and her.
Minerva pats her shoulder. "You can do better."
Faith nods. "So much better."
Ouch.
Maxine looks conflicted. "Nice ass, but..."
"... The third eye is kind of a turn-off." Edith finishes.
I reach behind me. Of all things to compliment me... was it even a compliment considering I'm a guy?
"Good luck, though!" Hailey wishes, throwing her a thumbs up. The five walk away a second later, leaving an awkward atmosphere.
"... We should go."
Ashleigh and I follow their path side by side.
"... I don't mind the third eye," She mumbles on the way to homeroom.
Huh.
"Thanks..."
... I needed to hear that.
"For today's Physical Education class... you'll be playing basketball!"
And so, Ippon took us to Shiketsu's court, which I hadn't known existed until today.
This is our first time playing sports during Phys. Ed. Normally it's just going through our workout routines, building our stamina with marathons, or improving our urban movement skills with parkour drills.
I... don't want to play basketball with Class 1-D.
It's not about disliking the sport or being bad at it... although I prefer soccer, I can hoop decently.
The issue is me. After that first heroics training, I discovered that I don't take to competition as well as I hoped.
Ashleigh helped me come to terms with what I did, but in this case, I can't see a benefit to using my quirk. This is not hero training. This is to develop our bodies. Mindbreaking someone to dunk on them or cross them up would be some unhinged behavior.
However, if quirk use is allowed in the matches... and things get too heated... I don't know if I can stop myself from becoming unhinged.
So, let's hope this doesn't become a test of my self-control.
"Now, this is what I'm talkin' about!" Bobby declares, spinning the ball over his finger. "I've been waiting to see how y'all hoop in Japan!"
"Badly," Christopher responds, already slouching on the bench. We haven't even done our warm-ups.
"You'll play for 4 quarters lasting 10 minutes, with 5 minutes of overtime if necessary," Ippon tells us as we get acquainted with the court. "The Team Captains are Inigo Myoga and Son Jugo."
He hands the two a pile of jerseys, red for Inigo and blue for Jugo.
"Now, you two, start choosing your teammates."
Ah. So we're not doing this randomly. My chances of being picked early are low with both teams, so I join Christopher on the bench.
The captains play rock-paper-scissors to decide the first pick.
Inigo wins, but he doesn't look happy about it.
"Damn... it's an auto-win if I pick up a team of hot girls, but can I leave the boys down for this one...?"
Is he... talking to himself?
"Screw it! I'll go for the tele-dunks! Come with me, Hifumi!"
"I'll have you know I haven't played for a long time," The first member of Team Inigo warns, grabbing his shirt.
"Can't imagine why," Christopher says, rolling his eyes.
Even though Inigo secured the potentially strongest player, Jugo is still all smiles. "Even the team choices are a kind of combat... I'll attack morale! I choose Bobby!"
Why are you monologuing with him, Jugo?
"No!" Hifumi and Inigo wail, reaching out to their friend.
"I'm sorry, fellas... but I'll have to turn my hooping powers against you."
Bobby takes the blue jersey with a guilty grin.
"Tch. He anticipated my next move... Jugo's already started his attack. In that case, I'll just have to pick the strongest player here."
You... already did.
"I choose Hoge!"
Or maybe not. Nyoro would be impossible for most people to defend.
Jugo crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow at the pick. "He's already adapting to my strategy... Maybe I should take this more seriously. Kaylee is my next pick!"
Hifumi nudges Inigo on the side. "Yo, bro, you see that? Grab Chihiro; she can counter them."
His captain nods. "Hm, hm. Plus, she'd work well with you and Hoge. Alright, I pick Chihiro!"
"... I don't know the rules," Their newest member says, joining them.
I'm not surprised Mitsurugi isn't familiar with the game. Hopefully, they can teach it to her before we begin, but that still won't give her any skills in dribbling, passing, shooting, guarding...
Yeah, this wasn't the best pick for them.
Jugo chuckles. "Is he just picking cute girls now? Maybe I should start picking girls before he does, so it's a fair fight. Or should I develop an unstoppable offense to inspire them to match me? But if none of those work, I'll try the other..."
He looks at me.
"I choose Imai!"
Huh. I'm the third member. That's a shock. I guess he saw some value in grabbing me to counter Nyoro?
I rise from the bench and take the jersey from Jugo's hands, putting it on and standing to Bobby's right.
Inigo's lips curl down. "Jugo's good... Imai is definitely a nice pick. But thinking back... The Boys weren't just me, Hifumi, and Bobby. We had a fourth member on our team! I'm taking Sandatsu Owari!"
"I also don't know the rules," Owari tells them, killing his team's growing morale.
"So it's not just about cute girls after all," Jugo decides, looking at the jerseys in his hand as if they hold the answers. "There's something else going on here. Something I can't see."
I thought I took competitions too far, but looking at him, it seems I was worried for nothing.
"I need to remember the lessons I learned from my duels. I learned to be adaptable... that optimal doesn't always mean strongest..."
Look at what you've done, Ippon-sensei. I don't think there's enough time in class for the 40-minute match you wanted now.
"... that I can breathe underwater..."
He's still going... wait, he can what?
"Wait! I learned the most important thing of all in a basketball game! That TK is broken! I pick Hailey!"
Did he go through all that to put Hailey on the same team as Suzuki?
Inigo turns to his team, and I catch a mad glint in his eyes before his back is turned to me.
"Listen, guys. The most important thing we have is ships. Picking Hailey may have stopped one ship, but I can still get Maxine for Owari..."
"What?" Owari asks, confused.
"Or someone for Chihiro..."
"What's a ship?" Another question which he pointedly ignores.
"I got it! I still remember the tender confession he shared with me... Love is the most important thing! I'm picking Christopher!"
Christopher gets up like a zombie. He looks at me and Jugo, then Bobby, who towers over us. Then Kaylee, whose shoulders I can't reach with my head.
"... we're gonna die."
He'll live. I doubt he'll get enough passes for us to even touch him.
Jugo looks shocked by this turn of events. "He's predicted my next move twice! Could Inigo be good at this? I've underestimated my opponent!"
I'm starting to wonder if I'm reading their minds unconsciously. There's no way they're saying all this out loud, right?
"I need someone as adaptable as Christopher, but is there anyone like that left...?"
"Tanaka," I tell him. Although he's short and frail, and his hands are too small to catch the ball properly... his quirk is valuable for a sport like this.
I feel my thoughts are starting to get dangerously rude... but I can't help but get bothered at how long these two take to make their choices.
"You're right, Imai... if I don't have one, I'll need the other... Next, I'll pick Sora!"
"How about Max next?" Hifumi posits to his captain. "She has extra hands, so she's gotta be good at throwing the ball, right?"
"You're right, bro. Plus, it'll put us ahead, with three ships versus his one. Jugo might be better than me in fighting, but I've finished over 50 VNs!"
Not a brag, Inigo. Not a brag.
"I'm going with Max."
Wind gathers around Jugo, blowing his hair up.
"H-He's fast! It's almost like he's not thinking at all!"
Did he... did he activate his quirk to make this more dramatic?
"Pure battle instinct... I'll have to keep up! Just go with your gut! Sen!"
"LET'S GO!" Shinkan cheers, running at us.
"And I'll go with my manly instinct! Skimpy shorts... Tight tanktops... I'm picking Orochi!"
Inigo has to avoid a few hydra heads coming for his face, but he secures his next teammate.
"You've left an opening! I'll press the attack! YUI!"
Sagara does not leave the bench, but a strand of her quirk grabs the jersey for her.
"She's my friend! And I want her to be happy! But that's not the ship I was going for! I'll take Noah!"
"It won't matter what your strategy is! Not with Edie on my side!"
Huh. They're picking up the pace. That's good.
"I haven't checked what her stats are... but I'll take the cute new transfer student with a gun!"
"Screw you, Myoga," Sally punches his arm before standing by Noah's side.
"Transfer students? I haven't faced them yet! I have no idea what they're capable of."
The wind stops whipping around Jugo as he looks down.
"When did Victor leave...? He taught me so much about my body and my quirk... I should make sure I'm not left behind."
Victor and Kinji left us at the start of the week, but I'm unsure where they went.
He opens his mouth, closes it, then looks at the remaining classmates before chuckling nervously.
"Sorry, but I don't remember her name. I want the robot girl."
Unbothered, Takara nods and joins us.
Inigo looks at Bobby and me with utmost seriousness, which means his thoughts are going in the opposite direction. "I need him to pick Ashleigh or Minnie. I can't let Bobby or Imai down... Love has to bloom in this battlefield."
Thanks, Inigo, but I'm not sure Ashleigh will make it to the starting roster. She doesn't like basketball.
"Which means my next choice... is Hiro!"
Jugo smirks. "Almost to the end. No surprises left. I just have to finish strong and hold all the trumps. Ashleigh."
Ashleigh grabs a jersey and fist-bumps me, taking her place by my side.
Inigo nods, satisfied. "The ships are set. Jugo's starting to get it... he's a real one. For my last pick, I'll take Faith."
The two captains stare at each other with mutual respect. "Heh. He's left the last athlete for me. What a nice guy. Come on over, Minnie."
The two teams face each other.
"You two know you're not allowed to use quirks for this, right?" Ippon says, handing Inigo the ball.
"What?! No! You should have told us earlier!" Inigo shouts, clutching his hair and letting the ball drop.
"Yep, we're dead," Christopher recites.
We won with 85 points to their 50.
Without quirks, there was no contest. Half of their members were simply not hoopers. Meanwhile, we had Bobby, Jugo, Shinkan, Sagara... and me.
I feel bad for the entire enemy team. Bobby was especially not kind to their ankles.
Although we also had some members unfamiliar with basketball, like Kaylee... she's Kaylee. It was a matter of getting the ball to her and watching her dunk on the enemy team. Completely different for someone like Mitsurugi, who doesn't know the sport and doesn't have the specs for it. Every single one of her shots was blocked.
"Good game, Class 1-D! Classes are over for today, so I'll see you all tomorrow!"
Ippon throws a quick salute and starts to walk to the exit.
"Not only did we lose... but love also didn't bloom. This sucks," Inigo decides, pouting. "I demand a rematch! With quirks, blackjack, and hookers!"
"No one wants to watch Hifumi teleporting with the ball for 40 minutes, Inigo. Take the L," Tanaka says, making the letter with his hand and putting it over his forehead.
"Shut up, benchwarmer," Orochi tells him, tugging her jersey to cool down. "You got carried. I want a rematch, too. Had to hold back the entire time 'cause my quirk is constant."
"I don't mind washing you guys again," Bobby brags, grabbing a ball and shooting a 3-pointer from half-court.
"We'll take you on anywhere, any time!" Jugo claims, pumping a fist. By his side, Kaylee repeats his gesture.
"Hey, don't go deciding things for the rest of us," Sagara complains, lying on her back. "I wanna go home."
Ippon turns back to us with a small smile.
"It's good that you're showing competitive spirit, but you'd have to wait until another day for a runback. The court is reserved for the third-years at this time."
"I can talk to them," Nyoro offers, raising her hand. "If our class is unsatisfied with the practice, it's the class rep's job to make things right."
Inigo whoops. "Go, Hoge-chan, Go!"
I sip on a water bottle, feeling my muscles burn pleasantly. If Nyoro goes to them as the class rep, I'll back her up as her VP. I only got the position because of my telepathic radar, but still.
I'm not raring for a rematch with quirks, though. I don't want to use my powers for this kind of activity.
...
...
... Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something noteworthy?
Ippon rubs his chin. "Well, if the third-years are alright with it, I don't see why not. I'll take you to their class rep."
I put my water bottle on the bench and rise along with Nyoro, looking at her. She notices me and nods with a slight smile on her face.
We trail behind the teacher, leaving the court.
There are a bunch of students waiting outside. And in front of them...
"Hey, Imai-kun~!"
The third-year class rep waves at me. As if the events from last week didn't happen.
"Good afternoon, Mio-senpai."
Sorry, Nyoro. I did forget something noteworthy. My presence here might even make things worse for you.
"So cold," She complains with a fake pout, and already, I feel sick.
I don't know if I can pretend to get along with her in front of others, so I'll stay quiet while Nyoro negotiates.
"Katsuragi-senpai," Nyoro calls for her. "Can we first-years use the court to have another match now?"
Mio turns to her, humming. "Let's see... we can't just give this time to you for nothing in return... Why do you need to use it now, anyway?"
"Some of the class wants a rematch with quirks involved."
"Oh? Interesting." Mio nods. "Very interesting."
"Class 1-D doesn't use the court frequently, so you can have our next time slot."
Nyoro bows. "It's just for this one time. Please."
Mio laughs. "Relax, relax! I don't know what Imai-kun over here has been telling you about me, but I'm not gonna bite you, you know?"
The truth. That's what I told Nyoro about her. But even if she didn't know about Mio, she would still act aggressively polite. That's the kind of person she is.
"I accept your terms, Hoge-chan... if you let me watch the game, that is! I want to see all my cute juniors in action."
"That..." Nyoro glances at me. Like me, she's wary of a scheme on Mio's part.
'(I'll keep an eye on her. Get Christopher's help if necessary.)'
"(Alright.)"
After some split-second non-verbal communication, Nyoro turns to Mio. "That's alright, Katsuragi-senpai."
"Then what are we waiting for? Give me the ball, guys!"
One of the third years throws a basketball at Mio, who passes it to us.
"..."
Nyoro and I stare at the ball.
"...~"
The two Mios keep grinning at us.
"... Why does it have your face in it?" I can't help but ask.
She waves me off, then walks to the court. "Just a little inside joke between us seniors. Don't worry about it."
I bet it's to give them a performance boost. Picturing you're holding her head when you bounce it on the ground or make a dunk would allow them to channel more strength.
... I dislike solving things with violence, but as a spiteful creature, I can still see the appeal.
Well, it could be that or a joke about her... No. I won't go there. That's Inigo's domain.
Shaking my head, I follow her to the court, holding the Mio-ball and pondering its secrets.