𝚂𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 ♕ ʜᴀɴᴀᴍɪʏᴀ ♚

5

The spring was approaching fast. Kou could tell it easily by the prickling sensation in her cheeks when the sun lighted her face. That was one of the reasons she preferred to stay in the classroom during the self-study period. The other was that Kou truly hated the springtime. It was sunny, it was loud, and after three months of constant rain and blazing sun weather swings came summer which was probably even worse... hot, steamy and full of merry teenagers.

Today Hanamiya told her to brush up on her knowledge about Seto, Furuhashi, Yamazaki and Hara. He didn't say it outright but it looked like he believed that the basketball team would soon turn to him. Kou was sceptical about this, however, she didn't utter a word. If Hanamiya was wrong, she could rub his mistake in his face later. On the other hand, hardly ever wasn't he right... So just to be safe, she leafed through her thick notebook while walking around the park. Kou could feel her skin sizzle upon the contact with the despised light, making her even more annoyed that Hanamiya decided to waste her break on walking around the school and making use of, how he phrased it, a fresh air. As if the air in the city inhabited by 13 million people could ever be fresh.

One way or another, Hanamiya and Kou were making a third lap around the school when her friend turned to the benches. The girl followed him, brushing damp hair from her neck, her skin ridiculously hot for a mild temperature of an early April. The tip of her archer's ring painfully scratched her collarbone. Even though it'd been a week since she got it, she couldn't force herself to leave it in her club's locker. It was special at the least but to be specific it was a custom made ring, formed according to her instructions. Instead of a rounded tip, the steel ring had a sharp, pointy end, that made the bowstring tremble while sending the arrow in the air. The use of steal was debatable in archery for the difficulties involved with using it by many players, Miho, however, found it extremely advantageous. Steel divided pros from amateurs, and she certainly wasn't among the latter.

Hanamiya dropped on the bench, outstretching his legs and leaned over the backrest; he closed his eyes, looking as if he was enjoying the sun. Kou took an exaggerated step over his limbs before plopping on the other side of the bench, her nose still in the notebook. To her, the whole basketball team was a bunch of half-witted apes who ran around fulfilling orders of a man who held a position of the coach only thanks to his connections with the Kirasaki Daiichi's Headmaster. After all, only an idiot listened to the orders of yet another dumbass.

Kou trailed a tip of the ring over the photo of Seto Kentarö, who seriously reminded her of a Lar Gibbon with his dull, black eyes and small lips. If her memory was correct, among the players there was a boy with his ears sticking out enough to make him look like a chimpanzee.

What a menagerie... she snorted inwardly and turned the page but a sigh snapped Kou out of the comfort of her mind. She glanced at her friend.

"We're gonna have a company," Hanamiya informed, his face not changing the relaxed expression he'd managed to pull earlier.

"Don't get your hopes up," Kou scowled, turning back to her notes. "Let's see what they have to say."

If Kirasaki's team decided to turn to Hanamiya now, she could expect more work in the upcoming months but first she wanted to see how would they play it. Hanamiya never had to ask for anything, he had always received what he wanted, so the players had better had a good speech prepared.

The figures of four boys shadowed the place Hanamiya and Kou were sitting. The girl didn't spare them a glance, shifting on her seat to the spot where she could resume her reading in proper lighting, half of her mind set on listening to the forthcoming conversation.