IT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT...
game for the jujutsu high basketball players. this was the game that determined who would take home the trophy and win the entire winter cup.
chiyo and ozawa made extra sure to have everything prepared, as they arrived two hours early before their call time.
"wow! look how huge the stadium is this time round", ozawa mused.
"there's a lot of good teams here. the most famous one is the vorpal swords, also known as the generation of miracles", tōji informed.
"I reckon that they'll be the ones we go up against for the winter cup", their coach predicted, as the team had taken a seat in the audience section.
"woah, they're like a rainbow", yūji commented, as the generation of miracles had hair colors varying from red to purple.
"holy shit they're tall!", mahito exclaimed.
"it's like having a team of gojō and getō-senseis. are we sure that they're all in high school?!", yoshino choked.
"panda's tall, and so is tōdō-senpai", inumaki stated.
chiyo unconsciously gripped tightly onto the edge of her seat, as she desperately wanted her team to win.
however, the miracles were given their name for a reason. their speed and ability to shoot three-pointers without even breaking a sweat was insane. and not to mention that they were basically a whole foot taller than the majority of her team.
"he just copied his opponent's trick!", panda pointed at the blonde guy.
"number four sure has a presence on court. might even rival sukuna's", kenjaku noticed, as sukuna's gaze directed towards the red-haired boy.
"don't psyche yourselves out now. if we win, we win. if we don't, then we don't. believe in the time that you all spent practicing", tōji said, though he too was perhaps a bit concerned for his players.
the outcome was predictable. of course team vorpal swords won semi-finals. jujutsu high left the bleachers to go get ready and stretch, while the former team took a break.
"ah..."
"what?", tōji questioned, as everyone stared at yūji, who displayed a sorry expression.
"a-ano...I think I left my basketball shoes back at the hotel's lobby...", yūji admitted.
"h-hotel?! our hotel's like fifteen minutes away by bus!", okkotsu stated.
tōji glanced at his watch.
'thirty-three minutes before the game starts. there's no way that we can guarantee that a bus starts at this tim—'
"coach, I'll go get them!", chiyo volunteered, as the girl sprinted out the gym doors before anyone could say anything else.
"yūji! we did checkups!", kamo slightly frowned.
"twice!", mahito chimed in.
"I-I'm sorry!!", yūji pouted, "I thought I brought the right pair..."
sukuna closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, as tōdō tried to brighten up his besto friendo's mood.
'would she be okay alone?'
chiyo knew she wasn't cut out for running, much less any sports.
already out of air, chiyo forced herself to breathe, even though her lungs were parched and her legs felt like giving in. it was even harsher with the winter wind smacking her rosy face, making her wish that she had put on more lotion at the very least.
'breathe. deep breathes. you're almost there', the second-year mentally encouraged herself, as she managed to make it just in time before the bus left.
harshly panting, the blonde girl thickly swallowed, as she calmed her heart rate so that she wouldn't pass out.
taking out her phone, she realized that she still had seventeen minutes left, which was really cutting it close.
perhaps it would have been better if they had booked a nearer hotel. however, due to the fact that it was the winter cup, many nearby hotels were already filled.
dialing the front desk of their lodge, chiyo inquired about a pair of red basketball shoes.
"ah, yes! it was left by the jujutsu high basketball team, correct?"
"y-yes! apologies to be of any inconvenience, but I'm in a time rush and if you could have someone hand it to me immediately at the bus stop, it'd be much appreciated", chiyo breathlessly explained.
"may I get the coach's full name as a confirmation please?"
"fushiguro tōji", chiyo hastily answered.
"perfect! we'll have someone holding it right at the bus stop. and good luck at the competition!"
"thank you!", chiyo weakly smiled, as she prayed that she'd make it in time.
yūji's gaze lingered at the gym doors. his attention hyper-focused, expecting chiyo to burst in any minute now.
"coach, maybe we should just swap yūji out with sukuna", kamo suggested.
"hold on".
tōji softly groaned, as he did not appreciate having to change his original gameplay. he wanted to keep sukuna for later, to help reserve his energy.
team vorpal swords glanced at each other, sensing the other team's hesitance.
"think they're scared?", aoimine daiki — the (navy) blue-haired boy — teased.
"that one over there's waiting for someone", akashi seijūrō — the redhead and captain — pointed out.
"ehhh? you think he's waiting for his girlfriend?", kise ryōta — the blonde player with an ear piercing — joked.
"boring. I just want to win and eat snacks already", murasakibara atsushi — the purple-haired titan — yawned.
"unfortunately today is pieces' lucky day. but thankfully I brought a clock to boost our luck", midorima shintarō — the green-haired zodiac maniac — seriously said, as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"tch, we don't need luck", kagami taiga snorted.
kuroko tetsuya, known as the invisible man, looked over at the electronic clock mounted on the wall.
"it's tim—"
the gym doors suddenly slammed open with much aggression, as everyone's attention was on the blonde second-year who was clutching onto a pair of basketball shoes.
"AOKI-SENPAI!"
"I...I'm not late, am I?", the girl huffed, almost pausing in between each word.
yūji immediately bowed to his senior, thanking her as he snatched the shoes and changed into them.
ozawa went to go support chiyo, who felt like she was about to pass out from running so vigorously.
sukuna let out a breath that he didn't even know that he was holding, as the two captains could finally call for a lineup.
upon the game starting, chiyo was able to take a seat at the bench next to ozawa and tōji.
"here's some water", the first-year offered, as chiyo nearly chugged the entire thing.
once she relaxed a little, chiyo had suddenly felt a hand plant on top of her head.
"yes coach?"
tōji cracked a slight smile, as he gently ruffled the girl's hair.
"I knew I made the right choice of picking you and ozawa".
chiyo only stared, as tōji never praised anyone, unless they truly deserved it.
"thank you, coach".
as the first quarter had come to an end with the vorpal swords taking the lead, chiyo and ozawa handed each player their towel and water bottles.
"twenty-two to sixteen. not too bad", tōji commented, as he proceeded to give a rundown of what he had witnessed on the court.
"for the second quarter, sukuna, megumi, okkotsu, mahito, and tōdō will try to close the gap. even a little will help a long way".
"got it, coach!", mahito smiled, as he was actually quite excited to go head-to-head with the copycat (kise) of the vorpal swords.
sukuna simply hummed, as chiyo flashed the boy an encouraging smile.
"number nine's height really isn't a joke. he looks about seven feet tall", ozawa muttered.
"height ain't shit", sukuna scoffed.
"it kind of is though...", yūji chimed in, "I mean, he's even taller than panda-senpai!"
"tch, whatever. watch us sweep the floor with their cocky asses", sukuna declared.
"you would fit right in", mahito joked, as the first-year glared at his senior.
chiyo lightly chuckled, as sukuna's other teammates leisurely headed towards the court. lingering around for just a moment longer, the pink-haired boy had kneeled on one knee so that he was eye level with chiyo.
"name a score", sukuna lowly muttered.
"u-umm...like just any number?", chiyo asked.
"any", sukuna confirmed.
"then...ninety-two?", the blonde girl hesitantly replied, for that was the score that she had earned on her most recent test.
sukuna smirked, "sure. anything for my manager".
steam erupted from chiyo's head, as ozawa softly chuckled. while sukuna entered the court with the utmost confidence, chiyo couldn't help but watch him and only him.
he was just too charismatic as a basketball player.
the way that he cracked a taunt accompanied by a grin on the court; the way that his arms flexed when reviving the ball and passing it onto someone else; the way that his body descended back down onto the court after making a victorious dunk.
chiyo's head was suddenly pulled from the clouds, as she heard a loud crash on the court.
eyes widening, chiyo gasped at the sight of the basketball hoop — no, the entire top half of the metallic pole — snapping and falling flat onto the ground.
and the culprit? vorpal sword's number nine: murasakibara.
"n-no way! isn't that made of steel?!", ozawa muttered.
the two managers watched as the staff asked for a moment to fix the hoop before the game continued.
the players returned to their respective teams, as chiyo was met with a grinning sukuna.
"this is what happens when you make the other team's player mad — so mad that they break the entire hoop!", mahito exclaimed.
tōji sighed.
"aren't you scared of getting your ass beat, brat? he's like a whole foot or two taller than you".
"I like challenges", sukuna confidently replied, as megumi had asked chiyo if he could have his water bottle refilled.
"of course!! I'll get to it right away!", chiyo smiled, taking megumi's bottle, as she exited the gym.
there weren't much players left due to the fact that it was the final match for the winter cup (and they were probably salty that they didn't make it), but the ones that were there — chiyo did not recognize.
"huh? isn't this...ah, what was the team's name again? shit, I can't remember, but you're the manager, right?", a dark-haired male with cornrows asked.
chiyo thought that that was pretty vague, but nonetheless nodded.
"I am. and you are?"
"haizaki shōgo".
AUTHOR'S NOTE: so for reference, the height of the vorpal swords players:
reminder, gojō's 190 cm💀
I headcanon that sukuna's slightly taller than yūji:
warning(s): I watched knb for the arm—I mean the abs—I MEAN THE SPORT OFC,, but it's really hard to focus when...😮💨
my point is don't quote me on what happens in an actual basketball game :)