"Basketball! Basketball club for girls! Please register here!"
It was canvassing time again. Akira was calling out while Sora was holding the board. A familiar face disentangled herself from the crowd and came towards them.
"Yo!" said Mayu. "Put me down guys." Sora grinned and showed her the list. Mayu's name was already on it. "What in the blazes...." muttered Mayu.
"Miyu-san had been to see Satsuki this morning." explained Sora. "She wanted to join us as our manager. Satsuki-san took her to the coach who in turn told me. I figured that you would be putting in your name too since your twin had joined us."
"What a network!" said Mayu. "But seriously, you really had guts to put my name on beforehand....."
"No harm done. Afterall, this is probably why they invented whiteners...." said Sora. "Anyway, welcome to the club!"
"Nae, what about our match...." began Akira.
"Oi, I hardly joined!" protested Mayu.
"Don't worry, Mayu-san. You're not obliged to do it or anything..... Akira-san is well known for jumping the gun...." said Sora.
"Hey!" said Akira. "Oh and by the way, can I call you Ma-san?"
"What? No way! That sounds horrible!" exclaimed Mayu.
"No! It's cute..."
"There is no way you are calling me that..." grumbled Mayu and turned to leave.
"You can't fast forward on human relationships, Akira-san...." said Sora.
"What? That was not fast."
"Well, you're not so intimate that you can go around giving each other nicknames. Tell me, if some random person came up to you and called you Aki-san, would you let it pass?"
"I wouldn't mind. It's just a name." said Akira with a shrug. "Which reminds me, why do you always use my full first name? It's almost creepy."
"It's not creepy, it's only proper. Besides, your names are pretty. No use shortening and disfiguring them." said Sora.
"Sometimes I never understand you."
"Same here..."
"Hey, guys." said Yukiji who had come up to the registration desk. Yukiji had been helping out the people at the literary club.
"Hi,Yuki-san. Seriously though, spend more time at the basketball desk." said Akira.
"I promised that I'd help out Nakatani-san. Nae, Sora-chan, you're a member too, so shouldn't you be switching desks occasionally?" said Yukiji.
"I got permission." said Sora. "I want to meet the new ones as soon as possible. I'm a bit excited at the prospect of new people joining us."
"Speaking of which, did any first years give their names?" said Yukiji.
"Nope." said Sora. "Not as of yet. So other than the eight of us third years, there are a couple of second years and no first years as of now. God, this is scary...."
"It's probably better this way. I'd rather have one or two people who love basketball than a hundred who join just for the sake of it." said Akira.
"Basketball head!" said Sora with a laugh. "But I have to tell you, you're damn right."
Yukiji left after a couple of minutes and Sora and Akira were left to do the canvassing again.
"Basketball! Basketball club!"
A girl finally came up to the desk. "Hey, this is the girls' team right? I want to register myself."
The girl had extremely short, spiky black hair. She looked even more boyish than Akira. Both Sora and Akira beamed at her.
"Welcome to the club! What's your name?" said Sora.
"Hitomi Aoba"
"Nice to meet you!" said Akira shaking her hand vigorously. "Umm... we don't have a complementary drink or anything but I have a bit of water if you want..."
"Akira-san, you are rambling..." whispered Sora with a nudge.
"Sorry, I'm just so excited." said Akira.
"No thanks...." said Aoba, extricating her hand from Akira's.
"Aoba-san, I have to say, training's going to be hellish, we've even had a couple of people quitting, and there are a lot more complications, but all in all, it's a great experience. We're a single unit and if you want any help you can come to us!" said Sora.
"We're almost like family." added Akira.
"Okay, I, umm... Just need to go somewhere..." said Aoba and walked away.
"Akira-san, did we scare her off?" said Sora anxiously.
"Probably. Who asked you about training?"
"Well, it's better she knew.... And you were weird too!"
"So were you!"
"We aren't the best at canvassing aren't we..." mused Sora.
"Hell yeah..."
"Well, we'll just have to do our best when the next person comes." said Sora, optimistically.
"And now we wait again..." said Akira.
"Basketball! Basketball club!"
"How many members have joined, Sora?" said Akashi. He had come up to look at how they were doing. Sora reddened a bit. "Two.... So far. How about you?" Akashi smirked and held out a bunch of forms.
"Wow, there must be at least twenty in there." said Akira.
"Twenty five."
"Well, there's still time." said Sora defensively.
"Do your best...." said Akashi doubtfully.
"I don't know. Anyways, good job, Seijuro!" said Sora.
"Oh, I don't know.... We've been having it rough too. A couple of girls came up to register in the boys team..." said Akashi.
"Because of Ki-chan?" questioned Akira.
"That could be the only explanation. People seem to have lost the seriousness of joining a sports club."
"Well, at least you have visitors." said Sora. "Do any of them play basketball?"
Akashi rolled his eyes. "Sorry. Did ask." he said sarcastically. "Seriously though, are you that desperate?"
"Think of it this way. We'll all be leaving next year and when we do, there'll only be, what, three members in the club?"
"Why don't we concentrate on the present?" said Akira.
"She's right you know." said Akashi.
"Don't worry, Sora-chan, canvassing for the girls is harder." assured Akira once Akashi had left.
"We've only got two..." said Sora mournfully, fingering the forms.
"Damn that red-head..." muttered Akira. "We were doing fine....."
"It's because Leo is last today, nanodayo." It was Midorima.
"Shut up, four-eyes. Yukiji is at the literary club desk, so go away." snarled Akira.
"I just came to inform you about your lucky item, nanodayo." said Midorima, adjusting his glasses.
Akira blinked. "Shin-chan, I'm so sorry! Beneath all that tsundere-ness you have a heart of gold."
"That was quite unnecessary, nanodayo. Anyway your lucky items are a whistle and a highlighter. Farewell, nanodayo."
"Bye, Shin-chan!"
"Nae, Akira-san, should I really leave the desk?" said Sora. "But I really want to see the applicants in person...."
"Sora-chan.... Shut up and sit down...."
"But..."
"Luck has nothing to do with this!"
Sora and Akira began their canvassing again. "Basketball! Basketball club!"