Mayu was the first to enter the court. She was closely followed by Miyu. Miyu nodded and smiled at them before taking a seat on one of the benches. Today she would just be observing them play. Aoba entered and so did a couple of other members. Sora was glad that they hadn't scared her off after all.
"Let's play ball!" said Akira enthusiastically when most of them had come.
"Hold it. Isn't the cap supposed to say something?" said Mayu gesturing at Sora. Sora nodded. "I'm just waiting for coach...." she began. Just then, Satsuki came up near the door. "Sora-chan, coach is on leave today. You'll have to take care." she said, panting.
"Satsuki-san, your timing is impeccable as usual." said Sora.
"Gotta dash. First day for the guys." said Satsuki and ran towards the other court. Sora turned to survey the team. "Well there's no point delaying this any further. I'm Himeji Sora. Point guard. I've been on the team for three years and so have a few others here. I'd rather not mince my words. Teiko has been winning the championship for several years and so the pressure on us is going to be tremendous when it comes to it. We are going to win the finals. There are no ifs or buts. It's the only option we have. So we're going to have to fight tooth and nail for this. There were times when several of us quit and I hope none of you are one among that category."
"Really inspirational... I hope your pep talks have seen better days." said Mayu.
Sora grinned. "But I guess I have to tell you this. Most of us who have pulled through were different. We were hardcore basketball heads who think of nothing else 24/7 and some of us even practice scoop shots while eating onigiri." said Sora gesturing at Akira.
(A/N: Onigiri – rice balls.)
"Hey!" protested Akira.
"How do you practice scoop shots with onikiri?" questioned Mayu. Sora gestured to her mouth and then made a scoop shot gesture in the air. "Oh!" said Mayu. "Is that even possible?" Sora shrugged.
"I don't do that...." said Akira reddening a bit.
"Well, the point I'm trying to make is, we've been doing something we love for so long. And when you win at that .... When you prove your love for basketball to the entire nation.... Well, it really is something worth dying for. That is why we're going to win. No matter what comes our way. This is a single unit. With a single desire and goal."
"Sounds a bit overconfident. But not too bad...." said Yukiji with a wink.
"I'm not sure about the whole 'championship' thing, but we'll take it as far as we can." said Mayu.
Akira raised her hand. "Umm.... Can we play now?"
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"How was your first day, Mi-chan?" said Satsuki.
"It was something else." said Miyu who was somewhat in a daze. "The older members teamed up and played against the new ones to give them an idea about what they would eventually face. Apparently it used to be a sort of tradition. Seriously though, you can see they made it to the finals...."
"So you'll have no trouble." said Satsuki happily.
"Oh, I don't know. The old ones are in perfect harmony but that can be a disadvantage as of now. Everyone has to change their style a bit to accommodate new members. Sora-san seems to agree."
Satsuki nodded. "Nae, there'll be at least one new member on the starting lineup, huh? Any idea who?"
"Sora-san said we were missing a center and a shooting guard. You know the new girl, Aoba, right? Apparently she's played before. They were calling her something..... Accelerator? No, gear....."
"Clutch?" suggested Satsuki.
"That's right. Clutch shooter. What the hell does that mean?"
"It means that they have awesome shooting skills under pressure. Is Mi-chan still having trouble with the terms?"
"Yeah. I did learn a lot about the game, but everytime something new just pops up....."
"You'll learn." assured Satuki. "It's just that the three I know can be a bit heavy on lingo."
"Yup...."
"How's Ma-chan getting along?"
"Well enough. She's being a bit adamant though. She insists on standing near the hoop. She says it's the only position she can understand. According to her it's a bit like being the goalkeeper in soccer...."
"I see. Wait! You didn't answer my question! Who do you think will be on the starters?"
"Hmm, if I were to guess, it would be Sakura-san and Aoba."
Satsuki giggled. "Oro? Did I say something wrong, Satsuki-san?" said Miyu.
"Oh, no. Not at all. It was something about your estimate..... It's just that when you train as a manager you develop.... Intuition."
"I don't understand."
"It's just.... Mi-chan will give me a different answer a few weeks from now."
"Okay...."
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"Nae...." said Mayu when they were in the locker room.
"What is it, Mayu-san?" said Sora.
"What is the difference between a goalkeeper and the center?"
The question momentarily stumped Sora. "I don't understand...."
"They seem like just the same....."
Sora considered it and smiled. "If you put it that way.... Think of it as the difference between Earth and Mars."
"Okay. Fine. I get the point. I'll quit asking stupid questions...."
"Nope. When you look into it..... They do have a lot of similarities along with their differences...."
"Similarities?" said Mayu.
"Spherical. Before the asteroid belt. Direction of rotation...." said Sora ticking it off on her fingers.
"Stop!" exclaimed Miyu.
"It's just how you think about it, Miyu-san." said Sora thoughtfully. "For all I know, a goalkeeper and a center can be the one and the same...."