"Haru!" called a little boy as he smiled.
"What is it?" asked Haruko.
"Let me show you something cool. You've been wanting to see me do this for a long time, but you were too afraid to ask," said the little boy as he dribbled the basketball through his legs.
"Whoa! You're so amazing! That's so cool!" said Haruko, her eyes glistening with excitement as her interest peaked.
"You really think crossing the ball between my legs is amazing? Just wait until you see this trick," said the little boy as he proceeded to spin the basketball on his finger.
"I'm amazed you can do things like that! Who taught you?" asked Haruko.
"I honestly don't remember. All I know is that I'm able to do this. But it's amazing, isn't it, Haruko?"
"Haruko! Haruko! Haruko Takahashi!" shouted the teacher, startling Haruko awake from her sleep.
"Err… y-yes, sir! Yes, sir!" said Haruko as she quickly picked up her textbook and wiped the drool from her mouth.
"Ms. Takahashi, please continue where Takeru left off."
"Yes, sir," said Haruko, trying to read from the book. However, she was confused.
"Um, sir, I'm afraid I don't understand this," said Haruko, squinting as she tried to decipher the page.
"That's because your book is upside down, young lady," said the teacher.
"Oh… my bad, sir," said Haruko, blushing in embarrassment.
The entire class burst into laughter at her mistake.
"Read line six on page eighty-six in the textbook, please," said the teacher with a sigh.
"And there he stood all alone, forgetting all the hard work he had done, all the things he had accomplished, all the great men and women he had met throughout his life, and all of his loved ones. He cried when he came to the realization that the old man was right," read Haruko.
"Thank you, Haruko. That was excellent English. Well done. But next time, please do not take my class for a nap session."
"Yes, I'm truly sorry, sir," said Haruko sincerely.
As the school bell rang, Haruko separated herself from the crowd and went to her favorite chill spot—a bench under a cherry blossom tree.
"I haven't had a dream like that in years. I wonder if it's a message. I can't remember that person's face, where he came from, or if he's even around anymore. He just appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared without a trace," Haruko said to herself.
"That little boy, despite smiling so brightly when he played basketball, carried a lot of burdens all by himself. I didn't understand back then, but I could see it in his eyes.
"He was the one who made me fall in love with the sport and dream of going pro at a very young age. I trained hard every day to become a great player.
"I'm certain that if I continue playing basketball, our paths will cross one day. I would like to thank him for introducing me to the game," said Haruko.
"Haru, you look troubled," said a girl as she approached Haruko.
"No, it's nothing like that, Sayaka. I'm just lost in my thoughts," said Haruko.
"Oh, I see. Haruko, are you bothered by what our teammates say about you behind your back? I don't like how the younger girls gossip about you. They look down on you because they think they're better after our last game last season. It must be hard to train and play with them while they talk behind your back. If it's bothering you, just give me the signal, and I'll knock some sense into them," said Sayaka, concerned.
"That won't be necessary, Sayaka. Maybe in the past, I was affected by what they said, but over time, I stopped caring and focused more on becoming a better player," said Haruko.
"I know you'll prove them all wrong this year. You're amazing," said Sayaka with a smile.
"I definitely will. This time, I won't let what happened last season repeat itself.
"We were up by six points halfway through the second quarter of our round-two match. The score was twenty-two to sixteen. We were doing well—I was playing incredible defense and making a lot of good passes. But after a while, the opposing team caught on to the fact that I couldn't score.
"There was nothing our coach could do. I was the only second-year capable of playing well enough to start. Sayaka, Suzume, and Kotone were inexperienced back then. So, the coach had a hard time deciding whether to sub me out because it wouldn't have changed the outcome.
"For the remainder of the game, they left me unmarked and heavily guarded my teammates, forcing me to take shots before the shot clock ran out. I was useless. I couldn't help the team at all," Haruko thought to herself.
"In the end, we lost thirty-seven to twenty-six. My coach didn't blame me for the loss, and neither did the third-years. They all said I did my best.
"But after our previous captain and coach decided to make me the captain this year, our juniors went ballistic. They started bad-mouthing me, avoiding me, and ignoring my instructions when the coach wasn't around. It was a horrible experience for me.
"This time, I'll aim for the top and win once and for all," Haruko said to herself.