At Hachioji Academy, an all-girls school, the basketball team was running up and down the court for aerobic exercise.
"Nice work, girls! Keep it up—one more minute to go," said the coach, holding a timer in her hand.
"Alright, break! Take five, girls," said the coach.
"Yes, Coach Maeda," the girls responded as they breathed heavily.
"She made us run for half an hour. Coach sure is being hard on us today, isn't she, Kotone?" asked a girl on the team.
"Haven't you heard yet, Suzume?" Kotone replied.
"Heard what?"
"We have a practice match coming up, so she's preparing us for it. Apparently, it's against the team that placed fourth last year. Trust me, they're tough. Considering we only made it to the second round last season, it's quite concerning," said Kotone.
"Well, we'll have to work hard then," said Suzume as she drank from her water bottle.
"Yes, definitely—to prevent history from repeating itself," Kotone agreed.
Haruko drank water, then sat on the floor of the court, leaning her back against the wall.
"Am I really at the level I need to be? Can I lead this team to victory?" Haruko asked herself, sighing as she looked up at the ceiling. "I'm really worried about this… Leading a team that looks down on you and has zero faith in your ability is hard work," she thought to herself.
"Hey, Haruko, is everything alright?" asked Sayaka.
"Oh, Sayaka. Yes, everything's fine. Don't worry—I'm just thinking about a plan to lead the team to victory. I am their captain, after all."
"Haha! Lead us to victory? You can't even score a single basket. I have to admit, your defense is solid, and you have exceptional ball-handling skills, but how can we win a game if you can't even score? Honestly, you're a liability. You're not fit to be our captain. I don't know what Coach Maeda sees in a failure like you," sneered Kazue.
"You—! How dare you talk to Haruko like that, Kazue? I'm going to make you eat those words!" said Sayaka angrily as she walked toward Kazue.
"Sayaka, it's alright. Don't bother—it's not worth the trouble," said Haruko, trying to calm her.
"Say all you want, but we all know she isn't even good enough to be on the team, let alone be the captain. Is this some kind of joke?" Kazue scoffed.
"Kazue, please stop! That's uncalled for," said a second-year girl, looking away guiltily.
"Our seniors don't want to admit it, but they know it's true. She's nothing but useless at this point. She should just quit," Kazue continued.
"That's enough out of you!" Sayaka snapped.
"If we were to play against you seniors, we would easily win just by strategizing. We wouldn't even need to guard you, Haruko Takahashi."
"Is that so? Can your words be backed up by actions?" Haruko asked as she stood up and faced Kazue.
"You're one to talk—you can't even score," Kazue shot back.
"I challenge you to a five-on-five match. Choose any first or second years you want on your team. If you win, I'll give up being your captain. But if I win, you'll start respecting me and calling me 'Captain,'" Haruko declared sternly.
"Haruko… Why would you…" Sayaka was at a loss for words.
"Is that alright with you, Coach? I'll be taking up a lot of our training time. Forgive me in advance," Haruko said.
"I don't mind. In fact, this is perfect training for you girls. However, the part about giving up your role as captain…" said Coach Maeda.
"Don't worry—I'm planning to win and teach her a lesson," said Haruko confidently.
"Okay, I'll take your word for it."
"Alright then. The game will be to twenty-one, between the seniors and juniors. Let's begin," said Coach Maeda as she threw the basketball into the air.
Kotone, standing at 178 centimeters, easily won the ball against her junior.
"Nice one, Kotone! Let's go score some points," said Suzume, who stood at 160 centimeters, as she dribbled the ball to the other side of the court.
"Alright, everyone, remember the plan," said Kazue as she started guarding Kotone with another second-year.
"So that's her grand plan? To double-team me?" Kotone thought to herself.
"Oh, so they're double-teaming Kotone while the rest of us have a defender marking us. Nobody is guarding Haruko? That's quite insulting," Sayaka said to herself.
"Pass the ball!" shouted Haruko, and Suzume passed it to her.
"Wait—is she going to shoot? But why?" Suzume asked herself, confused.
"That shot was uncalled for. I'll have to brace myself for the rebound," thought Kotone.
"Focus. Don't panic. Remember what he taught you. Remember how he shoots the basketball—burn that image into your head," Haruko told herself as she shot a two-pointer.
"There's no way that's going in," Kazue scoffed. But to her surprise, the basketball swished through the net.
"What? No way—it actually went in!" Kazue exclaimed in shock.
"Whoa! She actually scored! I didn't think I'd witness such a miracle at such a young age," said Kotone as she ran back on defense.
"Nice shot, Haruko," said Suzume, trying to force a smile.
"It's okay, Suzume. You don't have to do it for me," Haruko said awkwardly.
"Okay, if you say so."
"Nice shot, Haruko! That was so cool—I didn't expect it at all!" said Sayaka.
"Me either, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of this," Haruko said with a smile.
"Kazue, looks like our plan backfired. Haruko isn't as useless as we made her out to be," said a girl on Kazue's team.
"Yeah, she's right. It's been months since last time, so it's no surprise that she's improved," said another girl.
"Don't let that shot blind your judgment. Everyone gets one or two lucky shots. Stick to the plan," Kazue insisted.
"There's no way she knew that was going to go in. It must have been a fluke," she muttered to herself.