Chapter 35: 35

“An old story? Of Higashi Kujo-kun’s?”

“Ah, well it’s a bit of a pathetic story. You wanna hear it?”

“…Sure.”

“I see.”

To begin with, I asked her to ask me. Kiryu nodded her head in agreement, and I slowly spun my words.

“I told you I used to play basketball, didn’t I?”

“Well it was from Kawakita-san that I heard of it. She also said that you were really good.”

“Regardless of whether I was very good at it or not… Well, I sure was pretty good at it, I guess?”

“Well you were selected for the National Athletic Meet. It’s obvious that you were good at it.”

“I see. I was actually the best at my Junior High back then. They called me the ace… I was a regular since the first year and played well in the games.”

“I first saw the sport of basketball when I was in the first grade of elementary school. I can still vividly recall that sight. On that day, I played until it was dark.”

It was before the summer vacation when we started elementary school and finally got acquainted and had made new friends. On a sunny summer day, we played around in the school yard, forgetting about the time, so before we knew it, it was already dark. We were still in the first grade of elementary school so both my friend and I were in tears because of the fear of the approaching darkness and the fear that our parents would scold us for playing so late at night.

“When my friend and I were crying, the lights in the gymnasium suddenly turned on. We rushed to the gym door to see what was going on.”

There I saw people playing sports I had never seen before.

The kids were about the same age as me, running around in the gymnasium, which was huge for elementary school students. At first I wondered what they were doing…

There, one boy’s play caught my attention.

The boy, who was probably a little older than me, handled an orange ball as big as his own head as if it were his own limb and scored a goal with ease, leaving behind a boy who was probably older than him too.

How magnificent and beautiful that sight was.

“I ended up standing there and watching the boy play for a long time until my mother, who was worried about me, found me. My heart was racing the whole time, and I was so excited I could hardly hear my surroundings.”

“….”

“He was the man I idolized. His name was Seiji Kawakita-san.”

“Kawakita-san..?”

“Mizuho’s brother, Seiji. He still plays basketball in college.”

I couldn’t get that play out of my mind, so I immediately pleaded directly with my mother to let me join Seijii-san’s basketball team. 

Seiji-san was ridiculously good.  I was always admiring him and practicing with him, even though we were in different positions. 

After a while, Tomomi joined us, and after a year, Mizuho also joined… At first, I called Mizuho Kawakita, but Seiji-san then told me “Hiroyuki, call her Mizuho, it’s confusing since we both have the same last names”.”

I smile a little, remembering that moment.

“Every day was a lot of fun. I could feel myself getting better, only by a small fraction but I was surely improving. But that’s not limited to sports. It’s fun when you become able to do something you couldn’t do, isn’t it?”

“That’s true…”

“Right? So I practiced every day. There were hard times, of course, but overall, I had a lot of fun.”

I was getting better and better and went on to a local junior high school. It was an ordinary public junior high school, well, to be frank, the team was also not strong so… I became a regular, naturally.

I think it was right after I finished my second year of junior high school. I was then selected as a candidate for the national meet. I was so happy. Ryoko, Tomomi, Mizuho, and Seiji-san were happy for me too. My junior high school teammates were also very pleased. Some guys even said “At this rate, you can even join the nationals!” I was really into it, too.

And then—- It broke.

“Have you heard of  “uki kobore”?” 

(T/N: “Uki-kobore” is a term that is mainly used for elementary and junior high school children, and it is a condition in which children who are too high in a specific field or in general academic ability compared to their classmates of the same age tend to develop. 

“Yeah…”

“I know it sounds a little weird, but I’m going to say it… That’s right. No more misrepresentation. I was really good at basketball. At that middle school, I was by far better than anyone– even the seniors.”

“Really?”

“You know the guys on my junior basketball team? Except for Tomomi and I, we all went to different junior high schools. Since all the older players started playing basketball in a different junior high school. Their experience is different.”

It’s right on the border of the school district, me and Tomomi’s house.

“So, well… these seniors were pissed off at me… and one time one of them hit me in the club room saying ‘You’re the reason I dropped out of the regulars.’”

“Such a spiteful guy. If I had met him back then, I would have punched him!”

　

Kiryu looks indignant and angry with a red face. I was somewhat happy to see that, and I stroked her head more gently than before.

“Thanks for your help. But it’s all right. Tomomi took care of that. Ryoko got angry, and so did Mizuho. And Seiji-san went out of his way to warn them, but that seemed to have aggravated them even more, as expected right?”

“How disgusting…”

“A girl shouldn’t say that… Well, after that I’ve been harassed by some of my seniors who were pretty annoyed at me.”

“So, that’s why you stopped playing basketball?”

I shook my head at her words.

“It isn’t?”

It wasn’t the reason why I quit.

“I didn’t really care about the seniors and how they treated me. We’ll just do our best in our generation, since these people will be gone in the summer anyway. When that happens, it’ll be our time to shine… I thought so.”

“…”

“The atmosphere on the team was terrible, but I still continued to play basketball because it was fun. After the summer tournament, the seniors left the team and I became captain.”

Thinking about it now, I think that was the worst decision that was made. I’m sure my advisor only looked at my basketball ability and decided that… Well, I guess he didn’t have the eyes to see. He didn’t know– That I was just an amateaur and have no talents in leading.

“…I became captain and set up my own practice menu. I wanted to make sure that no matter what team we played, we would be able to win. Even if it’s not the national championship or something of that caliber… At least, I want to make a team that can participate in the national tournament… Please don’t laugh at my next words..”

“I won’t know unless I hear it.”

“Right. I was quite the narcissist myself… back then I thought, ‘If there are five of me, we can go all the way across the country.'”

“I won’t laugh. You were good enough to think so.”

“Thank you. Therefore, I chose my regular practice menu. Shooting practice, run, endurance run, I chose the menu to win the game. With sports the main goal was to win, isn’t it?”

“If it’s not recreational, then the answer is yes.”

“I’m sure at the club level, I thought it was better to win, too. Because otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. That’s what I thought.”`

“…”

“Then one of my teammates told me, “I’m not gonna go along with you. Don’t think that just because you have a little talent, everyone will do anything you want.””

“…”

I was shocked, to be honest. I love basketball and have worked hard at it. Everyone always called it fun.  And yet, my classmate…a ‘companion’ of mine said that to me. The thought of  “Then what was all that fun I’ve been having?” was all which was left in my mind.”

“…”

“But I still wanted to do well on this team. I liked basketball, and despite what they said… they were still a good-natured bunch.”

“I had my share of faults too. I was very strict in my training. The juniors often said ‘Higashi Kujo-senpai, you are a demon.” So, my peers told me what the juniors had to say, I’m sure.”

“If you say so, I won’t say anything.”

“So I made some changes to my practice menu. I made it easier.Specifically, I cut down on the shooting, the running, and the endurance running, and I put in a mini-game every day. Everyone loved it. The guys who tended to skip practice gradually started coming to practice, saying, ‘Basketball is still fun after all’.”

“…”

“We lost our first official game as a new team, a rookie tournament. I can’t speak for others, but we lost to a small school I’d never even heard of. You see we didn’t do any endurance running, so our team was already exhausted in the second half, so we didn’t get any shots off. There was no way we could win. I was so frustrated and disappointed… that I tried my best to hold back the tears.”

Sigh number one.

“–But my teammates weren’t.”

“As expected.”

“You understand? That’s right. My teammates were laughing. Saying things like “It was a good fight!” and “We did our best!” Seeing that, I thought… How do I say this? I thought, ‘This is not the kind of basketball that I like.’?”

“…”

“I felt uncomfortable seeing that, but I continued to play basketball… but for some reason, it just didn’t feel right to me.”

“Because you aren’t winning? Or because everyone isn’t training to win?”

“That’s not it…”

It’s not that.

“It’s because it felt like “cutting corners” on the “serious” stuff.”

“…”

“I felt like I kept betraying the basketball I loved so much. Still, my teammates had fun practicing every day. When it comes to games, they work hard, so when they win, they are happy, and when they lose, they become frustrated— No, they “pretend” to be frustrated. I started to feel like I didn’t know what I was doing anymore… and that’s why I quitted the basketball team before I entered ninth grade. I felt like I wouldn’t be me anymore if I didn’t.”

I speak up to that point and exhale loosely.

“After all, I’m just me, I couldn’t do it like Kiryu. I gave up trying, not on anyone else, but on myself. Since I’m a weak person.”

— So I’m sure we’re a lot alike.

With Kiryu, who continues to strive in all directions and aims high.

You are reading story It Turns Out That I Have a Fiancee, but She Is the Famous “Villainess” of the School. What Should I at novel35.com

With me, who kept striving to be one-sided and gave up the high ground.

We have different ways of progressing, but our paths are the same.

“The way you live your life is genuinely amazing, and I think it’s cool, too.”

I am sure that the way she is going forward on the path she seeks, without regard for anyone else, is the path I gave up on in the past.

“So, let’s go back to the first question, shall we, Kiryu?”

Then I made eye contact with Kiryu, whose eyes were shaking.

“There is no way I could ever look at you with disdain. Stand tall, Ayane Kiryu. Your way of life is absolutely right. You don’t need to care about anyone. Live your life the way you want to.”

Nevertheless.

“But if you say that this way of life is too tiring, that you can’t do it anymore…”

If that ever happens. 

“I will support you as best I can. As your fiancee.”

–Perhaps this is a compensatory act.

Or is it selfishness, wanting Kiryu to go further and further down the path I have given up on?

“…Maybe because, Kiryu. I’ve always admired you.”

Sometimes, I think.

If only I could have lived my life there without pandering to anyone. If I had continued to play basketball, maybe I would have let myself aim higher. 

That’s why I would like to help Kiryu in her pursuit of that path. I don’t know what I can do… but I still want to be someone she can lean on when she’s tired.

“Is that okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Am I… Am I… fine as it is?”

“Ah.”

“Higashi Kujo-kun!… Higashi Kujo-kun …

You saw that kind of me, and yet,  you still–

–don’t… hate me..?”

“That’s why don’t go away from me, Kiryu–”

Kiryu stares at me with moist eyes. I pat Kiryu’s head as gently as I can.

“–Even if everyone in the world says you’re wrong and won’t admit it–I’m still on your side, Kiryu.”

It wasn’t long before her teary eyes broke down.

“Gusu….hik…”

“Don’t cry..”

“I-I thought for sure that Higashi Kujo-kun would hate me after that. T… Hik… that Higashi Kujo-kun will leave me… Is what I expected…”

“I’m not going away. Don’t worry. You’re my fiancee to begin with, right?”

“Th-That’s… It is just a formality..! Hik… I-I’m so glad.”

She smiled as if she was genuinely relieved—– and failed. Kiryu looks up at me with a tearful smile on her face, and I smile back.

“Come on. Stop crying, Kiryu.”

“Mmm…. Gusu…”

“Ah! Don’t cry anymore, okay?”

“Y-you know… I’ve been working hard all my life… however I’ve never been recognized for my efforts… I’ve been jeered at, maligned, ridiculed… B-But I’ve still been working hard! “

“…”

“And Higashi Kujo-kun….looked at me… and acknowledged my efforts..”

That is.

Well.

“I’m so… So… happy. Even tears… come to my eyes.”

“That’s right… You worked hard. Good girl, good girl.”

“You’re treating me like a child…”

“Ah… my bad. You’re right. Well then…”

“Don’t stop stroking me! Do it more!”

“…for what reason.”

Kiryu-san, who had become a selfish princess, looked down and pressed her head into my hand. After a while of watching this gesture, which was somewhat like a cat coming to snuggle up to you, Kiryu wiped her tears with her cuff.

“Mm! I’m fine now!”

“…That’s a very manly way to wipe away tears. Are you good now?”

“I’m fine now. Uh… thanks to you Higashi Kujo-kun.”

“Is that so?”

That’s great. If she cheered up, it was worth consoling her. Just as I was thinking that, the chime rang, announcing the end of the fifth period.

“We skipped a whole period….”

“I guess so. I’m going to skip the sixth period too. It’s math anyway.”

“It’s math, you know..”

“I don’t know whether I can still go, today was pretty tedious. Let’s just go to homeroom and go home, okay?”

“Uhh, I’m sorry..”

“It’s fine. I was just in the mood to skip class. 

But still… My back hurts from all the sitting. The backrest is concrete, and my whole body is aching. I was just about to get up to relax my body a little.

“Higashi Kujo-kun.”

“Mmm? What’s up?”

“You told me earlier, didn’t you? That you were weak.”

“Yeah. Right? I’m weak… and you’re strong. You can carry yourself, through–“

“I don’t think so.”

“–you don’t?”

“Yes”, she nodded.

“You’ve been playing basketball your whole life, haven’t you? You’ve endured hard practices, you’ve worked hard to keep your team together in a tough environment.”

“I guess. I failed though.”

“No. It isn’t a failure.”

“It’s a failure. Because I cut corners on practice and took the ‘easy’ way out, you know?”(E/N: You sure did do what Kiryu stopped herself from doing, you changed ways because of the opinion of others– Ah s**t, don’t come near me, YAMEROO!)

I’m sure I’m a weak man who stopped trying.

“You’re not ‘weak’. You’re ‘kind.’

“I’m sure you must have been in a lot of pain. You must have wondered if it was okay to continue like this. Because, you know, you said so. You said it, didn’t you? You said you were going to cut corners. I understand. I know how hard it is to let your true feelings go to waste. But you didn’t make practice “easy” for everyone, did you? Seeing them practicing so happily– cutting out the real work, pushing yourself to the limit–weren’t you just thinking of everyone else?”

“…”

“I surely couldn’t make such a decision.”

“That’s because… Kiryu is strong.”

“No. It’s because I’m alone. “

“The most important thing to remember is that you are not a weak person. You are kind. And that kindness of yours saved me too, and—

—I like that part of you.”

“So – be proud of yourself, Hiroyuki Higashi Kujo. You are never wrong. You don’t have to be mean to say that you ran away. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. You don’t have to regret it. So – let me say this. Above all, your kindness saved me.”

Then, Kiryu puffed out her chest.

“Even if everyone in the world says you’re wrong and won’t admit it, I’m on your side, Higashi Kujo-kun!”

“Stop imitating me..”

“Fufufu. I just tried copying you.”

Kiryu, whose eyes are red and swollen, still shows a mischievous grin.

–I thought I was saved, just a little bit.

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