“And that’s another point for the Minato Mystics!” The public address announcer may as well have given up, for the crowd noise in the Minato gym was deafening.
Akane ran to the center of the Minato side of the court, offering a high-five to outside striker Nanami Ikehara. The two had combined for eighteen of Minato’s twenty-three points so far in this set as their absolute drubbing of the Ginza Giants continued. Both girls had been talents in their own right, but together, they were formidable, and in their first game back on the court, they both had something to prove.
Ranko’s cheers subsided in the third row of the bleachers, sitting back down to watch the game. In the ensuing time out while Ginza made a substitution, she stole a glance down at the Minato cheerleaders, dancing and performing individual stunts much as her own squad did. She blushed intensely, finding herself wishing she could be down there with them. After all the times she’d had to run up to Eiji after a score or a big win and pretend to be his biggest fan, she’d have given anything to get to do it for the person she truly felt that way about.
It was the first time in her life that she found herself wishing she could go to college. Maybe if I’d kept the homeschool classes, I could have done it, but now, it’s another year at Yusue no matter what. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Mom and Akane talk me out of them. Besides, she knew her grades and the huge gaps in her educational records gave her no realistic chance to get into a school, even if by some miracle she and Akane found a way to afford one.
No, her career, if she were to have one, would have to be on a different stage. With six songs turned in to the studio and a seventh on the way, her debut album was almost ready to release. Who knew what would happen next, but what was that Yui always said? Worry about the next right step, not the one after that.
Still, she wondered with a devious smirk to herself. I wonder if we could find a Minato cheerleader who graduated and get a hold of her old uniform. Somehow, I don’t think Akane would hate it if I did.
Her mischievous thoughts were interrupted by the resumption of play, and she whooped loudly as Akane executed a dig to save what would otherwise have been a Ginza point. Maybe you should’ve let them have that one, though, Akane. That looked like it hurt, and at some point, you gotta feel bad for ‘em. They’re getting destroyed out there.
She leapt to her feet as Akane launched a set upward off of Takara’s bump. Nanami took flight, leaping until the top of the net was at her waist. She looked to the middle of the court, cocking her arm back, and two of the Ginza girls in white jerseys and kelly green shorts stepped back to receive the spike. Smirking, Nanami instead drove the ball almost straight downward into the open space the girls created, and the whistle blew to signal yet another point.
With another passing high-five for Akane, Nanami jogged to the back of the court and prepared to serve, rotating Akane to position three and Mari up to position one. She jumped and swatted the ball forward to her left, over Mari’s head, but it was a low serve and the Giants were on it immediately. The blonde wearing number eight launched herself high into the air, swatting the ball toward Mari. She tried to dig under it, but the incoming force was too great, and the ball ricocheted off to the left out of bounds as the whistle blew.
“The Ginza squad may be down, but they haven’t given up yet. That was Minako Aino with an incredible spike off the serve for the Giants, and we’re at twenty-four to four in favor of the Mystics!” There was a smattering of cheers for the Ginza girls, mostly from friends and family in the stands, because the home crowd was a sea of purple, Ranko included.
“Damn!” Nanami rotated again, pulling Akane into the backcourt. Akane ran over to her, clapping her hands and giving her a pat on the back. “Shake it off, Nanami.” She took her position, calling forward to Mari. “Short memory, Mari! Focus on the next one! You got this, girl!”
Ranko smiled, cheering in encouragement. She was so proud of Akane, not only for her skill on the court, but how she had stepped into the situation, recruited Nanami back to the team, and not only commanded respect among the girls who had stood by while both girls had been shunned, but led them. I had no idea she was this good at that side of things. I should have asked her for help when I was teaching the Yusue girls.
She and Nanami seemed to be building a good friendship, though, and Ranko was glad to see it. While Ranko had Kumi and several of her squadmates she counted as friends, Akane really hadn’t hit it off with too many people since starting her career at Minato University. We should have her and her girlfriend over for dinner sometime, Ranko thought. And, hey, it’ll be the first time we don’t have to hold our breath that somebody’s gonna freak out ‘cause Akane’s with a girl. Maybe somebody will actually eat something I cook before it gets cold for once!
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The serve from number eight on the Ginza squad rocketed over the net, and Akane had to run backward to catch it, bumping it over her shoulder toward the net. Noticing that Aino had been slow to return to a spot near the net, Nanami gave the ball just the slightest nudge in the air to alter its trajectory, dropping it limply in front of the net for another Minato point and the end of the set.
Akane turned as the girls ran back to their benches, looking up into the third row of the bleachers and shaking her left hand as if it stung from the impact. Making eye contact, Ranko cringed. Yeah, that must have hurt, baby, that ball was coming in fast. But then Akane smiled, and made a limp fist with her left hand, holding it palm downward and rubbing the back of it with the fingers of her right in a circular motion. Ranko blushed, hugging herself with a smile around the purple velvet shirt she’d paired with her black pleated skirt. It had become her de facto cheerleading outfit for Akane’s sporting endeavors.
I love you too, baby. Gods, I love you, too.
Ranko stood, making her way for the closest concession stand. She’d been screaming all game long, and she needed some water. As she reached the fourth position in line, she heard a voice she recognized all too well calling her name, and looked up with a reserved smile.
“Hey, Eiji.”
The giant of a boy ruffled his hair nervously. “Akane’s looking good out there.”
With a much broader smile, Ranko nodded dreamily. “Yeah, she is.” Biting her lip, taking a moment to ensure she wanted to broach the subject, she lowered her voice. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
Eiji gave a small nod, smirking with a quiet chuckle. “What can I say, I gave my girlfriend my word, right?”
Blushing, Ranko stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. Unlike all the times she’d practically tackled him with exaggerated embraces at school or basketball games, there was a soft sincerity to it. “Thank you, Eiji.”
He put a nervous arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze in return. “You’re welcome.. I’m just sorry it took so long, and that things got so crazy.”
A masculine voice came from over Ranko’s shoulder as they embraced. “Hey, Ei-chan, who’s this?”
Ranko turned as a short, slender boy with black hair and frosted tips, about Shinji’s age, walked up behind the pair. She let Eiji go, looking over the newcomer as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
With a warm smile, Eiji turned to the shorter boy. “This is Ranko Tendo.”
“Yeah?” The boy offered a polite bow. “Good to finally put a face to a name. I’m Orochi Matsuda.”
She didn’t need to ask for more details; Eiji had often mentioned his boyfriend’s name. Stepping out of line to continue the conversation before returning his bow, Ranko offered a curious smile. “Ei-chan, huh?”
Eiji blushed. “What can I say? I guess it stuck.”
“I’m glad things are good for you two.” Ranko smiled back at the court, watching to make sure she wasn’t missing the start of the next set. “I was a little worried, after everything.”
Orochi crinkled his nose and shook his head with a smirk. “Nah, it’ll take more than a pregnant cheerleader to get rid of me.”
The cheerleader clicked her tongue. “And here I thought we were gonna be friends, Orochi.”
“So, then it’s a bad time to ask for your autograph?” The elder boy laughed. “What can I say, you can’t be a deejay these days and not be spinning Rise.”
Ranko grinned. “Oh, just wait. There’s three or four better party tracks on our album already. You should come to the Phoenix sometime; that’s where all the new stuff gets dropped.”
Orochi rolled his eyes with a grin. “I would, but see, my boyfriend is banned from the place. Makes date nights kinda awkward.”
With a giggle, Ranko nodded and turned to Eiji. “Well, as long as you don’t mention anything about our little misadventure, I hereby rescind your banishment.” She reached up toward him, shaking her head as she laughed. “I’d do the whole tap you on both shoulders thing, Eiji, but I can’t freakin’ reach ‘em!”
A horn sounded behind her, coming from the direction of the court. Ranko whirled her head to face it. “I’d better get back there. I don’t wanna miss one second of this game.”
Eiji smiled as she hurried excitedly back toward her seat, speaking under his breath as she disappeared from view. “You shouldn’t, Ranko. Enjoy it. You earned it.”