Fifteen minutes. No matter how I twisted it to my convenience, it was too short of a time to spend with Satsuki. Nonetheless, we gotta savor what we have, right?

Bringing her to the nearest vending machine located indoors, I got her lemonade. Even though she just used it as her way to escape from my teasing, she couldnt deny her thirst for it.

And perhaps to make it better for us, we just shared that one can while talking about things related to their upcoming match. Theres no need to tell her my deeds today like beating up Taku and celebrating Sakis birthday. She might get worried again and it wont be good for her mental state.

Well, she did see my bandaged fist. Theres no way she wouldnt. But after months of being together, she already could guess my intention and why I wasnt telling her the reason for it yet.

In return, she pressed her thumb on it and checked on my expression. Well, its not enough to make me wince from pain anymore and I doubt thats what shes trying to do. Shes ascertaining how bad it was. Upon understanding that it was not that serious, her thumb started caressing it next while her head gradually rested on my shoulder.

And just like that, we continued our idle conversation while taking turns sipping on the can of lemonade.

I havent heard it yet but whos your opponent this time? Are they strong?

Earlier, they beat a school that was supposed to be at the same skill level as them last year. But given that only the strong wins and its a single elimination tournament, their next opponent could be a seeded team if theyre unlucky.

I might not be that clear here but from what I heard from both Satsuki and Eguchi-sensei, it goes like this.

There are fifteen high schools located in our city including both private and public. One of the fifteen didnt field a team to compete which resulted in only fourteen teams for this years Interhigh Competition for Girls Basketball Clubs.

After the first round, seven winning teams advanced to the second round.

Among those seven, two are seeded teams. They were the champion and runner-up last year and advanced to the prefectural level.

Theres not really that much advantage for the seeded teams other than not having the two of them meet in the first and second rounds.

However, since the number of teams became an odd number, one of five unseeded teams wont play for the second round. Regrettably, its not our school that got picked for that. Nonetheless, its fine either way. Its not equivalent to getting a bye straight to the semi-finals, after all.

Tomorrow, theyll be the first one to play against a seeded team. As for who among the two theyll be playing, its still undetermined.

Its like a bonus match to determine who will take the fourth spot. If by some chance, those two seeded teams lost their match today, thats equivalent to having a second chance. Otherwise, its just another game for them.

If that lucky team loses to an already qualified seeded team tomorrow, they wont be eliminated and will still advance to that fourth spot. The catch is... they wont have that much time to rest. Their match will be the first semi-finals match, giving their opponent the advantage to play against an exhausted team.

It sucks, yeah? I dont know if they can still be called lucky or not.

Anyway, thats that. Its a little confusing but in hindsight, Satsukis team needed two wins to qualify for the prefectural level.

Maybe? It's Kitarai High School. Theyre second place but lost in their first match in the prefecture-level last year.

And there we go. Theyre also unlucky, huh? Two out of five and they got one. The only saving grace here was that theyre not the first seed. From what I heard, theyre still strong this time. Maybe not as strong as the Seven Stars Girls Academy from the next city over but definitely a contender at the prefectural level.

Oh. Since youre not sure, I bet youre confident to beat them. I teasingly remarked.

The girl was clearly unfazed even after knowing that it was the second seed. Her confidence was that high. But thinking about it, it also explained why Kawakami-senpai and the others were that tense.

Of course, we will! We trained hard for it! Watch me properly.

I will. I told you, right? Ill be cheering for you from the audience stands.

Seeing the fighting spirit burning in her eyes, I also adopted it and matched her energy. Following that, I hugged the girl tightly to give her the comfort that she needed before their match.

Geez. How can you do that when you come here with the other girls? Dont you think my seniors will be suspicious of you?

Thats true. If they looked up at the audience and saw me in the middle of a garden of beauty, they might even get distracted.

Ugh. I should prepare beforehand not to be overly conspicuous.

Well, Ill handle that. You just have to listen closely to my voice. And if need be, I can run and be your waterboy.

There you go again. Dont try to take the other club members jobs. Uhm. Maybe next year, you can be one.

Satsuki contemplated and perhaps already thought about the possibility of her taking the helm of their club next year.

It might really come true though. She was seen as more valuable even amongst the second years in their club. Shes the successor for the center position. And they know how dedicated she can be.

Alright then. Ill be your exclusive waterboy next year.

This idiot. Satsuki shook her head but a second later, her subdued laughter resounded.

Ten minutes later, I walked her back to their waiting room.

Eguchi-sensei, Kawakami-senpai, and the others welcomed us back with a smile. The effect of what happened earlier was still apparent. The tension on their faces was gone and they all looked like they were ready to charge into the battlefield, whether it was the players or not.

I guess thats whats great about their club. Even those who werent chosen in the lineup were not feeling left out. They all supported each other.

Unlike that Baseball Club that was rife with politics with some of them scheming to boot out their bald captain. No wonder they lost the first round.

Mhm. See you all in the court. Ill be cheering for all of you.

Thank you, Onoda-kun. Kawakami-senpai replied with a smile which was followed by similar words from the others.

With that, I exited their room and walked out of that area.

Before going back to my girls, I made my way to the outdoor parts of this sports complex. After passing through the tennis court, soccer field, oval track, and baseball field, I arrived at the small area for the softball field.

Its not as crowded as the other courts but theres still a sizable amount of audience cheering for the teams. Since most people dont see softball as a sport on par with baseball, most of the audience were also girls apart from friends and families of the players.

At the very least, no creeps were standing around ogling the players and audiences alike.

When I showed, I naturally got some attention but ignoring all those, I searched among the standees for the figure of Sumire.

Sure enough, she might not be the most eye-catching girl out there but her back was very recognizable to me. I often see it when shes walking out of the train, after all.

Making my way to where she was, I intentionally lightened my footsteps to not startle the girl. Or maybe, its the other way around, its to surprise her with my sudden appearance.

At the same time as the current batter hit the pitch, Sumire who was pretty much focused on the match reacted to that clean hit.

Yes! Go. Run to the second base! She shouted enthusiastically. The other audience were doing the same so shes not out of place there.

And because of that, the girl failed to notice me behind her.

Copying her, I shouted the same thing while extending my arm on top of her shoulder, pointing to the second base.

E-eh? What...?

Almost instantly, the girl flinched before jumping to the side and as soon as she recognized me, Sumire underwent several changes in her expression.

Hmm? Whats wrong? You saw a ghost or something? I said dubiously unbothered by her reaction.

Sumire caught on that, of course, making her cheeks immediately puffed up. Its adorable but shes definitely not that amused at my sudden appearance.

Then, as she cautiously returned to her position to not make a scene and gather attention, she grabbed the hem of my uniform and asked, S-senpai. What are you doing here?