Naseru didn't stop her as Kaho successfully landed another three, gaining the lead.
With every basket he made, Kaho answered. She wasn't just there to play; she was there to compete. Her moves got sharper, her shots more accurate, it felt more like one of the basketball practices she'd had with her brother growing up. Or Ryota. She attempted to emulate their moves with each stride.
"Why isn't he dunking on her?" Eyebrows exclaimed, "He's not using any of the moves he used last week!"
"He must be her boyfriend!" Frosted Tips said, "Did you see that? They're definitely dating."
"He's got to, that's why he's holding back!" Goatee agreed.
Amidst the electrifying energy of the game, Kaho found herself intensely focused, the weight of the basketball securely in her hands. As Naseru approached her, she recognised the slight predatory gleam in his eyes; he was ready to snatch the ball away at any given moment if she slipped up.
She pivoted and turned around so she was dribbling, facing away from the basket, shuffling backwards toward the hoop. Naseru was behind her, all arms, trying to dislodge the basketball from her hands. She shuffled backwards onto his foot and in her panic, broke her focus and knocked back into Naseru. His hands were on her as they stumbled back a step, one on the small of her back, the other on her waist, keeping her upright, like instinct.
Blush burned her cheeks as she furiously pivoted away from him. His hands were still, stiff as Kaho landed a lay-up. They were both blushing. Naseru didn't even try to intercept her. He glared at the floor beneath him, as if it was at fault for Kaho falling into his arms. She drew him back to attention by hurling the ball at his head. He caught it and attempted a ballsy three, from just after center court, which bounced off the rim of the basket. They both chased the rebound as the ball bounced across the court. Naseru managed to get to it first.
Frosted Tips wolf whistled at them.
"What's that face for," Kaho said, returning to a defensive stance, "Never played basketball against a girl before?"
"Obviously I've played girls before. You're just better than I thought you'd be."
Kaho scoffed and dove for the ball. Naseru pivoted back on his left leg and hurled the ball into the air, running around Kaho and effectively passing to himself so he could make space and score another three. Her five-point lead had been short-lived. Like he was just entertaining it. She had to score fifteen more points and the game was hers. Five more threes. Against that behemoth of a player.
It was no wonder Taiga was so eager to have him on the team. He moved like he was from another planet.
Kaho watched Naseru hurl the ball at the basket, so close to the rim of the hoop it was like it shouldn't land, it should have ricocheted off the edge again, but it didn't. The shot was a success. They were level again. Kaho didn't have time to think about threes. Any lead was a good one when it was so close, and if she could successfully get a three-pointer, she was going to try for it.
She took the ball back and attempted to feint left, but Naseru saw through her and smacked the ball out of her hands. He took possession and charged toward the net, his strides incredibly long as he crossed the court. Just outside the three-point line, Naseru took a shot, but the angle was wrong. Kaho's eyes were on the ball and she stepped back to catch the ball. She could hear the onlookers commenting on him getting a bit more serious, but she wasn't listening. She opened her arms wide to catch the ball as it bounced off the rim of the hoop, but a shadow hovered over her head, and the ball landed in Naseru's outstretched arms. He'd used his height to make the catch.
With the ball back in his hands, he surged forward, a sudden burst of power and energy, catching Kaho off guard as Naseru leapt toward the hoop and successfully landed a dunk. It was fast. Overwhelmingly fast, and the force knocked Kaho off kilter. It was like she'd been struck down by a gale. She toppled backwards onto her butt and stared up at Naseru. He was holding the ball in one hand and his hand out to her in the other. She accepted his hand and pulled herself up, snatching the ball from him, trying to come up with something that she could do too, but nothing came to mind. This was a skill; a powerful skill that put all of Ryota's tricks to shame.
Kaho swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. That made an impression. She felt like she'd had the wind knocked out of her.
"Now he's taking it seriously!" Goatee said, "Clearly she's making him sweat."
"Nah! He's putting her in her place, reminding her he's been going easy!" argued Eyebrows, "Oi! Matsuoka! Going easy on her won't get you laid!"
Kaho took a deep breath and took the ball from Naseru's hands. She tried to steady her breathing. She couldn't think too much. Not about the game, not while she was still playing. She was playing in a haze of heartbeats and heavy limbs.
She'd lost count of how many plays she'd attempted since Naseru had wowed her with that move, that strange spinning dunk. She wished she could watch him do it again in slow motion. How did his body move like that?
She glanced at the scores stricken onto the pavement in front of her. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure Naseru could hear it. Maybe it would burst. And if it did, it just had to last a little bit longer.
Naseru had 48 points. Kaho had 47. Her moves hadn't been spectacular, not like a street baller or a flashy player. She was just quick and agile. The crowd around her seemed to be cheering for her. She could hear chanting, mostly 'girl', since most hadn't heard her name at the start of the play. It was rewarding, exciting, even, to hear a crowd admiring her and her playing. No wonder Taiga and Ryota were such basketball brains. She was sweating, any sense of decorum and composure had been cast aside, she was gasping for air, and was tempted to douse her body in the contents of the next water bottle thrown her way, but walking home in a wet shirt wasn't something Kaho wanted. Especially as the evening drew toward night. She'd lost track of time, too enthralled by the rhythm of play. Her limbs ached, each muscle tight and throbbing for overexertion. Naseru was tired too, but not as tired as her. While Kaho had pooled all her reserves just to try and keep up with him, he was barely sweating. He hadn't even asked for water.
Her heart roared in her ears as a bystander threw her the ball. Kaho dibbled it to the three-point line. Naseru followed her, watching the ball bounce on the court. Kaho feinted right. But Naseru didn't move. She tried again to feint, and again he didn't bite.
She took a step back, creating some space, and with all the strength she had left, she took the shot while Naseru hadn't lifted his hands but rather put one of his hands on his head. The ball soared, spinning through the air. Time seemed to slow as every eye followed its trajectory. It hit the rim, bounced up, and after what felt like an eternity, swished through the net.
The crowd erupted. Cheers, applause, and encouraging chanting from the bystanders that flocked to their match.
Kaho was up 49 and Naseru 48. It was close. Nail-bitingly close.
Naseru had the ball. Kaho was standing on her tiptoes, ready to defend. Naseru couldn't help but let out an earnest laugh that made Kaho's heart swell. For the whole time Naseru had been at Hanagawa High School, she'd never heard him laugh. Was he excited? At ease? Or was it his ego? Kaho didn't know, but she wanted to hear it again.
Naseru dribbled backwards, pointing at the basket. Kaho's limbs ached, but her gaze was firmly set on the ball. She couldn't waste all this effort to lose at the last minute. Had her three made it, she would have been fine, but he was in control, and Kaho needed the ball. She needed it.
Naseru then broke into a stride, and Kaho matched it. Their bodies collided with an audible oof.
In a normal game, it would have been a foul. Kaho and Naseru both fell to the ground, scraping their knees and hands as they untangled themselves from each other. Kaho wrenched her trainers out from under Naseru's head and stumbled toward the ball. The crowd was cheering, alive with noise.
She watched Naseru gawk at her. Her knees were both bleeding, stinging with waves of searing pain as she limped toward the basket. Naseru stumbled to his feet to reassume his blocking stance. There was a small scrape on his forearm from the tumble.
Kaho dribbled the ball and took a deep breath. If she was going to win, she had to be sneaky. She took a deep breath and imagined herself in the school gym. She took the ball in both hands.
"Mariah!" she shouted. A next-level feint. Naseru's head whirled around, ready to tell her to stay out of the game, it was a one-on-one. But Kaho had slipped past him, tossing the ball in the air, passing back to herself and surging ahead to the basket. Naseru was off-kilted, stumbling toward the net, but he wasn't quick enough. Kaho concluded the game with a simple set shot. It bounced off the backboard, slightly off in rhythm and rolled around the hoop's rim. Kaho bit her lip. Naseru was beneath the hoop, waiting to chase the rebound and seal his victory. But the ball had other plans and toppled through the hoop.
She had won. It was underhanded and sneaky, but she'd done it. Her ears tuned out the cheers from the crowd, and her legs gave out. She fell on the floor and took long, laboured breaths, trying to catch up with her racing heart.
"Good game, Aigawa," Naseru said, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. every muscle in her legs burned with strain, her lungs were on fire. The pressure was insane, but, she'd done it.
And while Frosted Tips went to a nearby ice cream van and bought them each a bottle of water, Eyebrows retrieved the ball.
Frosted Tips came back with two bottles of water, ones with puckered spouts. Naseru opened one and turned to pass it to Kaho, only to smirk and squirt the contents at her face. She wiped her face and sighed, the cool water a relief against her scalding skin.