Chapter 8: Shiina Mashiro
As Hina Tachibana lectured Chihiro Sengoku on the basic moral standards teachers should adhere to, Shunsuke almost believed her—if he didn't already know that she had been secretly dating her former high school teacher, who was now married.
Even Chihiro, thick-skinned as she was, finally snapped out of her excitement and felt a bit awkward.
She quickly pulled out a photo and handed it to Shunsuke, explaining, "This is my cousin, Shiina Mashiro. She's from the UK. We were supposed to meet at the station at six, but something came up and I can't make it. I was hoping you could pick her up after school. She'll stay at the Izumi house tonight."
If it had been any other task, Shunsuke would have complained and resisted, only agreeing to help after negotiating some kind of benefit.
But now, as he was worrying about not having enough points, and Chihiro had conveniently presented him with Shiina Mashiro, he knew better than to pass up this golden opportunity.
He would've been cursed if he didn't seize it!
Thanks to Chihiro's interruption and Hina's distraction, the break period had been completely eaten up, allowing Shunsuke to avoid more questioning from Shizuka. He quickly slipped back to class.
Before the lesson started, Shunsuke noticed Yui frequently glancing in his direction. He knew what she was thinking, but he didn't pay her much attention.
The next period was gym class. Unfortunately, it wasn't summer yet; otherwise, it would have been swimming class.
As an island nation, the Japanese people put a lot of emphasis on swimming. Almost every school had its own pool.
And because of limited facilities, Shunsuke often had mixed-gender classes in middle school. He had to admit that in a world like this, swimming classes were quite an enjoyable experience.
Japan's education system places great importance on physical education, so at Sobu High, a prestigious national school, classes were never canceled or replaced.
Boys and girls swiftly changed into their gym uniforms, gathering in groups of threes and fours in the gymnasium.
It was only April, the start of the spring semester, but everyone was already in short-sleeved shirts and shorts.
In his previous life, Shunsuke would've thought, Isn't it cold? But having gone through winter endurance running since elementary school in this world, he no longer asked such questions.
Feeling cold? Then move your body!
Wearing a long-sleeved jacket in gym class to stay bundled up—what kind of nonsense is that?
Unlike his previous life, where some students would hide away to play on their phones during gym class, such behavior was almost nonexistent here.
The gym teacher first led everyone through warm-up exercises, followed by a few laps around the gym.
Once everyone was properly warmed up, he brought out two baskets—one filled with basketballs for the boys, and the other with volleyballs for the girls.
"Go ahead and form teams for a quick match. I want to assess your skills," the teacher said, though Shunsuke had a feeling he was just trying to slack off.
The boys quickly sorted themselves into teams via a random draw.
Since there were fewer than 15 boys, the draw consisted of five red and five blue long straws for those playing, and shorter straws for those sitting out.
Shunsuke's team was nothing short of a main character ensemble: Hachiman Hikigaya, Futarou Uesugi, Sakuta Azusagawa, and Hotarou Oreki. A true gathering of protagonists.
On the other hand, the opposing team, led by Hayato Hayama and including four of his buddies along with Yuma Kunimi, was mostly made up of side characters.
Yet, as is often the case, the less famous team was the stronger one.
Shunsuke looked around at his own crew of "frail and listless" teammates.
Futarou Uesugi was still clutching his English vocabulary book, completely uninterested.
Meanwhile, the other team was bursting with enthusiasm, ready for action. This game seemed hopeless.
If Shunsuke hadn't become a Stand user, he would have already given up.
"Even though I don't expect much, I'll ask anyway—how's your basketball?" Shunsuke inquired.
Immediately, all four of his teammates shook their heads and took a step back in unison, looking like synchronized robots.
A vein pulsed on Shunsuke's forehead as he glared at Sakuta Azusagawa. "Sakuta, you're not getting out of this. I'll take forward, you just assist me, and no slacking off."
Though Shunsuke didn't have any specific memories of Sakuta from their first year—because, really, who remembers a guy for that long—he had become friends with him thanks to his straightforward personality.
He didn't care about the social isolation Sakuta faced after the infamous "hospital incident." In fact, Shunsuke found his bluntness refreshing, and they became friends naturally. Hence, Shunsuke didn't mince words with him.
For Sakuta, "friendship" was no light matter.
Friendships that formed from convenience or for the sake of group harmony weren't true friendships.
If you didn't have the commitment to stay friends for life, then you weren't friends at all. It was akin to Hachiman's idea of "genuine" relationships—rare and almost extinct in the real world.
This is precisely what Shunsuke loved most about this world.
"No point, really. Kunimi's on the other side. No matter how hard we try, we're gonna lose," Sakuta remarked. Having played with Kunimi, the star of the basketball club, Sakuta knew Shunsuke's natural athleticism wasn't enough to close the skill gap.
Plus, the disparity in team strength was obvious. He was ready to call it quits or at least slack off.
"Request denied," Shunsuke responded, completely ignoring Sakuta as he turned his gaze to the remaining three.
Futarou Uesugi raised his hand. "To be honest, I'm pretty confident in my stamina."
"Then—"
"But after running a few laps, if I keep running around on the basketball court, I'll definitely die from exhaustion. Can I be the guard? I don't want to move much, or I might actually die."
Could he be any more blatant about wanting to slack off?
"Just make sure to let go of your vocabulary book when you're on the court, Uesugi-kun," Shunsuke sighed.
"Don't worry. If I get injured, I'll have less time to study."
"I'll take the other guard position then," said Hotarou Oreki, raising his hand lazily, embodying his energy-saving philosophy. He wasn't interested in expending unnecessary effort.
"Guess that leaves the remaining position for me. Let's hurry and get this over with. The other team is ready," Hachiman commented. Though he put on an indifferent front, his inner monologue was far from calm.
Shunsuke was in despair over his teammates.
He had hoped to avoid using his Stand, but with this crew, it seemed inevitable if he wanted to avoid getting crushed.
Both teams took their places on the court, and the girls from the class quickly gathered around, excited to see Shunsuke and Hayama face off.
Some girls from other classes in the gym also flocked over, as the gymnasium was shared by multiple classes, making it a buzzing hub of activity.
The remaining boys shifted their attention to the impending match as well.
"The showdown between Fujii and Hayama... I didn't think it'd come this soon," one boy muttered.
"Ah! They're both so handsome! Who do you think is the best-looking guy in the class?" chirped one of the girls.
"Hayama's definitely going to win. Come on, Yui, let's cheer for him!" declared Yumiko Miura, the queen bee of the class, crossing her arms confidently as she led the cheers for Hayato.
Yui smiled but stayed quiet, clearly caught in her own internal conflict.
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•Mashiro Shiina [Sakurasou No Pet Na Kanoujo]
•Kunimi Yuma [Bunny Girl Senpai]
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