NTR Kousuke

Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Big Sister and New Club Members

It's been about a week since that letter arrived.

...In the end, nothing has happened...

Well, that's actually a good thing.

It's been about ten days since we became second-years.

All the various events were over, and the usual daily life had begun.

The second week of April, club activities finally reopened, and the new club members arrived.

Airi: "Maybe it's because we made the top 8 in the Winter Cup prefectural qualifiers last year? There are more new members this year than usual♪"

Airi-senpai spoke, looking so happy.

There aren't that many high schools that are both preparatory schools and strong in basketball.

So for students who want to keep playing basketball at a school with good academics, it must have been a good appeal point.

Looking around, a lot of the new students looked nervous...

But there were also a few who looked cocky, like they already had confidence.

I bet there are plenty of kids who were top of their class and unbeatable in sports back home.

I'd heard rumors about kids we'd never had before—like one who's nearly two meters tall and another who made it to nationals at last year's All-Japan Middle School Tournament.

I can't help but get my hopes up. Those two really stand out among the first-years.

But honestly, most of the new students are just fidgety and restless.

Most of them still look kind of scrawny. Koji, standing next to me, muttered that we must have been like this too.

Somehow, this whole scene feels like déjà vu—like I've seen it all before.

The coach gives directions, the captain calls out, and Airi-senpai stands by the coach holding a file. The first-years' self-introductions started. Thirty people... It's a pretty tough club, but will they stick around? Even our generation started with twenty-one and now we're down to eleven.

After the new members and the captain finished introducing themselves, practice began.

For new members, the training menu is mostly focused on physical conditioning so they can keep up.

It's tough... seriously.

It's necessary, but stamina training is just plain grueling, and a lot of new members quit because of it.

Basketball is a sport where you're always running and jumping like crazy, and if you don't have the stamina to keep up with practice, you can't do anything. Some people complain that they don't get to touch the ball, but I think they should just do what they want during voluntary practice after regular practice.

*Kousuke is the type who can tough it out as long as he understands the reason and effect, whether it's academics or sports.*

Among the first-years, there are two who really have a presence.

The big guy we mentioned earlier and the one who went to nationals. Both of them seem cocky and have no trouble keeping up with practice—they look dissatisfied with the training menu. But if they're good players, no one's going to make them do just physical training forever, so I wish they'd be patient at first.

The one keeping the closest eye on the first-years is Airi-senpai.

She watches the first-years' movements closely while handling her own menu.

She's strict but encouraging... well, honestly, she's more encouraging than strict.

At first, the cocky first-years seemed annoyed with Airi-senpai,

Airi: "Geez! Fine! I'll explain every single reason and purpose behind each menu, and I'll show you the results and effects, okay!"

She started explaining the content and effects of every drill, but eventually the first-years got tired of it and just did the menu in silence.

The 195cm first-year—was his name Kumada?

Kumada: "Why is a female manager deciding the menu at a strong school like this?"

he grumbled, sounding dissatisfied.

...Do I need to make him understand once and for all?

Airi: "...Well then? Want to take on my greatest masterpiece? How many years have you been playing basketball?"

Kumada: "Four years."

Airi: "Well then? How about a one-on-one against a senpai who only started basketball last year?"

Oh man, I've got a bad feeling about this.

Kumada grinned,

Kumada: "Sure. If I win, let me join practice with the upperclassmen! If I lose, I'll shut up and do the training. So, who's my opponent?"

Airi-senpai gave me a quick wink and said,

Airi: "Kousuke-kun! I choose you!"

"...Seriously, I'm not a Pokemon."

Kumada looks just like you'd expect—a tall, big-bodied player. He seems like a power-type who's good under the basket as a center, but...

In a one-on-one, I think agility and speed give you the advantage.

In the end, I won.

Kumada became obedient after losing.

...Then the other troublemaker, Washio, who went to nationals, saw my match with Kumada,

Washio: "Oh, I'm convinced now!"

and became obedient too.

Since he's also a point guard type, I guess he could see the advantages and disadvantages.

With talent like those two, if they train for a year, they might end up stronger than me...!

And after just a week of seeing Airi-senpai's kindness, beauty, and dedication up close...

Kumada: "Airi-senpai! I'll carry the laundry!"

Washio: "We'll take care of cleaning and organizing the equipment!"

First-years: "Airi-senpai!"

...They've totally warmed up to her, and it's pretty amazing.

The first-years are already looking up to Airi-senpai like a big sister, while us second-years are like, "She's our big sister."

Thanks to Airi-senpai's personal charm, this year's big issue for the basketball club—whether we could control the talented first-years—was solved in no time.

As expected of Airi-senpai! With a first-year manager joining too, everyone's getting pumped to work together and give it their all in basketball!

The third-years are facing their last summer before exams, the second-years are fiercely competing for regular spots, and the first-years are still building stamina, but with Kumada and Washio's outstanding potential, there's even talk they might make the bench.

Just as we were starting to get used to the new school year and things were settling down at club.

...Rumors started to spread, slandering Airi-senpai, the goddess of the basketball club.

"Tendou Airi is a slut? She's the boys' basketball club manager, but she's sleeping with several of the players she likes."

"Tendou Airi was trained by her ex-boyfriend Sahori? She'll sleep with anyone."

"Tendou Airi just went with the flow—she's an easy slut."

The basketball club members laughed off these baseless rumors. Airi-senpai? That's gotta be some kind of mistake, right?

Anyone who knows her would see right away—Airi-senpai isn't like that.

But the more the basketball club tried to deny the rumors, the more blown way out of proportion they became—to the point where even the wildest details were getting added.

...Day by day, Airi-senpai grew more and more exhausted...

No way. Is this what that warning about Tendou Airi was about?

By late April, even though the new term had just started, the atmosphere around us was the worst it had ever been...

No, it had become the worst.