[If you make all 8, that counts as full score for you. If I make all 10, that counts as full score for me. How about that?]
"A little more handicap."
[Then if you make them all, that counts as full score…]
"A little more handicap."
Saiki had never seen someone so shameless.
[You're going too far. Any more handicap and we'd be in the Pacific Ocean.]
"So embarrassing."
Shirakawa Chitose covered her face from the side. She really felt her boyfriend was too hopeless.
"Fine, seven counts as full score, right? Okay, let's go."
[Then I'll start first.]
Saiki picked up the basketball, spun it a few times, and shot the first ball.
"Swish."
It went straight through the net.
Another one, two, three, four balls.
"Swish, swish, swish."
Until all ten went in perfectly. Then he clapped his hands and looked at Akazawa Itsuki, who was staring dumbfounded beside him.
[Alright, your turn.]
Akazawa Itsuki snapped out of it. [Ah, damn it. I knew Saiki was hiding his strength. But it's fine. As long as I make seven, it's a tie. Eight and I win.]
Akazawa Itsuki shot the first ball. It went straight in. He clenched his fist.
"Yes!"
Another shot. Swish.
Akazawa Itsuki felt hot. Then he shot again—and it hit the rim and bounced out.
"What?!"
Akazawa Itsuki looked at Saiki, who was standing to his left doing a casual three-pointer without a care, looking three-parts sleepy and four-parts indifferent, and said:
"Saiki, don't stand next to me. You're messing up my flow. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
[None of my business.]
Saiki moved from the left to directly behind Akazawa Itsuki.
Akazawa Itsuki shot another one. It went in. He nodded in satisfaction: "See that? That's food power."
[Yeah yeah, I get it. Hurry up and shoot.]
Akazawa Itsuki shot again, but his finger twitched—and sure enough, it hit the rim and bounced out.
Akazawa Itsuki turned back to look at Saiki standing right behind him: "Don't stand behind me staring like that."
Saiki looked completely speechless.
[How about I just go home and come back after you're done shooting?]
"I'm the kind of person who can't pee if someone stands behind me. That's my weakness. Anyway, just don't stand behind me."
[Seriously, this is shooting a ball, not peeing. You have so many issues.]
Akazawa Itsuki focused and started shooting again. He had already shot nine balls. Only one left. Because of his earlier bad mindset—probably too nervous—he had only made six so far.
Akazawa Itsuki patted the ball, took a deep breath, and looked toward Shirakawa Chitose with a nod. [Chi.]
Shirakawa Chitose nodded back. [Itsuki.]
In both their minds, they were high-fiving and hugging each other.
(They're secretly communicating via telepathy in their heads again. This time it's encouragement?)
Akazawa Itsuki suddenly shouted:
"Ah!!! This is the power of love!"
(Can you shut up and just shoot quietly?)
Saiki watched from the side, so embarrassed he could claw out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes. The last time he felt this speechless was… well, the last time.
(This guy suddenly turned into a chuunibyou.)
Akazawa Itsuki lifted his head, stroked the basketball, his eyes sharpening. He aimed at the hoop and shot. It went in—swish, without even touching the rim… Wait, no, it missed again.
Saiki spread his arms as if welcoming victory—but more accurately, he was looking at Shirakawa Chitose behind him.
[Seriously, you missed again. You still lost. Not even a tie. What are you celebrating with open arms for?]
Akazawa Itsuki didn't say anything. He just spread his arms, took two steps forward—and the next second, Shirakawa Chitose rushed past Saiki and jumped into his embrace.
Right in front of Saiki's murderous gaze, the two hugged tightly and even spun around twice.
[Fine, fine, that's how you want to play?]
Black lines covered Saiki's head. He had been forcibly fed dog food again. It really pissed him off.
(Even though I'm not interested in romance, being force-fed this kind of couple stuff feels extremely unpleasant.)
Akazawa Itsuki looked at Saiki with three parts disdain, four parts indifference, and three parts mockery. [I won.]
(You won my ass. You're satisfied with this?)
Saiki reached out, yanked Akazawa Itsuki down, and said in a very "kind" tone:
[Seriously, Itsuki, how could you be so careless? I can tell you're not satisfied at all. Come on, let's keep playing. We still have plenty left to compete in.]
Akazawa Itsuki looked at Saiki's smiling face, but for some reason, he felt the current Saiki was terrifying. He swallowed hard and said quietly: "Um… I think maybe we've played enough for today…"
( '▿ ' ) [What did you say?]
Akazawa Itsuki immediately backtracked: "I mean let's keep going."
[Good, that's more like it. Come on.]
For a long while after that, Saiki played every game with Akazawa Itsuki again. Basically every single one. This time Saiki put in a little more effort and won by a slightly bigger margin than before. But who told him to show off his affection right in front of Saiki? Even though Saiki had no interest in romance, being forcibly stuffed with dog food still felt extremely unpleasant.
Akazawa Itsuki didn't win a single time. In many cases, he just stared dumbfounded at Saiki's plays, not even sure if they were playing the same game.
Gradually, the Akazawa Itsuki who had felt like he was winning earlier started feeling frustrated and unconvinced again. The hot-headed guy got more and more into it the longer they played—until Saiki suddenly said:
[I'm done.]
And prepared to leave.
Akazawa Itsuki couldn't accept this kind of humiliation. He immediately chased after him, earnestly trying to persuade him to stay.
But Saiki had already had enough. Watching Akazawa Itsuki's expressions shift from a little scared to excited to frustrated to dejected to despair and now completely worked up, Saiki felt satisfied.
Akazawa Itsuki knelt on the ground again and hugged Saiki's leg: "Aaaah!! Saiki~ one more time, please, just one last round!"
Saiki's head was full of black lines.
[Don't say things that could be misunderstood.]
"Then promise me!"
[Get off. Get up first.]
Akazawa Itsuki acted cute ＜(￣3￣)＞: "Promise first."
(So gross.)
Saiki got goosebumps all over.
[Every time I go out with you it's like this. Isn't it disgusting? By the way, where's Shirakawa?]
Saiki looked left and right. About five meters away from the guy clinging to his leg, Shirakawa Chitose was covering her face and looking away at an angle. [So embarrassing. I don't know him. I don't know him. I don't know him.]