Since the hiking trails were off-limits due to the murder investigation, all three basketball teams found themselves back by the water where they had been the previous evening, being glared at by the series of poles. But, instead of trust exercises and team building on the posts, Taiga, Coach Itomi and Coach Tomogawa sat together, and beckoned their teams to make an intermingling circle. It was massive. Yamada nearly fell into the water he was so close to the bank's edge.
It was tranquil, despite the obstructions of large upright logs standing in the water. Kaho closed her eyes and listened to the chirping of cicadas and the trilling of birdsong around her. The taller grasses rustled in the light afternoon breeze as sunlight cascaded through the canopy, warming the ground and bathing a few people in streams of light through the gaps in the leaves. Kaho wanted to flop back on the floor and sink into the grass. She imagined it would be like a pillow to sink into, on a massive natural bed, like she'd see in fairytales.
She settled in the grass alongside each school's competitive basketball team. She wondered, for a moment, if that invitation was open to her, but Fumiko was comfortably sprawled between Captain Hirano and Konoishi. If Fumiko was welcome, then surely, so was Kaho.
Akane took the basketball club members, players from both Seiran and Kuroyama who simply played for the fun of the game, not because they were necessarily any good, to the gazebo, where she was supposed to lead them in meditation like Fumiko had supposedly been doing the previous night. None of the Hanagawa team moved. There was always a chance any of the boys could end up on the court, even if it was lower for Eiji, Yuta and Yamada this year.
"For a lot of you, this is your last year playing basketball – some of you will quit in college due to workload. For others, this is just a chance to hang with friends, and you're actually pretty good at it. But being in your final year can put a lot of pressure on you," Coach Itomi said, "We've gathered you all for a mindfulness exercise."
Coach Tomogawa produced a plush pillow shaped like a bright orange basketball.
"All of you are going to scream something into the ball. Something you don't want to carry onto the court," he said. He handed the pillow to Taiga.
"It's important," Taiga said, smiling at the group of athletes, "That you remember you are more than a missed pass, a flubbed rebound, fouls, no matter if it's one or five. You are more than a Point Guard, or a Centre, or a Small Forward. You're more than a Shooting Guard or a Power Forward. You're more than a Captain or a coach or an ace or a manager, and things get heavy."
Coach Itomi nodded, "This is your chance to expel some tensions. You've been back at school for long enough for teachers to be on your asses about college applications or supplementary classes and practice exams. It's okay to just want to be a kid, right now. It feels like the rug is coming out from under you way too fast."
"Feel your feelings and set them free from your heart. We'll be screaming into this pillow for catharsis," Coach Tomogawa said, gesturing to Taiga.
"I'm Aigawa Taiga, former Kenjoku Kaiju, current Coach for Hangawa High. And I have this to say:" he said, burying his face into the pillow and screaming. His words were muffled by the plush, though, Kaho was sure she heard the words Tokyo Metropolitan University. She wouldn't have been surprised.
Taiga handed the pillow to Coach Tomogawa.
"I'm Tomogawa Goro, former Hokkaido Komainu, current Coach for Seiran High. And I have this to say!" he buried his face in the pillow and screamed. It sounded wordless, like one dejected howl. He handed the pillow to Coach Itomi.
"I'm Itomi Adam, former Pittsburgh Panther, current Coach for Kuroyama Academy, and I have this to say."
Like Coach Tomogawa, Coach Itomi screamed, seemingly wordlessly for a few breaths, before a chain of curse words came from his mouth, barely obscured by the fabric of the pillow.
Jean-Luc and Naseru shared a fleeting look. While Jean-Luc's lips quirked up in a smirk, Naseru's expression remained blank and impassive. Jean-Luc turned away from him and sighed.
Kuroyama's captain, Captain Isamu had been the first student to take the pillow. He raised a brow sceptically and shouted something into the pillow. He quickly shoved it into the arms of another member of his team, until it reached Jean-Luc Barbier's hands. He was the last player separate from the abundance of Hanagawa players that remained left to scream. He was sitting just three people away from Kaho. She heard every word.
"I miss France."
Of course, he missed France. Was there any doubt that a transfer student would be homesick? And yet, hearing him admit it felt like a weight had been lifted from everyone. She barely knew him, and yet, she felt like of everyone's somewhat audible struggles, Jean-Luc's homesickness was probably the easiest to relate to as someone that was separate from his circle.
One of his teammates clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a quick hug. Jean-Luc took a few quick, steadying breaths and handed the cushion over to Omura, who was surprisingly forthcoming, bellowing his secret feelings and resentment that his injury was keeping him from the most important part of his high school career. His lip was trembling, and his eyes were glassy when he relinquished the pillow.
"Coach," Sunada said quietly, glancing at Taiga.
Taiga nodded and Sunada crawled from his place in the circle to embrace Omura. His shoulders shook as he cried into the crook of his friend's neck, covering Sunada's shirt in tears and snot.
Naseru stared at the pillow in his hands for a moment and took a long breath it was shallow and shaky, but most onlookers seemed too focused on Omura to notice. An injury in your third year, especially when it was from just being stupid, truly was catastrophic. Kaho didn't even play and she knew that.
The sound that came out of Naseru made her stop in her tracks. It was barely human, he sounded like he'd been wounded. It made her body stiffen, like she was suddenly on high alert, trying to seek the danger out and pillage it. She felt gooseflesh picker up on her arms, as Naseru screamed into the cushion. She couldn't hear what he said. Maybe he didn't confess with words, just thoughts.
But, when the pillow found her open arms, She noticed two wet patches she hadn't seen before. She glanced up at Naseru, who was scowling at the floor, silent, his front was back up. She didn't push him. She picked up the pillow and screamed her secrets into the plush, praying they muffled her own confession well enough:
"I don't think I love Tatsuya anymore. I think there's someone else."