"I don't know what you're talking about," Naseru said, stretching each syllable of his pronunciation, as if he wasn't sure how to express his thoughts, like he was actively having to translate in his head, playing up the fact he was from overseas, "I've never played basketball before."
Kaho frowned and let out a huff, crossing her arms.
"You fucking liar!" Isamu laughed, reaching over and grabbing him by the shirt. Naseru stared at him, blankly.
"I've never played basketball before. I'm on the bench because I can't play," Naseru said, his tone flat.
Isamu snorted and shook his head, an incredulous look on his face. He released Naseru and glared at the Hanagawa team.
"You guys are taking the piss," Isamu declared, "Fuck the practice games. I challenge you to a one-on-one, Matsuoka."
Ryota and Kaho shared a look. Both had been on the other side of Naseru's relentless gameplay. But this was a completely different side to him, this mask of ignorance he was wearing.
"Okay," Naseru said, "But I promise you, I can't play."
He got to his feet and was handed Ryota's neon pink basketball. Taiga had stashed it since Ryota wasn't supposed to be out rendezvousing with other basketball-brained idiots. Naseru flubbed the catch and chased the ball. He handed the ball to Isamu.
He held Ryota's ball between splayed, claw-like fingers, and swung it, as if he was going to throw it squarely at Naseru's face in a fast swinging motion. But just inches from the bridge of his nose, Isamu stopped moving his arm
Naseru didn't flinch. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head, "Were you going to throw that?"
A snort came from somewhere on the other side of the court, Kaho couldn't place who did it, or where they were. Instead, she was focused on Naseru.
There was a strangeness to Naseru's expression. It was like he was someone new, a person Kaho hadn't met before, an ignorant, clumsy, pushover. But everything, from his long pronunciation to his flubbing of an easy catch, was a mask, a disguise for the beast that could be unleashed on the court. The question was, would he let it be free? It was different now, being on the team, he wasn't an active participant in any of the practices, but he came. Like he was programmed to.
Captain Isamu bounced the ball and began to dribble in a confident zig-zag formation. Naseru shuffled backwards, just as Taiga had told Eiji and Yamada not to do that very morning. He waved his arms in that same tube-man fashion Konoishi had done during the same exercise.
Ryota shared a look with his friends.
"Is he making fun of us?" Yamada whispered.
"I don't think so, Ren," Yuta said, "But I don't think I trust him as far as I can throw him."
Captain Isamu lunged forward in a feint, then leaned back and scored a three-pointer. Naseru had fallen onto the floor, gazing up at him as he scored, like he'd fallen for it. It was a machination, Kaho knew it, and it made her insides feel like they were turning to stone.
After a second successful shot from Captain Isamu, Naseru wiped his sweatless brow, "I," he panted, his breaths short and gaspy, "You. Want. An ace?"
He pointed to Ryota, his finger trembled as he identified Ryota in front of the whole gym as the one to watch out for. Was this Naseru's idea of a strategy?
Captain Isamu hurled the ball at Ryota. He caught it easily and bounced the ball, each familiar crevice of his ball finding purchase just where it needed to. Maybe it was too advantageous to give Ryota his own ball, but his ball was like an extension of him, and Ryota was more than capable of showing people what he could do with it.
"What do you say, Captain?" Ryota said, meeting Captain Isamu's furious gaze. Naseru left the court and returned to the Hanagawa huddle. He was needled with a series of angry elbows to the arms, back, gut and ribs, but he didn't flinch. His gaze was on Ryota.
Ryota turned to Hanagawa, the excitement dormant in his muscles seemed to be fizzing through his skin, like he could explode, but when Ryota's eyes found Naseru, something washed over him. Kaho didn't recognise the look on his face.
"Here, since you're the challenger," Ryota said, grinning. He tossed his ball to Captain Isamu.
As he had before, Captain Isamu went for the same first move, trying to intimidate a smaller player with the sheer magnitude of his size. Ryota, however, had seen that move from the Hangawa huddle. He was tight when marking him and managed to smack the basketball out of Isamu's hands as he jumped for a three. The move resembled a volleyball block, sending the ball straight down, instead of off the court. One of Naoru's tricks.
Kaho's eyes flickered to Naseru. He seemed to recognise it as a volleyball move his brother did.
Ryota gained possession of the ball, having aimed specifically shy of Captain Ismau's wingspan. He was quick on his feet, and dribbled across the court. Isamu went to block him. Ryota's eyes scanned the court for opportunities and openings. He paused.
Kaho, and the other second-year students stiffened. Naseru included.
He was considering his backboard pass. They all knew it.
"Don't do it," Eiji whispered, "It's your best trick, he doesn't deserve it."
Ryota, whether he'd heard Eiji or not seemed to go against his instincts and try another move, he feinted left, then right, then left, and as Captain Isamu went to the left pivoted back on his left leg and shot the ball in a perfect, high arc. It teetered around the rim of the basket, but the move was perfectly executed.
"Yes, Ryota!" Kaho exclaimed.
"Your little girlfriend's proud of you," Isamu said.
Ryota passed the ball to Isamu, and mimed gagging, "Kaho is not my girlfriend. Gross."
The next sequence Captain Isamu began was once again something he'd used on the court, the tactic he'd used against Naseru. Like before, Ryota was close, shuffling with wide arms, not wanting to give up even an inch of the court as they played. The time-out was long gone, and the onlookers were transfixed. As Isamu went to switch from his left hand to two hands for a jump shot, Ryota jabbed the ball to the right and rushed to dribble, his body low and close to the ground. It was Naseru's move from their one-on-one.
Kaho's eyes widened in astonishment. Naseru and Ryota had faced each other during P.E. several times, and Naseru seemed more than capable of keeping up with Ryota, without showing his hand. But, in their one-on-one, he'd used this exact move to put Ryota in his place. Another trick Ryota had seemingly been practicing. Kaho's gaze whirred around to his friends, all of whom looked equally as surprised and perplexed.
She turned to Taiga. He smirked, arms crossed against his chest. Was it him? Was it Taiga Ryota had practiced this on?
Her oak brown eyes found Naseru's. There was something different about him in that moment; his stoic expression had shifted. He arched a brow and nodded once, by just an inch. It could have been overlooked as him just moving, but nothing about Matsuoka Naseru ought to be overlooked, Kaho knew that.