Stealing Spree

Chapter 2826: Can you see it?

The whistle soon blared as the timeout duration ended. Kawakawi-senpai and the rest of the team returned to the court, their eyes showing another glint of fire as they vowed to bring down the deficit below two digits before the first half ended.

“Play ball!” The referee shouted before whistling as he handed the ball to the second-year senior standing outside the line.

She immediately passed it to Kawakami-senpai, who dribbled cautiously upcourt. Sakuraba Mikan hovered close as her sharp eyes tracked every movement.

But this time, Kawakami-senpai didn’t rush. She held the ball high, signaling for Kanno-senpai to set a screen.

As soon as Kanno-senpai rolled off the pick, Kawakami-senpai dashed to the left and straight into Sakuraba’s blind spot. The latter twisted to recover, but Kawakami-senpai whipped a behind-the-back pass to the second-year shooting guard, who’d slipped free during the commotion.

The opposing shooting guard, Takamine, was quick to react as she chased after our second-year, but not quick enough. Our shooting guard rose for the shot before Takamine could close out. Despite her attempt to block, the ball arced cleanly and sank through the net with a crisp swish.

The Hirari High crowd groaned while our side erupted in cheers. The scoreboard flipped to 34-22.

Still a sizable gap, however, the gradual shift in momentum could already be felt.

Perhaps suspicious of this sudden change in morale, Sakuraba Mikan’s sharp gaze landed back on our bench, locking onto me with a mix of irritation and something else. Perhaps something competitive and almost playful. She mouthed something that looked suspiciously like ’cheater’ before turning away.

And naturally, that didn’t escape the notice of the crowd above.

”Look, she’s staring at him again!” someone from the Hirari crowd yelled as Sakuraba’s lingering glance stretched a second too long. The murmurs intensified, mostly intrigued by her relationship with me and curious about my identity.

Obviously, the noises were also heard from their side. Takamine hooked an arm around Sakuraba’s shoulder and forcibly spun her away before whispering something into her ear.

I don’t know what it is but it made the girl puff up her cheeks again.

Then, before they returned to play, Takamine also shot me a glare as if saying, ’stop distracting her!’.

On my side, Ria couldn’t help but giggle at that exchange while Satsuki pinched my thigh under the bench. ”Tsk. Why do they keep eyeing you? Is it because of last time?”

”Probably. You remembered it, right? I refused to give my name. And since you all credited me for that win, I’m now known as ’that guy who helped defeat Hirari High’.” I chuckled as Satsuki’s pinch turned into an exasperated squeeze. ”Also, I ran into her after that. She charged into me and attempted to figure out my name again. Of course, I refused to give it. I guess that just made her more curious.”

”Pfft. As expected of Dumb-senpai, once a girl takes notice of you, they won’t be able to stop themselves from circling back,” Ria murmured, watching Sakuraba’s stiff posture as she prepared for the inbound pass. The point guard’s usual fluid movements had turned slightly jagged—like she was resisting the urge to glance our way again.

The remaining two minutes became a chess match. Kawakami-senpai implemented the defensive adjustments flawlessly, assigning two defenders to hover near Takamine whenever Sakuraba controlled the ball.

The tactic forced Sakuraba into isolation plays, which she still executed brilliantly. She weaved through traffic for a floating jumper that brought their lead back to 14. 36-22 on the scoreboard.

But then came the momentum shift.

An inbound pass sailed toward Sakuraba, only for Kawakami-senpai to intercept it midair with a reckless lunge that sent her almost sliding across the court on her knees. The ball bounced once before Kanno-senpai snatched it up. She immediately pivoted toward our basket while Takamine scrambled to chase.

”Go!” Kawakami-senpai roared from the floor, wiping blood from her scraped knee without breaking eye contact with Sakuraba.

Kanno-senpai drove hard, drawing two defenders before dishing a no-look pass to our second-year guard waiting in the corner. The shot left her fingertips just as the halftime buzzer blared.

The ball hung in the air for a heartbeat—then ripped through the net with perfect precision. The scoreboard flickered to 36-25 as the gymnasium erupted. Our side roared while Hirari High’s crowd groaned, their earlier confidence visibly shaken by that last-second play.

Satsuki’s grip on my hand loosened slightly as she exhaled. “Mhm. A bit short of the plan, but at least they managed to prevent the lead from extending further. Come, shameless idiot. I need to warm up.”

The halftime buzzer’s echo still hung in the air and the players had yet to return to the bench when Satsuki dragged me away.

She gave Ryouko-san and Orimura-sensei a quick heads-up, saying, ”Sensei, if they ask for this idiot, tell them he’s helping me warm up.”

Ryouko-san shook her head but I could see a hint of envy in her eyes as her face turned a little red. She understood the connotation immediately. As for Orimura-sensei, she just waved her hand dismissively as if she didn’t care about what we were going to do. Yet, her gaze followed us, looking as if she was holding back from stealing me from Satsuki.

With that, Satsuki tugged me toward the side door. Behind us, Ria giggled before calling out, ”Don’t take too long, Sister Satsuki! And Dumb-senpai, make sure she’s fully warmed up!”

That girl. And here I thought she’d follow us. I guess she’s giving this moment to Satsuki, huh?

Anyway, Kawakami-senpai and the others also didn’t stop the girl. They just watched on until we disappeared.

Since there would be a halftime break, they would be returning to the locker room to rest. Meanwhile, I wonder where this girl will take me...

“Stop looking behind you, idiot. Do you want to invite them as well?”

”Of course not. You know me. I focus only on who’s with me.”

”That line is already rusty, idiot.”

I shook my head and widened my steps, catching up to her. I freed my wrist from her grip to wrap my arms around her.

Satsuki squirmed slightly but it didn’t take long for her to lean into my embrace as she continued leading us into the narrow hallway.

We passed by the locker room designated for the team and turned on the immediate corner, where a smaller storage room was located.

Or so she said.

I don’t know how she sniffed this place out but I guess she already scouted before I arrived with Ria.

As we neared the door, Satsuki dug into her pocket and produced a key.

”Huh? Where did you get that?” I asked.

She looked at me and a lazy smirk formed on her lips, ”Guess.”

This girl. Now she’s playing a mystery.

Let’s see. Where would she have gotten a key? From Orimura-sensei? Ryouko-san? Of course, it’s impossible. This isn’t our school. Unless...

”Did you ask someone from Hirari High for that?”

”Hmm... Close. Someone handed it to me.”

”Someone?”

”I told you to guess. If you can’t figure it out, I won’t tell you.”

With that, she inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open, revealing a dimly lit storage room filled with stacked chairs and folded tables, clearly meant for school events.

The scent of cleaning supplies lingered in the air.

However, just as she was about to drag me inside, soft footsteps rang from the corner. And it didn’t take long before a familiar figure appeared. Sakuraba Mikan, Hirari High’s star point guard, with sweat glistening at her temples.

The moment our eyes met, her lips curled into a smirk as she pointed at me. ”Oh! There you are!”

Looking at how she’s huffing and puffing, did she actually chase after us? What’s wrong with this girl?

Naturally, Satsuki didn’t take it well. Her grip on my arm possessively tightened instantly.

She spun to face Sakuraba with narrowed eyes. ”Huh? Who are you?”

Despite watching her in the court, that question from Satsuki was obviously aimed at triggering the girl.

And sure enough, I underestimated the naivety of Sakuraba Mikan—the girl huffed immediately at Satsuki’s dismissive tone.

Her court composure, which many thought of as bright as the summer sun, evaporated into something far pricklier. ”Excuse me? You know exactly who I am, Maemura-san.”

Satsuki arched an eyebrow, feigning ignorance with practiced ease. ”Do I? You must be one of those girls who only matter on the court.”

Sakuraba’s smirk faltered for a second before she recovered as she swept her hair to the side, showing her wide forehead. ”Interesting. But, I didn’t come here for you.”

Her gaze shifted to me and continued, ”That guy. He promised to give his name if we meet again. And I’m here to collect.”

Satsuki didn’t budge. Her grumpy resting face shifted to a smug, ”Oh. He promised? Too bad. He belongs to me.”

The declaration made Sakuraba blink before she burst into laughter. ”Belongs to you? I don’t see any collar.”

”It’s invisible to idiots.” Satsuki’s smug grin widened as she tugged me closer, ”And since this guy is an idiot, he can’t see it. Can you?”