[Tokyo, Japan - Spring 2002]
Kagao sat cross-legged on the gym floor with the rest of his second-year class, waiting for Tanaka to finish setting up. Carts loaded with equipment lined the wall, holding dodgeballs and jump ropes. Today, however, these carts held basketballs.
Kagao sat up straighter, craning his neck to see better. His height gave him an advantage - at four-foot-ten, he could see over all of his classmates' heads without trying.
"Basketball?" Misu groaned beside him. "Why can't we play baseball?"
Yeah," Giju chimed in from the front row. "Baseball's way better."
The rest of the class murmured in agreement. Twenty-eight third-graders, and most of them wanted to be the next Ichiro Suzuki. Kagao didn't blame them; baseball was everywhere. Everyone's dad watched the Giants or the Tigers. The older kids played it during lunch, arguing about who got to pitch, but Kagao's dad watched the Lakers.
'Dad stays up late to watch them. Shaq dunking on people and Kobe making those fadeaway shots.'
"Settle down," Tanaka called out. He was in his mid-thirties, a former volleyball player, based on the university jacket he sometimes wore.
He rolled one basketball toward the center of their seated circle. "I know you all love baseball, but this month, we're learning basketball. Besides, Soccer's getting popular too. You should try different sports."
"Basketball's boring," Misu whispered.
Kagao bit his lip. 'It's not boring, you moss head. Dad says it's the best sport.'
Tanaka picked up the ball and held it overhead. "Basketball is about coordination, teamwork, and quick thinking. The basics are simple." He demonstrated the shooting motion slowly. "Dribble, pass, shoot. Get the ball in the hoop. You need sixteen points to win. Everyone, grab a ball. We'll start with dribbling."
The class got up and went to grab the balls from the cart. The moment Kagoa's fingers touched the basketball, something... clicked. A feeling, like his hands had been waiting for this.
'Whoa.'
"Spread out!" Tanaka called. "Give yourself space. We're going to practice dribbling in place."
Kagao found a spot near the back, away from the crowd. He bounced the ball once, and it came back to his hand like it had always belonged there. He bounced it again and again. The rhythm came naturally - push down, let it rise, catch, repeat.
'This is easy.'
He glanced around. Misu's ball bounced away from him, rolling toward the wall. Giju was slapping at his instead of bouncing.
Sakura - the sporty girl who usually beat everyone at everything - had decent control but kept looking at her hands in concentration. Kagao didn't need to look at his hands; it was like he just knew.
"Good!" Tanaka walked between the students, correcting forms. "Don't slap the baskeball Giju, you're supposed to be bouncing it with your palms. Sakura, eyes up, not down."
He stopped beside Kagao. Kagao kept dribbling low with perfect rhythm; the ball made a steady thump-thump-thump against the floor. Tanaka didn't say anything for a moment, just watching Kagao.
'Am I doing it wrong?' Kagao thought, glancing up at him.
"Kagao, have you played basketball before?"
"No, sensei." Kagao caught the ball, holding it against his chest. "My dad watches it though, and I watch with him sometimes."
"You sure you've only watched it?"
"Yupp," Kagoa said, nodding his head.
Surprise flickered across Tanaka's face. "Dribble again for me."
Kagao nodded. He pushed the ball down, and it rose back to his hand. He dribbled faster. The rhythm quickened but was under control. Left hand, right hand, switching between them without thinking.
'Wait. When did I learn to use both hands?' Kagoa thought in shock.
"How are you doing that?" Tanaka asked.
"Um." Kagao paused, catching the ball again. "I don't know? It just... feels normal?"
"Keep practicing," Tanaka said. "I want to see you shoot after this."
The shooting drill was simpler. Line up at the free-throw line - adjusted closer for elementary students, about twelve feet from the hoop. Everyone got five shots.
Kagao waited for his turn, watching classmates miss. Most kids' shots fell short or hit the rim at bad angles. Sakura made one out of five. Misu made zero, his last shot bouncing off the side of the backboard.
"You're up, Kagao," Tanaka called.
Kagao stepped to the line. He looked at the hoop and remembered Kobe's form, elbow in, eyes on the target, legs bent, follow through. Dad always talked about it during games, explaining the mechanics even though Kagao didn't fully understand.
But now, standing here...
'I kind of get it.'
He bent his knees and brought the ball up. His elbow aligned, and he shot, the ball arching through the air with perfect rotation.
Swish
"Whoa!" Misu yelled. "Kagao made it!"
"Seriously?" someone else said.
'I made it.' A grin spread across Kagao's face.
"Again," Tanaka said. "Four more shots."
The ball bounced back to Kagao. He caught it, lined up again, and did the same shot, perfectly.
Swish
"No way!"
Shot three. Swish.
"He's making all of them!"
Swish
Kagao felt like he was flying through the sky. Everyone was watching him now.
'They think I'm cool.'
He shot his final shot and put a little more arc on it; the ball sailed higher, dropping through the net cleanly.
Swish
Tanaka caught the ball as it bounced off the court. He didn't hand it to the next student; instead, he glanced at the hoop, then looked at Kagao. "Do you know what you just did?"
"Made five shots?" Kagao answered.
"You didn't just make five shots, boy, your arc was something that most high schoolers struggle to achieve, and you accomplished it on your first day touching a basketball."
Kagao didn't know what to say to that. It hadn't felt hard. Actually, it had felt really easy; was it supposed to be difficult?
"Can I try again?" he asked.
Tanaka handed him the ball, and Kagao made seven more shots in a row before missing one.
"Alright!" Tanaka clapped his hands, pulling everyone's attention from Kagao's shooting streak.
"Practice match time. I'll split you into two teams. First to sixteen points wins."
The class buzzed with excitement. This was the fun part. Tanaka divided them up, counting off by twos. Red versus Yellow.
Kagao ended up on team yellow, wearing yellow pinnies over their white P.E. uniforms. Misu was on his team, and so was Sakura. The other team had Giju and some of the baseball enthusiasts.
"Basic rules!" Tanaka shouted over the chatter. "No running with the ball - you have to dribble. A basket counts as one point, and fouls give the other team the ball. Play nice, play safe. Ready?"
Kagao's heart hammered excitedly. This was like watching Dad's games, but he was actually playing now.
Tanaka tossed the ball up at center court. Giju jumped for it, got a hand on it, and tapped it toward his teammate. Team one had possession. Kagao got into defense, his feet moved, staying between his opponent and the basket. The kid tried to dribble around him, but Kagao's longer arms cut off the path.
The kid passed it away, and Kagao tracked the ball, watching it move around the perimeter.
"Kagao!" Sakura called out. "Help!"
Her opponent had beaten her, driving toward the basket. Kagao reacted, sliding over. He jumped just high enough, and his hand met the ball at the top of the kid's shot, blocking it.
Slap
Whoa!" someone shouted.
The ball bounced away, and Misu grabbed it, passing it to Kagao. Kagao's caught it, squared up to the basket, but three defenders were on him.
'Too many people, I gotta pass.'
But Yuki was covered, and Misu was out of position. The lane to the basket looked clear if he just drove. He dribbled fast, weaving between the defenders like they weren't there. He jumped and laid it up softly against the backboard, dropping through the net.
"YES!" Misu pumped his fist. "Kagao scored!"
Two-zero - Yellow team.
Tanaka whistled. "Nice layup. Everyone back on defense."
The game continued. Team one scored, tying it up. Then team two scored again - Sakura this time, hitting a shot Kagao set up with a pass. The score climbed up to Eight-Six with the yellow team in the lead.
Kagao was everywhere. When someone drove, he was there to block or steal. When his team had the ball, he found the open spaces, received passes, scored, or passed to teammates in better positions. It was so much fun.
Twelve-Six with the Yellow team still leading.
Giju brought the ball up for the red team, looking frustrated. "Someone guard Kagao!"
Two defenders stuck to him this time, but Kagao didn't mind. He moved without the ball, cutting toward the basket, then away, then back, but the pass didn't come to him; it went to Misu instead.
Misu caught it, panicked, and immediately passed it back to the nearest yellow pinny, which was, luckily enough, Kagao. Three defenders covered him, but for just one second, everything felt right.
The defenders' movements became... predictable. The kid on his left would reach high. The one in front would go low. The third was too far to reach in time.
Kagao's hands moved before he decided to move them. He dribbled between the first defender's legs. Pulled back as the second lunged. Spun past the third, who was, exactly as predicted, too far away.
The ball never left his control. Every bounce landed where his hand expected it. The timing was perfect. He rose off one foot and hit a layup, which left his fingers at the exact right moment with the right touch.
Swish.
Fourteen-Six.
Kagao landed. 'That was... what was that?'
The feeling vanished like it had never existed. He looked at his hands, confused. Everything felt normal again.
"KAGAO!" Misu crashed into him, hugging his waist. "That was amazing! You're so good!"
"How'd you do that?" Sakura asked, eyes wide. "You went between his legs!"
"I don't know. It just... happened?"
Tanaka blew his whistle. "Two more point wins it. Red team, take it out."
Giju took a desperation shot that clanged off the rim. Kagao grabbed the rebound and jumped, hitting a layup. Game over, the score was Sixteen- Six.
His team surrounded him, shouting and laughing. Misu hung off his arm. Sakura was grinning, rare for her. Even the kids on the other team were crowding around.
"Where'd you learn that?"
"Can you teach me?"
"That was epic!"
Kagao's chest felt fuzzy; he'd never felt anything quite like this before.
"Excellent work, everyone!" Tanaka called out as the class wound down. "Hit the water fountain, then line up."
The class dispersed, chattering excitedly about the match. Kagao hung back, bouncing his basketball one last time. He didn't want to put it down.
"Kagao." Tanaka approached him. "Come here a moment."
"Yes, sensei?"
Tanaka crouched down, putting himself at Kagao's eye level. Up close, the man looked excited. "That was... I've been teaching P.E. for eight years. I've never seen a student pick up a basketball that fast." Tanaka's expression turned serious. "You have a gift, Kagao. Do you understand what that means?"
Kagao shook his head.
"It means you're special at this and better than other kids your age." Tanaka paused. "Have you thought about joining a basketball team? Youth leagues exist in Tokyo. You'd be playing with kids who practice regularly."
"There are real teams?" Kagao's eyes widened.
"Indeed, they get to practice, play games, and win tournaments." Tanaka smiled. "I can give your parents some information if you're interested."
'Playing more basketball and getting to do this all the time.' The idea sent a thrill through him. "Yes! I want to!"
"Good." Tanaka stood, ruffling Kagao's hair. "You've got something special, kid, don't waste it."
"Kagao!" Misu called from across the gym. "Come on! We're lining up!"
"Coming!" Kagao clutched the basketball to his chest one more time, then reluctantly set it back in the cart. His hands felt empty without it.
He jogged to line up with his class. Sakura got beside him.
"You're really good," she said.
"Thanks." Kagao grinned. "It was fun."
"Yeah." She glanced at him. "Guess basketball's not boring after all."
"I thought it was too before, but Kagao made it look cool!" Misu chimed in.
"Alright, class dismissed, and don't forget - we have basketball for the next three weeks. See you tomorrow!"
The class went toward the gym exit, already changing into their regular shoes, grabbing bags from the hooks along the wall. Kagao changed his shoes, still thinking about the feeling. That weird moment during the game where everything just worked.
'What was that?'
He couldn't explain or understand it, but part of him wanted to feel it again. It was like the court was helping him.
"Kagao!" Giju caught up with him at the entrance. "My brother plays basketball sometimes. He's in middle school. He said there's a place near Shibuya Station where people play. You should go!"
"For real?" Kagao perked up.
"Yeah! Tell your dad. Maybe he'll take you."
Kagao smiled. "Dad will definitely want to take me.'