Chapter 15: Love Comes So Magically

“Your training load doubles today.”

With that, Kōzō Shirogane didn’t linger. He stood up and headed straight out.

“No, Coach! I have my reasons, Coach!”

Miyamoto Tokima looked like he was about to cry. He tried to stop Kōzō Shirogane from leaving, but it was completely useless.

Kōzō Shirogane didn’t care whether Miyamoto Tokima had a reason or not. No matter what he said, the coach showed not the slightest intention of backing down.

Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Miyamoto Tokima could only obediently accept the punishment.

So what you ended up seeing was this: while everyone else was playing matches, Miyamoto Tokima alone was stuck doing miserable extra training.

Miyamoto Tokima had tried to argue that playing matches would help him improve faster, but Kōzō Shirogane didn’t believe a word of it. He firmly demanded that Miyamoto Tokima complete every training requirement.

After practice ended, everyone else packed up and went home.

“Let’s go, Miyamoto.”

Daiki Aomine glanced at Miyamoto Tokima, who was sprawled on the floor, and silently swore to himself that he would never offend Coach Shirogane.

Even though Daiki Aomine wanted to train seriously too, if he followed Miyamoto Tokima’s training intensity, he’d probably drop dead right there in the gym.

Satsuki Momoi slowly walked over and wiped the sweat from Miyamoto Tokima’s face with a handkerchief. After that, she twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him.

“Tokima, here. Water.”

Miyamoto Tokima struggled to sit up, took the bottle from Satsuki Momoi, and drank greedily.

At that moment, Daiki Aomine complained:

“Coach Shirogane is seriously ruthless. That training load is insane.”

Miyamoto Tokima didn’t even have the energy to complain anymore. He just kept chugging the water.

Seeing his condition, Daiki Aomine knew Miyamoto Tokima wouldn’t recover anytime soon.

So he set his bag aside and started extra practice on the court.

Satsuki Momoi sat next to Miyamoto Tokima, quietly keeping him company as he rested.

As Miyamoto Tokima gradually recovered his strength, he watched Daiki Aomine shoot.

Daiki Aomine still remembered what Miyamoto Tokima had said earlier. He wanted to try it for himself.

Thinking that, he casually tossed the basketball toward the hoop.

Clang—swish!

The ball hit the backboard and went in.

Daiki Aomine stared at his shooting hand in shock.

That shot had felt incredibly comfortable, as if this was exactly how he was supposed to shoot.

Excitement surged through him, and he couldn’t wait to test it again.

Daiki Aomine quickly ran under the basket to grab the ball, stepped back to around the free-throw line, and once again casually threw it.

Unfortunately, this shot didn’t go in.

But there was no disappointment on Daiki Aomine’s face—only excitement.

He had found a way to get stronger. He felt that this kind of formless, unstructured shooting was perfectly suited to him.

He had already made up his mind: he had to master the Formless Shot.

And so he put it into action, repeatedly retrieving the ball and shooting again and again.

Every shot looked like a random toss.

There was no fixed form at all.

Sitting on the sidelines, Miyamoto Tokima was completely dumbfounded.

Man, you’re already starting Formless Shot in your first year of middle school?
I came to this world to enjoy life, not to give you a cheat code!
Everyone else is still a bud, and you’ve already bloomed?!

Miyamoto Tokima never expected that Daiki Aomine would begin experimenting with the Formless Shot so early—and with some degree of accuracy, no less.

What he expected even less was that Daiki Aomine hadn’t originally planned this at all. It was just Miyamoto Tokima’s offhand comment from yesterday afternoon that sparked the idea.

Satsuki Momoi didn’t say anything. She simply watched the scene with a sweet smile.

After resting enough, Miyamoto Tokima stood up and said:

“Aomine, let’s head home.”

He thought Daiki Aomine would leave with them, but to his surprise, Daiki Aomine shook his head.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll practice a bit more.”

Watching Daiki Aomine in his excited state, Miyamoto Tokima knew he had found his rhythm. If he weren’t completely exhausted today, he would definitely have stayed to practice with him.

But Miyamoto Tokima had been trained to the brink today. All he wanted was to go home, take a shower, and sleep.

Judging by Daiki Aomine’s current momentum, he’d definitely be practicing until very late.

So Miyamoto Tokima didn’t say anything more. He turned around, picked up his bag, and prepared to leave.

Satsuki Momoi hesitated between Daiki Aomine and Miyamoto Tokima. After a brief moment, she followed Miyamoto Tokima.

Before leaving, she turned back and said:

“Aomine, I’m heading home with Tokima.”

Daiki Aomine was fully absorbed in his training and replied perfunctorily:

“Okay, you two go on ahead.”

Then he went right back to practicing.

Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi walked along the roadside.

Miyamoto Tokima walked in front, with Satsuki Momoi following behind him.

The weather was scorching hot, and almost everyone on the street was holding an ice pop.

Satsuki Momoi looked at them with a hint of envy, when Miyamoto Tokima suddenly stopped.

Her attention had been fixed on the ice pops in other people’s hands, so she didn’t notice he had stopped and bumped straight into his back.

“Ouch.”

She cried out softly, then asked in confusion:

“What’s wrong, Tokima?”

Miyamoto Tokima shook his head.

“Nothing. It’s just hot. I’ll go buy some ice pops. Wait here for me.”

With that, he walked alone into a nearby convenience store.

Satsuki Momoi stood there blankly, unsure whether she should go in too. While she hesitated, Miyamoto Tokima had already come back out.

She felt a bit regretful—if she had followed him inside, she could’ve had ice cream too.

Since she had grown up with Daiki Aomine, whenever they bought things, they always bought their own.

So the idea that someone else would buy something for her had never even crossed her mind.

Satsuki Momoi had already prepared herself to just watch Miyamoto Tokima eat his ice pop.

But then, a hand suddenly extended toward her.

It was Miyamoto Tokima’s hand, holding an already unwrapped ice pop.

He held it out to her and said gently:

“Here. Your ice pop.”

Satsuki Momoi froze, staring at the scene in front of her.

Looking at the ice pop Miyamoto Tokima offered, she felt completely at a loss. She didn’t know whether she should take it—or how she was supposed to take it.

It was an emotion she had never experienced before, and at the same time, a different kind of feeling quietly grew in her heart.

She had felt something like this before, but it had only been a tiny spark.

Only at this very moment did it fully burst forth, filling Satsuki Momoi’s heart.

Sometimes, love really does arrive in the most magical way.