Side Story
Volume 3
He got past!
By the time Madoka, standing on the centerline, thought that and turned around, Chiaki Nachi had already fired a layup shot toward the goal.
This is the third one.
The first one was a reverse turn, and it was brilliantly taken.
In the second, he came to a sudden stop in front of me and slipped past me when I put out my hand. The difference between the slow and the quick was frightening.
And this third run.
Between the end line and the centerline, he reached top speed and ran through the side of the circle like the wind. There were no fakes, no turns, no dribble changes. It was simply a feat of strength based on speed, but nothing could show the difference more overwhelmingly than that.
[As I thought, it’s no good. I don’t think I can win against Madoka-senpai.]
Nachi said after the whole thing was over.
[How dare you say that? You got three of them.]
[But I lost one.]
[You just didn’t get it because you’re not strong enough to shoot a three-pointer on a fadeaway.]
The all-court one-on-one, which started as a bit of fun, ended with Madoka taking all four offensive shots and Nachi taking three.
[It was as if my defeat was predetermined as soon as I was stopped.]
[And that last one was in retaliation? Wouldn’t you be invincible in an all-court one-on-one?]
[Well, I was good at attacking quickly. Well, I was good at attacking fast, and I’m confident that I can get past two defenders if they’re not terrible. I don’t think I could get past three.]
[No, in that case, you’re crazy for not waiting for your teammates in a one-on-three situation.]
Madoka calmly interjected.
Normally, there is no such thing as a quick one-on-three attack. But the way he spoke, he must have once tried to breakthrough in a situation that could not be called an opportunity. It’s certainly something that this boy, who is somewhat reckless, would do. And Madoka didn’t dislike that style of play.
[I’ve learned that I can’t beat Nacchi if it comes down to a speed contest. The only thing missing is your height. I wish you had ten more centimeters… What is the average height of sixteen-year-olds?]
[That’s roughly one hundred and seventy.]
Seeing Nachi’s immediate response, Madoka thought, ‘You are concerned, aren’t you?’.
[Ten centimeters is not enough then?]
[Mu…]
Nachi’s brow wrinkled slightly.
[I haven’t had my birthday yet, so can you please consider me fifteen?]
[What is the average of fifteen then?]
[…168.]
[There’s not much difference.]
But for Nachi, who cares about his height so much that he remembers the averages for each age group, this is not a trivial matter.
On the other hand, a 172 cm Madoka is fine for playing basketball but too high for personal life, which is a problem for a girl of her age. However, from Nachi’s point of view, this may seem like an extravagant concern.
[Nacchi, when’s your birthday?]
She asked Nachi, who was sitting on the stage by the court, fanning himself with an undershirt he had taken out of his bag.
He asked out of mere curiosity, but the question was met with a strange answer.
[According to my family register, it’s the 30th of December.]
[According to your family register?]
[Oh, right. I haven’t told Madoka-senpai yet, and I think I promised to tell you.]
Nachi then looked around the gym.
As he did so, Madoka also looked around.
After school on a weekday, it was still early in the day for club activities, and not many club members had gathered. The serious club members who have already arrived are usually first-year students who are too busy preparing for practice to talk to Madoka or Nachi.
After making sure that no one was nearby, Nachi began to speak.
[Well, I’m what you call an orphan.]
[…eh?]
[The church that took me in consulted with the Mother and Child Center to create a family register, and they decided that this would be the approximate date. That’s why I don’t know the exact date.]
Then Nachi stretched his legs out on the stage, crossed his arms, and nodded his head.
[Wait a minute, you. What are you doing telling me such a powerful story about your background so casually?]
[Eh? Nothing like that. I thought I was being serious, though.]
Nachi said with a smile.
By serious, was he referring to the strange look on his face and the folding of his arms earlier? If so, it looked to Madoka like he was just joking around. Could it be that this story itself was a lie?
[Well, there’s no point in talking about the past with any particular seriousness now.]
[……]
Apparently, he wasn’t making this up.
Nachi explained further.
He grew up in a church that also served as an orphanage.
He met his current parents when he was in elementary school and was taken in by Chiaki’s family.
The people around him were scornful of his orphanage upbringing and jealous of the fact that he had become the son of a wealthy family.
[Does that mean the basketball advisor in middle school didn’t use Nacchi for the team because of that stupid discrimination?]
[I wonder…]
Nachi twisted his head.
[What do you mean “I wonder”, it’s obvious, isn’t it?]
[I’m sure that’s the reason why he didn’t like me, but I think that should be considered separately from the fact that I wasn’t used in games. Maybe I simply wasn’t good enough.]
[Y-you know…]
Madoka was a little stunned.
Ever since she met this boy, Chiaki Nachi, through her best friend Tsukasa Katase, she had thought he was a very honest boy, but she had never expected him to be like this. You can only call him a good-natured boy at this point.
[You have speed, you have skill. It would be crazy not to use a guard like you.]
[But I tend to make reckless cut-ins and get crushed. So I wonder if that was my fault?]
[……]
What in the world is this kid about? – Such a thought was beginning to irritate Madoka.
If you were discriminated against unfairly because of your birth, you can say it was painful. If he didn’t get a regular spot in his favorite basketball team, he could say he was frustrated. And yet, this boy smiles and says that it was all in the past.
[You’re an idiot.]
[I-I-idiot? …by the way senpai, are you crying?]
[I-I’m not crying.]
But before she knew it, Madoka was crying for this boy.
For this boy, who despite his pretty face and tough upbringing, and the painful circumstances he has faced, has grown up to be more honest than anyone else Madoka has ever known.
Suddenly–
Softly, Madoka hugged Nachi.
[….Nacchi. If you’re having a hard time, you can always tell me. Don’t be reserved.]
Surprised by the suddenness of the situation, Nachi stopped moving with a puzzled look on his face.
But after a while.
[…senpai?]
[Yeah?]
[…You stink of sweat]
The next moment, a dull sound echoed through the gym.
Nachi was pushed away by an angry Madoka and fell to the stage floor. It sounded like he could have died if he hit the wrong spot. In fact, the few members of the club who had pretended not to see their captain hugging an underclassman actually silently crossed at that.
[That was dangerous. My soul was leaving my body right now. I was watching myself fall from above.]
Nachi did not move for a while, but as soon as he got up, he complained.
[You deserved it, idiot.]
Spitting it out, she turned her back on Nachi.
It was good that she turned away, but the trouble was that she couldn’t turn around again. After all this time, she began to feel embarrassed.
Eventually, Nachi said.
[Thank you very much, senpai. I’m happy that you said that.]
[……]
She did not reply, not because she was angry, of course.
[But to be frank, I don’t actually find it particularly painful now or in the past. I wonder if my sense of misery is dull. Maybe people think it’s hard when they see it. But I’m strangely blessed with good human relationships. Well, there are some people I don’t like. But there are people who care about me just as much or more. Just like senpai.]
[That’s because everyone…]
[Ah, Katase senpai is here.]
Madoka’s words were interrupted mid-sentence.
At the entrance of the gymnasium, she saw her best friend Tsukasa Katase peeking inside. She must have finished her own business and came to pick up Nachi to go home.
[Then, senpai, I’ll be going now.]
With that, Nachi grabbed his control bag and took off from the stage. He landed without any trouble and ran straight to the entrance. On the way, he picked up a basketball that was lying on the floor, jumped with one step, and threw it to me with a swift pass.
The ball took one bounce and landed neatly in Madoka’s hand. Nachi had already reached Tsukasa’s side by then and gave her an innocent look.
[I’m glad you’re on good terms.]
She sniffed.
If Nachi felt so blessed in his relationships that he was able to cancel out the painful ones, the main reason must be Tsukasa, Madoka thought.
[This is bad…]
Madoka mumbled to herself in her room.
Madoka has three younger siblings.
First, there are two monozygotic twins, Yuka(girl) and Ruka(boy), who are three years younger and currently in their third year of middle school. Perhaps it is because they are twins, but they get along well for siblings of their age. That’s all well and good, but for some reason, they are thinking of colluding to trap Madoka, which was a source of trouble.
She has a younger brother, Yukitaka, who is five years younger than her and is in the fourth grade, and he has joined the twins, which adds to her troubles.
However, Madoka thinks that the biggest source of trouble may be herself, who still thinks her younger siblings are cute.
Compared to her younger siblings, who have their own quirks, Nachi Chiaki is very honest and has a different kind of cuteness.
(That’s why it’s bad.)
Even though it looks like that, Nachi is, in fact, and in name, Tsukasa’s lover.
However, I think the two of them are unbalanced no matter how you look at them. Nachi is younger and shorter than Tsukasa and is constantly being pushed around by Tsukasa.
(Well, if it were me, it would be even more unbalanced.)
She imagined herself and Nachi in their casual clothes walking side by side on a holiday and stopped her thoughts there.
One tempo later, she felt her face heat up.
…….
…….
[….Come on, let’s study.]
Saying this to no one in particular, Madoka stood up vigorously.
It was a Sunday afternoon, a time when she would normally be at school for club practice. But club activities themselves were currently banned in preparation for the final exams on Wednesday.
What was this vacation for? As she approached her desk to begin her studies, she casually looked out the window and saw the figure of Chiaki Nachi, whom she had just shaken out of her consciousness.
[What’s he doing? … ah, isn’t it obvious…]
In the middle of saying it, an answer occurred to her.
Across the street was Tsukasa’s house. Naturally, he must have come to see Tsukasa. In fact, Nachi seemed to be standing in front of the intercom waiting for a response.
However, the situation gradually changed. Tsukasa didn’t answer for a long time, and Nachi tilted his head as he finally opened the display of his cell phone.
She wondered if Tsukasa was not there.
[Hey, Nacchi. What are you doing?]
It was no use looking, so Madoka opened the window and called out.
[What? What are you doing here?]
[No, this is my room in my house… Wait a minute, I’m coming over.]
With that, Madoka closed the window and headed for the exit on the floor.
Madoka’s room was in the attic. When her youngest brother, Yukitaka, started elementary school, he wanted his own room, so Madoka gave up her own room and moved into this attic. Therefore, the entrance and exit are on the floor.
She went down the stairs, which were as sloped as a stepladder.
When she went out into the hallway on the second floor, the floor was wet for some reason. When she looked over, she saw the twins peeking at her from their respective rooms, and Yuka had an electric cord in her hand. So she dropped one fist into each of their heads, although she didn’t know how serious they were.
She spent about two minutes on unnecessary things and went outside.
[What? You came here to see Tsukasa, but she wasn’t there?]
[If that’s the case, then I’m the dumb one. I’ve already informed her that I’m coming.]
[So she knew you were coming and went out? That’s a difficult situation to imagine.]
Madoka was well aware of Tsukasa’s infatuation with Nachi, so it’s puzzling that she would be away at this time.
[ What about the cell phone?]
[She didn’t seem to be carrying it…. see?]
As Nachi operated his cell phone, she could hear a faint ringing melody coming from the second-floor window of the Katase residence. Right. She must have left it on the desk in her room.
[So, that means she’s going to be home soon… Do you want to come in and wait for her?]
[Eh? But, isn’t that a bad idea?]
Nachi was puzzled by the suggestion. Madoka could kind of understand what he meant.
[I’m not worried about that. I don’t think Nacchi will do anything. Besides, I don’t think Nacchi as a man anyway]
As she said this, Madoka realized that her words were full of self-deceit.
[……]
[What’s wrong?]
[No, it just hurt my feelings… Oh, it’s just my problem, don’t worry.]
In the end, Nachi just mumbled his words.
She invited Nachi into the house and went up the front door.
[What are you doing at Tsukasa’s house? You’re not going to tell me you just wanted to see her face, are you?]
[No way. She left something at my house, so I came to deliver it.]
[He~e. I see. So Tsukasa went to Nacchi’s place.]
She was slightly annoyed. She had been worried about their relationship for a long time. It would have been nice to know if there had been any progress.
[So, what did Tsukasa leave behind?]
[Underwear.]
[Wait a minute.]
Without thinking, Madoka grabbed onto Nachi’s collar.
[No no, senpai. I’m kidding, I’m kidding.]
Nachi was surprised by the fierce battle spirit of Madoka and raised his hands in surrender and non-resistance.
[Y-you…When did you become such an interestingly frightening kid…]
With a sigh, she went upstairs.
The wet floor had already been cleaned. But she could still feel their eyes on her, and when she looked down the hallway, she saw the twins again, and at the same time, they were making a strange sign with their thumbs up. But she decided not to think about the meaning for the time being.
[I heard from Tsukasa senpai, but it’s really an attic.]
Nachi looked up at the ladder-like stairs and exclaimed in admiration.
[Yes, yes. Just go up first.]
She slapped him on the butt and urged him to go up first.
Following Nachi, Madoka went up the stairs. When they both entered the room, Madoka closed the door like a lid.
[It’s not very convenient to be in an attic, is it?]
[It’s not so bad. Once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal.]
The attic had a low ceiling, which made it feel a bit oppressive. Moreover, due to the structure of the house, the ceiling gets even lower the further you go in the east-west direction. This reflects the shape of the roof. However, since it was designed as a room from the start, it has large windows on the north and south sides and even a sunroof, so there was no problem with lighting.
[It’s actually more spacious than any other room in the house.]
[That’s a good deal… That being said, I didn’t think that Madoka Senpai lived right in front of Tsukasa Senpai.]
Nachi said, looking out the window facing the street.
From there they can see Tsukasa’s house.
[Didn’t you hear from Tsukasa?]
[No, I didn’t. I wonder why?]
[Who knows? …well, it’s something she might do.]
Tsukasa has a habit of withholding strange parts of her life from Nachi. She still doesn’t seem to be able to tell him that Nachi is popular among the third-year girls. she could somewhat imagine why.
The next thing that caught Nachi’s attention was a basketball instruction book on the bookshelf.
[Haven’t you seen a lot of those?]
[But I’ve never seen a book that was written from the perspective of a teacher.]
Then, with a serious face, he started flipping through the book. Madoka was sitting on the bed, looking at him.
(I see. This kind of face huh….)
Tsukasa told her once. She said that Nachi’s face when he holds the ball is so cool. He still has that same look on his face. And Madoka now felt that she could understand Tsukasa’s feeling of being struck in the heart.
[Hey, Nacchi.]
[Hmm?]
The reply came back to her with his attention still on the book.
[You have started calling Tsukasa by her first name.]
[Eh? Ah, that.]
He finally looked up. She wondered if he had responded to the word Tsukasa.
[There was a sudden change in policy the other day…]
He smiled shyly.
[Is that weird?]
[… Maybe. It’s like you two are dating.]
[Ugh. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to say it at school or in a public place. …but It’s okay if it’s in front of Madoka senpai, right?]
[What are you saying at this point?]
[Right?]
Nachi smiled happily.
At that moment, Nachi’s cell phone rang.
[Ah, senpai? Where the heck are you now? … home? Then till now… Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m looking forward to that. ……Eh? me…?]
Nachi glanced over at Madoka. She was probably asking where he was now. Madoka shook her head. If Tsukasa found out that Madoka was with Nachi without her, she would complain furiously, of course.
[I went to the house, but no one answered, so I wandered around the area… Yes, well, I’ll be right there.]
He hung up the phone.
[What did Tsukasa say?]
[She said she was out shopping at some pastry shop because I was coming. It might have been tiramisu again. She’s already reached home now, so she wants me to come right away. Do you want to come too?]
[…I’ll pass.]
When Madoka said that, Nachi asked her why with only a dubious expression. But Madoka did not answer.
[So go ahead and spoil her with a big ‘Tsukasa senpa~i’.]
[Uwa, that’s kind of a gross way to say it.]
He didn’t seem to be offended though, and said, [Then if you’ll excuse me], and walked down the stairs. Unable to bring herself to walk him to the door for some reason, Madoka just held up one hand and saw him off.
The sound of light footsteps drifted away down the hallway.
[I don’t want to see you guys getting all chummy…]
Although she had thought she had said it in a joking way with a wry smile, she didn’t think she had been very successful.
After school on Tuesday, when the final exam was scheduled for the next day.
Madoka looked down from the classroom window at the exit.
As she looked down, she saw Nachi and Tsukasa coming out of the exit to go home. When she saw Nachi waving at a passing classmate, and Tsukasa giving her a blizzard-like frozen stare, Madoka involuntarily exclaimed, [Uwa~…]
[Do you know? Nacchi started calling Tsukasa by her first name the other day.]
She watched them walk out of the school gate and then opened her mouth.
The only other person in the classroom besides Madoka, who was not a classmate, was Ichiya Toya.
[So it seems. Sometimes he slips up and says it.]
Ichiya sat down lightly at a desk near the center of the classroom and looked at Madoka’s back.
[Nacchi you see, while he is talking to me, he immediately starts talking about Tsukasa. It’s really annoying.]
[Lately, you’ve been talking about Nachi all the time, like a certain ther senpai.]
[Go~fu…]
Perhaps something had occurred to her, Madoka’s head, which was resting on the window sill, lowered slightly.
Ichiya, who is not usually a person of many words, does not talk much on his own. And Madoka now kept her mouth shut with no room for rebuttal.
A silence was inevitably created between them.
Madoka broke the silence and opened her mouth again.
[Toyachi, have you ever heard the story of Nacchi when he was little?]
When Nachi’s name came up again, Ichiya shrugged slightly.
[I have. It was rather early in my life when I met him.]
[Wouldn’t you want to protect him if you heard something like that?]
[…Not really]
Hearing the unexpected answer from Ichiya, Madoka turned around.
To Madoka’s surprise, Ichiya continued without hesitation.
[It’s not like he’s a weakling. He’s a hundred times stronger than me.]
[……]
[And if friendship and love are based on sympathy, he doesn’t need that, does he?]
Madoka fell silent as she listened to the words of Ichiya.
And then–
[Ahhhh~]
Suddenly, she covered her face with one hand.
[It just cooled down for me because of your words…]
[My sympathies]
[In short, I was mistaken. You’re right, it was after I heard Nacchi’s story.]
[I don’t know what you’re talking about, so I don’t give a damn even if you tell me.]
Ichiya said, uninterested.
Madoka sat down sideways in her seat as if she had lost her strength. It was right next to the desk where Ichiya had been sitting. The two of them were almost facing each other.
[Then again, am I that kind of woman? The one who sees a man with weakness and wants to protect him?]
Suddenly feeling something in her mind, she looked up and found herself eye to eye with Ichiya.
Ichiya’s shapely eyebrows drew together slightly as if to show his displeasure. Madoka thought, [Oh, shit,] but it was too late.
[Cancel that summer vacation plans.]
[Ugh…]
Madoka groaned.
However, Ichiya did not care about Madoka, and picked up his own bag and started walking towards the exit at a rough pace. Madoka hurriedly grabbed her own bag and followed him.
[Toyachi~!]
[I don’t care. Go to the mountains or the sea or wherever you like by yourself.]
Ultimately, Ichiya did not stop until the end.
TN: It’s been too long… I mean this chapter alone was 19 pages after translating.. So I was procrastinating it…
Thanks to Mateo for the Ko-fi donation…! This chapter is for you.
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Impatient MTL Reader 
Thanks for the chapter
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