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judasmartel · 2013-01-20, 07:52

Hi everyone!

I have finally decided to post my first chapter of this pretty ambitious Shoujo Basket Project by me, Judas Martel.

Updates:

- Improved Chapter 1.
- Updated the hero team, but I will have to "confirm it with the experts" first before posting.

Spoiler for Game 01 - Sakura Minamimoto:

judasmartel · 2013-01-20, 23:44

Slightly updated Chapter 1 with a "profile pic" of sorts. As stated in the disclaimer, the pictures I'm going to post here only represent the real thing. That's because I suck at drawing, but I can write a story just fine I think.

If anyone wishes to draw images for this project, you are very much welcome.

I hereby credit all the pictures you see here to its respective owners.

Anyways, without much further ado, let's get started with Chapter 2 before I lose interest in this thing.

Spoiler for Game 02 - Friendship:

Vexx · 2013-01-22, 17:27

The first chapter read rather awkwardly, more like a documentary, very stiff. The second chapter was much better, more natural feeling prose and dialog.

I had some trouble keeping track of who was saying what. Some descriptive text of what the person speaking is doing is a natural way to handle that (and yeah, I know walls of uncredited dialog are typical in eastern light novels but I tend to use the Spice&Wolf light novel as my go-to example). For western readers at least, I think this helps and creates more of a visual atmosphere for the reader.

Example: (this also shows how I wasn't quite sure who was saying what and put ?--? on names)

Quote:

After several minutes of falling in line, Hazuki and Kotori seated themselves in front of Sakura in a table near the windows at the farther end of the cafeteria.

"Haah, finally. Ah, Sakura, can you show us your lunch for today?" ?Hazuki? peered over expectantly at Sakura's boxed lunch.

"Whatever it is, it sure is very delicious. Sakura-chan cooked it herself after all," nodded ?Kotori? enthusiastically.

"Yeah, since Mom hasn't come home yet. But anyways, here it is." Sakura opened her box hesitantly, embarrassed at the attention.

"Ah, a complete obento set! Wow! Did you make all of this yourself, Sakura-chan?"

Heh, I like your use of temporary illustrations. I've fallen out of using illustrations lately because its such a pain to implement them in the forum editing tools. I can't just drag and drop like I can in word processing software.

blah blah. This may not be the way it looked at all to you while writing it so I was just improvising. I just try to think of how a scene would be filmed and describe what is going on to someone blind that can only hear the words.

What is happening to me is that I'll go back and keep rewriting earlier chapters of my stuff because they make me cringe when I read my more recent stuff. I remember reading how Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings. He must have rewritten the book a dozen times over, tuning and tweaking.

judasmartel · 2013-01-22, 20:12

Thanks for the review.

I actually thought I messed up a bit. It was a bit of a drag, really.

I saw uncredited dialog in works of our local writers, and kind of I liked it so I adapted it into my writing style.

judasmartel · 2013-01-26, 04:28

Chapter 3 is out!~

Spoiler for Horio Hazuki:

Spoiler for Game 03 - The New Transfer Student:

Spoiler for Kotori Konno:

judasmartel · 2013-01-28, 07:09

Some images to see while I write Chapter 4.

Images

Summer Uniforms

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

judasmartel · 2013-01-31, 09:40

Chapter 4 is out!~

Spoiler for Game 04 - The Fateful Encounter:

Vexx · 2013-02-02, 00:45

The only "authoring" comment I have is you might check for tense. You're writing in an immediate present tense mode (past tense for flashbacks) and a few times you flip tenses within a single fragment.

Example

Quote:

He comes out of his hiding spot when he sees Ryoko is already far away and followed her to the open court.

"and follows her".

Also, that sentence is complicated enough you might want to split it.

"... already far away. He follows her ..."

Just depends on the reading style you want. If a lot of sentences are short and clipped, a long sentence sticks out oddly. (says the guy who has huge multi-part sentences

)

judasmartel · 2013-02-06, 22:05

Spoiler for Special 01 - The Balance Between Realistic and Interesting In Sports Stories:

As You Know, not a lot of people are really into Sports Stories, presumably because if I want to "experience the feeling" first-hand, I might as well watch real games instead of reading stories about these.

Also, sports story tropes such as Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, Down to the Last Play and Miracle Rally have been abused to hell and back that people go all "Seen It a Million Times". It may seem like Strictly Formula is the only way to present a sports story, especially those based in real life (see The Mighty Macs), but of course it isn't.

However, the problem with the alternative is that I find over-the-top Super Moves (like in Prince of Tennis and Kuroko No Basuke) a cheap way to make a sports story interesting. But as somebody pointed out, they are a big deal to people who are not really into that particular sport.

But this story element rears its ugly head when somebody who happens to know that particular sport (whether by watching games on TV or by playing the sport itself) reads it and finds it not realistic enough so s/he drops it. Of course, I recognize that some people who do play the sport are capable of forgiving these deviations from reality because it's fiction, and it's not even supposed to resemble reality at all.

As stated above, "If I want to know more about the sport, I don't need to read any sports story, I would rather watch actual games or play the sport itself." But what really annoyed me is the mentality above combined with, "Make the moves physics-defying or I won't read it."

But what actually makes sports stories sell IMO is inspiration. Most if not all sports stories are written to inspire readers to win the game of Real Life, overcome their own differences and unite with people from different backgrounds and characteristics for a common cause.

The only compromise I could think of so far is to make the moves realistic, but give the characters Charles Atlas Superpowers. That means, the moves may seem impossible to do, but it actually is possible, but it requires physical abilities comparable to that of a real life professional athlete.

But before you say, "Oh, KnB did just that!", take for example Kuroko's misdirection and Midorima's full court shot. Kuroko's passes are at the level of an NBA point guard, but it's not really physically possible to literally disappear in front of everyone in the court as advertised in the show.

A possible explanation is that opposing players tend to ignore him because he's not a real threat on offense. Out of sight, out of mind. Then Kuroko cuts through the defense by suddenly appearing behind them when they least expect it.

So while it's not physically possible to literally disappear in thin air, it IS possible to disappear by making everyone not focus on you. Again, out of sight, out of mind. It could be defeated by focusing solely on that player, so "misdirection" could not work. Of course, that could still leave some other holes on the defense, but it's better than being sneaked at from behind.

In the real game, Robert Horry is well known for making clutch shots without anyone but the Genre Savvy expecting it. During the final seconds of a playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, the other players were so absorbed into getting the ball that it landed in his hand just in time for him to make the game-winning shot when they least expect it.

Midorima's full court shot... well, not even NBA players could do that! When NBA players do full court shots, they throw it like a baseball instead of shooting it like a regular jump shot! Although, it IS possible for NBA players to make shots from way outside the three-point line like a regular jump shot, just not shots from outside the half-court line.

So that ends my discourse. I would like to know what do you think about the balance between making games realistic enough for readers who know the sport and making them interesting for readers who don't.

Vexx · 2013-02-06, 23:23

It sounds to me like you've worked out the balancing act to maximize your audience. Writing the game as if you're announcing it keeps it exciting for people who know the game and can visualize the court positions and such. Interspersing that with the personality descriptions and moments of *perception* (like the vanishing or amazing shot) helps those of us clueless about the sport interested in how the characters are reacting to events around them.

judasmartel · 2013-02-06, 23:28

H-huh? But how? I haven't written any game chapters yet. I'm just about to write one! What do you mean?

And besides, I realized it's hard to come up with awesome moves for bigman players (Power Forwards and Center) except for the dunks and some trick shots, but dunks are rarely pulled off in the women's game. It probably didn't help that the pro game nowadays has become perimeter-oriented (the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls and the modern-day Miami Heat proved that an NBA championship is possible without a true Point Guard and Center, respectively) rather than bigman-oriented (before Jordan's rise to fame it was impossible to win a championship without a true Center).

Thus, the proliferation of Guard MC's in basketball stories. Another reason for this is that Guards are the closest in height to an average person, inspiring any everyman reader to try and become good at the sport despite not being physically gifted.

Vexx · 2013-02-06, 23:47

Heh. I was talking about your spoiler chat - I think you pretty much answered your own questions satisfactorily in it.

You can avoid "physics-defying" actuality by focusing on the *perceptions* of the players. Like you said, one doesn't actually vanish, they simply go off the radar of anyone watching.

judasmartel · 2013-02-08, 10:35

Chapter 5 is out!~

Spoiler for Game 05 - Will You Play With Us?:

I apologize for the lack of appropriate pictures for this chapter.

Also, I'm having trouble inserting Yuuji into this part of the story. I was about to place him here, but his expected entrance seems to be quite awkward no matter what I do. In other words, Plot Hole.

judasmartel · 2013-02-08, 10:58

Chapter 5 is out!~

Spoiler for Game 05 - Will You Play With Us?:

I apologize for the lack of appropriate pictures for this chapter.

Also, I'm having trouble inserting Yuuji into this part of the story. I was about to place him here, but his expected entrance seems to be quite awkward no matter what I do. In other words, Plot Hole.

2013-01-20, 07:52	Link #1
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	JudasMartel's pretty ambitious Shoujo Basket Project Hi everyone! I have finally decided to post my first chapter of this pretty ambitious Shoujo Basket Project by me, Judas Martel. Updates: - Improved Chapter 1. - Updated the hero team, but I will have to "confirm it with the experts" first before posting. Spoiler for Game 01 - Sakura Minamimoto: It’s a sunny morning in Seijou Private Academy. Class 1-7 is paying close attention to the teacher as he carefully explains the Mathematics lesson for that day. At the same time, a particularly huge girl is observing carefully how the teacher solves the sample problem, but she’s somehow feeling uncomfortable. It's as if everyone in class is looking through her soul. She stands out too much. Brown hair, black eyes, and shoulder length hair. She actually has a pretty cute face but with her massive body she just looks like a really huge teddy bear. The teacher stops talking and goes to the direction of Sakura's seat between the middle and the back rows. "Ms. Minamimoto, can you please solve this equation for us?" "Y-Yes!" She responds shyly with her head slightly down. She stands up and stops to see her classmates staring at her like paper sticking to glue. She feels rather embarrased, but in resignment she still went to the blackboard and tried to solve the equation as the teacher requested. It was an ordinary day for Sakura Minamimoto, but she does have unusual circumstances. Sakura Minamimoto stands at 183cm (6 feet) at a very young age of 15. The average Japanese woman stands at 158cm (5-foot-2). Her default facial expression shows that she's not very happy about this. Her unusual size made her life uneasy. People stare at her every morning on her way to school, choosing clothes was very difficult since most of them were made for smaller girls, classmates tease her mercilessly about her size, calling her names like "Giant" or "Amazoness", and the guys are rather scared instead of smitten at her so she's having difficulty finding dates. As a result, she tends to space out by herself, avoiding social contact whenever possible. But social interaction isn’t really avoidable when you have such a rowdy group as Class 1-7. Of course, they don’t show it off right now because the teacher will get mad and the lesson was rather interesting, if only quite difficult. The bell rang, which meant that the Math period is over. So the students gave their usual farewells to the teacher. The class representative proceeds to give the order to her classmates. “Stand!” Everyone stood up. “Bow!” “Thank you, sir!” Break time has begun, so everyone went on their way, some went outside to get some food from the High School Department’s famous cafeteria, others stayed inside the classroom and chatted to each other about the latest thing. However, Sakura is still in her seat, still embarrassed about what happened, feeling all alone. "Hey, Sakura, are you alright?" "Mmm, yeah. I'm fine." "Come on, Sakura, let's go to the cafeteria. Food seems to be interesting today." "Okay." *Disclaimer: This is not the real character, she only represents the real one.* Handle: Airi Kashii (Ro-Kyu-Bu!) Name: Sakura Minamimoto (南本桜) Class: 1-7 Birthdate: April 27th (Taurus, the Bull) Height: 183cm (6'0") Weight: 68kg (150lbs) Position: Center Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-25 at 00:00. Reason: Plot hole alert!~ Oopsie.

2013-01-20, 23:44	Link #2
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Slightly updated Chapter 1 with a "profile pic" of sorts. As stated in the disclaimer, the pictures I'm going to post here only represent the real thing. That's because I suck at drawing, but I can write a story just fine I think. If anyone wishes to draw images for this project, you are very much welcome. I hereby credit all the pictures you see here to its respective owners. Anyways, without much further ado, let's get started with Chapter 2 before I lose interest in this thing. Spoiler for Game 02 - Friendship: The Seijou Private Academy High School Department Cafeteria is particularly crowded on that day. It may have something to do with its latest offering which has become a favorite among the high school students - Japanese style curry. As expected, two long lines of students led its way to the cafeteria counter. Most students ordered Japanese curry, some others ordered octopus wieners, some more others ordered dumplings and Japanese-style noodles, but there were few others who seated ahead of the pack, as they have brought their own obento with them. Usually, however, students eat it inside the classroom together with their friends who also brought their own lunch boxes. Sakura brought her own lunch box, but her friend Hazuki Horio invited her to lunch at the cafeteria. She dragged another one of her friends, Kotori Konno, with her as well. She must really like curry so much that she wants to share the experience with her friends, so to speak. Well, Hazuki seems to be a really energetic girl, although a little bit air-headed. One time, she got lost inside the school grounds so she wound up about 20 minutes late for her first class. But before the teacher could say anything, she volunteered to stay outside the classroom doing various things, including carrying pails of water on both hands. She's pretty low on the academic side, but she never worries about that because she has Kotori and Sakura to help her out. Having friends with good academic sides really help. After several minutes of falling in line, Hazuki and Kotori seated themselves in front of Sakura in a table near the windows at the farther end of the cafeteria. "Haah, finally. Ah, Sakura, can you show us your lunch for today?" "Whatever it is, it sure is very delicious. Sakura-chan cooked it herself after all." "Yeah, since Mom hasn't come home yet. But anyways, here it is." "Ah, a complete obento set! Wow! Did you make all of this yourself, Sakura-chan?" "Yes, Kotori-san. It was a little bit difficult, but I was glad I was able to finish making it in time." "All righty, then." "Itadakimasu!" "Say, Kotori, Sakura, have you heard about the new student who came here today?" "Her name is Ryoko Ichinose, isn't it?" "Hmm, yeah, I guess I have heard about her. Do you think she will come to our class?" "I don't know, really. I heard the PE teachers and sports coaches saying she's one of the best female basketball players back in middle school. Have you, by any chance, met her before, Hazuki?" "Well, no. I did join our middle school girls basketball team, but we never got past the prefectural finals anyway, let alone the Final Four so I really haven't got a chance to play with her. Although, I kept hearing about this Ryoko Ichinose for a while until sometime just before our graduation." "I see. So that's how it is." "Yeah. Students and coaches alike keep saying she's real good. I heard she had offers from schools other than Seijou. I heard she chose Seijou because it's the closest to her house, or something like that. I haven't met her yet, so I can't tell you anything... "Ah, Sakura, you're looking all gloomy again! It's all over your face! I told you a hundred times! Don't mind them! They're just envious of our very own Sakura-chan because they're not as endowed as her!" "Ah, n-no! It's not like that, it's just..." "Eh? Then what? Ah! You don't mean..." "N-no! It's not like that, either." "Whatever, hmph." "Hazuki-san, pouting doesn't suit you." "Shut up, Kotori!" Kotori and Sakura let out a hearty laugh, much to Hazuki's chagrin. "Hah! What's that all about?!? Hey!!" Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-24 at 07:16.

2013-01-22, 20:12	Link #4
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Thanks for the review. I actually thought I messed up a bit. It was a bit of a drag, really. I saw uncredited dialog in works of our local writers, and kind of I liked it so I adapted it into my writing style. Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-23 at 06:44.

2013-01-26, 04:28	Link #5
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Chapter 3 is out!~ Spoiler for Horio Hazuki: Handle: Akane Isshiki (Vivid Red Operation) Name: Horio Hazuki (堀生葉月) Class: 1-7 Birthdate: June 11th (Gemini, the Twin) Height: 166cm (5'5 1/2") Weight: 53kg (118lbs) Position: Shooting Guard Spoiler for Game 03 - The New Transfer Student: Class 1-6 is already pretty crowded a few minutes before the start the first afternoon period. Everyone seems to have already taken their lunch, and are preparing for the next class. Some students are busy scribbling notes for lesson they may have missed, some are reading their own notes to prepare for the next lesson, and others are chatting in groups about the latest thing. A bespectacled male teacher in white shirt, red tie, and khaki pants enters the classroom rather briskly. “All right, class, before I start, I would like to introduce to you a new student in your class. Ichinose-kun, please enter.” The teacher then writes a name that reads like so: 市瀬遼子 "Class, this is your new classmate, Ichinose Ryoko-kun. Come on, say something to your classmates." She pauses for a while as she takes a look at her new class. She then takes a bow as she greets them. "Nice to meet you." "She's still new to this school, so please be kind to her, okay?" "Yes, sir!" The teacher then points at an empty desk near a window at the right side of the back row. "Ichinose-kun, you can sit over there. Kinomura-kun!" "Yes, sir!" "Could you please help her out on anything she might need?" "Understood, sir." "Very well then, I hope all of you guys would get along with Ichinose-kun, okay?" "Yes, sir!" ---------------- Classes have already ended, but Class 1-6 is still crowded. However, there is a particular group of boys flocking around one of their male classmates, watching something that really interests them. Is it the newest handheld or is it the hottest thing from the depths of heaven? “Oh, Kinomura, that looks good. “ Kinomura wrote something on a small notebook containing an at least double-spaced handwritten list similar to a Bingo Book, minus the pictures and usage for assassination purposes, of course. Class 1-6 Girlfriend Ratings Youko – 5 points Keiko – 3 points Shiori – 7 points Aki – 6 points Rina – 20 points The page containing the list seemed to be one name away from being full, but he placed his pen on top of the next page, as if he is going to start writing from there. Some boys from the group around him observed the list and started speaking. “Hmm, not bad, Yuuji. We agree to today’s ratings from you. You’re pretty good with the girls, aren’t you.” “But you know, we haven’t rated everyone yet.” “Eh? Why do we need to do that? There aren’t that many cute girls in our class anyway.” “That’s right. Isn’t it really so bad that our class haven’t had enough cute girls? If not for that giantess, I could have wished I was in Class 1-7. “I agree with you, Tanabata. We actually have cute girls here, but all they do is keep ogling on senpais like freaking fangirls. They’re no fun, I tell you.” Yuuji Kinomura is understandably irked. His classmates know he had a good eye for girls, but he really doesn’t like people saying bad, unfounded things about them. He only rates the girls in Seijo because his male classmates asked him to. A real gentleman, as they say. “You know, are we going to go through these girlfriend ratings or what? You keep on complaining how bad our girls are, so why don’t you try make a move on the girls from the other classes, then?” The group booed out in sarcasm and disbelief. Kotobuki started berating Yuuji for his speech. “‘Make a move on the girls from the other classes’, he says. But does he actually do it himself?” “Well, no. Kinomura, I heard you like that amazoness from Class 1-7, but you haven’t confessed to her or something, is that true?” Yuuji retorts rather vehemently. “Of course not. I don’t even know her. Even so, we should not treat girls differently just because they aren’t cute. “ “Yeah, right. You’re such a real gentleman, eh, Kinomura.” “No,it’s more like, gentle man.” Yuuji hears chuckles from the crowd around him, but he sourly ignored them and motioned them to get down to business. “Very well, if you don’t want our own girls, then fine. But just make sure the one you like is somebody I heard of, okay?” “Agreed.” The group prepares to point their fingers at somebody. “Okay, here goes. One, two, pick a winner… Youko.” “Youko, huh?” Yuuji looks at a long-haired, baby-skinned girl who seems to be looking at or waiting for something. “Ten points.” “Wow! Ten points! Just a week ago, you gave her a five.” “Is it true? Then the girls are now of a different level than before, huh?” “All right, let’s pick another one. One, two, pick a winner… Rina.” Yuuji then looks at a blond-haired girl who really stands out among her group seated at the center front row, directly in front of the teacher’s table. “Thirty points.” “Wow, 30 points! That’s Kinomura’s high score! ” “The girls are now definitely in a different level than before!” “Okay, next. One, two, pick a winner… the new transfer student Ryoko.” Yuuji looks at a black-haired girl sleeping on a desk near a window. However, he stopped to examine her more carefully while his classmates provide some commentary. Meanwhile, Rina’s group flocked to this girl, as if they are trying to talk to her. “I-chi-no-se-san!~ Do you want to come with us?” Ryoko looked at them lazily, since she just woke up from her sleep. She tells them off rather straightforwardly, even though sleepily. “S-sorry, I can’t go with you. Please leave me be.” Rina and her friends are worried, shocked, and a little bit angry. They must have been sincere about it. “Oh, I see, then. Farewell.” They promptly left. Ryoko saw shock from the boys’ eyes before she lowers her head to the desk. “No way. She’s way too weird. All she does after class is sleeping so we can barely talk to her.” Yuuji cannot write anything. He’s thinking really hard. ”I can’t rate her yet. There’s something interesting about her. I want to know what it is.” Ryoko raised her head again, stood up after a few seconds, returned her seat back to its place, and walked off the classroom silently. A few moments after seeing this, Yuuji then closed his notebook and stood up. “I-I’m sorry, guys. I just remembered I have to go somewhere.” He picked up his bag and hurriedly placed his notebook and pen inside it as he went. The group has mixed reactions. Some are understanding of him and seem to thank him for a new discovery, others are grumbling in disbelief as if they are reading a cliffhanger from a monthly manga. “He just ran off.” “Man, what a downer.” “But our girls are now much more likeable than before, right?” “Yeah, but maybe we should try to hit on the girls from the other classes sometime.” Spoiler for Kotori Konno: Handle: Saki Miyanaga (Saki) Name: Kotori Konno (紺野琴利) Class: 1-7 Birthdate: September 7th (Virgo, the Virgin) Height: 161cm (5'3 1/2") Weight: 52kg (115lbs) Position: Point Guard Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-26 at 12:11.

2013-01-28, 07:09	Link #6
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Some images to see while I write Chapter 4. Images Summer Uniforms Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload? Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-28 at 07:27.

2013-01-31, 09:40	Link #7
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Chapter 4 is out!~ Spoiler for Game 04 - The Fateful Encounter: The bell is ringing. Classes for the day are officially done. Students are now coming out of the school gates as they make their own ways. Some are heading home, others, mostly the boys, are heading to the arcades to try out the latest arcade game. The girls prefer the karaoke so they could sing out their hearts all night long. Meanwhile, there are still students left in the school grounds, mostly club members and assigned room cleaners performing their duties for that day. Others can be seen in the lockers area, picking up their stuff as they prepare to head out. A tall, brown-haired girl makes her way through a sea of lockers until she finds a locker labeled “Minamimoto Sakura”. She opens it to reveal a pair of brown shoes. As she takes It out, a folded piece of paper drops onto the floor. “H-huh? What’s this?” She picks it up and opens it to reveal a note. Come forth to the new open court near the park. I shall be waiting for you. It has no name on it. “Sacchan!” Sakura turns around to see a red-haired girl in twin ponytails calling her. “Oh, Hazuki, it’s you.” “Let’s check out the new open court outside of town. It’s near the park. Kocchan is also coming with us. I’m looking forward to see it.” “Uh, okay.” “Okay, then. Let’s go!” “But where’s Kotori?” “She’s just outside. She’s waiting for us.” “Oh, okay.” They went outside of the locker area, where a short-haired girl comes to meet them. Together they head outside of the school grounds and along a back road leading to the sports complex since it’s the easiest way to there, although not many people use this road. ----------------- The park is rather empty on that day since it’s a school day. The open court does have quite a few people using it, mostly boys and young children, with some girls in the mix. On weekends, however, this is usually filled with lots of people since it is used for pick-up games and public leagues. Hazuki is rather enthusiastic about playing in this place with her friends. “Wonderful! I haven't played in an open court for a long time. Say, isn’t it great to be able to play again, Sacchan? We have been busy in school lately.” “Hmmm. You’re right.” “Okay, let's go! Oh, wait. I have something for you guys. Check it out, ne?” ------------------ Meanwhile, a young girl in Seijo uniform walks along the empty road which seems to lead to the sports complex, all by herself. She has a rather mysterious aura around her, as evidenced by her almost ghostly-white skin and midnight black hair with bangs covering her eyes. A young bespectacled boy, also in Seijo uniform, is also walking along the road, following her lead from a long distance. He’s walking with a slight limp, and he occasionally stops to check his back and legs. He looks on the trees around the road, thinking to himself as he goes As he walks towards her a far distance ahead, she suddenly turns around as to check for something in the surroundings. Seeing nothing, she went on. The boy hides himself behind a tree near a lamp post to avoid being seen. Whew, that was close. But I thought she actually saw me. She has pretty sharp senses, I see. He comes out of the tree and continues trailing her. She does pass by the open court, with the boy hiding somewhere nearby. Again, she turns around, but sees nothing, so she takes a turn to the right and disappears. He remembers something he overheard at the faculty room before the afternoon class. She’s rather small for a basketball player, but she’s really good at what she does. I heard she had received offers from many high schools in and outside the prefecture. Yeah. But she turned them all down, didn’t she? Hmm, I wonder why. He inhales slightly deeply, and lets out a silent breath. He then peeks through his hiding spot to see Ryoko return to the complex, already clad in a black-and-white jersey which reads “Mizunomaki #7, Ichinose.” “This is it.” He comes out of his hiding spot when he sees Ryoko is already far away and followed her to the open court. -------------------- Clad in a red jersey which reads “Fujinosawa #23, Horio” with a basketball on the floor, Hazuki is waiting in a corner of the open court not far from a small dressing room which could fit at most 4 or 5 people in it. A few minutes later, Sakura and Kotori came out of the room, looking around shyly as they walked. Hazuki turns around and waves at them as she calls out. “Sacchan! Kocchan!” She lets out a laugh of excitement as she sees them also wearing the Fujinosawa jerseys. Sakura’s jersey is numbered 32, Kotori’s is numbered 25. "Wow! The jersey looks great on you, guys!" Sakura and Kotori blushed upon hearing the compliment, albeit in embarassment. "H-huh, really? But it's kind of embarassing. Our arms and legs are exposed," says Sakura. "Y-Yeah. Even our undersides are exposed too. I'm quite ashamed. I've put on quite some weight recently," adds Kotori. "Eh? Don't worry about it, Kocchan. They won't notice anything like that. You did wear the undershirts that came with them, did you?," "Y-yes, but...", hesitates Kotori. "Geez, I thought I had it perfectly done. It took an arm and a limb just to get those for you, you know," "H-huh, really?" "Yeah. I saved a lot of money for it just for you guys, because you are my best friends. And as my best friends, I want you to at least be able to play basketball with me." Sakura and Kotori are amazed. "Did you know? Hazuki felt lonely when Sacchan and Kocchan couldn't play with me for the middle school team. People in class thought I was a freak because I play basketball. I couldn't stop talking about it but I could hardly talk to anyone about it. They keep saying it's a boys' game, the girls' club can't win the championships and I should quit. But you're the only ones I know that didn't think that way. Hazuki remembers a fond incident that seemed to changed her life forever. Hazuki was crying on her desk, albeit silently. Two girls in her class, one shorter and one taller, approached her and tried to calm her down. "I-It's not true, Horio-san. I don't think you are different.", chided the shorter girl. "That's true! I think basketball players are strong! I think it's not only a boys' game. Even us girls can do it, too! I believe our girls' team can win it all! I truly believe it!", encouraged the taller girl. "R-really?" "Yeah. So will you come with us?", asked the shorter girl. "Please. And whenever you're free, can you teach us how to play basketball?", asked the taller girl. Hazuki wiped her tears and looked at them with a shining radiance of hope. "H-hmm. Okay. That's a promise. Thank you, Konno-san, Minami-san..." "It's Kotori and Sakura for you. We are friends now, okay?" "Okay then, Kotori, Sakura." "That was two years ago, wasn't it? But I wasn't able to teach you how to play the game," continued Hazuki, hanging her head down in disappointment in herself. "Well, well, that's okay. All three of us have been busy with everything and stuff," explains Kotori. "No. I have promised to teach you how to play basketball at the right time. And now is the right time. I want us to play together. I don't want to play alone. Even if it's a strong team, as long as Sacchan and Kocchan aren't in it, I won't play for it. So please, allow me to teach you basketball, okay?" "Eh. Since when you have been qualified to teach basketball?" A mysterious voice was heard as the three girls are talking. "H-huh? Who is that?", asks a startled Sakura. They turned around to see a short, pale-skinned, black-haired girl clad in a #7 black Mizunomachi jersey. Hazuki looks at her in shock. "Mi-Mizunomachi? The middle school Prefectural Champions, the team that made it to the National Finals. It's no mistake. It's her! Ryoko Ichinose!" Handle: Mikoto Urabe (Mysterious Girlfriend X) Name: Ryoko Ichinose (市ノ瀬遼子) Class: 1-6 Birthdate: December 31st (Capricorn, the Goat) Height: 156cm (5'1 1/2") Weight: 45kg (99lbs) Position: Shooting Guard Last edited by judasmartel; 2013-01-31 at 11:55.

2013-02-06, 22:05	Link #9
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Spoiler for Special 01 - The Balance Between Realistic and Interesting In Sports Stories: As You Know, not a lot of people are really into Sports Stories, presumably because if I want to "experience the feeling" first-hand, I might as well watch real games instead of reading stories about these. Also, sports story tropes such as Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, Down to the Last Play and Miracle Rally have been abused to hell and back that people go all "Seen It a Million Times". It may seem like Strictly Formula is the only way to present a sports story, especially those based in real life (see The Mighty Macs), but of course it isn't. However, the problem with the alternative is that I find over-the-top Super Moves (like in Prince of Tennis and Kuroko No Basuke) a cheap way to make a sports story interesting. But as somebody pointed out, they are a big deal to people who are not really into that particular sport. But this story element rears its ugly head when somebody who happens to know that particular sport (whether by watching games on TV or by playing the sport itself) reads it and finds it not realistic enough so s/he drops it. Of course, I recognize that some people who do play the sport are capable of forgiving these deviations from reality because it's fiction, and it's not even supposed to resemble reality at all. As stated above, "If I want to know more about the sport, I don't need to read any sports story, I would rather watch actual games or play the sport itself." But what really annoyed me is the mentality above combined with, "Make the moves physics-defying or I won't read it." But what actually makes sports stories sell IMO is inspiration. Most if not all sports stories are written to inspire readers to win the game of Real Life, overcome their own differences and unite with people from different backgrounds and characteristics for a common cause. The only compromise I could think of so far is to make the moves realistic, but give the characters Charles Atlas Superpowers. That means, the moves may seem impossible to do, but it actually is possible, but it requires physical abilities comparable to that of a real life professional athlete. But before you say, "Oh, KnB did just that!", take for example Kuroko's misdirection and Midorima's full court shot. Kuroko's passes are at the level of an NBA point guard, but it's not really physically possible to literally disappear in front of everyone in the court as advertised in the show. A possible explanation is that opposing players tend to ignore him because he's not a real threat on offense. Out of sight, out of mind. Then Kuroko cuts through the defense by suddenly appearing behind them when they least expect it. So while it's not physically possible to literally disappear in thin air, it IS possible to disappear by making everyone not focus on you. Again, out of sight, out of mind. It could be defeated by focusing solely on that player, so "misdirection" could not work. Of course, that could still leave some other holes on the defense, but it's better than being sneaked at from behind. In the real game, Robert Horry is well known for making clutch shots without anyone but the Genre Savvy expecting it. During the final seconds of a playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, the other players were so absorbed into getting the ball that it landed in his hand just in time for him to make the game-winning shot when they least expect it. Midorima's full court shot... well, not even NBA players could do that! When NBA players do full court shots, they throw it like a baseball instead of shooting it like a regular jump shot! Although, it IS possible for NBA players to make shots from way outside the three-point line like a regular jump shot, just not shots from outside the half-court line. So that ends my discourse. I would like to know what do you think about the balance between making games realistic enough for readers who know the sport and making them interesting for readers who don't.

2013-02-06, 23:23	Link #10
Vexx Obey the Darkly Cute ... Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ... Age: 55	It sounds to me like you've worked out the balancing act to maximize your audience. Writing the game as if you're announcing it keeps it exciting for people who know the game and can visualize the court positions and such. Interspersing that with the personality descriptions and moments of perception (like the vanishing or amazing shot) helps those of us clueless about the sport interested in how the characters are reacting to events around them. __________________ "It Really IS Rocket Science", Light Novel series Volume 3 in progress; Vol. 3 ch. 04 released) ((thanks for reading))

2013-02-06, 23:28	Link #11
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	H-huh? But how? I haven't written any game chapters yet. I'm just about to write one! What do you mean? And besides, I realized it's hard to come up with awesome moves for bigman players (Power Forwards and Center) except for the dunks and some trick shots, but dunks are rarely pulled off in the women's game. It probably didn't help that the pro game nowadays has become perimeter-oriented (the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls and the modern-day Miami Heat proved that an NBA championship is possible without a true Point Guard and Center, respectively) rather than bigman-oriented (before Jordan's rise to fame it was impossible to win a championship without a true Center). Thus, the proliferation of Guard MC's in basketball stories. Another reason for this is that Guards are the closest in height to an average person, inspiring any everyman reader to try and become good at the sport despite not being physically gifted.

2013-02-06, 23:47	Link #12
Vexx Obey the Darkly Cute ... Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ... Age: 55	Heh. I was talking about your spoiler chat - I think you pretty much answered your own questions satisfactorily in it. You can avoid "physics-defying" actuality by focusing on the perceptions of the players. Like you said, one doesn't actually vanish, they simply go off the radar of anyone watching. __________________ "It Really IS Rocket Science", Light Novel series Volume 3 in progress; Vol. 3 ch. 04 released) ((thanks for reading))

2013-02-08, 10:35	Link #13
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Chapter 5 is out!~ Spoiler for Game 05 - Will You Play With Us?: As Sakura, Hazuki, and Kotori were talking, a short, ghost-skinned, black-haired girl appeared in front of them with one eye covered by her bangs. They turn around and wonder who she might be while Hazuki is stricken with shock. “It’s a Mizunomachi uniform! It’s the new transfer student, Ryoko Ichinose!”, blurted Hazuki out, still shivering in shock. “Huh? Hazuki, who is she? Do you know her?”, asked Sakura. “Y-yeah. She’s the one I told you about back at the cafeteria.” “Hmm. So what do we have here?” wonders Ryoko in a condescending tone. ----------------------- An eight-person group of mostly tall high school girls clad in blue jerseys and warm-up jackets with the word “Seijo” stylishly written in white at the back were seen walking towards a large bench about a full-court away from where Hazuki was waiting for her friends Sakura and Kotori. Three of the tallest girls in the group were carrying baller bags and equipment with them as they walk. The tallest one in the group – a slightly tanned short-haired girl with an imposing lean physique – sports a rather serious expression on her face as she sets down the two baller bags she was carrying near the bench. The next one, a spunky-haired girl, was carrying one baller bag which she laid on the bench and opened it to reveal a set of basketballs and pieces of numbered cardboards which look like the ones used for a makeshift scoreboard. The third one is a blue-haired girl with a haircut so boyish she could easily be mistaken for a boy at first glance. She was carrying a backpack and three shinai swords strapped around her back. She also laid her backpack on the bench and the swords just behind it. As they prepare to play at the open court, they were discussing a certain matter of interest which they are trying to settle on that day. “Haah. I’m so relieved. But say, was it really bad that we can’t use the gym for the meantime since we don’t have a coach yet and the boys are preparing for the division tournament?” asked the spunky-haired girl. “Hm, not really, Momo-chan. This way, we can try to recruit more girls at our choosing instead of leaving it to the coach for the final say,” answered the blue-haired girl in a slightly boyish voice. “But didn’t Takezawa-sensei tell us that we can’t just pick anyone without the approval of the new coach?”, reminds a blonde-haired girl in the group as she takes out some notes and databooks from their bags. “Eh? The old man, he’s always like that. He’s so stringent with the rules. Can’t he be at least more lenient since we don’t have a coach yet and all?”, grumbles Momo. There was a brief silence, after which a girl with waist-length, midnight black hair, stands up after tying her shoelace, as if to tell something important. “While I do agree with Momoka, rules are still rules, so official recruitment has to wait until a new coach arrives. However, it doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to scout for potential players ourselves. We simply have to invite the ones we wanted to the try-outs and see if they can impress the coach. If they do, fine. If not, at least we tried.” “That’s right, Himeno-senpai,” compliments the stoic girl. There was another brief silence, after which a fiery-haired girl spoke up. “But you know what, guys? I really missed Goro-sensei a lot.” “We all do, Kiriko. It was really a loss for us when he left, but it doesn’t mean we have to show it. All we can do is hope that our new coach would be as good as Hazama-sensei. No, even better,” replied a brown-haired girl seated at the center of the bench as she puts on some knee guards. An ominous wind was gently blowing as a short, bespectacled girl grabs a notebook labeled “Seijo Databook # 201 by Irie Saito” placed among a stack of notes near the part of the bench she was sitting on. She opened it to examine the notes written on it. Himeno took off her white headband and put it in her bag. She then notices the girl in glasses reading the Seijo Databook. "Saito-kun, how is your data going?" "It's almost done, Captain. I only need to gather data from a player or two to complete this." "Hm, I see. They should be here any minute." "But, are you really sure they will come here?" "We won't know if we don't wait. One of them will be sure to come here. But the other one..." "Hm? You mean that one?" "Yeah." "Don't worry about it, Captain. You will definitely convince her. I am sure of it," said Irie with a confident and respectful voice. While they were talking, they heard voices of girls arguing about something about a half-court length away from their bench. Himeno turned around to see four jersey-clad girls. One of them wore a black jersey, the rest wore red jerseys. "Hm? Something's going on over there," alerted Himeno. "Then let us go and see," affirmed the brown-haired girl. Himeno, Saito, the blue-haired girl, and the brown-haired girl immediately ran towards the scene. ----------------------- The three former Fujinosawa students were gathering together at the open court as per invitation of Hazuki Horio, who wishes to teach her friends Sakura Minamimoto and Kotori Konno the game of basketball in gratitude for their gesture of friendship two years ago. They were about to start playing when a short, pale-skinned girl came at them, part out of curiosity. Hazuki was shocked to see her. The pale-skinned girl is actually the transfer student Ryoko Ichinose. "M-Mizunomachi? T-that's her! The transfer student! Ryoko Ichinose!" mutters Hazuki. “Huh? Hazuki, who is she? Do you know her?”, asked Sakura. “Y-yeah. She’s the one I told you about back at the cafeteria,” replied Hazuki. "Mizunomachi Middle School? They were the Prefectural Champions which made it to the National Finals, right?", asked Kotori. “Hmm. So what do we have here?” wonders Ryoko in a condescending tone. She walked past the three Fujinosawa girls and took the basketball from the floor close to where they stood. She then looked at them closely, as if she was really interested in them. She dribbled the ball a few times and then spinned it with her left index finger. "Heh, so you used to play for Fujinosawa, right?" "Well, that's only me," answered Hazuki as she starts introducing Sakura and Kotori to her. "These two are with me, but they haven't played a single game yet." "Is that so? I actually thought they played with you since they are wearing Fujinosawa jerseys." "Well, what do you want?" "Heh, are you really sure they can learn basketball from you?" "O-of course, I am! I'm pretty confident with my abilities, you know." "Hm? Really? Sorry, but I don't really think you're that good."." "Huh!? What did you say?" "What did I say? I'm just telling you what I think." Hazuki let out a tiny voice as she shakes in slight anger. "Hazuki," muttered Kotori in concern. "H-Hazuki-chan," said a concerned Sakura. Ryoko took something out of her jersey - a piece of paper with a note written on it. "Come forth to the open court near the park after class. I shall be waiting for you." "Hmm, okay, I'll tell you. I received this note from an anonymous sender," informs Ryoko as she shows the note to Hazuki, who has already calmed down but still visibly angry. "I thought you guys are the ones who dropped this in my locker because you came here before me," she continues as she puts the note back in her jersey. "So, did you?" "No," chorused the three girls. A moment of silence. Sakura then took a piece of paper from inside her shorts as she speaks up. "Uh, actually, I got a similar note from my locker as well." "Eh? You also got one?" uttered Hazuki in shock. "So that's what you were reading back in the locker room." "Yeah. I didn't think of it as something important so I didn't tell you or Kotori-chan about it." "Huh, is that so?" Hazuki then turns to Ryoko, who was still holding the ball. "Hmm, if you and Sacchan got the same note, then what could that mean?" "I think I know what this is about, but just to be sure, you did receive a note, didn't you?" "Well, yeah, I did, but that was about a week ago. I did plan to come here as stated in the note, but I didn't want to come here alone. So I took Sacchan and Kocchan here. Look, I even had these custom-made jerseys as my surprise gifts for them! It's my wish to fulfill my promise to them, that I will teach them how to play basketball one day." "I see. So if you guys didn't send me that note but you also got the same note, that means..." "Hey, you guys." A stern voice was heard as Ryoko and Hazuki were talking. They turned around to see a group of three tall girls wearing blue-colored jerseys and opened warm-up jackets. "So you finally came. We have been waiting for you." spoke the black-haired girl. "So, this onee-chan was the one who sent the notes to our lockers?" "Yes, I did." She bowed her head slightly as she introduces herself to the freshman group. "Nice to meet you. I am Mashiro Himeno, team captain of the Seijo Academy Girls' Basketball Team." I apologize for the lack of appropriate pictures for this chapter. Also, I'm having trouble inserting Yuuji into this part of the story. I was about to place him here, but his expected entrance seems to be quite awkward no matter what I do. In other words, Plot Hole.

2013-02-08, 10:58	Link #14
judasmartel 神の金槌 (ユダ=マーテル) Author Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cainta, Rizal, Philippines	Chapter 5 is out!~ Spoiler for Game 05 - Will You Play With Us?: As Sakura, Hazuki, and Kotori were talking, a short, ghost-skinned, black-haired girl appeared in front of them with one eye covered by her bangs. They turn around and wonder who she might be while Hazuki is stricken with shock. “It’s a Mizunomachi uniform! It’s the new transfer student, Ryoko Ichinose!”, blurted Hazuki out, still shivering in shock. “Huh? Hazuki, who is she? Do you know her?”, asked Sakura. “Y-yeah. She’s the one I told you about back at the cafeteria.” “Hmm. So what do we have here?” wonders Ryoko in a condescending tone. ----------------------- An eight-person group of mostly tall high school girls clad in blue jerseys and warm-up jackets with the word “Seijo” stylishly written in white at the back were seen walking towards a large bench about a full-court away from where Hazuki was waiting for her friends Sakura and Kotori. Three of the tallest girls in the group were carrying baller bags and equipment with them as they walk. The tallest one in the group – a slightly tanned short-haired girl with an imposing lean physique – sports a rather serious expression on her face as she sets down the two baller bags she was carrying near the bench. The next one, a spunky-haired girl, was carrying one baller bag which she laid on the bench and opened it to reveal a set of basketballs and pieces of numbered cardboards which look like the ones used for a makeshift scoreboard. The third one is a blue-haired girl with a haircut so boyish she could easily be mistaken for a boy at first glance. She was carrying a backpack and three shinai swords strapped around her back. She also laid her backpack on the bench and the swords just behind it. As they prepare to play at the open court, they were discussing a certain matter of interest which they are trying to settle on that day. “Haah. I’m so relieved. But say, was it really bad that we can’t use the gym for the meantime since we don’t have a coach yet and the boys are preparing for the division tournament?” asked the spunky-haired girl. “Hm, not really, Momo-chan. This way, we can try to recruit more girls at our choosing instead of leaving it to the coach for the final say,” answered the blue-haired girl in a slightly boyish voice. “But didn’t Takezawa-sensei tell us that we can’t just pick anyone without the approval of the new coach?”, reminds a blonde-haired girl in the group as she takes out some notes and databooks from their bags. “Eh? The old man, he’s always like that. He’s so stringent with the rules. Can’t he be at least more lenient since we don’t have a coach yet and all?”, grumbles Momo. There was a brief silence, after which a girl with waist-length, midnight black hair, stands up after tying her shoelace, as if to tell something important. “While I do agree with Momoka, rules are still rules, so official recruitment has to wait until a new coach arrives. However, it doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to scout for potential players ourselves. We simply have to invite the ones we wanted to the try-outs and see if they can impress the coach. If they do, fine. If not, at least we tried.” “That’s right, Himeno-senpai,” compliments the stoic girl. There was another brief silence, after which a fiery-haired girl spoke up. “But you know what, guys? I really missed Goro-sensei a lot.” “We all do, Kiriko. It was really a loss for us when he left, but it doesn’t mean we have to show it. All we can do is hope that our new coach would be as good as Hazama-sensei. No, even better,” replied a brown-haired girl seated at the center of the bench as she puts on some knee guards. An ominous wind was gently blowing as a short, bespectacled girl grabs a notebook labeled “Seijo Databook # 201 by Irie Saito” placed among a stack of notes near the part of the bench she was sitting on. She opened it to examine the notes written on it. Himeno took off her white headband and put it in her bag. She then notices the girl in glasses reading the Seijo Databook. "Saito-kun, how is your data going?" "It's almost done, Captain. I only need to gather data from a player or two to complete this." "Hm, I see. They should be here any minute." "But, are you really sure they will come here?" "We won't know if we don't wait. One of them will be sure to come here. But the other one..." "Hm? You mean that one?" "Yeah." "Don't worry about it, Captain. You will definitely convince her. I am sure of it," said Irie with a confident and respectful voice. While they were talking, they heard voices of girls arguing about something about a half-court length away from their bench. Himeno turned around to see four jersey-clad girls. One of them wore a black jersey, the rest wore red jerseys. "Hm? Something's going on over there," alerted Himeno. "Then let us go and see," affirmed the brown-haired girl. Himeno, Saito, the blue-haired girl, and the brown-haired girl immediately ran towards the scene. ----------------------- The three former Fujinosawa students were gathering together at the open court as per invitation of Hazuki Horio, who wishes to teach her friends Sakura Minamimoto and Kotori Konno the game of basketball in gratitude for their gesture of friendship two years ago. They were about to start playing when a short, pale-skinned girl came at them, part out of curiosity. Hazuki was shocked to see her. The pale-skinned girl is actually the transfer student Ryoko Ichinose. "M-Mizunomachi? T-that's her! The transfer student! Ryoko Ichinose!" mutters Hazuki. “Huh? Hazuki, who is she? Do you know her?”, asked Sakura. “Y-yeah. She’s the one I told you about back at the cafeteria,” replied Hazuki. "Mizunomachi Middle School? They were the Prefectural Champions which made it to the National Finals, right?", asked Kotori. “Hmm. So what do we have here?” wonders Ryoko in a condescending tone. She walked past the three Fujinosawa girls and took the basketball from the floor close to where they stood. She then looked at them closely, as if she was really interested in them. She dribbled the ball a few times and then spinned it with her left index finger. "Heh, so you used to play for Fujinosawa, right?" "Well, that's only me," answered Hazuki as she starts introducing Sakura and Kotori to her. "These two are with me, but they haven't played a single game yet." "Is that so? I actually thought they played with you since they are wearing Fujinosawa jerseys." "Well, what do you want?" "Heh, are you really sure they can learn basketball from you?" "O-of course, I am! I'm pretty confident with my abilities, you know." "Hm? Really? Sorry, but I don't really think you're that good."." "Huh!? What did you say?" "What did I say? I'm just telling you what I think." Hazuki let out a tiny voice as she shakes in slight anger. "Hazuki," muttered Kotori in concern. "H-Hazuki-chan," said a concerned Sakura. Ryoko took something out of her jersey - a piece of paper with a note written on it. "Come forth to the open court near the park after class. I shall be waiting for you." "Hmm, okay, I'll tell you. I received this note from an anonymous sender," informs Ryoko as she shows the note to Hazuki, who has already calmed down but still visibly angry. "I thought you guys are the ones who dropped this in my locker because you came here before me," she continues as she puts the note back in her jersey. "So, did you?" "No," chorused the three girls. A moment of silence. Sakura then took a piece of paper from inside her shorts as she speaks up. "Uh, actually, I got a similar note from my locker as well." "Eh? You also got one?" uttered Hazuki in shock. "So that's what you were reading back in the locker room." "Yeah. I didn't think of it as something important so I didn't tell you or Kotori-chan about it." "Huh, is that so?" Hazuki then turns to Ryoko, who was still holding the ball. "Hmm, if you and Sacchan got the same note, then what could that mean?" "I think I know what this is about, but just to be sure, you did receive a note, didn't you?" "Well, yeah, I did, but that was about a week ago. I did plan to come here as stated in the note, but I didn't want to come here alone. So I took Sacchan and Kocchan here. Look, I even had these custom-made jerseys as my surprise gifts for them! It's my wish to fulfill my promise to them, that I will teach them how to play basketball one day." "I see. So if you guys didn't send me that note but you also got the same note, that means..." "Hey, you guys." A stern voice was heard as Ryoko and Hazuki were talking. They turned around to see a group of three tall girls wearing blue-colored jerseys and opened warm-up jackets. "So you finally came. We have been waiting for you." spoke the black-haired girl. "So, this onee-chan was the one who sent the notes to our lockers?" "Yes, I did." She bowed her head slightly as she introduces herself to the freshman group. "Nice to meet you. I am Mashiro Himeno, team captain of the Seijo Academy Girls' Basketball Team." I apologize for the lack of appropriate pictures for this chapter. Also, I'm having trouble inserting Yuuji into this part of the story. I was about to place him here, but his expected entrance seems to be quite awkward no matter what I do. In other words, Plot Hole.