Judas Martel's Screwed Writing Project - *Sakura Basket*

[judasmartel]

Hi everyone!

For the third time (lol), I resurrected my old WIP, rearranged with some plot changes.

I hope I can get myself motivated to finish what I started years ago and not get bored of it all over again.

Reviews, comments, and violent reactions are welcome.

Enjoy!~

Spoiler for Game 01 - The Tall Cherry Blossom Tree:

​

One sunny morning in Seijo Private Academy, Class 1-7 pays close attention to the teacher as he carefully explains the Mathematics lesson for that day. One particular girl observes carefully how the teacher solves the sample problem, but she feels like everyone in class is looking straight at her soul. She has brown hair, black eyes, and shoulder length hair. She actually has a pretty cute face but her massive body resembling a life-size teddy bear just looks intimidating.

"Ms. Sakura Minamimoto, can you please solve this equation for us?"

"Y-Yes!"

She responds with her head slightly down. She stands up from her seat between the middle and the back rows. Her classmates staring at her like paper sticking to glue. Feeling resigned and embarrassed, she went up the blackboard and solved the equation as the teacher requested.

A few minutes later, the bell rings. Math class is over. The students give their usual farewells to the teacher. The class representative proceeds to give the order to her classmates.

“Stand! Bow!”

“Thank you, sir!

It’s break time. Everyone went on their way. Some went outside to eat or buy food from the High School Department’s famous cafeteria, others stayed inside the classroom and talked about the latest thing.

However, Sakura is still in her seat, embarrassed and feeling alone. She vividly remembers things that happen in her life on a constant basis. Such was an ordinary day for Sakura Minamimoto, an ordinary high school girl with extraordinary circumstances.

Sakura Minamimoto stands at 183 cm (6 ft) tall at a very young age of 15, way higher than the average of 158 cm (5 ft 2 in). Her unusual size made her life uneasy, and it shows through her default facial expression, lonely and wishing she could have been much smaller.

People stare at her all the time, shopping for clothes is very difficult as most of these are made for smaller girls, classmates call her names like "Huge Woman" or "Amazoness", and the guys fear rather than smitten by her, making it difficult for her to find dates.

For these reasons she often spaces out, avoiding social contact whenever possible. But social contact isn’t really avoidable when you have such a rowdy group as Class 1-7. Of course, they won’t show it off in class because the lessons seemed interesting to them, if only quite difficult. Besides, they do not want to risk pissing off their teachers because doing so is basically a death sentence for all of them.

She sits alone in her desk amidst the noise in their classroom, pondering about everything that usually happens in her everyday life.

Earlier this morning, she looked around as she walked her way to school, only to see people stare at her like she’s some sort of a strange person. She could only blush and shiver in embarrassment while some of them whisper something to each other as she went.

This time, however, she was already used to it that she just walked straight ahead right after this happened, with eyes focused on the road.

She slightly hanged her head down in sadness, as she remembers yet another unfortunate incident while seeming to wait for somebody.

Several days ago, she went to the clothing stores to find new clothes. On a visit to one of these stores, however…

“Good day, Miss! Are you going to buy clothes from this store today…?”

The saleslady stopped in shock as she sees a young girl about a foot taller than her. The young girl’s face turned into one of concern.

“U-uh, yes, please.”

“W-well, then let’s get you measured…”

Sometime later…

“U-uh, sorry, miss. We can’t find anything that fits your body type. The largest clothes in stock are at least one size smaller than yours. We are really sorry.”

“I-Is that so…”

She eventually raised her head as she remembers a happy incident that encouraged her despite the problems she faces every day.

“Sakura Minamimoto, 183cm, 64kg,” announced the nurse.

“Sugoi! She’s now a grown up woman, ne?” shouted a brown-haired girl in amazement.

“That’s right, that’s right!” agreed a red-haired girl enthusiastically.

However, a group of students took an opportunity to say bad things about Sakura.

“Eh? That’s really big for a girl? Is she really a girl?”

“She’s more like a giant amazon…”

“EH? WHO ARE YOU CALLING GIANT AMAZON, HUH?”, shouted the red-haired girl as she overhears the group.

“That’s right. She’s a better girl than you are”, seconded the brown-haired girl.

The group abruptly distanced themselves and then murmured.

“Hmph. They are so mean to our Sacchan. Right, Kocchan?”, pouted the red-haired girl.

“Yeah, I think so, Hazuki-san,” confirmed the brown-haired girl.

"Hey, Sakura, are you alright?"

She turned around to see where the voice came from, only to see two of her female classmates: one is red-haired in twintails, the other has a short, brown hair. The latter speaks to her in concern.

“Is there anything bothering you, Sakura-chan?”

"Mmm, nothing. I'm fine, Kotori. Thank you for your concern."

The red-haired girl seemed skeptical.

"Seriously, you should cheer up more, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks. "

"Ne, ne, Sacchan, let's go to the cafeteria. I’m hungry, and besides the food there today seems to be interesting!"

"Okay."

"Yay! We will be eating together with Sacchan and Kocchan!”

Sakura stood up and went outside the classroom with both girls.

The cafeteria is crowded with students lining up for Japanese-style curry which has always been a best-seller among the students, and it was on the menu specifically for this day.

Two long lines of students led its way to the cafeteria counter. Most of them ordered Japanese curry, some ordered octopus wieners, others ordered dumplings and Japanese-style noodles, but there were few others who seated ahead of the pack, as they have brought their own bento (boxed lunch) with them. Usually, however, students eat it inside the classroom together with their friends who also brought their own lunch boxes.

Sakura Minamimoto brought her own lunch box, but her friends Hazuki Horio and Kotori Kanno invited her to lunch at the cafeteria. Like most of the students at Seijo, she likes curry so much she wants to share some of it with her friends, so to speak.

Hazuki seems to be a really energetic girl, though a little bit air-headed. At 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 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 who are good at academics really helps.

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 we got seated. Ah, Sakura-chan, 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 bit difficult, but I was glad I was able to finish making it in time."

Hazuki just could not hold her excitement for lunch… and for Sakura’s boxed lunches.

"Wow. It looks delicious! All righty, then…”

"Itadakimasu!"

"Say, Sacchan, Kocchan, have you heard about the new student who came here today?"

"Her name is Ryuko Ichinose, isn't it, Kotori-san?"

"Hmm, yeah, I guess I have heard about her. Do you think she will come to our class?"

"I do not know, really. I heard the gym teachers and sports club coaches saying she's one of the best female middle school players in the country. Have you met her before, Hazuki?"

"Well, no. I did join the basketball team in middle school, but we never got past the prefectural finals anyway, so I really never had a chance to play against her. However, I kept hearing about Ryuko Ichinose for some time until just before our graduation.

"I see. So that's how it is."

"Yeah, players and coaches alike keep saying she's really good. I heard she had had offers from a lot of schools, but you know what? They say she chose Seijo because it's closest to her house or something like that. I never met her in person, so I can't tell you anything else. Sorry… Tee-hee!”

"It’s the closest to her house, huh?"

"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 Sacchan because they're not as well-endowed as her! Right, Kocchan? "

"Yes, that’s true. You should really be more confident about yourself, Sakura-san."

"Ah, n-no! It's not like that, it's just..."

"Aargh! Whatever! If you make that face again, Sacchan, we are no longer friends. Hmph!"

"Hazuki-san, pouting doesn't suit you."

"Shut up, Kocchan!"

Kotori and Sakura let out a hearty laugh, much to Hazuki's chagrin.

"Hah! What's that all about?!? Hey!!"

Image 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: 64kg (141 lbs)
Bust Size: Well-endowed. She’s pretty concerned about it,
but then, she’s really concerned with everything about her body.​​

[judasmartel]

Spoiler for Game 02 - The Mysterious New Student:

It’s just a few minutes before the start the first afternoon period at Class 1-6. Everyone seems to have already taken their lunch. Some of the students are busy scribbling notes for lessons 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.

But one particular group of boys gather up at the middle of the back row, as if they are looking at something interesting. One of them handed over a picture of a cute girl from another class and asked the boy in glasses sitting at the center of the group about her.

“Naa, Kimura-kun, what do you think of her? Do you think you can help us get to her?”

The boy in glasses looks intently at the picture and thinks deeply with hands on his chin.

“Hmm, she certainly is popular among the students, but she seems to be really secretive, only a few students here in Seijo know her personally. But if you guys really want her, it might take me some time to gather information about her.”

The group grumbles at this unfortunate development.

“What? Man, what a letdown!”

Some of them do understand though.

“Are you idiots? She’s like one of the most beautiful girls in school! Of course it will be difficult to approach her!

“That’s right! And you know what? I heard she’s already got a boyfriend!”

“Huh? So what? I’ll just beat up whoever that bastard is and she will be mine for the keeping! Ha ha ha!”

“Idiot, it’s not that simple! I heard her boyfriend is a really huge guy. They say that at one time some dude tried to flirt with his girl, guy threw him out of a window!”

“Wow! He must be really strong! You don’t want to mess with a monster like that!”

This group of boys are still arguing Kimura just could not believe what is happening.

“Oh man. Just what has the world gone into?”

While this group is still arguing, a bespectacled male teacher in white shirt, red tie, and khaki pants briskly enters the classroom. He speaks in a stern, loud voice.

“You guys! What’s with the noise over there?”

An unholy terror has been struck into the hearts of this unruly mob.

“Oh, crap! It’s the teacher! Let’s scram!”

The mob immediately dispersed and went back into their seats. Some of them are from other classes, so they got out of Class 1-6 right away. The teacher saw them, so he got out and bellowed at them with his usual loud voice.

“Hey, you guys! You dare enter another classroom during class hours! I’ll tell you to your advisers, you heathens!”

By the time he got to the teacher’s table, Class 1-6 calmed down and settled into their seats. There is deafening silence.

“Hmm, very well, then. All right, class, before I start, I would like to introduce to you a new student in your class. You there, please enter the classroom now.”

The teacher writes a name that reads as thus:

一
瀬
流
子​

"Now, introduce yourself to your classmates, please."

She pauses for a while as she takes a look at her new class. She then takes a bow as she greets them in a curiously androgynous voice.

"Ryuuko Ichinose. Nice to meet you all."

"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. Kimura-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!"

The bell rings. Classes are done for the day. Students are now coming out of the school gates as they make their own ways. Some of them 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.

“Sacchan!”

Sakura turns around to see a red-haired girl in twin ponytails calling her.

“Ano ne, 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.”

“Where’s Kotori?”

“She’s just outside. She’s waiting for us.”

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?”

Hazuki is wearing a red jersey with the name “Fujinosawa” in front, the number 23 at both the front and back, and the surname “Horio” written in Romaji at the back. 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 same red jerseys she wears. 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 here 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 change 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, Minamimoto-san..."

"Uh, just call us Kotori and Sakura. From this day onwards, we will be the closest of friends!

We will stay together for each other, 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, being busy with the basketball team back then and all," continued Hazuki, hanging her head down in disappointment of herself. Kotori reassures her with kind words.

"Well, well, it’s alright. We were busy with all other things as well."

"No. I did promise to teach you how to play basketball. And what else would be the right time but now. I want us to play together. I don’t want to play alone ever again. 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?"

A mysterious voice was heard as the three girls are talking.

"Heh, I wonder how good you are."

Sakura is startled by the voice.

"H-huh? Who is that?”

They turned around to see a short, pale-skinned, black-haired girl clad in a black jersey with the name “Mizunomachi” in front and the number 7 in the front and at the back. Hazuki looks at her in shock.

"Mi-Mizunomachi? That’s the middle school Prefectural Champions, the team that made it to the National Finals! It's no mistake. It's her! Ryuuko Ichinose!"

Image Handle: Mikoto Urabe (Mysterious Girlfriend X)
Name: Ryuuko Ichinose (一瀬 流子)
Class: 1-6
Birthdate: December 31st (Capricorn, the Goat)
Height: 155cm (5'1")
Weight: 43kg (97lbs)
Bust size: Barely noticeable. It doesn’t concern her.​
“It just gets in the way,” she says.

​