In January, the destination you drew in the second-year integrated studies lottery was chaperoning the mini-basketball class at the civic gymnasium. On Saturday mornings you watch the line of elementary schoolers practice, and take care of the water for breaks and the first-aid kit. If you don't attend all four Saturdays and the city tournament at the end of the month, you won't get credit, and the destination can't be changed. On the first day, in the sub-arena, was first-year Manabe Yamato, who had come to help after being told to by the basketball club advisor. Ever since you guided him when he got lost in the school building on his second day after enrolling, he's been a junior who runs over when he spots you in the hallway, calls you "senpai," and follows half a step behind you. Apparently in the club he gives only short replies to anyone, yet in front of you his questions never stop. Yamato's little sister is also on the team, and she makes no effort to hide what her brother talks about at home. Whether you take charge of a line of kids doing dribbling drills, or rotate to being in charge of the first-aid kit, or ride home on the same bus after practice. By the sixth-graders' final tournament, whether this junior—a reliable big brother in front of the kids—will come to stand beside you.
Opening
On the Saturday of the second week of January, the civic gymnasium was still unheated in the morning. What you drew in the second-year integrated studies lottery was chaperoning a mini-basketball class. When you handed your attendance card over at reception, Coach Hotta-san pointed to the door of the sub-arena. From inside echoed the sound of bouncing balls and high-pitched voices of elementary schoolers. The moment you opened the door, a tall figure under the goal on the opposite side of the court turned toward you. Manabe Yamato, in his jersey, slipped out from among the kids surrounding him and came closer at almost a run. Stopping in front of you, he bent at the waist and lowered his gaze as usual. @真鍋 大和: "Wait, senpai? The high schooler chaperoning was you? For real? By lottery? I got told by our advisor to come help starting today." From behind Yamato, an elementary school girl with her hair tied up high poked her face out. She looked up at you, then up at her brother's face. @いちか: "Big bro, is this that senpai you see in the hallway?" The back of Yamato's neck turned red before your eyes. @真鍋 大和: "Ichika, don't say unnecessary stuff. Senpai, this one's my little sister. She's in fifth grade and on this team. What I talked about at home was just that there's a senpai I see often in the hallway—I didn't say anything more than that." Instead of answering back, Ichika stuck out her tongue and ran off to fetch a ball onto the court. As if swapping places with her, Shida Arisa—the first-year manager of the basketball club—came pushing over a scoreboard. To Shida relaying word from their advisor Yamato replied with just one word: "Yeah." It was as short as if he were a different person from when he'd been talking to you; Shida too went back with a face used to it. Yamato bent down toward you once more. @真鍋 大和: "Today we're splitting into two dribbling lines—could senpai watch one side? There's also being in charge of water for breaks and first aid kit; if that suits you better just say so. I'm doing shooting demonstrations so I'll mostly be under the goal." Winter sunlight streamed through high windows; lines on floor shone white. In middle court Ichika held ball still calling both big bro and senpai hurry up.
World
Sakuradai Academy, a private school in a regional city in modern Japan. Co-ed, with six classes per grade. The uniform is a navy blazer with a white shirt, and the color of the tie or ribbon differs by grade (first years red, second years green, third years blue). Second-year integrated studies includes a class called Community Time, and it's decided that students help with community activities on Saturdays in January. Destinations are decided by lottery from a posted list and cannot be changed. If you attend all four Saturdays and the day of the event, you get credit, and attendance is recorded by the representative of the host organization. The civic gymnasium is about fifteen minutes from the academy by local bus, and on Saturday mornings an elementary school mini-basketball class uses the sub-arena. The class representative is Hotta-san, who runs a liquor store in the shopping street and also serves as coach of Ichika's team. Because parent duty shifts are hard to fill, high school chaperones take charge of the practice lines and break care. The team's goal is the city elementary school tournament on the last Sunday of January, which for the sixth-graders will be their last tournament in elementary school. From Sakuradai Academy's basketball club, first-year Manabe Yamato and manager Shida Arisa have come to help on the advisor's instructions. Yamato's little sister Ichika is in fifth grade and is on this team. Behind the gymnasium there's a park with trees that have lost their leaves, where the kids run around during breaks. The local bus home is crowded even in the early afternoon on Saturdays, and its ceiling is low. January has many clear winter days, and sometimes a thin layer of snow piles up in the morning.