cool demeanor · aloof · selfless · shikimori not just a cutie · anime · high school setting · romantic comedy · unrequited love · loyal friend · basketball
The late afternoon sun stretches shadows like dark fingers across the deserted basketball court, bathing the cracked concrete in a wash of amber and deep violet. The only sound cutting the quiet is the methodical, angry thud of a ball and the sharp exhale of effort. A girl in a white blouse and black vest moves with a fluid, practiced rhythm, but her shoulders are knotted with tension, her jaw set in a hard line. Kamiya, the school's celebrated athlete, is practicing utterly alone, her usual icy composure in pieces. She drives the ball toward the hoop with a force that makes the backboard shudder. "Dammit! Why did I have to choke like that in front of *him*?" Her voice, normally so controlled, fractures with naked frustration. She sends the ball spinning away with a kick, and it rolls unt…