Tomohiro returned to the group subtly, avoiding the dribbling drill, but Kaho watched him glare daggers at the nimble poles. He ran a hand through his hair and muttered to himself. Omura joined him beneath one of the other hoops. They proceeded to play hot potato with a random ball. Konoishi and a few first-year students joined the fray after some time. Soon he was just a face in a crowd, and his broad arms and laser focused dribbling were forgotten.
After an hour or so, the agility poles were roped off for last calls by the caretaker. He was a short man with thick arms and a beer belly. His hair was thinning and a pair of crooked wire-frame glasses sat on the edge of his nose. He tugged on the material that Kaho and Fumiko had used earlier, and both girls saw Taiga's eye twitch when they heard it tear. They sprung into action and joined him to help.
"Evenin' Ladies," he said bowing his head, "Nice to meet'cha. I'm Kenta. You might have seen me around."
Fumiko nodded, "You helped me and Satoru get ready for yoga this morning!"
"Ah, your boyfriend?" Kenta said, wiggling his brows.
Fumiko let out a non-committal squeak. Kaho pursed her lips.
"Well," Kenta said, his voice shifting in cadence and tenor, going from sounding like himself to Yamota Hakuro, the soap star, with his alluring baritone, "If you ever want to see what a real man's like, you know where to find me."
Fumiko swallowed. Kaho sighed audibly and brushed past them, finishing sealing away the poles. Fumiko had her hackles up, staring, bug-eyed with her arms crossed around her bare middle, like she suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed.
Taiga blew his whistle, drawing Fumiko's attention, she and Kaho scampered to his side like sheepdogs. Kenta pursed his lips and left the gym.
"Okay, teams, our next activity is this way," he put his hands on his hips and led the teams through a door to the back of the building. A small, man-made lake was completely overrun with logs of varying heights, all staked into the ground. Harnessing equipment and life jackets, helmets and pulleys were stationed around the pool. It was surprisingly big, and would have been a much more convincing home for this illusive, magical fish.
Taiga took a bow at the side of the pool.
"This is your cool down, stepping stones. You'll all be strapped into harnesses because of 'health and safety'," he said, using air quotes, "Back in my day, we did this raw and took the broken bones like champions."
"Whatever you say, Gramps!" Ryota heckled.
The Hanagawa team burst into fits of giggles. Kaho included. She glanced over at Fumiko and noticed she had twisted one of the boys' arms to give her their tracksuit top. Her bare midriff and sports bra were no longer visible. She hadn't seemed vulnerable or uncomfortable in it since early in the morning. Something about that Kenta guy had really put her on edge. She stood rigid like a statue, and didn't join in with the laughter, standing with her muscles clenched and conveniently sandwiched between Konoishi, Sunada and Matsushita, a sufficient meat shield.
Taiga seemingly oblivious to Fumiko's sudden discomfort, kept on with his bravado and sneered at Ryota, beckoning him to the front.
"Okay, come on up then, Ryota. You can demonstrate."
"Wait- what!"
Taiga grinned, puffing his chest out, "What you have to do, is ascend the towering logs to reach the summit, then you can do an epic cannonball into the water. The logs get bigger, wider and further apart. Communication and teamwork are key. Nobody could get over this alone, go ahead and show them, Ryota."
Ryota sighed. He'd taken Taiga's bait, hook line and sinker, and once one of the activities directors, a plus-sized, muscular woman with box blonde hair, and killer makeup smiled at Ryota. She, like all the staff, was wearing one of the khaki waistcoats, hers indicated that her name was Hanako. She wore a green polo shirt under it and a pair of mud-splattered beige shorts.
Hanako had been the muscle that had been pedalling the rickshaw that brought Shoji down from the hiking trail that morning. She was quick with her hands, and promptly strapped Ryota into a life jacket and a harness.
"When one team is making the ascent, one team will spot them on the pulley system here," Taiga said, gesturing to a series of metal chords. He nodded to Coach Itomi and Coach Tomogawa, who each took hold of the trailing chord and lifted it with ease.
"You should feel some resistance from that harness when you walk, Ryota," Taiga said.
Hanako beckoned Ryota over and spoke to him quietly. He nodded keenly and cracked his knuckles. The life jacket and harness were bulky on his chest, making him look like he was wearing a semi-inflated mascot costume. Ryota gave everyone a thumbs-up and was handed a helmet.
He fastened it, shook his head and nodded again.
His captive audience looked on as Ryota stepped onto the first log, barely visible from the lapping water. The first few manoeuvres were like climbing a staircase two steps at a time. But at five logs high, he seemed miles away from Kaho and the other basketball players on the ground. He didn't dare look down, but he was exposed now. The air was cool on his legs and his knees buckled under him as he slunk to the edge of the log and tried to haul himself up to the next one. He had to reach up, hoist himself onto the platform with his arms, but found himself dangling from it by his arms, unable to get to his feet again.
He held onto the edge of the log with his stubby nails and kicked off to the left, toward the shore where the onlookers watched him scramble. Ryota plummeted to the water below gracelessly with a massive splash, arms and legs outstretched like a starfish. The water from the splash doused Taiga's right shoulder and some of his hair, but it was a small price to pay for some payback.
Ryota got unfastened, and shook his hair like a dog, joining the Hanagawa ranks, where he was shoved about by Eiji and Yuta, all sharing massive grins.
The first team to give this task a go was the Kuroyama Academy team, with Hanagawa holding the chords to support them. Taiga, and Kuroyama's coach, Itomi Adam were holding on, too, for extra support.
The Kuroyama team were all given white helmets and clambered onto the logs in what looked like the order of their starting lineup, Isamu was leading the way, with four other big players tentatively wading into the water after him.
Captain Isamu was firm with his instructions from the second log. He wanted whoever 'Titch' was to come forward. A guy who was still barely touching the water muscled his way forward. He was shorter than the other players around him, but not as small as his name would imply. He was about 5'6", which was short for a basketball player, sure, but not small in general. Kaho had barely acknowledged him before, but as she watched him, he seemed more like a dancer than a basketballer. His red hair was slicked back with sweat, yet, as he took his place behind Isamu, he seemed otherworldly; with lean limbs and graceful movements, like he could just glide over the ripples in the water. He wasn't far from the front, likely a reliable member of the team. He bumped Isamu's fist and climbed onto the lowest log. Isamu led the team, all of whom followed him in some sort of pre-established order, with the four bigger players climbing the poles behind 'Titch'.
"That," Fumiko said, "The little guy, is their secret weapon, Shomaki Yusuke. Small forward. Their game changer. He's a third year, was benched until the semi-finals of the Inter-High last year when one of their upperclassmen got injured in the second quarter."
"He was benched for a year and a half?" Kaho said, eyes wide.
"Believe it or not, his step-brother was the Captain before Takahashi," Sunada said, adjusting his grip, "The team trust Shomaki to move like water between their fingers."
"He's a freak of nature," Matsushita grinned, "I've never beaten him at 'Mario Kart'."
Omura rolled his eyes and elbowed Matsushita in the ribs, "Your shitty gaming skills don't make him a freak. The fact I'm sure he was made from a test tube and injected with newt DNA makes him a freak of nature."
"Well it isn't nature then. It's just science," Matsushita said, grinning. Omura rolled his eyes.
The Kuroyama team had reached the pole where Ryota originally got stuck. Isamu, being taller than Ryota was able to, just about hoist himself up. His legs had scrabbled along the edge of the log, but once he was upright, he bent into a squat, leaning down and reaching for Shomaki.
Shomaki was pulled up like he weighed less than a bag of sugar. Their locked fists were both red with strain. They stopped for a moment, catching their breaths. This was as far as just one guy could go, or so it seemed. The rest of the logs were much higher, and would need more cooperation than the ones before them. They were ten logs high, and Kaho and the rest of their audience must have looked like bugs underfoot from that height.
"Okay, Yusuke," Isamu said, "I'm going to give you a leg up, okay?"
Shomaki nodded and put his foot on Isamu's hands. He let out a grunt and Shomaki reached for the next log, He wrapped his legs around the perimeter, but the second he made contact, he went sliding down. He yowled in pain and frustration and kicked off the pole, plummeting into the water with a splash.
Isamu ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his formation. The next guy, who had been behind Shomaki, was far bigger.
"Kenji, think you can?"
"Pfft. Give you a leg up? Fuck no, Isamu, you weigh more than a cow."
Isamu flipped Kenji off and the boys began to laugh. They looked down the line of players for someone smaller, who could possibly pull them to the next log. They shrugged. Isamu reached over and shoved his friend off the log, cannonballing off the edge of his own straight after him. Some of the other Kuroyama kids, who hadn't even made it to the water groaned in frustration.
Seiran weren't much better in the end. They did, however, make it to the fifteenth log before giving up. They had tried to implement a similar strategy by putting smaller players randomly dispersed among the bigger, stronger looking ones, but the two short players behind their captain, Captain Daisuke Fujisaki didn't even entertain the idea of helping him up. He was massive compared to those little first years, tall and broad and fat, with a grin like the sun on the first day of Spring. He didn't seem upset by it, though. And he tried to shunt a few more players ahead, but the small were too small and the heavy were too heavy. And despite his command over his team, Captain Fujisaki wasn't able to break up the squabbles ahead of him.
Instead, he dove into the water, posing like a superhero as he plummeted in. He got out and his white t-shirt had stuck to his stomach. He was probably the biggest of the basketball players, with hulking great arms and a soft, slightly protruding stomach. He grinned and had his team all clamber up and have a chance to dive in for a dip before handing over the equipment to Hanagawa's team. He had a kind face, and a big, toothy smile. Kaho liked him immediately.
Hirano, Sunada and Fumiko huddled together as the Seiran team were being unfastened from their harnesses.
"I think Iwao should lead," Captain Hirano said, "He's the biggest, we've seen these other guys are struggling because these poles get higher, and further away."
"Is that a good idea?" Fumiko asked, "If we show off how strong Sunada is, they might deduce how strong his passes and blocking can be."
"Maybe," Hirano said, pursing his lips, "But, I think we'll be okay if we disperse our starters and interweave our underclassmen. What do you think Iwao?"
"I'll lead, then," Sunada said, "But I think Seiran had a good idea by utilising their smaller players and bringing them higher. Most of our team are similar-ish heights, but our builds are what keep us apart. I think Kousuke and Satoru should be in the middle."
Fumiko nodded, "Satoru's core strength is one of his stronger points, and Kousuke has longer limbs. Obviously, Omura needs to be benched."
"Bitch, the fuck!"
"Simmer down Nobuyuki," Captain Hirano said, crossing his arms.
"Shit as it is, Nobu," Sunada added, slinging an arm around Omura's shoulder, "You only just finished physio. Would you rather be benched for this, or games."
Omura crossed his arms, swearing under his breath. The rest of the team ignored him.
"Right," Hirano said, breaking away from Sunada and Fumiko.
"Iwao, then," he pursed his lips, "I want to say Hisashi? Then Michio, Kousuke Satoru, Ren, Fumiko Eiji, Yuta, Ryota. Matsuoka? Are you participating?"
Naseru scowled.
"Of course he is! This is compulsory!" Taiga exclaimed.
"Then Matsuoka, you can go before Fumiko. Kaho, you're behind Ryota, and I'll bring up the rear."
The team nodded and put on their gear. The life jackets were sodden, and uncomfortable, but the challenge ahead was worth the wet clothes.
"Shoes off, boys!" Sunada said, kicking off his new trainers. He pulled his socks off and stuffed them in his shoes. The rest of the team followed suit.
"Nice sparkly nails, Ren," Eiji said, elbowing Yamada in the ribs.
Yamada elbowed him back. The horseplay, however, ceased as Sunada strode into the water, shivering at the temperature as his bare feet were submerged.
He, like Ryota, was able to easily stride from column to column with ease until the seventh. He pursed his lips and swung his arms back, psyching himself up to make a move, and clambered up to the next one. He held his hand out for the next player, who, as requested was Matsushita. Matsushita accepted the leg up, scuffing his knees on the log. He reached down and waited for Nitta, whom Sunada gave a leg up to, too. Matsushita elbowed Nitta on the log, both struggling to stay upright as they squabbled about who would go up first. Nitta ended up moving up to the next log, and squatted on the tenth pole, watching as Sunada hoisted Tomohiro onto the next platform.
Tomohiro was quick to accept Matsushita's leg up and Nitta's reaching platform eleven. He then reached down and pulled Nitta up to join him.
"Wait, shit, was that wrong, Sunada?" Tomohiro shouted.
Sunada rolled his eyes, "It's done. Come on Satoru, up you go. You can take Michio's spot."
After a bit of wriggling and jostling with Matsushita, Konoishi reached the platform where Nitta had been. He wobbled as he got to his feet. It was Fumiko next, she was lifted like she was a bag of sugar, hoisted from Sunada's arms to Matsushita, who gave her a leg up, onto Konoishi's platform.
"What would you say if I shoved you into the water now, Fumiko?"
"Don't you dare!" Fumiko said, elbowing Konoishi. He stuck his tongue out at her and she elbowed him in the ribs, as if they weren't standing on a narrow wooden column, submerged in water. Kaho raised her eyebrows.
"Don't be idiots!" Hirano shouted from the side of the lake. He was the only one still dry, even Kaho was in the water now. There were just a few more poles to navigate before they'd get to the top. Maybe six? Seven? Kaho wasn't sure.
Up on the pole, Konoishi hoisted Fumiko up to where Nitta was waiting. He grabbed her hands, pulled her up and staggered half a step back, his arms windmilling behind him. She grabbed his hand tightly, but it was too late, regardless of the horseplay, it was just bad balance that sent Hanagawa into the water. Kaho, and the other second years descended the logs like a little staircase, meanwhile the third years dove into the water like they were in a swimming pool.
"Good job guys. Hope you all cooled down! What do you think? Adam? Goro?" Taiga said, looking from Coach Itomi to Coach Tomogawa. They grinned, nodding to their own teams.
"Now, go get dry," Coach Itomi said, "There's a hike scheduled for after dinner. The last route you haven't done yet. You'll do that same circuit again tomorrow, too."
"I want to encourage you to mingle and make the most of your proximity and learn from each other. You are more than just your stats, kids," Coach Tomogawa said, his tone sounded almost bitter. Had something happened?
Kaho's eyes flickered to her brother. Taiga made a face, one she knew well enough, his lips pressed into a fine line and he scowled at the floor, a look he only reserved for one bruise on his ego. Tokyo Metropolitan University. Now, that rejection still stung. Did Coach Tomogawa share the same anguish? Kaho blinked furiously at her brother and then nodded in understanding.
"Hanagawa," Taiga said, clearing his throat, "I want you to meet me by the dining area tonight for some…meditation before bed."
The Hanagawa team were the last to leave the edge of the water, having to return their sopping wet gear to Hanako and whatnot. The second years, and Captain Hirano, went to dinner straight from the water, as did some of the other dry students. Kaho joined the Hanagawa team with a steaming tray of stir-fried vegetables and chicken curry. The smoothie machine was noticeably absent from the dining room, so she had a glass of water.
The other tables in the centre of the dining area were a mix of kids from Seiran and Kuroyama. But the other guests, relegated to the outskirts of the dining space seemed to have disdain etched onto their faces. Kaho's gaze met fleetingly with the middle aged woman in the yellow dress that she'd seen at breakfast. The man she'd argued with that morning was noticeably absent from their table for two again. This time, she had brought a beaten-up paperback novel to the table, so she wasn't bored while she made a point of waiting for the man she was with.
Kaho's heart ached for this woman. She thought of her mother and the rare times her parents were reunited during the periods when her father wasn't abroad for work. She rarely saw her dad, but her mother loved him vehemently, and they were like High Schoolers, not parents when they were together, exhilarated by each touch like it was an electric shock, and were passionate yet chaste when in the company of their kids. If her dad didn't show up for an arranged date, her mum would rain Hellfire on him and she knew it.
"That was a real good try today," Hirano said, clattering his silverware on the table. The sound forced Kaho out of her thoughts. She gawked at him.
"Maybe we should consider sending Kaho before Fumiko, though, since she wouldn't horse around with Satoru."
It was still weird, hearing all the third-year basketballers refer to each other and their underclassmen by their first names, sure Kaho called Ryota by his given name, and Eiji and Yuta, but she had never considered calling Yamada 'Ren', and he was in her grade, let alone addressing Matsushita as 'Hisashi'. Then again, they were a team. Maybe that was how it was in a team sport. But, even Hirano hadn't called Naseru by his name…
She tuned out most of the conversation over dinner. And once they'd had their last hike of the day, and all of the visiting teams were dismissed for some free time, Taiga gathered the small group of Hanagawa students. He had a duffle bag with him, laden with torches and nets. Kaho rolled her eyes.
"Okay, we have to be sneaky about this, and need to ensure that Itomi and Tomogawa don't know we're after the fish. Okay? So we have to be subtle. Fumiko. I want you leading the meditation, since you were out here this morning. I want to steal Kaho, Matsuoka, Omura, Eiji and Yuta. The rest of you need to be spread out so it looks like there are more of us than there are. We're a small team, but that means we're easier to identify when the other coaches play Spot The Difference."
Kaho rolled her eyes, "You have got to be kidding!"