not thrown away.
“So you know what basketball is, Himeragi? Even though you said a golf club was a type of mace?”
Kojou spoke in a joking tone. Yukina’s lips twisted in a pout.
“A city championship is an impressive record.”
“Well, that was a long time ago.”
“Was obtaining the power of the Fourth Primogenitor why you gave up basketball, Senpai?”
Yukina said those words as she looked at him with a serious expression. Kojou shook his head like the issue was tiresome. It felt a bit odd that a whole year had passed since then, he thought.
“My condition’s got nothin’ to do with that. I quit basketball before then, you see.”
Yeah, not like I could compete with this body anyway
, Kojou thought, laughing at his own expense.
He had the ability to leap with monstrous strength and the agility to catch a bullet. Using demonic power was the antithesis of sportsmanship. As cheating went, doping scandals had nothing on this.
But Kojou had quit basketball over a year ago, before he’d become a vampire.
“Why did you, then?”
“Really, it’s not that rare a story. I didn’t understand club activity isn’t something you can do by yourself.
“The point being, I was isolated on the team.”
“Eh?”
Watching from the side, Yukina seemed surprised as Kojou talked about it as if it involved someone else. Kojou executed a languid flop onto the bed, making a strained smile as he looked up at the ceiling.
“Back then, I thought we’d win if I just played hard enough. And till midway, that’s actually how it was. We were what people call a one-man team. Because I was a good player, I really got carried away with myself.”
Like it was ever gonna work out like that
, Kojou thought with a laugh.
The trigger was the final tournament in junior high. Kojou had been injured in the district qualifiers. He’d taken a hard foul from the opposing team and had been forced off the court midway against his will. Fortunately, they’d had a large lead; Kojou’s injury wasn’t all that severe, either. If they’d won he should’ve been able to play in the next round.
But the instant Kojou went off the court, the team’s morale collapsed.
They let the opposing team roar back and build a huge lead, and lost just like that.
From start to finish, all Kojou could do was watch the process from the bench, dumbfounded, unable to do a thing.
“More than that, I was shocked at how calmly the other players accepted defeat.”
Kojou made an offhanded shrug of his shoulders.
“That’s when I finally realized
I
was the one who’d taken their willpower away. They figured, even if they didn’t try hard, someone else would win it for them. I made them think I’d always come through, even though the truth was I couldn’t do anything on my own. Not that understanding that means I can do anything about it now.”
That was why Kojou quit the team, citing the need to recover from his injury. Some of his fellow players remained, but Kojou didn’t continue to play basketball with them, for Kojou reasoned that so long as he was at their side, they’d never change. At any rate, Kojou himself had lost all desire to continue.
“I don’t think… that it was all your fault, though, Senpai.” Yukina, having silently listened to his story, spoke in an overly serious tone.
As Yukina did so, Kojou made what seemed like a teasing smile at her.
“Yeah, well that’s all right. I just lost my motivation all on my own, after all. But…” Then Kojou bared his canine teeth. His eye color changed to red for just a moment. “When this ridiculous Fourth Primogenitor thing got pushed onto me, I did think about it a little. Like if I used these powers, I’d probably be able to solve a bunch of the problems of today’s world. At the very least, I could kill off fiendish criminals and wipe out dirty politicians… Stuff like that.”
“Senpai. That’s—”
“I know. That’s no good. Just ’cause a guy like me gets his
“So you know what basketball is, Himeragi? Even though you said a golf club was a type of mace?”
Kojou spoke in a joking tone. Yukina’s lips twisted in a pout.
“A city championship is an impressive record.”
“Well, that was a long time ago.”
“Was obtaining the power of the Fourth Primogenitor why you gave up basketball, Senpai?”
Yukina said those words as she looked at him with a serious expression. Kojou shook his head like the issue was tiresome. It felt a bit odd that a whole year had passed since then, he thought.
“My condition’s got nothin’ to do with that. I quit basketball before then, you see.”
Yeah, not like I could compete with this body anyway
, Kojou thought, laughing at his own expense.
He had the ability to leap with monstrous strength and the agility to catch a bullet. Using demonic power was the antithesis of sportsmanship. As cheating went, doping scandals had nothing on this.
But Kojou had quit basketball over a year ago, before he’d become a vampire.
“Why did you, then?”
“Really, it’s not that rare a story. I didn’t understand club activity isn’t something you can do by yourself.
“The point being, I was isolated on the team.”
“Eh?”
Watching from the side, Yukina seemed surprised as Kojou talked about it as if it involved someone else. Kojou executed a languid flop onto the bed, making a strained smile as he looked up at the ceiling.
“Back then, I thought we’d win if I just played hard enough. And till midway, that’s actually how it was. We were what people call a one-man team. Because I was a good player, I really got carried away with myself.”
Like it was ever gonna work out like that
, Kojou thought with a laugh.
The trigger was the final tournament in junior high. Kojou had been injured in the district qualifiers. He’d taken a hard foul from the opposing team and had been forced off the court midway against his will. Fortunately, they’d had a large lead; Kojou’s injury wasn’t all that severe, either. If they’d won he should’ve been able to play in the next round.
But the instant Kojou went off the court, the team’s morale collapsed.
They let the opposing team roar back and build a huge lead, and lost just like that.
From start to finish, all Kojou could do was watch the process from the bench, dumbfounded, unable to do a thing.
“More than that, I was shocked at how calmly the other players accepted defeat.”
Kojou made an offhanded shrug of his shoulders.
“That’s when I finally realized
I
was the one who’d taken their willpower away. They figured, even if they didn’t try hard, someone else would win it for them. I made them think I’d always come through, even though the truth was I couldn’t do anything on my own. Not that understanding that means I can do anything about it now.”
That was why Kojou quit the team, citing the need to recover from his injury. Some of his fellow players remained, but Kojou didn’t continue to play basketball with them, for Kojou reasoned that so long as he was at their side, they’d never change. At any rate, Kojou himself had lost all desire to continue.
“I don’t think… that it was all your fault, though, Senpai.” Yukina, having silently listened to his story, spoke in an overly serious tone.
As Yukina did so, Kojou made what seemed like a teasing smile at her.
“Yeah, well that’s all right. I just lost my motivation all on my own, after all. But…” Then Kojou bared his canine teeth. His eye color changed to red for just a moment. “When this ridiculous Fourth Primogenitor thing got pushed onto me, I did think about it a little. Like if I used these powers, I’d probably be able to solve a bunch of the problems of today’s world. At the very least, I could kill off fiendish criminals and wipe out dirty politicians… Stuff like that.”
“Senpai. That’s—”
“I know. That’s no good. Just ’cause a guy like me gets his
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