What It Means to Try Your Best

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—That was back when I was in about second grade.

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Kanata

It's a stone-skipping battle!
Whoever gets the most skips is today's leader!

Kanata

You get to decide everything we do! No complaints!

Mahoro

Okay! I'm definitely not losing!

Kanata

Oh? If I win, then y'know!
Today we're hunting for a big ol' crab!

Mahoro

Huh? Crabs again?
I wanna look for sea glass!

Nagi

...

Kanata

Nagi! Which one do you want?

Nagi

Huh? Um... both sound fun...

Mahoro

Then Nagi-chan's with me for sea glass!
Come on, let's look for stones together!

Kanata

Ah! No fair!

Kanata and Mahoro, my two childhood friends.

Mahoro and I have known each other since kindergarten.
Kanata moved here around when we started elementary school.

I was always tagging along behind the two of them.

Nagi

Ah... but...

Mahoro & Kanata

?

Nagi

Can I... skip it well...?

Nagi

What if I'm really bad at it...?

Kanata

Ya won't know unless ya try, right?
Well, ya might not beat the great Kanata though!

Mahoro

Kanata! You're gonna make Nagi-chan cry!

Nagi

Uugh...

Kanata

Ugh. Geez, I said sorry!
Look, let's just do the battle.

Mahoro

Nagi-chan, how about this stone? It's cool, huh?

Nagi

...Yeah. I'll use that one.

Kanata

All right! Everyone got one?
Then here we go... ready, set... go!

Nagi

...Hup!

Nagi

One, two...

Kanata

Five! I got five skips!

Mahoro

I got five too!
What about you, Nagi-chan?

Nagi

...Three skips.

Mahoro

I see. Then me and Kanata are tied?
Who won?

Kanata

Mine went farther!

Mahoro

Huhh? I didn't see that~

Kanata

Then what're we s'posed to do?! Crab~!

Back then, my world was
those two noisy girls a year older than me, and—

Itsuki

Ah, there you are! Heeey!

Mahoro & Kanata & Nagi

!

Itsuki

I came to pick you three up~

Nagi

Big sis Itsuki...!

Itsuki

What are you three making a fuss about now?

Kanata

Um, so! We did a stone-skipping battle!
Mahoro won't admit she lost!

Mahoro

No! Kanata's the one lying!

Itsuki

...Okay, got it. Leave it to Sis Tsuki!

Kanata & Mahoro & Nagi

!?

Itsuki

I'm gonna skip a stone too, so watch.
We'll decide who wins by how many times it skips.

Itsuki

If it's odd, Kanata wins; if even, Mahoro... something like that?

Kanata

What're "Otter" and "Evan"?

Mahoro

I dunno. Maybe they're some fluffy characters?

Itsuki

Ahaha... Well, let's give it a try!
Ready... set... go!

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—My sister, whom I admired.

Those three filled up my whole world.

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Kanata & Mahoro & Nagi

...!

Nagi

Go, go! Big sis!

Nagi

...! Amazing, amazing! Goal!

Kanata

Whoa! That one just now, it went swoosh-swoosh,
and then wham!

Mahoro

Right! It was so cool!

Nagi

...! Ehehe.

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—Itsuki Kotohira. My sister, four years older than me.

She was in sixth grade,
and she was the ace of her basketball club team.

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Nagi

Big sis is always in the garage,
practicing super hard!

Nagi

And then! Since she's so good at basketball,
she's going to a middle school with a strong basketball team!

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One Year Later

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Itsuki

...Phew.

Itsuki

Nagi, is it fun watching me the whole time?

Nagi

Yeah! It's fun!
'Cause I love watching you practice, big sis!

Itsuki

I see, I see. Guess I gotta work even harder.

Nagi

Hey, when can I watch one of your games?
I wanna see you look cool, big sis!

Itsuki

Ah... well, just wait a little longer, okay?

Itsuki

I told you, didn't I? Our basketball team is super strong.
So even the first-years are all really good.

Itsuki

And the upperclassmen are even better,
so honestly, it's tough to suddenly be a regular or even make the bench.

Nagi

...? I see.

Itsuki

But once I'm in second year, I'll definitely get to play!

Nagi

Yeah!

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One Year Later

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Itsuki

...I'm home.

Nagi's Mother

Ah, welcome home, Itsuki.
Aren't you using the garage today?

Itsuki

Ah... yeah. Nah.

Nagi

Huh...? You're not gonna practice?

Itsuki

...Yeah. I'm tired, so I'm taking today off.

Nagi

...? Okay.

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—And then, in the summer when my sister was in her third year of middle school.

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Itsuki

...

Nagi

...?

Nagi

(Where's big sis going at this hour?)

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Nagi

(The garage... maybe she's practicing for the first time in a while...?)

Itsuki

Ugh, seriously!!

Nagi

!?

Nagi

Huh...?

Nagi

(What was that sound just now...?)

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Itsuki

Damn it, damn it, damn it...!

Itsuki

Why... why, why, why!!

Itsuki

Just why?!

Nagi

...Big... sis...?

Itsuki

!!

Itsuki

...Nagi. Why are you here?

Nagi

Huh... Ah...

Itsuki

I'm quitting basketball.

Nagi

...What?

Nagi

Huh, huh, why...? Why're you quitting?
But big sis, you practiced so much every day—

Itsuki

...I couldn't.

Nagi

...?

Itsuki

I couldn't get in! Not even the bench!

Itsuki

It was my last tournament!
I couldn't even make the bench!!

Nagi

...!

Itsuki

...I kept pretending not to see it.
In my first year, in my second year, the whole time.

Itsuki

I told myself I just hadn't practiced enough... I believed that if I tried harder,
if I did my best, it'd pay off! And yet!!

Itsuki

If it was gonna hurt like this...
I wish I'd never started at all.

Nagi

Huh... ah, wait...

Nagi

...

Nagi

(...Why? Big sis worked so hard, and yet...)

Nagi

(Why does she have to go through something so painful?)

Nagi

(Isn't working hard supposed to be a good thing?)