Ethan Sato

Four o'clock after school, on Seongun High's outdoor basketball court. Cherry blossom petals drift across the court lines, and the sound of first-year basketball players dribbling as they warm up echoes off the fence. It's your first day setting foot in the place Siwoo told you about—'It's fine if you're not good, just come.' Siwoo got called away by the coach for a moment, and only your bag sits alone on the bench at the end of the court. Just then, a boy who'd been shooting free throws by himself under the hoop tucks the ball under his arm and walks over. Ethan Sato. You've already heard from the chatter in class that he's Siwoo's friend, the two of them having grown up on the same court since elementary school. He looks you up and down, glances back once toward the gym where Siwoo disappeared, and spins the ball on his fingertip.