Okay so I might actually be insane for this but like hear me out-
For as long as I can remember, the Free fandom has been looking for evidence of Aki Yazaki in the anime, and headcanoning her as different girls seen in the background. Until The Final Stroke, the only official definite recognition that Aki was given in Free was in the bricks that she and the boys wrote on in the schoolyard:
Even though it's never outright mentioned, "Best" is Aki's brick, and we all know that. One of the most popular headcanons of who she could possibly be is "the girl with the bun":
It's because this girl pops up in Coach Sasabe's photo album more than once, and her cheery demeanor matches Aki Yazaki's personality.
Some people have also theorized Aki could be this girl:
because she is in the same class as Haru, Makoto, and Rin, just as Aki was. Though in the background of this shot we also see the same girl with the bun, which has only solidified the more popular headcanon.
The only thing that really throws either of these theories off is Aki Yazaki's design in the High Speed manga adaptation.
In the manga, she has lighter toned hair and little braids that she tucks behind her ears. This is what I based my personal design of her on.
But now lets go back to Season 1, Episode 10, where the girl with the bun is frequently seen:
We see her next to Coach Sasabe, and again, she seems to fit Aki pretty well. But wait, who's that girl in the middle there?
do my eyes deceive me?
The cut of her dark hair, the olive green eyes????
AM I CRAZY OR IS THAT WHO KYOANI CHOSE TO BASE HER DESIGN OFF OF???
