The gym teacher blew his whistle.
"Class 1T and Class 2O, please report to the court," he said.
"Whoa!"
Excited shouts rippled through the gym. Students leaned forward in their seats as chatter along the sidelines quickly grew louder.
"This game's gonna be intense. I wonder who's taking this one," a boy said.
"Class 2O is definitely stronger, but Class 1T has that guy who can shoot," another student said, tapping his fingers against the edge of the bleacher.
Takahiro glanced around the gym. "Everyone's really fired up for this game."
"Well, yeah. Neither class had much trouble in their last game.
Yukio smiled.
This one's gonna be good."
The two players preparing for the jump ball stepped into the center circle.
Liam tilted his head and flashed Tetsuo a cheerful grin.
He straightened his posture as he raised his left hand.
The referee's whistle blew.
The ball arced into the air.
Tetsuo and Liam sprang upward at the same time, their fingers reaching for the ball.
Liam's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Tetsuo in midair.
What the…? How can he reach that high? He's shorter than me...
Liam stretched out and managed to tip the ball.
That was a close tip-off. But comparing their height and wingspan... it almost feels like the first-year won it. He actually got his fingertips on the ball.
Yukio's mouth hung slightly open.
Hayato caught the ball and pivoted sharply. His sneakers squealed against the court.
"Alright, Ri! Let's score!" he called.
The moment he brought the ball down, Makoto slid in. His hand shot upward, knocking the ball free from Hayato's grasp.
"Crap, I didn't even see him," Hayato muttered.
He turned sharply and chased after Makoto as he dribbled down the court.
A Class 2O player stepped up to stop him.
Makoto crossed the ball behind his back and blew past him.
By the time he reached the paint, he pushed off with both feet and flicked his wrist.
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop, the net snapping sharply.
This guy... he read the ball's trajectory before it even touched Liam's hand...
Hayato smirked.
"This is interesting."
"Nice one, Kurai!" Naomi called.
"Looks like you're finally starting to feel the pressure, Hayato..."
Yukio paused, watching as Hayato passed the ball to Liam near the post. Tetsuo and Noboru slid back a step, their muscles tensing as their sneakers scraped across the floor.
"Damn... you're heavy! What do you eat every day?" Noboru grunted, his legs trembling.
"If you think the two of you can stop me, forget it."
Liam planted his foot and pivoted hard.
He jumped and released the ball.
The rim rattled as the ball slammed through the hoop, sending Tetsuo and Noboru stumbling backward beneath the basket.
"Whoa! That was amazing! He sent both of them flying!" a boy shouted from the sidelines.
Naomi's eyes widened.
You've got to be kidding me... He's strong, but that was so cool.
A smile spread across her face.
Shino's stomach twisted.
We... we can't beat that...
His knees trembled slightly.
"So he knows how to position himself under the rim. He's more skilled than I thought," Takahiro said.
"If we had someone like him on our team, it'd help a lot.
Yukio smiled.
Heck... maybe I could even play point guard."
Makoto pushed the ball up the court and quickly passed to Naomi. She pivoted on her sneakers and swung the ball to Noboru without hesitation.
Noboru turned, scanning the court as he shielded the ball from his defender.
"Hey! Catch!" he shouted, flicking a pass to Shino.
What?!
Shino froze for a split second before catching the ball.
What... what should I do?
His eyes darted between his teammates and the defenders.
I've never learned how to do any of this...
"Pass me the ball."
Tetsuo's voice was low.
Shino turned and saw Tetsuo with his hands raised beyond the three-point line.
Kawaguchi...
Shino hesitated, then fired the ball to him.
"Ri! Don't let him shoot!" Hayato shouted as he lunged toward Tetsuo.
Tetsuo caught the pass, set his feet, and rose into the air.
He flicked his wrist.
The ball dropped straight through the net with a sharp swish.
"Whoa... so cool! Class 1T is really putting up a fight!"
"Nice shot, dude!"
That shot wasn't luck. It takes practice... years of it. I wonder where this kid's from.
Yukio tapped his knees.
Hayato took the ball on the next possession, pushing the pace as he blew past Makoto and Shino.
He kicked the ball out, got it right back, and pulled up from the free-throw line.
The net snapped as the ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Naomi drove into the lane.
I'm open...
She looked up and spotted Liam towering over her with his arms spread wide.
The color drained from her face.
Scary... scary...
He's definitely going to block this...
At the last moment, Liam shifted aside just enough, allowing her to float the ball toward the basket.
It kissed the glass, rattled around the rim, then dropped through the hoop.
"What... it really went in?" Naomi asked.
"Good shot, Naomi! That was really good!" Sachiko called from the sidelines, clapping her hands.
"Why didn't you block it, Liam? Are you trying to make us lose?" one teammate shouted.
"I can't help it... she's a cute Japanese girl. I'll get it back, don't worry," Liam said with a smile.
"Dude... you're really strange for a foreigner," his teammate muttered, shaking his head.
What followed was a fast back-and-forth exchange of baskets.
The ball flew from one end of the court to the other.
Liam threw down a dunk.
Noboru answered with a clean layup, the ball rolling softly off the backboard before dropping through.
Hayato stepped back and buried a three-pointer.
Makoto stole the ball right back and finished with a swift layup.
Naomi pushed off the floor and banked another shot off the glass.
Liam was cut off again by Tetsuo and Noboru.
He pivoted on his foot and released a high hook shot.
The ball struck the backboard and dropped cleanly through the net.
There's no way that's fair...
Noboru's jaw dropped.
Makoto found Tetsuo open beyond the arc and fired him the ball.
Tetsuo rose and launched the shot.
Swish!!
Hayato pushed the ball up the court and pulled up from the three-point line.
Swish!!
He glanced at Makoto with a smirk before jogging back on defense.
This is getting annoying...
Makoto brushed the sweat from his forehead.
On the next possession, he dribbled the ball up the court, only to find Hayato waiting in a low defensive stance, sliding from side to side.
"Come at me."
Hayato grinned.
Makoto released a slow breath.
His eyes swept across the court.
Tetsuo was being guarded by Liam.
Everyone else was covered.
Every slight movement Makoto made, Hayato mirrored, cutting him off.
"What's wrong? You scared?"
Makoto caught a flash of movement.
Katsuragi...
He whipped the ball toward Shino.
Shino's mouth hung open as he rested his hands on his knees. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Shino! The ball! Catch it!" Noboru yelled.
Shino's eyes widened.
He straightened up, but his hands froze for a split second too long.
The ball bounced off his fingertips and rolled out of bounds.
"Out of bounds. Class 2O's ball," the gym teacher called.
Shino stood frozen.
Oh no...
This is all my fault... We're going to lose because of me...
His lips trembled as he stared at the flip scoreboard.
19–19.
"Thirty seconds left!" a student with a stopwatch called.
Makoto looked at Shino for a moment, then sighed.
What a pain...
"Don't worry about it."
Shino turned.
"But..."
"There's still thirty seconds, and the game's tied. Just... get back on defense."
Makoto turned and jogged back.
Hayato took over, dribbling the ball at a slow pace.
Makoto's eyes narrowed slightly.
He changed his rhythm... What's he thinking?
He glanced over his shoulder.
Hayato suddenly crossed to his right.
Makoto cut him off.
Hayato stepped back, the ball raised above his head, his knees bent.
Makoto jumped.
A fake...
Makoto's mouth opened slightly as he landed hard, his sneakers squeaking across the floor.
Hayato tossed the ball high into the air.
Makoto's eyes tracked it.
That's way off...
From the side, Liam launched himself into the air.
He caught the ball with both hands and slammed it through the rim.
The impact echoed throughout the gym.
Naomi and Shino's eyes widened.
"An alley-oop!" someone shouted, their voice cracking with excitement.
Hayato scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry, first-years. You made this entertaining, but in the end, Ri was just too strong."
"I guess the game's over," Takahiro said, stretching.
"Very unlikely," Yukio replied calmly. "There are still eight seconds left."
"Where do you think that first-year is?
"What do you mean? Wait... he's already moving!"
Makoto smiled faintly.
I hate to admit it, but I'm having fun... and it looks like you're feeling it too, right, Tetsuo...?
Tetsuo sprinted along the sideline.
Without hesitation, Makoto fired a pass.
Tetsuo caught it in stride, his body perfectly balanced.
The gym fell into a tense hush.
But how...?
"Liam, stop him!" Hayato shouted.
Liam pivoted sharply and closed the distance just as Tetsuo planted his feet beyond the three-point arc, his eyes locked on the basket.
He spread his arms wide.
His broad frame sealed off the space between Tetsuo and the rim.
Tetsuo's sneakers screeched as he planted hard.
He stepped back, bent his knees, and rose smoothly into his shooting motion.
The ball rolled off his fingertips with a sharp flick.
Liam lunged, stretching his arm toward the shot.
Too late.
The ball was already soaring high above his reach.
It's perfectly clear now... that first-year is a rare player.
Yukio's eyes widened.
A smile spread across his face.
He'll be our one-way ticket to the Inter-High this year.
The ball sliced cleanly through the net.
Swish.
"Game over! Class 1T wins!" the PE teacher declared.
The gym erupted.
Cheers burst from every corner, echoing beneath the high ceiling.
Students rushed onto the court, surrounding Tetsuo.
Liam stood frozen for a moment before letting out a breath with a grin.
"This guy beat both me and Hayato by himself. I still can't believe it."
He chuckled.
"Man... that's what makes basketball so interesting."
"I can't believe it! We actually won!" Naomi squealed.
Her ponytail bounced as she jumped into the air.
"Well, I didn't doubt it for a second," Noboru said with a broad grin.
He slung a damp arm over Tetsuo's shoulders.
Tetsuo's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Nice shot, Kawaguchi."
Makoto's gaze lingered on Tetsuo.
A faint smile crossed his face before he turned away.
This guy's the real deal.
At the edge of the group, Shino's eyes drifted downward.
We won... I should be happy, but... I didn't do anything to help.
His grip tightened around the hem of his shirt.
I was just a burden.
Why am I so useless at basketball?
Takahiro nudged Yukio.
"We definitely need to recruit them... especially him."
"Easier said than done," Yukio replied.
"If he was interested in joining in the first place, he would've come to the court yesterday."