"So cool..."
Shino's mouth parted slightly.
Tetsuo landed lightly, the soles of his sneakers squeaking against the hardwood.
His arms hung loosely at his sides.
A faint breeze from the gym's fans stirred his dark hair.
He blinked once before slowly turning toward Makoto and the others.
"Um..." Tetsuo said.
"Kawaguchi, that was an awesome shot!" Naomi said, raising both hands with a bright smile.
Tetsuo hesitated for a moment before lifting his hands and returning the high-five.
"No... I guess I just got lucky," Tetsuo said, looking away.
"Whoa, Tetsuo, dude, that was freaking awesome!" Noboru said, slapping him on the back.
The impact made Tetsuo stumble forward a step.
"I totally lucked out picking you for this!"
Tetsuo regained his balance and straightened.
"...Don't do that again."
His voice stayed low.
Makoto wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm.
He obviously has experience playing basketball... so why is he trying to hide it?
"Well..."
He closed his eyes.
...It's not like I'm any different.
Off to the side of the court, Yukio folded his arms.
"Takahiro, do you know that first-year?"
His eyes stayed on Tetsuo.
"Nope. First time I've seen the guy. I don't remember seeing him in any junior high games either," Takahiro said, shaking his head.
"So this first-year just showed up out of nowhere..."
Yukio's fingers tapped against his biceps.
"I wonder if he still plays..." he muttered.
Takahiro looked at Yukio.
Yukio's eyes never left the court.
It's been a while since I've seen him like this.
A grin tugged at the corner of Takahiro's mouth.
The group of class 1T players walked over to the sidelines.
"We're doing great, everyone! Let's win this thing!" Naomi said, raising her hand into the air.
Sachiko chuckled.
"Naomi sure is excited."
Her eyes suddenly settled on Tetsuo.
Her fingers tightened around the railing.
"Something about Tetsuo reminds me so much of him..." she whispered.
Her teeth caught her bottom lip.
He can play basketball too...
Her breathing slowed.
Not only that...
He has a little sister too.
That girl from yesterday...
She looks just like her.
She slowly straightened.
"There's no other explanation..."
Her grip loosened from the railing.
"It has to be him."
From the other side of the court, a student wearing a red headband pushed himself away from the wall and cracked his knuckles.
A grin spread across his face.
His eyes drifted to the flip scoreboard.
29–0.
Class 1T isn't half bad.
In fact, I'm glad they're actually decent.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"We'll show them how it's really done, right, Ri?"
A student suddenly rose to his feet, drawing the attention of several nearby students.
"So... tall..." one student muttered, taking a step back.
A few girls stared at him in silence.
"Yeah. Just like we practiced," Ri said with a small smile.
The next games began.
The ball was tossed into the air.
The match between Classes 1O and 1S ended in ten minutes, 10–6.
Class 1I defeated Class 2I, 13–10.
From the sidelines, Shino clenched the hem of his jersey.
"We might really have a shot at this," he murmured.
"Classes 2O and 2T, you're up!" the PE teacher called.
"About time," the student with the red head band said.
The student from Class 2T standing at the center circle tilted his head back.
He froze.
This is a joke... right?
Sweat formed across his forehead.
How the heck is he so tall?!
The PE teacher blew the whistle and tossed the ball into the air.
Ri barely left the floor before tapping it effortlessly toward his teammate.
"That wasn't even fair," a girl whispered.
The student with the red headband caught the pass and started dribbling.
"Ready, Ri? Let's go crush them."
Ri gave a subtle nod.
He was already moving inside the three-point line.
Turning his back to his defender, he posted up against the Class 2T student.
Crap...
He's strong.
I can't get around him...
Yukio leaned forward.
"How have I never noticed this second-year before?" he said quietly.
"His wingspan... and his height..."
Ri raised his right hand inside the key.
The student with the red headband quickly crossed to his right.
His defender shifted with him.
He spun and passed the ball to Ri.
Ri caught it cleanly.
He took one hard dribble.
"Whoa!"
His defender shouted as he was driven backward and stumbled out of bounds.
Ri swung the ball behind his head as he rose into the air.
BAM!
The ball slammed through the rim.
The metal creaked under the force.
The ball crashed onto the hardwood with a loud thud.
Ri hung from the rim for a second before dropping back to the floor.
"That was a badass dunk!" someone on the sidelines shouted.
"That guy's insanely tall! Is he on a sports team?" a girl asked, rising onto her toes for a better look.
Ri grinned as they ran back on defense.
"You see that, Hayato?"
"Nice dunk, Liam!" Hayato said.
The two slapped hands as they jogged back on defense.
"That's Liam Kiriyama," Takahiro said.
"I'm not too sure about him, but I heard he was a foreign exchange student back in junior high. He transferred there during his second year."
"Didn't he come to Japan for track? He wanted to go pro, right?" Yukio asked.
"Yeah, but it looks like he's more than capable on the basketball court too."
The game rolled on.
Hayato glided across the court with quick, controlled steps.
Spotting an opening, he stripped the ball from a distracted opponent and weaved between two defenders.
He pulled up just inside the arc.
His wrist snapped forward.
Swish.
The net rippled.
A Class 2T player drove toward the basket for a layup.
A shadow rose in front of him.
Smack!
Liam's palm sent the ball flying.
It skipped across the hardwood.
Liam was already after it.
He burst down the court.
Hayato met him with a long pass.
Liam caught it in stride, twisted in midair, and slammed the ball into the net.
The rim rattled.
Cheers erupted around the gym.
"I almost feel bad for them. Class 2O is just too good," a girl said.
"He's a freak of nature. There's no way they're losing," a boy said, shaking his head.
"Here you go, Ri! Finish this one!" Hayato sent another sharp pass his way.
A faint grin crossed Liam's face.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
The ball smacked into his hands.
He exploded upward and threw down another one-handed dunk.
On the next possession, Hayato pulled up from beyond the three-point line.
The ball circled the rim once...
Twice...
Then dropped cleanly through the net.
From the sidelines Shino sat with his knees tucked against his chest.
His eyes stayed shut.
"...Huh?"
He blinked them open.
"Is it our turn yet...?"
His gaze drifted to the flip scoreboard.
"M-Makoto... look at the score!" Shino said.
Makoto turned toward the board.
42–0.
...What?
Forty-two to zero...
In ten minutes?
Naomi let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck.
"If we win our next game... we'll have to play them."
"I don't know about you guys, but I think we should throw in the towel."
Noboru scoffed.
"As if. Those losers are no match for me."
Naomi let out a slow breath.
He's still the same loudmouth he was back in junior high.
"Do you think we can actually beat that guy, Kurai?" she asked.
Makoto kept his eyes on Liam.
"There's always a way to win."
His fingers tapped lightly against his elbow.
"Every team has a weakness."
"I don't know..." Shino said.
"That guy's seriously scary."
"Maybe," Makoto said.
"But basketball isn't just about height or athleticism. There are plenty of ways to make an impact."
"The next matchup is Class 2O versus Class 2S!" the PE teacher called.
A boy from Class 2S immediately raised his hand.
"Um... we forfeit! We're not getting embarrassed in front of all these girls!"
"Suit yourself," Hayato said with a shrug.
"Can't blame you for being scared of a little competition."
He walked toward the bench and twisted open his water bottle.
"So we'll get to see Class 1T against Class 2O sooner than expected," Yukio said quietly.
"You've got a five-minute break before the next match," the PE teacher announced.
Makoto rested a hand against his chin as he paced.
Okay...
The guy with the red headband is their point guard.
The giant plays center.
The rest...
They're supporting players.
That's where we can attack.
"Takemoto. Kawaguchi."
"You two are double-teaming the big guy."
"It's a gamble... but it's our best chance."
Noboru cracked his knuckles.
"Don't sweat it."
"We've got this, right, Tetsuo?"
Tetsuo gave a small nod as he wiped his palms on his shorts.
"Yeah."
"Nakamura. Katsuragi."
"You'll be covering the other three."
"Can you handle it?"
Naomi sighed.
"So you're leaving the extras to us?"
"Got it."
"You ready, Katsuragi?" Naomi asked.
"Y-Yeah!"
Katsuragi clenched her fists.
"I'm ready! Let's win this!"
Makoto's eyes drifted back to Hayato.
I'm sure I can beat him...
But...
I lost interest in basketball a long time ago.
So why do I even care?