"Want to join Seihō?"
"Huh?"
Haizaki froze for a moment. Once he processed it, he rejected the offer without hesitation.
"Tch. Who'd want to team up with you?"
"And just so you know, I absolutely hate being around you."
This was the truth.
During his time at Homi Academy, Haizaki had felt like a stranger to himself.
At the very least—
The old him would never have done extra practice. And definitely not practiced late into the night.
That kind of life wasn't what he wanted.
He wasn't Yuuto. He didn't want to be that "cruel" to himself. He still had youth to enjoy.
"Not teaming up with me. Making Seihō your team."
"What do you mean?"
"After the Winter Cup, I'm leaving Japan."
"Going where?"
"America."
The wind picked up, rustling Yuuto's dark bangs. His black eyes gleamed under the sunlight.
Haizaki stared at him, stunned.
"Don't tell me you've already..."
"Yeah. Staying in Japan has no meaning for me anymore. Our coach has already arranged things with a school over there. They're very interested in me. So barring any surprises, I'll be leaving after this year."
"Then congratulations. You've taken a solid step toward your dream." But Haizaki wasn't naive enough to think Yuuto had sought him out just to brag.
His former captain wasn't that petty.
Yuuto had talked about his dreams with both Haizaki and Kuroko.
During those nights in Okukozome.
After every practice, or during breaks, they'd chat about all sorts of topics.
When the subject of dreams came up, Yuuto had laid out his ambitions without hesitation.
But Haizaki hadn't.
"Come to Seihō next year, Haizaki. Take my place. I believe it'll change your life."
"Didn't I already tell you? I just came back because I was bored. I'm not like you—I don't treat basketball as my everything."
Basketball had never been essential to Haizaki.
He stood up, ready to leave immediately, not wanting to stay even one more second.
"You can lie to others, but don't lie to yourself." Yuuto spoke to his retreating back. "Akashi said Kise would eventually surpass you. He saw your ceiling."
"But you proved him wrong. He couldn't see your true potential."
Haizaki's footsteps halted. Then, without a word, he continued walking away.
...
Afterward.
Yuuto returned to the locker room, where everyone was waiting for him.
Their game was about to begin.
"Found him?"
"Yeah."
"Good. You looked like you had a nice chat with him."
"It was alright. You might see him again next year."
Yuuto was being deliberately mysterious.
He was leaving soon, so he wanted to leave something behind for Seihō—a way to repay Coach Yamazaki's help.
The Tokyo region's competition was too fierce now. Without him, next year would be brutal for Seihō—they'd have to contend with Kaijō, Shūtoku, Seirin, and others.
Seihō needed a new leader. Haizaki was clearly a solid choice.
As long as someone could keep him in check, he'd be an outstanding ace.
"Let's go. It's time to take the court!"
Yuuto turned and led the way out of the locker room, followed by his fired-up teammates.
Whoooosh~
When they emerged from the tunnel, the arena erupted.
Because this was a commemorative tournament, this year's Winter Cup was unprecedented in scale.
The venue was even larger than the Inter-High's, capable of holding 25,000 fans.
"SEIHŌ!"
Clap clap clap~
"SEIHŌ!"
Clap clap clap~
After winning the Inter-High, Seihō had reached new heights of popularity, attracting fans from all over the country.
"Here they come—the Inter-High champions."
"Yeah, that's Seihō."
In the stands, the Seirin group was watching with Alex.
"Compared to the regional qualifiers, every player's physical data is significantly better. This team's got something."
"They are one of Tokyo's three kings, after all. And as fresh champions, their confidence is on another level compared to other teams."
Alex nodded at the explanation.
In her eyes, Seihō's entire team radiated an impressive aura—even more intimidating than the Shūtoku team she'd seen earlier.
And then—
"Yuuto's coming out!"
"Ahh, Yuuto-sama, look this way!"
"YUUTO!"
"YUUTO!"
"YUUTO!"
The north stands, packed with Seihō fans, erupted at maximum volume. Across other sections, female fans screamed for him.
As walking testosterone incarnate, Yuuto's looks weren't as refined as Kise's, but he was by far the most popular among female basketball fans.
They all agreed he had the most masculine appeal.
As for Alex—the moment she laid eyes on Yuuto, her whole body tensed.
He was different from every other player she'd seen. His presence was so powerful she could feel it from across the arena.
Like a Saiyan, his entire body seemed wrapped in dense dark energy, like flames. It made her throat go dry.
"He's even more intense in person than on video." Alex was genuinely shocked. "I never expected to encounter a monster like this in Asia."
Yuuto seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head.
His eyes locked onto Alex in the crowd.
If not for Coach Yamazaki, he might have approached this blonde woman for some guidance.
Now...
There was no need.
It wasn't gender discrimination, but in athletics, male physical ability far exceeded female—especially in a sport like basketball.
Even if she was a former professional, in Yuuto's presence, she was just average.
"Such sharp instincts. Is this the predatory awareness of someone at the top of the food chain?" She felt a chill run through her as she watched the high schooler smile at her.
She focused intently, wanting to see exactly where this "strongest in the nation" excelled.
The result?
Once the game started, Yuuto's performance was puzzling.
He didn't play anywhere near Alex's expectations.
Very ordinary scoring. Very ordinary assists. Very ordinary rebounds and steals.
Everything about him seemed... ordinary.
But when the first half ended, Yuuto's stat line read: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 3 steals.
"What's going on with this guy?"
"This is just Yuuto's playing style. Streamlined—or you could say ruthlessly efficient."
Efficient?
But to Alex, another word for efficiency was dominance.
This was exactly what every professional player strived for. Many high school and college players entering the NBA aimed to develop in this "efficient" direction.
The problem was—how old was this kid?
He wasn't even an adult yet!
Before she knew it, the game had ended.
It gave off an oddly anticlimactic feeling. Nothing special seemed to happen, yet Seihō won by 68 points.
Alex couldn't figure it out. She realized she couldn't quite read Yuuto.
It wasn't until that afternoon, when Kaijō's game in the other bracket began, that she finally understood.
"He's operating on a completely different dimension from everyone else—including the Generation of Miracles!"
Alex's eyes went wide.
She finally understood why she'd felt that sense of dissonance from Yuuto.
She could clearly tell he was strong, but couldn't pinpoint exactly why.
It was because Yuuto's game tempo was different from everyone else in Japan. It was the rhythm she was most familiar with—the American game.
...
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