The new semester of ninth grade had begun. For the old Haizaki Shogo, this year would have been a bit boring.
But for the current Haizaki Shogo, it was a golden period—a time when his strength was skyrocketing.
When he arrived in the classroom, the beautiful Shimizu Rena was already there ahead of him.
Seeing Shogo take his seat, Rena turned around and said,
"Shogo-kun! It's been a few days—did you miss me?"
Shogo reached out to brush her silky hair, tempted to lean in and catch a whiff, but he reluctantly spoke,
"Of course, Shimizu-chan!"
Because during the entire winter break, Shogo and Rena had been training at the fencing hall. Their relationship had warmed rapidly—meals, coffee, afternoon tea—they spent as much time together as a normal couple.
All winter, Shogo either played basketball with Aomine Daiki and Satsuki Momo, or practiced fencing and drank coffee with Rena. They were very familiar with each other by now.
Thinking back to what Daiki had said a few days ago: "Shogo, if you make it to the national tournament, I'll show you!"
Shogo patted the now-turning-away Rena on the shoulder, casually asking,
"Shimizu-chan, by the way… do you know where the basketball club is? Can you take me there after school?"
Rena's face lit up with excitement. Her delicate face was almost brushing against Shogo's as she turned around.
Her cheeks flushed, yet she said confidently,
"Shogo-kun, are you joining a club? I know where the basketball club is. I'll take you there after school."
"Alright, it's settled then. Shimizu-chan, someday I'll show you what a real strong player looks like."
With that, Shogo gently but firmly bumped foreheads with Rena, causing her to step back a little.
"Shogo-kun, you—"
"Hehe!! Just kidding!"
The playful move once again flushed Rena's cheeks crimson. She turned back to her books and homework, though her bright red ears betrayed the fluttering in her heart.
Shogo realized that teasing Rena—who had feelings for him—had somehow become a habit, a playful gesture that increased their familiarity and closeness.
The slightly mischievous Shogo enjoyed it immensely.
Having a beautiful, gentle girl by his side, fooling around and joking carefreely—it was blissfully comfortable.
Sometimes he even thought about throwing a little "public display of affection" to make all the single guys envious.
=======
By 4 PM, the school day ended.
Shogo and Rena walked together, naturally catching the attention of many classmates.
Many assumed they were a couple—but whether they were or not, neither confirmed nor denied it.
Rena enjoyed the attention. Shogo, walking behind her, could only smile wryly.
No matter—it was inevitable. Whether sooner or later didn't matter.
In fact, Shogo enjoyed being slightly behind, casually admiring Rena's perfect figure.
"Shogo-kun, we're at the basketball club!"
The large indoor basketball court of Fukuda Sogo Academy was impressive. A true old-school noble school indeed.
"Let's go, Shimizu-chan, let's check it out."
Now that they were at the court, this was Haizaki Shogo's home turf. He couldn't let a fragile girl lead the way.
Without saying a word, he took Rena's small hand and led her toward the basketball training room—straight to the stands.
Yes, the stands. Shogo brought her there and found a place to sit.
He began scanning the basketball players engaged in a training match.
Meanwhile, Rena's face was red from shyness. She stared at their joined hands, her thoughts floating far away.
At this point, Rena was completely on a different wavelength. Her mind was full of pink little stars, sparkling with emotion.
Shogo, focused on the court, didn't notice at all.
He examined every player on Fukuda's basketball team, gradually feeling disappointed. None of the middle school players impressed him—they were all rookies, weaklings.
And the game on the court? Just rookies pecking at each other like chicks. No teamwork, no strengths—this was the absolute fate of background characters.
Am I supposed to take this group and challenge Teiko now?
Ridiculous! Even the hell-level difficulty wasn't this maddening. This was insanity.
The only strong players Fukuda used to have, Ishida Hideki and Mochizuki Kazuhiro, were now in the high school division. The middle school team now… all rookies.
And no one had any real talent. No potential to develop either. How was he supposed to work with this? Shogo felt dejected and frustrated.
He took a long breath, shifting his gaze—and noticed Rena acting strangely beside him.
"Shimizu-chan, what's wrong? Feeling sick?"
"Shogo-kun, I'm fine!"
Seeing Rena's dazed expression, Shogo realized he was still holding her soft, small hand. A smirk appeared on his lips.
"Shimizu-chan, what if we just keep holding hands like this as we walk?"
"Ah! Uh!"
Rena quickly reacted, pulling her hand back with a swoosh, returning to normal.
"Shogo-kun, don't tease me anymore. Don't do this in public."
Shogo laughed heartily, stood up, and swaggered toward the court.
As he walked, he said to the still-flustered Rena,
"Shimizu-chan, I'll show you what a real strong player is, just like I promised."
He jumped down from the stands, grabbed a basketball, and tossed it onto the court, disrupting the game.
All the players turned to him.
Shogo didn't care. Holding the ball, he announced to the ten on-court players,
"You ten, if any of you can snatch the ball from me and stop me from scoring, I'll apologize and leave kneeling. Fail, and next time I play, all of you get out of my way!"
"Who the hell are you? How dare you act so arrogant!"
"I'll kill this brat!"
"What the… who does he think he is?"
"Let's go, grab the ball! Make him leave on his knees!"
The scene had already drawn the attention of the middle school coach and the newly appointed team captain. They had been reviewing player stats and now noticed Shogo causing chaos.
The new captain stepped forward to stop Shogo but was held back by the coach.
"Coach?"
The coach said nothing, only shook his head—let him observe.
Shogo bounced the ball as he strode into the court. Faster than anyone could react, BOOM!—he slammed the ball in with both hands. No one even tried to stop him.
Yet Shogo didn't feel arrogant or happy. He was disappointed.
How can these people compete with Teiko Junior High?
It looked like he wouldn't get the chance to personally witness what Daiki had been holding back.
Disappointment turned to frustration. It was similar to Daiki's loneliness when he couldn't find a worthy opponent—but while Daiki lacked challengers, Shogo lacked teammates.
With a tall figure, he led the dazed Rena out of the court, step by step.
=============
32+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Add to Library to support