Sunday—game day.
Haizaki Shogo met up with the coach and teammates at the school gate. They boarded the school bus and headed down the highway toward Seiho High, one of Tokyo's three powerhouse schools.
Today's opponents were the middle school division of Seiho High.
Though it was the junior team, Seiho's students were trained in traditional martial arts adapted to modern sports. Their overall strength was formidable.
Compared to Fukuda Sogo, they were clearly the stronger side.
In Shogo's memory, the third-year middle schooler with a buzz cut, Tsugawa Tomonori, stood out—a.k.a. the "Bald Ace."
This guy wasn't ordinary. His defensive skills could easily handle players at the Generation of Miracles level.
Stopping players like Kise Ryouta or Taiga Kagami would be effortless for him.
But defending current-level talents—Aomine Daiki, Akashi Seijuro, or even Haizaki Shogo himself—was a completely different story.
Shogo shook off his thoughts and, catching the faint fragrance of Shimizu Rena beside him, found his mood inexplicably lifted.
"Rena-chan, you could try gathering information on our opponents."
"Shogo-kun… gathering information?"
"Yes. Watch their games, or analyze match footage. Collecting this kind of data is really useful for the team."
"I see… then I'll make sure to gather solid data for the team, Shogo-kun!"
Shogo had already begun subtly guiding Rena, helping her inch toward the development of her unique perceptive abilities.
With her neat classroom notes, collecting data would be easy.
The real challenge would be analyzing and predicting trends. Shogo didn't know if Rena had that talent—but without trying, how would he know?
So first, collect data. Maybe there's a surprise waiting.
He continued,
"Rena-chan, how about we continue our little game?"
Rena tilted her head, eyes sparkling with interest as she stared at him, making Shogo blush slightly.
From her gaze, he could see desire—and a glimpse of that promised little gift.
He hadn't given the first gift yet, and now there was another game. Shogo felt a little embarrassed…
But Haizaki Shogo was someone who had crossed worlds before—face and pride were the least of his worries.
He smiled lightly. Forget about shame.
"Game?"
"Yes. During halftime, after collecting data, we'll continue yesterday's little game."
"Predicting the winner?"
"Yep. And this time, also with animal metaphors for the players. Interested?"
"Of course! Shogo-kun, if I win… is there a gift?"
"Yes! Win, you get two gifts. Lose, none."
"Deal! It's a promise!"
======
The game began with a whistle.
Shogo leapt high, snatched the ball, and passed it to Fukuda Sasaki on the left.
Fukuda caught it and passed it out the moment Shogo landed.
Shogo received the ball again, accelerated past two defenders, drove into the lane, took two long strides, and leapt high.
"Boom!"
The first points of the game went to Fukuda Sogo—two points on the board.
Scoring done, teammates returned to their half-court positions, guarding their assigned opponents.
Beside Shogo, the Bald Ace, Tsugawa Tomonori, arrived.
Seiho High reacted quickly, sending their ace to guard Shogo. Trying to lock me down, huh? Shogo thought, grinning. But can he really stop me?
"Swish!"
Seiho's forward scored, and the arena erupted in cheers and shouts.
Home-court advantage—the fans' enthusiasm could affect an opponent's mindset.
But for someone like Shogo, who thrived under pressure, it barely registered.
He caught the ball, the Bald Ace sticking close.
"I declare: I will seal you! You cannot break through my defense."
Wait, what? Shogo thought. He hadn't even moved yet, and the Bald Ace was already threatening to "seal" him.
"Strong defense? Seal me? Can you even see me?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Shogo disappeared from Tsugawa's sight.
Tsugawa's eyes widened, pupils shrinking, muttering under his breath,
"How… how is that possible? How can he move so fast?"
"Whoosh!"
The ball swished through the net—a perfect three-pointer.
Shogo had driven past the defense, stopped abruptly, and fired a flawless three-point shot.
Teammates on the bench leapt up, cheering wildly.
Even the normally reserved Rena shouted, waving her small hands, calling out, "Shogo-kun! Shogo-kun!"
"Get back on defense!"
Captain Fukuda Sasaki shouted, snapping the team to attention and forming a solid defense.
Seiho High's coach watched Fukuda Sogo's formation carefully, eyes narrowed to a slit.
Inwardly, he gasped: Impossible… even our defense-specialized team wouldn't dare this tactic. How can they?
Then, Shogo stole the ball and executed a stunning one-handed dunk.
"Boom!"
The sound shook the coach out of his doubts. Seeing Shogo run back on defense, he finally relaxed.
Ah… it's him, Haizaki Shogo—the former top selection from Teiko Junior High. No wonder Fukuda Sogo is using such a bizarre tactic.
He glanced at Fukuda Sogo's coach, Ichiro Kudo, thinking bitterly: How did you get so lucky to have such a talent?
Had Shogo been at Seiho High, even facing Teiko with our powerful defense, victory would've been possible… such a waste!
On the court, Shogo caught the ball and looked at the Bald Ace, Tsugawa Tomonori.
"Tell me, what does it feel like to fail at looking cool, classmate?"
"I…"
Taking advantage of Tsugawa's distraction, Shogo accelerated and drove past him again.
The helplessness, the inability to react or defend, filled Tsugawa with frustration and fear.
This… this was the terror of the Generation of Miracles? Truly deserving of its reputation.
Tsugawa collected himself, adjusted his mindset, and chased after Shogo. As expected from someone trained in traditional martial arts, he quickly regained focus and continued his defensive efforts.
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