"Faster on the left side!!"
"Move move move! One more full-court sprint!"
Early morning at Kaijo's gym and the place was already buzzing. Kasamatsu was leading the whole team through suicide drills like it was a military bootcamp.
"Training the day after winning Interhigh… how basketball-obsessed are we, really?"
Kota grumbled as he half-jogged, half-slacked his way down the court, sneaking complaints toward Kise.
Kise, meanwhile, was fired up like he'd just had an energy drink for breakfast. Beating his old teammates had left him in a fantastic mood.
"What's the problem? One championship's not enough! We're gonna win Winter Cup next, then Interhigh next year, then next year's Winter Cup, and the year after that…"
"Stop. Stop right there."
Kota clamped a hand over Kise's mouth mid-sentence, deadpan.
"So your grand plan is… to sweep every single championship for all three years of high school? Just go ahead and call it the Kaijo Dynasty already."
"…Dynasty?"
"Yeah. Three straight years of titles equals a dynasty. Oh wait, you guys probably don't use that term here…"
Kota muttered the last part mostly to himself. Kise didn't catch it, but even just the word "Dynasty" had his eyes lighting up like Christmas.
"That sounds awesome! Three years in a row! Let's build the Kaijo Dynasty together!"
Kise's entire being started radiating shonen protagonist energy, looking like he wanted Winter Cup to start immediately.
"Ahhh! I wanna play real games again! Why isn't Winter Cup here already? Hey, Kota, let's go find someone to scrimmage tomorrow!"
"Bro, Interhigh just ended… Winter Cup's still months away… and besides your ex-teammates, who's actually dumb enough to scrimmage against us right now?"
Kota wasn't optimistic. No random high school team wanted that smoke.
Just then, a group of tall, unfamiliar guys walked into the gym.
Kasamatsu didn't even look surprised. He actually walked over to chat with them.
Kota, still half-slacking on the sprints, caught sight of this and narrowed his eyes.
"Well… Genius… looks like your wish is coming true."
"Huh?"
Kise blinked and turned toward Kota, then followed his gaze toward the group of strangers.
"Who are they?"
"No clue… but I'm pretty sure they're not here to sip tea with Kasamatsu-senpai."
Kota rolled his neck and scanned the newcomers.
They were tall. Like… very tall. The shortest of them was easily pushing 6'3". They looked older, more mature—definitely not high schoolers. And more importantly, they didn't have that usual… "empty-headed youth basketball" vibe.
College club team? University ball players?
Kota ran through possibilities, then shook his head. Nah. Physically, they were a cut above that level.
Thinking deeper… factoring in Takeuchi's background as an ex-National Team player…
Japan National Team?
Nope. Kota had watched enough recent National Team game footage to know none of these guys looked familiar.
Kota's eyes narrowed. If you eliminate all the impossible answers… whatever remains, no matter how crazy it sounds…
Youth National Team?
Yep. That's it.
And why would a U22 squad show up here, at Kaijo's gym? Only one reason made sense.
They wanted a scrimmage against the newly crowned high school champions. Sounded insane, but if Takeuchi had pulled some strings? It actually checked out.
Still… would the Youth National Team really bother playing high school kids just for fun? Did Takeuchi really have that much pull?
While Kota was busy overthinking everything as usual, Kise waved a hand in front of his face.
"Earth to Kota! Kasamatsu-senpai's calling us over!"
!!
In that moment, everything clicked. One glance at Kise's face and Kota pieced it together. If the target here was Kise… then it wasn't surprising at all.
A recommendation from Takeuchi? Totally reasonable. With Kise's natural talent and raw ability, getting called up to the National pipeline was only a matter of time.
And knowing how this world worked? Unlike certain countries where you needed family connections or fat envelopes to make the National Team… here, actual skill mattered.
Thinking back, Kota realized… wait a second…
Shutoku, Too, Kaijo, Yosen… all their coaches were ex-National Team players. Even Seirin's coach's dad, Riko's old man, was a former National Team rep.
Kota's face suddenly twisted like he'd just unlocked a conspiracy theory.
"So you're telling me… all the big powerhouse schools… are basically feeder teams for the National Program??"
On the surface: regular high school basketball giants. In reality: National Youth Team scouting outposts.
"…Kise."
Kota patted Kise's shoulder, giving him a look full of hidden meaning.
"Your big moment's here."
Before Kise could respond, Kasamatsu clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Coach lined up a special training match for us. All starters get warmed up — game starts in thirty minutes! Everyone else, clear one full court."
Bingo.
Kota kept a blank face, but mentally gave himself a high-five.
Kise blinked.
"Wait… Kota… how did you know we had a game coming up?"
"Oh, I don't just know there's a game… I know exactly why they're here too…"
Kota glanced sideways at him, about to explain when — of course — Coach Takeuchi himself made a dramatic entrance at the gym doors.
Same as always: black suit, floral shirt underneath, shoes shining like mirrors. In two words? Tacky Swagger.
"Kasamatsu, I'll ref this game myself."
Takeuchi's eyes swept across the team, lingering a little longer on Kota before continuing.
"Play this game seriously. This isn't just some casual scrimmage. The other side's strong."
"Normal official game rules apply. Kota, you'll be in charge of calling timeouts."
Kasamatsu didn't argue. By now, he fully respected his overachieving junior's basketball IQ.
"…Kota. Come here for a sec."
Takeuchi motioned him over to the corner of the gym. Once they were out of earshot, he got straight to the point.
"Ever thought about playing pro ball?"
Kota froze. Professional? Honestly… he hadn't seriously considered it.
"I've done my homework. Your grades are good. You've got a future, even outside basketball if you want it. But… if you do wanna go down this path… I can help."
Takeuchi's tone was steady. Not like his usual jokey self at all.
"…So this training match… it's not just about testing Kise, is it? You're scouting me too?"
Kota scratched his nose and watched Takeuchi's reaction.
"Man, your brain's as sharp as ever."
Takeuchi didn't sugarcoat it.
"You're exactly right. They're the Japan Men's U22 Team. This scrimmage is their way of getting a read on Kise — whether he's ready for National Youth Team level."
"Honestly… with Kise's talent, forget Youth Team… he's National Team material. But what I'm wondering is… why bring me along? You really think the Youth Team's got their eyes on me?"
Kota finally voiced the question bugging him.
Takeuchi ran a hand through his hair, suddenly serious.
"Not gonna lie… your physical stats? Pretty bad. Height? Wingspan? You're bottom of the barrel for a basketball player."
Kota stayed silent. He knew there'd be a "but" coming.
Sure enough—
"But you're smart. Kota, you're the most savvy high school point guard I've ever seen. I believe that with your court vision and IQ, even with your physical limits… you could shine. Even on that level."
Takeuchi's voice was sincere. No fluff. No sales pitch.
Kota raised a hand to cut him off.
"…Tell you what, Coach. After the game… if I'm still standing… then you can say that speech again."