Inside Kaijo High Gym
"Faster! Move faster over there!"
Three months had passed since Kota last stepped into this place. He hadn't even opened the door yet, and already he could hear shouting from inside.
"That voice… captain Kasamatsu? Man, he's still as intense as ever."
Kota couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since he'd seen these guys.
During his special training, he and Kise had exchanged a few phone calls, but thanks to Araki's hellish schedule, Kota usually passed out the moment he got home. They hadn't had a chance to meet in person at all.
He walked up to the gym doors, took a deep breath, and composed himself. He wanted to make his return with calm and poise.
He grasped the handle, took a moment to settle his thoughts, then slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Kasamatsu, in the middle of directing practice, turned toward the noise. He glanced at the door, then looked away—but paused mid-turn, whipping his head back and shouting,
"Kota?!"
"Yo, Captain" Kota replied, nodding with a warm smile. He thought his entrance was perfectly composed and polite. But his teammates? Not quite as collected.
"KOTA!! Dude, I missed you so much!!"
That was Kobori, already snorting like a bull as he charged up and wrapped Kota in a bone-crushing hug.
"Yeah… I missed you too, Kobori-senpai" Kota answered with the same smile, even as he tried—subtly but firmly—to push the guy off before he got completely flattened.
"Kotacchi?! You're back?!"
No need to look—Kise's voice was unmistakable. He had clearly been ready to pounce with a huge hug, but upon seeing Kojima in full koala mode, he could only resort to poking and prodding Kota up and down.
"Whoa, you look paler! Did you grow? Hey, did you get fatter too?!"
Soon, everyone in the gym swarmed over. It looked less like a basketball practice and more like the early morning crowd at a farmer's market.
Kasamatsu stood to the side, jaw twitching at the sight. He'd considered breaking it up, but seeing how happy everyone was, he just let it be.
"Well, our point guard's home. Let them have this moment."
He shook his head with a soft smile, watching Kota sandwiched between his teammates.
This is what it feels like to have the full squad again.
The touching scene didn't last long though. Takeuchi came rushing in from his office at the sound of the commotion. He lit up seeing Kota — only to immediately frown. Kota looked pale and ready to faint.
"Move, move! Step back, all of you! Clear out!"
Takeuchi panicked. His PG returns from training and passes out on day one? That'd look great on a report. He shoved everyone aside and rushed to Kota's side.
Kota's hair was a mess, his clothes wrinkled — so much for that dignified image he was going for.
"Kota… you okay?" the coach asked, helping straighten his collar with genuine concern.
"Morning, Coach. I'm good" Kota waved it off with a lazy smile, running his fingers through his hair.
"Feels like I forgot how to play basketball though. Mind if we do a scrimmage? What do you say, senpai?"
The moment he said that, everyone froze. No one responded. Some even whistled and looked away. It was obvious—Kota was mad and planning to take it out on them.
Well, everyone except Kise, who was nodding like a maniac. He hadn't gotten a pass from Kota in months and was clearly suffering from withdrawal.
Takeuchi rubbed his chin for a bit, then nodded. "Alright. Kise and Kasamatsu on one team. Kota, Kobori, and Hayakawa on the other. We'll toss in a few subs to even things out."
He balanced the teams carefully — Kota's team had three starters, while Kise's had only two.
Kota, of course, had no complaints. This wasn't about punishing his senpai. He just wanted to test himself against Kise — see where he stood now compared to one of the Generation of Miracles.
Kise pouted a little.
"Man, I wanted to be on Kota's team… I miss catching his passes."
Kasamatsu didn't miss a beat — he smacked Kise in the side with a karate chop.
"You wanna be on his team? Then what's the point of training? And what, my passes aren't good enough for you?!"
Kise clutched his ribs, begging for mercy. Kota just smiled knowingly.
It really is that same old feeling — familiar, but distant.
Seeing Kasamatsu's chop brought back memories of Araki's katana.
"…What's she up to now?"
BEEP!
Kota was back, and Takeuchi was fully energized. He grabbed the referee whistle himself for this one. With a sharp blast, both teams took the court, lined up, and readied for the tip-off.
This wasn't an official game, so no formal bowing or introductions — Takeuchi just tossed the ball up and blew the whistle again. Game on!
Kobori roared and jumped, easily securing the tip for Kota's team with his monstrous hops.
Kota caught the ball in the backcourt and advanced slowly, raising a finger.
"Take it easy—we bag this first point."
Kise clapped the floor with both hands and stuck out his tongue in excitement. It had been three months — how much had Kota improved?
He stepped up to the high post, facing Kota, and taunted him in return:
"Hey hey, after all that training, you're not gonna open with a pick-and-roll, are you? That'd be way too boring, Kota!"
Kota paused mid-motion. That was exactly what he was about to do.
"Well, since you're so eager to play with me, I'll give you what you want, superstar."
He signaled for everyone to clear out. The other eight players instantly got the message, spreading out to leave the two of them space for a one-on-one.
"Hope your mouth isn't the only thing that leveled up" Kota muttered, shifting his weight and lowering his center of gravity.
Big Man Bully Playbook
Target taller than host — reduced bonus applied.
(Kise: Height 189 cm | Weight 77 kg)
Three months of intense weight gain had finally paid off — Kota wasn't just built to take on Akashi anymore. Even against Kise, his unique edge kicked in.
He dribbled, testing Kise's reactions, then exploded with a strong crossover, gaining half a step. But Kise's reflexes were elite — he spun and slid back into position almost instantly.
Kota knew better than to expect a clean drive. He felt out Kise's position with his off-hand, then yanked the ball back into a post-up stance. With a sharp hip-check, he slammed his "defensive weapon" into Kise's core.
Caught off guard, Kise stumbled. Kota felt the resistance disappear and spun into a soft jump shot — nothing but net.
As he jogged back on defense, Kota puckered his lips and wagged his head at Kise, wordlessly trolling.
Enjoy the taste of my premium rear pivot, champ?
"That jerk…"
Kise's face twitched. Even after all this time, Kota's trash talk still got under his skin.
He called for the ball, signaling a clear-out of his own. The Kaijo twin stars were just getting started.
Kota bit his jersey, lowered his stance, and tugged at his shorts.
Alright, let's see if your "Miracle-level explosiveness" can break through my Death Bind.