Click! Click!
Blinding flashes.
The sound of camera shutters filled the room.
Takeuchi covered half his face with one hand, barely managing to open his eyes.
"Coach Takeuchi, what do you think about today's opponent, Tenka High?"
"Well… Tenka High is overall a very spirited team. Facing an opponent at this level during the qualifiers is also a kind of training for us."
"Coach Takeuchi, may I ask why Kaijo's point guard, Kota, hasn't been on the court for the past few games?"
"Before becoming Kaijo's point guard, Kota is first and foremost a high schooler about to become an adult. Naturally, he has his own matters to take care of."
"Coach Takeuchi, how do you feel about the team's huge victory today?"
"Uh… the team's condition was excellent, the players played with great passion. I'm really happy."
"Coach Takeuchi, a lot of Tenka players were seen holding their heads and crying when they looked at the scoreboard after the game. What do you make of that scene?"
"…"
"Coach Takeuchi, does Kaijo hold some kind of grudge against Tenka?"
"…Ha… hahaha."
Takeuchi gave an awkward laugh, collapsing onto his chair with a bitter expression, staring at the microphones pointing at him like a row of rifles.
"Next question."
…
"Unprecedented blowout in Interhigh! 175–31!"
"Post-game interviews suggest past conflicts between Kaijo and Tenkahana! Kaijo's coach refused to comment!"
"Kaijo's starting point guard—Kota, finally returns to the team!"
"Shocking! Such a brutal scoreline in a high school match?!"
...
Inside Kaijo's gym, Kise held up the day's Basketball Weekly, grinning as he read the Kaijo column.
"Bwahahaha, now a bunch of people actually think we had some beef with Tenka High!"
He waved the newspaper in the air and gave Kota a sly wink.
"You're ruthless, man. First day back and you wreck the opponents like that? 175 to 31… even back at Teiko, we never had that big of a score gap."
Kise clicked his tongue, pretending to scold Kota like a teacher disappointed in his student.
Kota just shrugged, looking a little helpless.
Sure, he had been away for a long time, and maybe he got a little too hyped up yesterday, but the main reason the score exploded like that… was because of his teammates!
"If it weren't for you guys, the gap wouldn't have been that huge. Their players wouldn't have been crying their eyes out after the game either."
Kota gave Kise a playful karate chop to the head before packing up his bag while Kise grumbled under his breath.
By now, it was already more than an hour after school ended at Kaijo, the usual dismissal time for the basketball club.
Since there were still more qualifying matches in the coming days, Kota had dismissed practice earlier on Takeuchi's behalf.
Now, only Kise and Kota remained in the gym.
"Hey, Kota."
Just as he slung his bag over his shoulder, Kota heard Kise's voice from behind. He turned around, puzzled.
Kise was sprawled lazily across the bench, grinning as usual.
"Where have you been? I even went by your place, but you weren't home. Tried calling, but it kept saying you were out of service… Did you go abroad on vacation or something?"
Kota stayed silent for a moment, not answering. Kise didn't push, just sat up, leaning forward with both arms resting on his knees, his gaze suddenly sharper.
"Tell me."
The air went still. Kota lowered his head, quiet. Kise sat frozen in place, staring at him. Neither of them spoke for what felt like forever.
"Pfft. Man, you're making it sound like an interrogation"
Kota finally broke the silence with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
"I went to try out for the Basketball Association… and I got in."
He paused, before forcing out the second half of his sentence:
"In China."
"…Sorry. I broke our promise."
His expression was blank as he looked at Kise, waiting for his reaction.
Before boarding the flight back to Japan, Kota had already prepared himself.
No matter how Kise reacted — even if he blew up at him right there — Kota wouldn't argue.
After all, from Kise's perspective, Kota's decision could almost be called betrayal. In a world where basketball carried so much weight, changing nationalities to play for another country was basically like being a traitor in peacetime.
But Kise's reaction was not what Kota expected.
"Yeah, I kinda figured. At first, I didn't believe it though."
Kise scratched his head, his thick blond hair bouncing. Kota couldn't see his expression clearly, but his words made him tense.
"You… already knew?"
"Yeah."
Kise gave a firm nod, then looked him straight in the eyes.
"We promised we'd keep playing together after graduation."
Kota stayed silent, but he didn't look away.
Rules exist for a reason. No matter how unreasonable switching nationalities might seem, the fact that the system allowed it meant it wasn't against the ultimate bottom line.
And Kota's bottom line had always been simple—follow his own heart. He was willing to do reckless things for it.
Besides, as far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything wrong. He had only broken the promise he made with Kise, and for that, he owed him an apology.
"Sorry. I broke my word."
The same line again. Deep down, aside from feeling guilty toward Kise, he didn't have much attachment to Japan in terms of basketball.
"…It's fine. Actually, you might not have broken it at all, Kota."
Kise shook his head, his words carrying a hidden meaning. He looked at Kota and said slowly:
"What if I came with you to China?"
...
...
Ding-dong!
In a business apartment suite, someone rang the doorbell.
"I'm here!"
A cheerful female voice rang out. Reiko dried her damp hair, tossed the towel aside, and walked to the door, muttering to herself: Who could it be at this hour?
She unlatched the security chain, leaned down, and peeked through the peephole.
"Kota?"
Startled, Reiko opened the door.
"It's so late—what do you want—"
Before she could finish, Kota suddenly slammed his palm against the door with a loud bang.
His eyes flicked up at her, cold and sharp. The sudden noise froze Reiko in place.
"Huff—"
Kota drew in a long breath, calming himself down before finally speaking:
"What exactly did you and Kise talk about?"
"Huh?"
Seeing Kota like this — so unfamiliar — Reiko instinctively stepped back. Her knees felt weak, eyes fixed on his hand still pressed against the door.
"I told you not to go trying to lure Kise into joining the China program, didn't I?"
Kota realized he was overreacting. He pulled his reddened hand back, stepped inside, and muttered:
"Sorry for intruding."
He shut the door behind him. Reiko, still shrinking her shoulders like a frightened cat, was met with a helpless smile.
"Relax, Miss Reiko. I'm not the violent type. Maybe I lost control for a second, but at most you'll just get an earful from me."
Glancing at her spotless floor, Kota bent down, grabbed a pair of disposable shoe covers from the cabinet, and slipped them on without being asked.
"If it's okay, I'd rather we sit down and talk this through. What do you say, Miss Reiko?"
His tone was so casual, it was as if the guy who nearly busted down her door seconds ago wasn't him at all.
"…Want something to drink?" she asked stiffly, finally pulling herself together.
"Water is fine. Thanks."
With polite gestures, Kota sank into the sofa, closing his eyes as if to rest. Soon, Reiko returned with two glasses of water and sat across from him.
The clink of glass on the coffee table made him open his eyes. He looked straight at her.
For some reason, the usually composed Reiko felt nervous. She tugged at her collar; the air suddenly felt stuffy.
Kota only took a sip of water and tilted his chin toward her.
"Go on. What did you tell Kise?"
Hearing the familiar version of Kota again steadied her. She rubbed her hands together and said:
"Yesterday… after your game against Tenka, during the interview session, I saw Kise and thought of inviting him for a feature interview…"
"Wait a sec!"
Kota frowned.
"Coach Takeuchi never lets reporters near Kaijo players before the championship. Where exactly did you see him?"
"Uh…"
Reiko turned her face away, embarrassed.
"…Kaijo locker room."
Kota: "…"
Yeah right, you just "happened" to see him. You totally snuck in there on purpose!
He pinched his forehead.
"Go on."
Relieved he wasn't blowing up, Reiko continued:
"So I told him a bit about the China program and extended a serious invitation."
Kota raised an eyebrow. "And? He said yes?"
"Of course not. He turned me down, like I expected."
She pursed her lips and, after a hesitant pause, added:
"But I also told him… that you'd passed the China Basketball Association's tryout, and once you turned eighteen you'd be changing nationality to play there. After that, he asked for my contact info…"
Smack!
Kota slapped his own forehead. So that's why Kise wasn't surprised when I confessed to him. He already knew! He was just waiting for me to admit it myself…
Though it wasn't loud, Reiko flinched again. She quickly held her glass up like a shield, whispering:
"Don't be mad… I just wanted to do my part for Chinese basketball! And besides, you never told me why I shouldn't try recruiting him!"
Honestly, she felt wronged. Why wouldn't Kota want Kise to go with him? They were close friends—it'd be good to have company! Japan had a future for Kise, sure, but China wasn't bad either. If both Kota and Kise went, she was convinced the program's prospects would skyrocket.
"Kise's different."
Kota's sigh cut through her thoughts.
"I know a lot more about China than I let on. When you and Shu and even Ebi talk, I understand most of it — I just never learned to speak fluently. But Kise? The only thing he knows about China is that it's crowded. If he came with me, even with me at his side, he'd never adapt to life there."
His tone was firm. He had lived through it — he knew how jarring the cultural and lifestyle differences could be. Even he, with his dual connection, struggled at times. Kise? A pure Japanese guy dropping everything for "a promise between bros?" Total nonsense.
"Anyway, finding talent for the program is your job. I won't interfere. But if you use my name to push things again… don't blame me if I rat you out to Araki."
Reiko flinched, then raised her hand in mock oath, promising she'd behave. But before Kota could nod, she blurted out:
"…What about Kise then? I already told him. And honestly, he seemed pretty eager to join—with you."
Her voice shrank smaller and smaller under Kota's glare, but she forced herself to finish. Hey, if he really joins, then I didn't cross any line, right? After all, Kise alone was worth more than a dozen regular recruits.
Too bad Kota crushed her hopes.
"Forget it. That's cheating. I'll handle Kise myself. Trust me—he's not joining."
Draining his glass, he shot her one last look before standing and heading for the door.
"Thanks for the drink."
Without looking back, he left.
Reiko snatched up his empty glass, glared at it, and spat into it twice.
"What kind of guy cares this much about his buddy's feelings…"
Still muttering, she dropped the glass into the sink. Despite her grumbling, though, she found herself grudgingly impressed.
"Didn't expect this… that kid really puts his friends first."
...
Outside her building, a white vintage car waited. As soon as Kota stepped out, its headlights flashed at him.
"How'd it go?"
Behind the wheel, Araki glanced at him as he collapsed into the passenger seat.
"More or less handled. Just need to work things out with Kise."
Kota turned his head away, not wanting her to see his sour expression.
"Kise… probably wants to go with you to China, right?"
Araki tested cautiously.
Kota sighed.
"Yeah. That idiot doesn't think about consequences at all. Saying stuff like 'I'll go with you'—like this is some cheesy school drama. Seriously…"
His mind replayed Kise's words in the gym:
"I'll go with you. China's basketball level isn't that high, right? With me there, you'll crush it."
"So what if it means changing nationality? If you've got the guts to do it, why can't I? Don't underestimate me!"
"Kota… I want to play with you. If you're not there, what's the point of me joining Team Japan anyway?"
…Unbelievable.
'Foreign country'? He's not even thinking about what that means.
Sure, I can do it alone. But him? No way. And saying it doesn't matter if he makes Team Japan or not — right in front of me, a guy who got cut from the U-18 team? Yeah, real smooth, Ryōta.
He was fuming, but the corners of his mouth still twitched upward.
"That idiot really knows how to mess with people's emotions… No wonder he's such a ladies' man."
Kota clicked his tongue. "If even I'm thrown off by him, no wonder girls fall head over heels."
"Wait"
He turned suddenly to Araki.
"Miss Masako, what if I… tried following Kise's route?"
Araki:
"???"
"If you're really that bored, close your eyes and sleep. Don't distract me with nonsense while I'm driving."
"…Fine."