"Kise～"
…
"Kise? Time to wake up already. Don't you have a game today?"
Early morning sunlight spilled across Kise's forehead.
"Ah… Mom, the preliminaries ended yesterday. No game today—rest day!"
With a groan, Kise didn't even bother opening his eyes. He just rolled over, pulled the blanket over his head, and prepared to sleep until the next century.
But the very next second, with surprising force, his mother yanked the blanket straight out of his grasp!
Kise: …
Seriously? Is there some universal law that all moms are born with pro-level skills at ripping blankets away from their kids?
Resigned, Kise forced his heavy eyelids open, watching groggily as his mother neatly folded the blanket and carried it out of the room.
"Even if you don't have a game today, waking up this late is ridiculous!"
Without mercy, she balanced the blanket in her arms, opened the door with her elbow, and kept talking.
"Besides, just because Kaijo isn't playing doesn't mean there aren't other games worth watching. The weather's so nice—why don't you go watch some matches with your friends? Or at least go shoot some hoops!"
With a loud bang, the door shut, leaving only her words echoing in Kise's ears.
"Go watch some matches with friends, huh…"
Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, Kise unlocked it while ruffling his hair. Thanks to his wild sleeping style, it now looked like a bird's nest on steroids.
He ignored the avalanche of messages from girls — Shasha, Nini, and who knows how many others— and tapped on Kota's icon instead.
The last chat they had was just yesterday, after the round-robin game… which, of course, had ended in a fierce argument over the topic of "Kise moving to China."
Kise hesitated, then typed:
[Wanna go watch the North Block round-robin this afternoon…?]
…Tch! No way!
He immediately shook his head, eyes wide, and deleted the message before hitting send.
If he casually asked Kota to go watch a game together, wouldn't that basically mean he was admitting defeat?
And Kise doesn't bow his head to anyone!
Flopping back onto the bed, he pulled the pillow over his head this time—since his blanket had been confiscated.
Just then, the screen of his phone lit up with a new message. Since Kaijo's ace got spammed constantly, his phone was always on silent mode.
Through the crack in his pillow, he could see the glow. Still, he didn't move. No way was he in the mood to flirt with some random half-dressed fangirl right now.
…Except, without a blanket, and with Kota filling his head, how could he possibly fall back asleep?
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Annoyed, Kise pounded the bedframe, then grabbed his phone.
He was just about to pick some random lucky girl to reply to—when he noticed who the new message was from.
It wasn't a girl.
It was Kota.
His brain short-circuited. Without thinking, his thumb tapped the message open.
[Get up. Go watch the game.]
Short, blunt, easy to understand.
Five simple words and a period — and Kise stared at them for a good while, as if they were divine revelation.
Then suddenly, BOOM! He leapt out of bed, threw on socks and shoes, grabbed his phone and ear clip, and shot out of his room like an arrow.
"Mom! I'm heading out! I'll be back tonight!"
Still fixing his hair on the run, he shouted toward the balcony, where his mother was hanging blankets.
"Wait! At least eat somethi—"
But before she could finish, a strong gust of wind swept past her. She sighed, shaking her head.
"That boy… honestly…"
...
Meanwhile, at the North Block—
Kota leaned back in his seat, resting his cheek on one hand, lazily watching a couple of referees messing around with jump shots.
Beside him, Araki had one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through news on her phone with one hand while casually resting the other on Kota's shoulder.
Since they didn't want a repeat of the last time — when they'd arrived late and had to stand — the two came early, right after lunch.
Unfortunately, they'd overcompensated. Not only was the gym practically empty, even the court was deserted.
"Damn it… we came too early. Should've stayed at the restaurant longer…"
Kota muttered, shifting his head back until it bumped into something.
Smack.
Araki's hand came down on his head—not too hard, not too soft.
Kota chuckled, sensing her mood, and stopped pushing his luck. He just adjusted slightly to lean more comfortably.
With only a few refs practicing shots nearby, Araki let it slide this time.
"Don't worry. I only just sent the message. They'll be here soon enough…"
"Kota-senpai!!"
A booming voice came from behind, followed by a heavy force shoving him forward. In an instant, Kota was pushed away from Araki's "comfort zone" and back to his own seat.
Kota: …
"You flew here or what, Takumi?? I literally just sent that message five minutes ago!"
Grinding his teeth, Kota didn't need to look back to know who it was.
"I'm sorry, Kota-senpai!"
Bowing deeply, Takumi apologized immediately. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong, but clearly Kota's tone meant he messed up somewhere.
"Kota-senpai wouldn't scold me for no reason. I must've done something wrong. That's it!"
With that logic set in stone, Takumi sat down stiffly, ready to accept punishment.
Kota sighed. "Great… how am I supposed to make up a reason now?"
Instead, he waved the big guy over.
Takumi sat beside him with a perfectly calm expression, even bowing politely toward Yako.
Now pinned between a stone-faced junior and a distracted Araki, Kota felt unbearably itchy and restless.
"Tch…"
He glanced at Araki. She was still scrolling, face calm—but her flushed cheeks and clenched fist betrayed her mood.
Kota scratched his head. Better to just change the subject.
"You got here so fast… your house nearby?"
Takumi blinked, then suddenly nodded.
"Yes, Kota-senpai! I had nothing else to do, so I thought I'd come early and get seats."
"Ohhh, I see. Thanks."
Kota nodded, though something felt off.
"Wait… if your house is in the North, why do you commute all the way to Kaijo? Teen rebellion? Trying to escape home life?"
With how often he clashed with Kise lately, Kota had started assuming all teenagers did irrational stuff just out of spite.
If only he'd asked right then, he would've discovered much earlier that his biggest fanboy lived under his nose all along. Years later, standing on the international stage, spotting Takumi in the crowd waving a massive banner, Kota would finally connect the dots.
But that was for the future.
Right now, his "No.1 Fan" sat beside him, outwardly calm but inwardly bursting with excitement.
"Kota-senpai's foot… it's touching mine!!!"
Takumi sucked in a sharp breath, leaning back so hard his shoulder blades slammed into the seat.
BANG!
The noise startled Kota. He quickly stood, checking Takumi's back for injuries.
Once he confirmed it was just a light bruise, Kota sighed in relief.
"You okay? How'd you even smack into the bench like that?"
"Uh… I'm fine, Kota-senpai."
Still expressionless as always, Takumi gave no clue what had really happened.
Kota shook his head. Between Yako's stoic glare and Takumi's poker face…
"Do I attract emotionless weirdos or what?"
Soon after, the rest of Kaijo's squad trickled in, all invited by Kota.
"Kaijo team outing! Match-watching edition!"
Of course, he hadn't invited Takeuchi. For one, that lazy bum would probably refuse. For another… bringing Araki and Takeuchi together in the same space just felt wrong.
"Eh? Kota-senpai, Kise-senpai isn't here yet?"
The ever-polite Yuki greeted everyone, but looked disappointed when he didn't spot the golden-haired ace.
Kota rubbed his chin. He'd texted Kise last, after all their bickering these past days. But by now…
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of blond weaving through the incoming crowd.
"There he is."
Kota smirked, giving Kise a pointed glance.
Kise froze, then turned his head away with a huff. Classic tsundere move.
"Hah. Still acting tough, huh?"
Kota scooted a little closer to Araki instead, letting the silence hang.
The tension between Kaijo's "Twin Stars" was obvious to the whole team, but with no senior besides Hayakawa around to mediate — and Hayakawa currently too busy devouring popcorn to notice—it looked like they'd just have to sort things out themselves.
Luckily, the awkward mood didn't last long. The arena quickly filled to capacity, and the North Block round-robin was ready to begin.
...
BEEP!
The referee's whistle echoed through the stadium.
"Today's first matchup: Seirin High vs Tōō Academy!"
"A heavyweight clash right from the start…"
Araki sighed in awe. Both Rakuzan and Tōō were offensive juggernauts — the exact opposite of defensive titans like Yōsen.
On the court, Aomine and Kagami stared each other down across the halfcourt line, sparks practically crackling between them.
Kota grinned, eyes shining with anticipation. As much as he respected Midorima's precise shooting, he preferred seeing raw power colliding head-on.
"This… is gonna be fun."
He licked his lips, leaning just a little closer toward Araki again.
...
"Let's have a good game!"
The usual pre-match sportsmanship.
The game begins.
At tip-off, Kiyoshi — just back from overseas treatment — showed his value right away. Using his great vertical leap and massive hands, he seized the ball mid-air and flicked it forward!
At the same time, Seirin's players immediately began running their routes. Even though Kiyoshi's pass seemed to head toward an empty spot, every one of them moved with complete confidence, without a hint of hesitation.
In the stands, Kota's pupils shrank. He already knew how this play would end. At the same moment, Kise spoke up:
"This one's Seirin's ball."
Sure enough, as if to prove them right, a small figure suddenly appeared near midcourt — Kuroko. He had slipped into invisibility the moment the game started, and before Tōō's players could adjust, he snatched the advantage.
Kagami was already crashing into Tōō's paint, but Aomine stuck to him step for step. Still, Kagami's overwhelming presence drew Tōō's big men into helping, instinctively sliding over to contain him.
This is the chance!
Kuroko, loading up for his signature pass, instantly spotted the gap in Tōō's defense. With a sharp push of his right hand—Ignite Pass!
For an instant, the basketball looked like a streak of orange light, slicing through Tōō's halfcourt and landing perfectly at the wing—right into the hands of Seirin's point guard, Hyuga.
Wait — no, correction: it was Izuki.
Since too much defensive attention had gone to Kagami, Tōō inevitably left Izuki free. All they could do was watch as he floated in for an easy layup.
Seirin steals two points!
"Nice play!"
The crowd roared. Seirin was no longer some unknown underdog — this was last Winter Cup's runner-up, now the biggest challenger for this year's championship. Naturally, their fanbase had grown along with their reputation.
"Not bad…"
Aomine glanced at Kagami's back. He had been so focused on guarding Kagami's drive that he failed to cover Izuki on the opposite side. Turns out, Kagami was just a decoy.
"As expected… At this level, crushing Seirin outright won't be so simple."
Rolling his neck, Aomine's face grew more serious—but at the same time, the corner of his mouth curled upward.
"Let's go, kid."
"You got it, Aomine-senpai!"
A cocky first-year, carefree grin on his face, strolled to the sideline and bounced the ball in for an inbound pass to Aomine.
But instead of his usual solo charge into enemy territory, Aomine surprised everyone. After catching the pass, he lightly dribbled once—and passed it right back.
…What???
This scene shocked both Kise and Kota in the stands.
Did I just see that? Did Aomine actually…
Pass??? Without a dead ball, on the very first possession… he passed???
Kota rubbed his eyes like he couldn't believe it. Even Kise forgot about their little cold war and shouted across the seats:
"Hey Kota! That guy—he's the one from the rookie scrimmage!"
Kota nodded, tongue pressing against his cheek. He remembered.
"Yeah… that's Igarashi."