"Kaito! Let's go to P.E. together later!"
"Heh, sure."
In the hallway, Kaito—wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses—smiled as he walked downstairs, surrounded by a group of classmates.
Right now, he was posing as a third-year high school student—the same school Gohan would be attending later.
It was just a whim of his, really. Before Raditz arrived, he wanted to experience the life of an ordinary student.
As for how he managed to enroll? Simple. Manipulating a few ordinary people's minds was nothing to someone like Kaito.
For instance, the school's principal was now firmly convinced that Kaito was his beloved nephew.
He'd already been here for nearly two months. For a god of the Ōtsutsuki clan, mastering high school-level academics was child's play. Before long, his grades had skyrocketed—turning him into the legendary "someone else's perfect kid."
And with his stunning looks that could charm both men and women alike, Kaito had caused quite a stir when he first arrived.
Admiration for the strong was a well-known trait. Without even trying, Kaito had attracted a following of students who idolized him, constantly orbiting around him like satellites.
Today's P.E. class was special—the school was hosting a basketball match. Naturally, with his top physical scores, Kaito had been chosen as one of the main players for his class.
When he stepped onto the court after changing, the crowd of girls erupted in screams.
Among the opposing team's five players stood a short-haired blond guy with a cocky grin and a muscular build. He snorted disdainfully.
His name was Lance. With sharp Western features, he was considered one of the school's heartthrobs—and before Kaito's arrival, he had been the undisputed center of attention.
But ever since Kaito appeared, Lance's spotlight had been completely stolen. His pride couldn't stand it. So today, he was determined to humiliate Kaito in front of the entire school.
He glared at him fiercely, eyes filled with hostility as though he could eat him alive.
Kaito, of course, didn't care about the gaze of an insect. He casually removed his glasses, his golden eyes gleaming even more brilliantly.
He deliberately suppressed the light of the Tenseigan. With his current eye power, ordinary humans couldn't even look him in the eyes without being overwhelmed.
In the stands, a beautiful blonde girl with an icy expression rested her chin on her hand, gazing absentmindedly at Kaito below.
Her name was Lazuli—the undisputed school beauty of their year.
However, because of her cold and aloof personality, few boys dared approach her—aside from her twin brother, Lapis, who sat beside her.
The siblings had identical hairstyles: sleek, center-parted hair that exposed their smooth foreheads. The only difference was that Lazuli's hair was golden, while Lapis's was black.
Lapis handed her a bottle of water and followed her gaze toward Kaito, teasing,
"Hey, sis, you seem pretty interested in that Uchiha Kaito guy."
Lazuli shot him a glance and replied coolly,
"Boring."
Lapis just shrugged—he was used to his sister's icy demeanor—and said with a grin,
"Still, that guy's pretty amazing. He's only been here a short while, and he's already a campus legend. The girls in our class talk about him nonstop. Kind of hard for the class heartthrob to keep his reputation, huh?"
Lazuli didn't respond. Her mind drifted back to the moment she'd first met Kaito.
When he saw her, he'd looked genuinely surprised and had called her "No. 18?"
But then, he quickly shook his head, as if realizing he'd mistaken her for someone else. After that, the two of them hadn't interacted again—but that brief encounter had left an impression on Lazuli.
And as Kaito's reputation grew, forgetting him became impossible.
So even though she normally had no interest in basketball, the moment she heard Kaito would be playing, she couldn't resist coming to watch.
Her presence, in turn, made Lance even more excited. He'd been trying to pursue Lazuli for ages, but she clearly wasn't into his type—every attempt ended in rejection.
Still, he refused to give up. He was convinced Lazuli just hadn't noticed his "good side" yet. Basketball, his strongest suit, was his chance to shine.
Meanwhile, Kaito was thinking about something entirely different—how much he should hold back so as not to look completely overpowered.
...
Clang!
The bell rang, signaling the start of the game.
The referee tossed the ball into the air. Lance jumped first, slapping it toward one of his teammates.
Kaito didn't even move to intercept. They were too close, and he didn't want to accidentally send Lance flying into pieces.
Halfway through the match, Kaito was still halfheartedly playing around—barely trying. The spectators, Lazuli included, were beginning to look disappointed.
Then again, maybe it made sense. Nobody could be perfect at everything, right? Maybe basketball just wasn't his thing.
At this point, the score was 30 to 41. Kaito's team was trailing badly.
To be fair, Lance wasn't half-bad. Kaito's teammates couldn't guard him at all, and Lance had pulled off several flashy plays. Most of Kaito's side's points had come from him casually shooting whenever the ball reached his hands.
As the gap widened, Lance grew increasingly smug. He even started deliberately bumping into Kaito, who always sidestepped him without reacting.
But after the fifth or sixth time, Kaito started to lose patience. When Lance charged at him again, Kaito stayed completely still, letting him crash head-on.
The audience collectively held their breath. Lance looked bigger and more muscular, so Kaito's move seemed reckless—one good hit could seriously injure him.
Of course, that was only because Kaito had already adjusted his body size. If he had kept his nearly three-meter-tall physique from the One Piece world, Lance would've looked like an elementary schooler by comparison.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lance slammed straight into Kaito.
A loud bang! echoed across the court—followed immediately by Lance's pained scream.
Kaito didn't budge an inch.
Lance, however, was rolling on the floor clutching his shoulder in agony.
The entire crowd froze. They'd all seen how fast Lance was running, yet Kaito hadn't even swayed—Lance might as well have rammed into a steel wall.
The ball bounced into Kaito's hands. He was a few steps beyond the three-point line. Without hesitation, he threw it up casually.
The ball traced a perfect arc through the air and swished cleanly through the hoop.
Lowering his gaze, Kaito looked down at the fallen Lance.
"You okay?" he asked mildly.
Gritting his teeth, Lance slowly stood up, forcing a strained grin.
"No problem! Didn't think you were that tough, huh? Guess I'll just have to get serious!"
"Oh."
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