The gym smelled of sweat, polished wood, and the faint tang of liniment. The echo of sneakers against the floor still lingered in the corners, but the atmosphere had shifted tense, electric, almost sacred. Hikari Kanzaki stood in front of the team, her clipboard tucked under one arm, pen in the other. The court behind her gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights, the single word scrawled in bold letters catching every eye:
BONDING.
"Bounding" they all said together
"This… is what I'm trying to teach you," she said, voice calm but piercing. The team leaned in instinctively, as if the air around her had gravity.
"Bonding? Isn't that just… teamwork?" Riku asked cautiously, his arms crossed, eyebrows knit.
"Or team synergy, maybe?" Kenji chimed in, glancing around as if seeking validation from the others.
"Yeah, like moving in sync on defense," Rei added softly, almost as an afterthought.
