Tokitaka Tokiwa walked through the morning streets of Kawasaki, earbuds in, enjoying the crisp air after Golden Week. His phone buzzed—Captain Chiba calling.
"Tokiwa! Want to catch a movie today? There's that new action film—"
"Sorry, Captain," Tokiwa said with his usual easy smile. "I'm meeting some friends at a music studio later. Maybe next time?"
"Your loss! Don't forget practice tomorrow!"
As Tokiwa ended the call, he noticed a familiar group approaching—the Kitasumi High basketball team, easily recognizable by their matching warm-up jackets.
"Morning, Kabachi," Tokiwa greeted with a wave. "Konishi, Hasebe. Looking energetic today."
Tarou's expression immediately soured. "Tokiwa. What are you doing here?"
"Just passing through. You guys heading somewhere?"
"Practice match," Tarou said, his competitive edge sharpening. "And before you start gloating—yeah, we lost to Shinmaruko last week. But I scored more points than you did in your game against them."
Tokiwa's smile widened, knowing exactly how to push Tarou's buttons. "That's true. You did score more points."
Tarou looked momentarily satisfied.
"But I had a triple-double."
Tarou's eye twitched. "A triple-double?"
"Ten points, twelve rebounds, eleven assists," Tokiwa said casually, as if discussing the weather. "One of the most challenging feats in basketball, wouldn't you say?"
"I— you— that's not—" Tarou's face was turning red with frustration.
From behind him, Hasebe leaned toward Konishi. "Here he goes again. Tarou really hates guys who are more skilled and better-looking than him."
Konishi smiled, his usually closed eyes crinkling at the corners. "Let him be competitive. It makes him play better."
"So where's this practice match?" Tokiwa asked, enjoying Tarou's obvious irritation.
"Kuzuryu High," Tarou managed through gritted teeth. "The team with Nao's cousin—wait, no, Nao's the manager there now."
"Kuzuryu High?" Tokiwa's interest piqued. "The former delinquent school? This should be interesting."
"They won't be a challenge," Tarou said confidently, though his competitive fire was now fully ignited. "We're going to destroy them."
"Good luck with that," Tokiwa said, checking his watch. "Actually, mind if I tag along? I've got some time before my studio session."
----
Nao approached Sora, who was lacing up his practice shoes, and handed him a familiar box.
"Kurumatani-kun, your Asics are repaired. My father fixed them personally."
Sora's eyes lit up as he opened the box. His original basketball shoes—the ones his mother had bought him, the ones that had torn during practice—looked brand new.
"Nao-san, thank you so much!" He held them carefully, almost reverently. "How much do I owe—"
"Nothing. Consider it a manager's investment in her team." Nao smiled. "Will you wear them for the match?"
Sora looked at the Asics, then at the shoes he'd been training in all week. "Actually... I'll save these for Inter-High. The shoes I've been wearing during training camp—they're broken in now, comfortable. I don't want to switch right before an important match."
"Smart thinking," Nao approved. "Consistency is important."
The gymnasium doors opened, and the Kitasumi High team filed in, their presence immediately commanding attention.
Tarou entered first, his confident swagger impossible to miss. Behind him came several players, but two stood out immediately:
Konishi Manabu—196 cm of pure athletic center, his crew-cut hair and usually-closed eyes giving him an intimidating presence.
And with them, unexpectedly, was Tokiwa.
"KONISHI?!" Momoharu's voice echoed through the gym.
The tall center's eyes opened slightly, focusing on the Hanazono brothers. "It's been a while, Hanazono-sempai. Chiaki-sempai."
Momoharu stared, barely recognizing the skinny middle schooler he'd once practiced with. "You... you got huge! And tall! What happened?!"
"I kept training," Konishi said simply. "Every single day since you two quit. Without you sempais, it was lonely playing with people who weren't serious about basketball. But I haven't skipped a single practice session. Not once."
"Konishi..." Chiaki said quietly.
"You two taught me a lot," Konishi continued, his tone carrying an edge now. "Momoharu-sempai inspired me to play basketball seriously. So when you both quit, I was disappointed. Heartbroken, even."
His eyes opened fully now, fixing on Momoharu with unmistakable challenge.
"But I kept playing. I kept improving. And now I want you to know something, sempai: Basketball isn't some merciful sport that you can just crawl back to after abandoning it. If you disagree with that—"
He stepped closer to Momoharu.
"—then prove me wrong with your skills in this match."
Momoharu's fists clenched, his competitive nature rising to meet the challenge.
"Bro," Chiaki put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Stay calm. He's trying to get in your head."
"It's working," Momoharu growled.
Madoka quickly intervened. "Kitasumi High, please follow me to the locker room. You can change and warm up."
As the visiting team filed toward the locker room, both teams began their warm-up routines.
Kuzuryu High ran through their standard drills—layup lines, shooting practice, defensive slides.
But Kitasumi High's warm-up caught everyone's attention.
"What are they doing?" Yasuhara asked, watching as Kitasumi players repeatedly tapped the ball against the backboard with alternating hands.
"Tap drills," Kenji explained, his mind already assessing the opposition. "They throw the ball up against the backboard, then jump and tip it with designated hands. It improves ball-handling, timing, and rebounding instincts."
"They look... really coordinated," Nabe observed nervously.
"They're a veteran team," Nao reminded them. "Second-round Inter-High team from last year. This is the level we'll face in the preliminaries."
On the other side of the court, Satsuki approached an older man in a tracksuit—Koga, Kitasumi's coach.
"Thank you for accepting our request for a practice match," Satsuki said, bowing politely.
"Nao-chan asked personally," Koga replied with a gruff smile. "And my boys were eager for a challenge. Your team's reputation as reformed delinquents has spread."
"We're working hard to change that reputation."
"We'll see how hard. Basketball doesn't lie."
----
Tokiwa approached Sora, who was stretching near the baseline.
Kurumatan!"
Sora looked up at the Shinmaruko player. "What's up? You're Tokiwa-san from Shinmaruko!"
"I wanted to give you a warning," Tokiwa said seriously. "Be careful of Kabachi. Tarou's our rival, but I respect his skills. He's a scoring machine—efficient shooting guard with excellent perimeter shots and a dangerous drive. His signature move is a stop-and-go shot with irregular form that makes him nearly impossible to guard."
"Thanks for the warning!" Sora's eyes were gleaming with excitement rather than fear. "A scoring machine, huh? That sounds fun!"
"Fun?" Tokiwa blinked.
"Playing against skilled opponents is the best way to improve! I can't wait!"
Tokiwa smiled slightly. "You're an interesting one. Good luck out there."
As Tokiwa walked away, Sora immediately jogged over to where Tarou was doing shooting drills.
"Kabachi-san!" Sora called out.
Tarou turned, looking down at the significantly shorter first-year. "What do you want, squirt?"
"I heard you're really good at scoring! I'm looking forward to playing against you!"
Tarou's competitive smirk widened. "Listen up, shorty. My skills are mine and mine alone. Nobody can do them but me. And when this match is over, my team will be the one standing victorious. That's a promise."
"Then I promise we'll win!" Sora shot back, his determination blazing. "I won't lose to anyone when it comes to scoring!"
Their eyes locked—two natural scorers recognizing each other as rivals.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that," Tarou said. "But guts won't stop my shots. You're not on anybody's radar yet, squirt. The only winner here is me!"
"We'll see about that!"
Nao blew her whistle. "Both teams, line up! It's time!"
Starting Lineups
Kuzuryu High:
PG: Sora Kurumatani (153cm)
SG: Kenji Natsume (178cm)
SF: Chiaki Hanazono (193cm)
PF: Yasuhara (181cm)
C: Momoharu Hanazono (189cm)
The two teams lined up at center court.
The referee held the ball between Momoharu and Konishi.
"This is it," Sora thought, his heart pounding with excitement. "Our first real test. Time to show everyone what Golden Week training has done for us."
The whistle blew.
The ball was tossed into the air.
The practice match had begun.