The Day of Kaijō vs. Rakuzan
Kaijō Team Bus
A chorus of snores echoed throughout the bus. Even though today was the national finals and they'd be facing Rakuzan in just a few hours, the Kaijō players were as relaxed as ever — eating, sleeping, and acting like it was just another day. Not a trace of nervousness in sight.
Kise rested his chin in one hand, staring lazily out the window. A soft breeze slipped through the small gaps, rustling his blond bangs.
Next to him, Kota was sprawled out on his seat, snoring lightly with an eye mask on, completely unbothered by the world.
"Kise-senpai" came a soft voice.
Kise turned his head to find Yūki sitting a few rows back. The polite first-year looked uneasy, his voice barely above a whisper so as not to disturb Kota. Kise had to lean closer just to hear him.
"Kise-senpai… I'm a little nervous."
Kise blinked, surprised by the honesty, then let out a small laugh.
"Don't worry, Yūki. You're strong — really strong. You've got nothing to be nervous about."
After a moment of thought, he added, "You know, when Kota played his first official game back in his first year, he was just as nervous as you."
"Huh?"
Yūki's eyes widened. "Kota-senpai… got nervous?"
"Of course" Kise said as if it were obvious. "Don't turn him into some kind of basketball monster. That guy just hides it better than anyone else."
That reassurance worked wonders — hearing that even Kota once felt the same way made Yūki's shoulders relax.
"Then… Kise-senpai, do you ever get nervous?"
Kise tapped his chin thoughtfully, then grinned and flicked Yūki's forehead. "Nope. Usually it's my opponents who get nervous."
Yūki: "…"
"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry, not trying to brag!" Kise waved a hand quickly. "Back in Teikō, our team was so ridiculously famous that half the schools we faced were already terrified before the tip-off."
"Ah… ha ha… I see," Yūki replied awkwardly, unsure how to continue. Fortunately, the bus came to a halt.
Before them stood the massive Tokyo Arena. This year, the finals organizers had gone all out, even renting this arena — rumor had it, thanks to Akashi's family connections.
"Whoa… this place is insane" Kise whistled. Then, with a smirk, he reached over and pulled off Kota's eye mask. "Wake up, Kota — it's showtime."
Sunlight streamed through the window, landing squarely on Kota's face. Feeling Kise nudging him, he wrinkled his nose and slowly opened his eyes.
"…Damn it."
Clearly, not a morning person. But as much as he wanted to go back to sleep, there were more important things waiting.
Pssht— The bus door hissed open.
The Kaijō players stepped off one by one. Still groggy, Kota waited until the very end, followed by Kise and Yūki.
The weather was perfect — bright sun, a gentle warmth settling on his skin. Kota stretched his arms overhead with a loud yawn, loosening up his still-stiff muscles.
Then, across the lot, another bus rolled to a stop.
Unlike Kaijō's older model, this one gleamed — sleek, modern, almost obnoxiously luxurious. Even from afar, Kota could practically smell the money.
"Well, if there's one school flashy enough to pull that off… it's Rakuzan. You never change, Akashi."
Kota crossed his arms, grinning as the Rakuzan players began stepping out.
Leading the way wasn't Akashi, but Mibuchi. He spotted Kota from afar, paused briefly, then looked away; the two didn't know each other well.
"Kaijō's here too, huh? Man, now I'm getting fired up already!"
Next came Hayama, whose eyes practically ignited when he spotted Kise and Kota.
"Kise! I'm dropping fifty points on you today!" he declared loudly. "And Kota — this year, Rakuzan's not losing!"
The tension was instant. Hayakawa, couldn't let that slide. He strode right up to Hayama, glaring down at him like a lion ready to pounce.
But Rakuzan's Nebuya stepped forward immediately, pulling Hayama back and squaring up.
Rakuzan's first-year Takeshi joined in, giving Kaijō's front line a cold stare. Takumi followed, standing silently behind Hayakawa — or more accurately, between him and Kota, like a bodyguard.
The air practically crackled with tension.
Kise narrowed his eyes, analyzing Rakuzan's formation — the "Copy" genius was just as capable at reading fights as he was basketball plays.
Kota, meanwhile, didn't move. His gaze stayed on the bus. Someone important hadn't gotten off yet.
And as long as that person was still inside, this wouldn't turn into an actual fight.
"Stop this nonsense."
A calm yet commanding voice cut through the noise.
The small figure of Akashi stepped off the bus, his presence instantly silencing both teams. His tone carried the weight of authority — the kind that made disobedience unthinkable.
Rakuzan's players froze mid-motion. Nebuya and Takeshi stepped back.
Akashi scanned the group, his crimson eyes finally locking onto Kota.
And just like that, everyone else followed his gaze.
Kota felt the weight of their stares but remained unfazed. He casually adjusted his hair, then smiled.
"Came all this way just to settle for second place? Sorry, Akashi."
Whoosh.
The wind carried his words through the silent air.
Kise smacked his forehead and groaned. "There he goes again…"
Meanwhile, Yūki looked at Kota like he was witnessing a god. Just standing there, the guy radiated confidence — to casually trash-talk Akashi of all people? Unbelievable!
"I've got a long way to go to be like Kota-senpai…" he thought, secretly pulling out his notebook and scribbling something.
The rest of Kaijō and Rakuzan just stood there, stunned.
Some Rakuzan players glanced nervously at Akashi. With the ominous aura rolling off him, no one would've been shocked if he pulled out scissors and charged at Kota on the spot.
But to everyone's surprise, Akashi didn't react with anger. Instead, he shook his head slowly.
"That mouth of yours really never quits, does it?" he said evenly. "But the championship will belong to Rakuzan… because—"
"I am absolute."
"I am absolute" Kota echoed at the same time, perfectly matching Akashi's tone.
The redhead's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kota wisely decided to stop pushing his luck. Teasing a corporate heir with scissors wasn't the smartest pregame activity.
"See you on the court, Akashi~" Kota waved, leading Kaijō's squad into the arena.
Akashi said nothing, his expression unreadable as he watched Kota disappear inside.
Later, Inside the Arena
Swish!
The net rippled as Kise's three-pointer dropped cleanly through. Holding his follow-through, he admired the shot before jogging over to grab the ball.
"Man, I'm feeling great today!" he said cheerfully, passing the ball to teammates for warmups.
Rakuzan hadn't entered yet, so Kaijō took the court first.
Another swish. Another perfect shot.
Kise puffed up proudly — until he realized something.
"Eh? Where's Kota?"
He glanced around, scanning the court and benches. No sign of his captain.
"Hey, Yūki, you see where our captain went?"
Yūki shook his head. Same with the others.
"Weird… maybe he went to the bathroom?)"
Before Kise could go looking, a familiar shout came from the stands.
"Kise!!"
He looked up — two familiar faces waving from the seats.
"Kasamatsu-senpai! Kobori-senpai!"
Kaijō's former captain and center — both alumni now — had come to cheer them on.
Kise ran over grinning, but before he could say more, Kasamatsu smacked him in the ribs with a "hand chop."
"Ow! What was that for, senpai?!"
Kasamatsu crossed his arms. "I came to see if my juniors are still training hard. If I find out you've been slacking off, you'd better start running laps till next year!"
Kise winced, rubbing his side — but deep down, he couldn't help smiling. It had been a long time since Kasamatsu last hit him. Kinda nostalgic, actually.
"By the way" Kasamatsu asked, scanning the court, "where's Kota? He's not warming up?"
"Uh… no clue. I was wondering the same thing. Probably in the bathroom. He always goes right before a game."
Just then, Rakuzan entered the arena for their own warmups — minus one familiar face.
"Akashi's not with them either" Kasamatsu noted.
"Huh?"
Kise turned to look — and sure enough, no Akashi. With that distinctive red hair and commanding aura, he was impossible to miss.
"That's weird… where did those two disappear to?"
Meanwhile — Inside the Bathroom
"Achoo!"
Kota rubbed his nose and glanced at Akashi, who was calmly washing his hands at the sink.
"Hey, you weren't just bad-mouthing me in your head, were you? I sneezed outta nowhere" Kota teased.
Akashi paused for a second, not looking up. "Relax. I'm not that petty."
Kota smirked. Yeah, true — if Akashi had a problem with him, he'd have already used those scissors of his.
"Still, it's kinda funny" Kota said, leaning against the sink beside him. "We always end up bumping into each other in bathrooms. Coincidence or fate?"
"...Hm."
The silence stretched.
Finally, Akashi shook the water off his hands and looked up at the mirror.
"When are you leaving Japan?"
Kota froze. "Huh?!"
"What the—how does everyone keep finding out? I only told Kise!"
Seeing his confusion, Akashi explained,
"My family has ties in the basketball association. And I saw your interview. You're going overseas to play professionally, aren't you… Kota?"
For once, Akashi's eyes weren't cold — just curious.
Kota exhaled. "You really are a detective, huh, Akashi?"
"You're right. Once I'm legally allowed to change nationality… I'm leaving Japan." He smiled faintly. "Heading to China."
Akashi lowered his gaze, staring at the water pooled in the sink. He didn't reply.
Neither of them spoke for a long while.
Finally, Akashi broke the silence. "Why refuse to join Japan's basketball federation? You know they'd never let me go pro… and besides me, no other point guard here can match you."
Kota chuckled. "Man, you really are full of yourself."
But the joke fell flat. Akashi stayed motionless, waiting.
Kota sighed.
"Generation of Miracles — a bunch of weirdos with emotional baggage," he thought.
"Some things just can't be explained, Akashi. I've made my decision."
He turned toward the door, pausing when Akashi's reflection caught his eye.
"Being cared about like this… feels kinda nice."
"Hey, Akashi."
No answer. The redhead didn't move.
Kota smiled anyway. "Forgot to mention — even if I switch nationality after turning eighteen, I won't actually leave until graduation. Meaning… our little rivalry's not over yet. Assuming you can keep up, we'll face each other at least three more times."
Akashi's shoulders twitched — barely noticeable.
"Come on, Akashi. Game's starting soon. Our bathroom date's running a bit long, don't you think?"
Still no response.
Kota shook his head, chuckling. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you to your… deep thoughts."
He pushed open the door, leaving Akashi alone.
As Kota's footsteps faded, Akashi finally lifted his head. His reflection in the mirror stared back — and his left eye gleamed faintly gold.
A voice, low and cold, echoed from within.
"I thought you only wanted to defeat him, Akashi…"