It was supposed to be a normal school festival.
Yakitori. Maid cafรฉs. Goldfish scooping. That kind of thing.
But of course, Sakuragi showed up in a tank top, sunglasses, and declared war on the basketball booth like it owed him money.
๐ช Festival Vibes
Shohoku's courtyard had been transformed. Colorful stalls. Loud pop music. Girls in yukata. Boys burning their tongues on takoyaki.
I was doing my usual festival routine:
Avoiding people.
Eating too much dango.
Judging amateur haunted houses.
Then I heard itโ
"KUDOOOOOO!"
Here we go.
๐ The Challenge
Sakuragi was flexing like a wrestler next to Mito Yohei, his best friend and personal bouncer.
"THERE'S A 3v3 STREETBALL CHALLENGE!"
"Winner gets food vouchers and a trophy that looks like a basketball wearing sunglasses."
Me: "...Why would I care aboutโ"
"We signed you up!"
Me: "WHAT?!"
Mito Yohei, calm as always, grinned.
"Come on, man. It'll be fun. You're our secret weapon, right?"
I tried to walk away. They dragged me back.
๐ Team Sakuragi: The Red-Haired Avengers
Sakuragi โ Power, chaos, and unfiltered energy.
Mito Yohei โ Chill tank. Good instincts. Surprisingly solid defense.
Me (Kudo) โ Apparently the brains?? With a side of reincarnated skills I still don't understand.
Our opponents?
Three upperclassmen from the volleyball club trying to look intimidating in tank tops.
They called themselves: "The Spike Kings."
Sakuragi: "Pfft. More like The Pipe Cleaners."
๐ฎ Game On โ First to 11
I called it from the start.
Sakuragi went for a dunk and nearly broke the rim.
Mito blocked a spike guy into another dimension.
Iโฆ accidentally did a no-look pass and shocked myself.
Every time I touched the ball, that muscle memory kicked in.
Every fake, every spinโsmooth.
"Kudo's got moves?!"
"Wait, he'sโฆ actually good?!"
Sakuragi: "OF COURSE HE IS! HE LEARNED FROM ME!"
Absolutely false. But thanks, buddy.
๐ฅ Final Point
10โ10. Winner takes all. Tension thick as ramen broth.
I had the ball. One of the Spike Kings lunged. I hesitated.
Then I heard it againโ
"Read his hips. Shift left. Hit the step-back."
I moved without thinking. Quick crossover. Step back. Jump shot.
Swish.
Game.
The crowd lost it.
Sakuragi jumped on me like I scored in the Olympics. Mito raised his arms like a proud dad. Someone handed us melon pan and a plastic trophy.
๐ Post-Game Chaos
Sakuragi: "WE ARE GODS!"
Me: "Please get off my backโmy spine is not divine."
Mito: "That was fun. You really do play like someone who's done this forever."
I paused.
Sakuragi looked at me.
"Kudoโฆ You sure you're not secretly an NBA player?"
I grinned.
"Nah. I'm just a benchwarmer with good luck and a weird past."
But deep down, I could feel it.
I was waking up.
Not just as Kudo Hirataโฆ
But as Akira, too.