"Starting now, first-years vs. second and third-years scrimmage!"
Kota adjusted his jersey and wristband before glancing sideways at the good-looking guy standing next to him.
No doubt about it—that was the Kise, small forward of the Generation of Miracles.
Three days ago—Aomine is crazy strong, but way too hard to control. Sure, I can't be the captain, but I'd at least like to have a say in the team. Hmm... Kota rubbed his chin.
Looks like Kise is my best bet. Besides, Kaijo's team atmosphere is all about guts and drive. Even when Kise's off his game or missing a match, Kasamatsu's leadership kept them competitive in the original story.
"I choose Kaijo."
[Selection confirmed. Kaijo High has been locked in]
[Enrollment letter sent. Host must arrive independently and join Kaijo High's basketball tryouts]
What? Independently? C'mon, I just got here a few minutes ago—I don't even have a phone, and I don't know the area!
"Basic living arrangements established. Host background updated."
Kota glanced over the file.
Damn—both parents gone, but he inherited a sizable fortune. Well, that works out. No need to live with strangers, and less risk of slipping up.
…
Back to the present—
Kise was hyping up his new teammates with that flashy charisma:
"Just pass me the ball, guys. I'm really strong! I'll carry us against the senpai!"
Kota scanned the team. Kaijo was a nationally-ranked powerhouse, so even the new recruits weren't pushovers. Still, they looked a bit green to him. During warm-ups, he had already gauged their general skill level — except for Kise.
After all, in his past life, Kota had been a starting guard on a university team. College basketball and high school basketball were totally different animals. And now, with his skills enhanced, Kota wasn't even sure Kise was stronger than him anymore.
"No jump ball. First-years start. Two quarters. Ten minutes each" barked the coach from the bench, his beer belly pushing out his shirt.
He was especially interested in seeing the rookies—Kise in particular.
"Alright, let's go!"
Kise was clearly excited—finally free from the shadows of the four monsters even stronger than him.
Kota caught the inbound and advanced up the court with perfect control. The coach's eyes lit up.
This kid's fundamentals are solid.
Even Kasamatsu, Kaijo's point guard and court leader, could tell right away—Kota wasn't just good. His handling and pacing were on point.
"Interesting" Kasamatsu licked his lips."Heads up, boys. Play smart. Don't let the senpai down."
Since it was just a scrimmage and the match had just started, the upperclassmen weren't pressing full-court. Kota easily crossed half court.
Feels lighter than before. Is that my talent enhancement kicking in? So… how should I play this first possession?
Kota glanced around. Kise had already moved to the three-point line, demanding the ball:
"Pass it here! I'll score!"
Aggressive much? Alright then, show me what you've got.
Kota flicked his wrist and fired off a textbook laser pass — clean, precise, and surgical.
Kise's eyes lit up as he caught it.This guy can pass.
He dropped his stance and exploded forward with a lightning-quick first step, blew past his defender, soared into the paint — and posterized Kobori with a thunderous dunk.
Kota couldn't help but be impressed.
So this is the Generation of Miracles… That bounce is insane. He's probably got double my vertical.
"Whoa—was that even human?!"
Kasamatsu broke into a cold sweat. Everyone on the court was stunned by Kise's dunk, and the crowd erupted.
Somewhere along the sidelines, a group of fangirls had gathered. After witnessing Kise's highlight play, they all started screaming:
"Kise! Kise!"
Kise flipped his golden hair and smiled as he waved to the crowd.
Until—WHAM!—Kasamatsu came flying in and kicked him right in the butt.
"Idiot! We're still playing! And how long are you planning to wave?!"
Kise dropped to a crouch, rubbing his butt.
"Ow… Captain, not so hard…"
Kota scratched his nose, thoughtful.
Strong offensive instincts. Great physical tools. But… not much court awareness. Or maybe he just doesn't want to pass?
He glanced to the right corner—Kise had missed an open teammate earlier.
Eh, whatever. I'm just the number two guy here. If the ace doesn't wanna pass, who am I to argue? Just feed the most efficient scorer. That's logical.
Meanwhile, the coach was practically drooling on the bench.
"Now this is a team worth coaching! With a star like that, we might really go deep in Nationals this year. And that freshman—he's no joke either."
The coach narrowed his eyes at Kota.
"Great fundamentals. Killer passing instincts. And he's not ball-dominant. He's a complete point guard. What was his name again… Kota? Hm. Gotta talk to Kasamatsu later—maybe they can split point guard duties
Kaijo this year… might be something special. Ha ha ha!"
"Don't sweat it. That was just one possession. Let's bring it back. Don't let the freshmen show us up!" Kasamatsu shouted as he pushed the ball up.
Kaijo's second- and third-years were on a different level. Outside of Kota and Kise, the other first-years were getting overwhelmed.
Plus, with no real chemistry, the underclassmen were being outplayed in every tactical aspect. Kota abandoned any thought of running set plays. Thankfully, Kise was a beast.
If they couldn't stop the upperclassmen, they'd just have to outscore them. One-on-one, no one could contain Kise.
Kasamatsu tried to counter by organizing more team play, but the more passes they made, the more openings there were.
With sharp instincts and experience, Kota intercepted several passes and led fast breaks.
End of the first quarter: 26–20.
Kise was causing major problems for the defense, but with weak support and Kota playing more like a facilitator to study Kise, the lead stayed slim—just six points.
"You're a great passer" Kise said during halftime, walking up to Kota. "But the senpai are gonna get serious in the second half."
Kota looked at him and replied calmly, "That's fine. You're still on the court, right? Our chances of winning are solid."
Kise paused—then burst out laughing.
"You've got a way with words. But yeah, they'll definitely double-team me soon. Losing to freshmen is… kinda humiliating."
Kota just shrugged.
"So I'm counting on you next half. I've got a read on them now. Breaking the defense won't be easy, so I'll leave it to you, Mr. Pass Master."
"I'm Kota. And since you want to see what I've got, then keep your eyes open, genius."
The word "genius" caught Kise off guard—but somehow, it suited him just fine.
Second quarter started. Kasamatsu lobbed it to Kaijo's starting center Kobori, and the freshman big man stood no chance. Kobori rose and hammered it home.
"Don't underestimate us!" Kobori roared.
Kasamatsu followed up, "Time to take this seriously. Lose this game, and you're all running 10 laps!"
"Yessir!" the upperclassmen shouted.
Kise let out a soft chuckle on the sideline. "They're fired up now."
Hands on his hips, he turned to Kota. "Ready? Your time to shine."
Kota didn't answer. He took the inbound and was immediately met by Kasamatsu, pressing hard.
Full-court man-to-man? No... Their formation's leaning toward Kise's side. So the double's coming.
Kota kept calm. Despite the pressure, his ball-handling and court vision were top-tier.
A couple smooth crossovers later, he shook Kasamatsu and stopped at the arc to scan the defense.
Two guys on Kise? And he's not even trying to move. Trying to test me, huh?
Kota checked the weak side—his teammates there weren't even asking for the ball.
Extras. Can't count on them. Looks like I've gotta take over.
He signaled for a screen. The center hesitated—Kota had only been passing to Kise so far and hadn't shown much interest in actual teamwork. Still, the center jogged up for the pick.
Kota used the screen, found tons of open space, and raised his arms like he was going to shoot.
No good! He's pulling up! Kasamatsu darted around the screen and jumped.
"Nice elevation," Kota said with a smirk—then bolted into the paint.
Dammit! A fake! Kasamatsu yelled, "Defense!"
Kobori stepped up — but Kota didn't even glance at him. Instead, he bounced a pass through Kobori's legs to the rolling center, who slammed it home with one hand.
"White team, two points."