"As expected of a powerhouse school—Aomine mentioned it yesterday, and the transfer notice arrived today…"
"Shidou, Shidou, get up quickly! You're going to be late!"
Chizuru knocked on Shidou's bedroom door to remind him.
"I know! So annoying! If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed to that guy Aomine!"
On the way to school, Shidou dribbled the ball as he walked, wanting his body to adapt faster. Ever since his one-on-one with Aomine yesterday, he realized many of his movements were stiff and lacked fluidity. So after returning home, Shidou practiced until midnight, repeating every basic movement over and over again.
Since he had decided to become the strongest, Shidou wasn't going to just talk about it.
"Shidou, you must get along well with your classmates today, okay?"
"I know, you're so naggy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he received a sharp chop to the back—Chizuru struck him without mercy.
Stung by the pain, Shidou instinctively moved as if to kick her. "You—"
"I what?"
Chizuru glared at him. Coming back to his senses, Shidou quietly followed behind her.
"We're here. Just go straight to Grade 2, Class 3."
Chizuru reminded him as she dropped him off at the classroom door.
Shidou nodded and walked inside.
As soon as he entered, the classroom erupted in whispers.
"Who is that guy? He's tall and handsome. Is he a transfer student?"
"I don't know. And look at his hair—it's mostly yellow, but the tips are pink! So stylish!"
Shidou ignored them, found an empty seat in the back, sat down, and immediately fell asleep on his desk.
After classes ended, Aomine and Satsuki came looking for Shidou but couldn't find him, so they headed straight to the basketball club.
"Where did you come from, brat? How dare you challenge our Teiko Basketball Club alone!"
As they entered, the voice of a club member echoed from inside.
Aomine saw Shidou stepping on a Second String member's head, looking down at him. The surrounding members didn't dare intervene, seemingly frightened.
"Shidou, what are you doing?"
Hearing his name, Shidou turned around.
"Ah, Aomine and Satsuki. I'm just teaching a lesson to some trash player with no skill."
"Shidou, let him go. Fighting isn't allowed in the club."
"Huh? Why is there such a rule? Fine, fine, I'll do it for you."
Shidou removed his foot. The member stood up, still resentful but unwilling to retaliate after remembering how easily he had been defeated.
"What happened? Why did you get into a conflict with a Second String member right away?" Satsuki asked.
"I came straight here after class. He blocked the entrance, saying I wasn't from this school and demanded proof. I explained, but he wouldn't listen, so I taught him a lesson. Then he called backup, and I beat them all. That's it."
He then added disdainfully, "Are all your club members like this? Not very impressive."
"Our club has First, Second, and Third Strings. These are only Second and Third String players. The First String trains further inside," Satsuki explained.
"So complicated... I really don't know what your coach is thinking."
"Alright, ignore them. Let's have a one-on-one," Aomine said impatiently, grabbing a ball.
Hearing the challenge, Shidou immediately became interested.
The Second and Third String members gathered around the court, curious about Shidou's true ability.
"You go first again."
Aomine bounced the ball to him.
The moment Shidou caught it, his entire aura changed—stronger than during their match yesterday.
"No way… he feels like a completely different person once he gets the ball!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After three dribbles, Shidou vanished from Aomine's sight. A loud slam echoed as the ball was dunked through the hoop.
Aomine stared in shock as Shidou landed, eyes closed, enjoying the moment. Compared to yesterday, his feints and speed had improved dramatically.
The surrounding players, who knew Aomine's strength well, were stunned. The violent thug from earlier was now competing on equal footing with Aomine.
Possession changed.
"By the way, what did you do after going home yesterday to improve so much?"
Before finishing, Aomine accelerated explosively, used a slight feint, and blew past Shidou.
"Clang!"
Two steps past the free-throw line, Aomine executed a one-handed windmill dunk.
Landing calmly, he said, "Hey, you need to get serious, or you'll lose badly."
"Heh~"
Shidou smiled excitedly, though it looked almost wicked.
"Aomine, you really get me fired up!"
Aomine tossed the ball back. Shidou dribbled while analyzing Aomine's position. Lowering his stance, his dribble rhythm accelerated.
Aomine watched carefully, not daring to relax.
Shidou feinted left. Aomine shifted to cut him off. Shidou pivoted and spun past on the right, slipping past half of Aomine's body. Aomine reacted instantly, blocking his path.
Shidou accelerated, broke through, and Aomine chased. As Aomine caught up, Shidou used a between-the-legs crossover, prepared for a floater, then pulled the ball back and slipped around him for a layup.
"Playing with you feels great, Shidou. You must be a really nice guy," Aomine laughed.
Shidou was confused. What did skill have to do with personality?
"Again!"
"I wouldn't refuse!"
Aomine raised the ball as if to shoot, forcing Shidou to guard tightly. Suddenly, Aomine drove right.
Shidou followed, but Aomine slammed the ball down, accelerated again, and went for a floater. Shidou leapt to block, but Aomine double-clutched midair and scored.
"Impressive! Every cell in my body feels your energy!"
"Your turn!"
Shidou attacked again, driving hard. Aomine retreated to prevent a blow-by. Shidou switched hands, pivoted, and broke through again. Aomine stayed tight, preventing a pull-up jumper. With no space, Shidou drove to the basket and jumped for a dunk.
Aomine jumped to block.
"Don't even think about it!"
A surge of heat flowed through Shidou's body, as if something had broken free. Dark red steam seemed to radiate from him as he dunked directly over Aomine.
Aomine was knocked to the ground.
Crack!
The glass backboard shattered.
Shidou immediately shielded Aomine from the falling glass. When everything settled, Satsuki rushed over to check on Shidou—only to see his face lit up with pure excitement.