At last, he released his grip with a furious curse and stormed away.
...
"Man… Hanyu really is something else."
"That crossover just now was insanely cool!"
"Haizaki totally got destroyed—he didn't even know what hit him."
After the one-on-one ended, the gym buzzed with overlapping chatter.
Good thing Haizaki Shōgo slipped away fast—
with that explosive temper of his, if he'd heard himself being reduced to background noise, he probably would've blown up on the spot.
As for Hanyu Sota, he was praised so hard he felt a little embarrassed, rubbing his nose with a bitter smile.
They're really overhyping me…
But it was only a small episode.
Before long, everyone returned to their own training.
Sota turned to Aomine Daiki, and the two began a new round of intense sparring.
Compared to his match with Haizaki, this was on a completely different level—
one was nuclear warfare, the other child's play.
The sky gradually darkened, the sunset dyeing half the horizon red.
Sota packed up and prepared to head home.
Lately, his mom's workload seemed lighter—she'd been getting back early every day.
If he returned too late, he'd definitely get an earful.
"Daiki, I'm heading out."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
...
The moment he stepped out of the school building, a pink figure caught his eye.
It was Momoi Satsuki.
On a whim, he quietly circled behind her, stood on his toes, and suddenly covered her bright, lively eyes.
"Guess who I am?"
"…Sota-kun! Stop messing around!"
"Wah, that was way too easy. Zero sense of achievement."
"Hmph!"
Momoi lifted her chin proudly, her expression practically screaming, Aren't I amazing? Praise me!
"You're incredible, Satsuki—truly a reincarnated detective," Sota said dramatically.
"Fake! Way too fake!"
"WOW! SATSUKI! YOU'RE AMAZING!!!"
This time, he shouted at the top of his lungs, startling birds from the trees.
Luckily, hardly anyone was left at school.
"Idiot! Being loud doesn't make you sound sincere! It's about facial expression—control your face!"
"Like this?"
Sota leaned in, blinking wildly as if his eyes were cramping.
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
Momoi instantly broke down laughing, clutching her stomach.
"What kind of expression is that?!"
Sota said nothing and continued blinking shamelessly.
A handsome guy deliberately acting ugly was devastatingly effective—
Momoi laughed until tears pooled in her eyes.
Cough, cough…
Alright, enough—keep going and you'll go cross-eyed.
Sota straightened up and asked,
"It's late. Why haven't you gone home yet, Satsuki?"
She wiped her tears.
"I got roped in by a teacher to help organize documents. It dragged on forever."
"I see…"
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Then let me walk you home."
"Eh? Eh?!"
Momoi gasped softly like a startled bunny, her face instantly flushing.
"N-no, that's not necessary, right?"
They were close, yes—but being walked home was completely different, okay?!
Sota suddenly put away his grin and spoke seriously:
"Absolutely not. It's late, and you're a cute girl walking alone at night—what if you run into someone dangerous?
So please allow me to fulfill my duty as a knight and escort the princess back to her castle."
That cringey-yet-flirtatious line, paired with his sincere gaze, was a nuclear-level attack.
Momoi's heart was instantly sunk.
Her face was so red it looked like it might drip blood.
And that smile—so close—
Thump, thump…
Her heart pounded so loudly she feared he could hear it.
Stop it, heart—please don't beat so fast!
She looked away in panic, her voice tiny as a mosquito.
"You're… too close, Sota-kun."
"...!"
Only then did Sota realize how close he had leaned—
close enough to catch the faint scent of shampoo from her hair.
"S-sorry!"
"I-it's fine…"
"Then… shall we go?"
"Mm."
...
At moments like this, three things were never missing:
A blazing sunset.
Long, overlapping shadows.
Gentle evening light.
They walked side by side.
Because pedestrians in Japan keep to the right, Sota deliberately walked on the outer left, placing himself between her and the traffic.
Such a small detail—
yet it carried silent tenderness.
They walked quietly.
That suffocating moment earlier left a sweet, awkward tension hanging in the air.
Neither dared to speak first.
Their eyes would sneak glances at each other,
and when they accidentally met, they would spring apart like they'd been shocked.
"Satsuki."
"Ah? Yes?"
"The moon looks great ton—
no, wait—uh, the weather's nice tonight."
He scratched the back of his head, stiffly staring at the flaming clouds.
"Pfft."
Momoi couldn't help laughing.
The weather's nice? What kind of dense-boy line is that…
But somehow, she'd never noticed before—
the cold, ruthless killer on the court was surprisingly awkward and adorable in private.
Hearing her laugh, the heavy stone in Sota's chest finally dropped.
The clumsy tension faded.
Momoi's house wasn't close.
As the sun fully sank, streetlights lit one by one.
They chatted all the way.
Sota wracked his brain for funny stories and terrible jokes, sometimes making Momoi laugh so hard she lost all composure.
Walking through the night with him, she felt lighter than ever—
a sense of comfort and happiness she'd never known.
In a daze, a selfish thought crossed her mind:
If only this road would never end…
"Satsuki? Satsuki? You spacing out?"
"Ah? Ah!"
"Why did you suddenly go quiet? Are you feeling unwell?"
He leaned closer, concern in his voice.
"N-no! I'm fine!"
She wanted to disappear into the ground.
What am I even thinking… I'm hopeless…
Laughing and chatting, they finally arrived.
At the gate marked 'Momoi', she turned and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for today, Sota-kun."
"No big deal."
He waved casually.
"Now that the princess is safely home, the knight can clock out."
"Mm! Bye!"
"See you tomorrow."
Momoi stood under the streetlight, watching his figure slowly fade into the night until it vanished completely—then turned and went inside.
She was even humming an unfamiliar tune.
"Mom, I'm home!"
"Welcome back, Satsuki."
Her mother peeked from the kitchen, surprised.
"You seem in a great mood. Did something good happen?"
"N-no! I'm going to take a bath!"
The next morning.
Momoi left home humming happily.
When she went next door to wake Aomine Daiki, she was unbelievably gentle—her tone absurdly patient.
Normally?
She would've yanked the blanket and unleashed her tyrannosaurus roar.
Aomine squinted at her suspiciously.
His instinct radar was blaring—something is definitely up!
He couldn't hold back.
"Satsuki… did something good happen?"
She smiled faintly, humming again, wearing a mysterious top-secret expression.
"Tch. You're acting weird!"
Humans are strange creatures—the more Momoi hid it, the harder Aomine's curiosity clawed at him.
At the familiar street corner—
Hanyu Sota was already waiting, leaning against the cold brick wall, head bobbing—clearly still half-asleep.
"Good morning, Sota-kun!"
Momoi hopped over like a cheerful sparrow, beaming.
"Mm… Satsuki… morning…"
Sota forced his eyes open, a massive yawn nearly dislocating his jaw.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
Aomine rolled his eyes.
"Let me guess—you stayed up all night watching games again?"
Sota nodded groggily, without shame.
Aomine and Momoi exchanged helpless looks.
This guy really was a basketball-crazed lunatic.
"You're beyond saving…"
"Can't help it—the games were too good."
"Sota-kun, don't do that again. Your body will collapse," Momoi scolded softly, concern in her voice.
Hanyu Sota nodded his head like a pecking chick.
"Let's go, let's go. Morning reading is about to start—walking into class right on the bell is not a good look."
...
The classroom in the early morning was filled with loud, rhythmic recitation.
Students swayed back and forth as they memorized their texts—
All except one anomaly.
The moment Hanyu Sota dropped his head onto the desk—
Bang.
He fell asleep instantly.
It couldn't be helped.
His eyelids felt like they had weights hanging from them. There was no fighting it.
The outcome was completely predictable.
Once again, he became the "chicken" the teacher used to kill as a warning to the monkeys.
From the podium, saliva flew everywhere. Because he was a repeat offender, the teacher's roaring voice sounded like it could blow the roof off—there was zero mercy.
When Hanyu Sota returned to his seat with a face as black as the bottom of a burnt pot, suppressed laughter exploded all around him.
"Pfft—HAHAHA… Sota, that tragic look just now was legendary!"
"Congratulations to our Sleeping God for winning another One-Day Office Tour! Let's place bets—how many scoldings can he collect this week?"
"I'm betting ten!"
"Small thinking. With Sota's suicidal lifestyle, at least fifteen."
"Whoa, you guys are giving him way too much credit. Fifteen in a week? That's practically trying to give the teacher a brain hemorrhage."
"How about we open a betting pool?"
"I'll stake my three-year treasure—premium spicy strips! I don't even dare lick them. I'm betting twenty!"
"Get lost! Those things probably have mold growing on them!"
In truth, they weren't malicious—just bored and teasing him for fun.
Hanyu Sota wasn't only absurdly popular with girls; with his straightforward personality, he was also tight with these rough guys.
"You bunch of backstabbing friends… do you have any sympathy?"
He'd already been scolded into a bad mood, and now it felt like another arrow pierced his chest.
Terrible taste in friends. Every last one of them is a traitor.
"Relax, relax—don't make that face. Worst case, I'll lend you my new game for two days. I waited in Akihabara until my legs nearly fell off to grab that masterpiece!"
"Thanks, but no interest. Seriously, what are you guys even excited about with paper women? Aren't real, sweet-smelling girls way better?"
Hanyu Sota looked at him like he was an alien.
"Sota, you don't understand—this is a difference in realms!"
The boy suddenly became solemn, as if discussing cosmic truth.
"Two-dimensional wives are the purest, most perfect beings in the world! Those troublesome three-dimensional women? We noble souls have no interest in them!"
His "grand declaration" instantly earned frantic nodding from the surrounding boys—
and trash-like stares from every girl in the class.
"Hey, boys over there—don't drag Sota into your gutter!"
"Tch, what do girls know? We're teaching Sota the ultimate male romance! Mere three-dimensional creatures—don't get so arrogant!"
"What did you say?! You want to die?!"
"So what if I said it! Three-dimensional women are troublesome!"
"Sisters—get him!"
"That's why I say it—where can reality compare to my two-dimensional wife? Onii-chan~"
The boy continued courting death, pinching his voice into a cringe anime tone.
The guy beside him gagged, covering his mouth.
"Ugh… can you stop? I'm about to throw up my breakfast."
"Same +1. If I hear this again, I won't dare touch my Rin figurine for three days. Psychological trauma."
Hanyu Sota: "..."
Which asylum did these freaks escape from?
...
All day long, Hanyu Sota drifted around like a wandering ghost.
Only when the bell for club activities rang did the light in his eyes suddenly explode.
That description was Akashi Seijūrō's exact words.
"Ahhh—finally free. This day was exhausting."
Hanyu Sota stretched lazily, his bones cracking loudly.
Akashi Seijūrō's mouth twitched.
Tired?
You slept and stared into space all day—how do you even have the nerve to say that?
Sota instantly caught his mood.
"Seijūrō, was that look just now… disdain?"
"No. You're imagining it. Let's go—training's starting."
Akashi clearly didn't feel like entertaining him.
"Wait—don't walk away! Say it clearly!"
"Stop dragging your feet. If we're late, Captain Nijimura will eat us alive. I'm not getting punished with you."
"…Are we even best friends? So cold-blooded!"
"That doesn't work on me."
One ahead, one behind,
they walked toward the gym under the glow of the setting sun.