Momoi Satsuki's Worries: Attention Off the Court

The clamor of the national tournament had temporarily subsided, and Teikō Junior High basked in the warm afternoon sun. The faint sounds of training could be heard from the direction of the basketball gym, but for Momoi Satsuki, her "battlefield" had temporarily shifted to the quiet data room. The heavy curtains were half-drawn, and sunlight cut across the floor in alternating lines of light and shadow. The air was filled with the scent of paper and ink. She sat before a desk piled high with videotapes, data sheets, and record boards, her brow furrowed slightly, her fingertips unconsciously toying with a sharply sharpened pencil.

Before her lay a thick record board, documenting all of Teikō's core members, especially that white figure. Detailed data on their narrow victory against Snow Peak Academy in the semifinals had long been compiled, and tactical analyses and opponent assessments were clearly organized. However, her gaze lingered for a long time on the blank space at the edge of the record board, on the creases of the pages that had been torn off and carefully pasted back—these were the marks left when she had written down Bai Ze You's data, made a mistake due to her unsettled state of mind, and torn the page.

Her mind was no longer on cold data. Akashi Seijūrō's chilling declaration about the "absolute nature of victory" in the locker room echoed in her mind like a nightmare. She clearly remembered Bai Ze You's lowered head at the time, his clenched fists, and the confusion and struggle emanating from his silent silhouette. She remembered the suffocating low pressure that Akashi's emotionless crimson eyes brought as they swept across the court. Even more, she remembered the unshakeable heaviness and worry in Captain Nijimura's brow after Akashi left.

The attention off the court was far more agonizing for her than the rapidly changing situation on the court.

"Absolute victory..." Momoi murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously circling "Bai Ze You's" name on the board. "To end it personally... not giving any chances... Yū-kun he..." She couldn't imagine the boy who moved like a White Phantom on the court, always with a serene smile, who would trust his teammates and pass the ball at crucial moments, being forced into becoming a cold, terminating machine that must "destroy" everything when an opportunity arises. Was that still the Yū she knew? Was that still the "Phantom" that made her heart involuntarily race?

Her mind uncontrollably replayed every moment of Bai Ze You's actions:

* During the freshman selection, his eyes flashed with excitement and unwavering focus as he faced Aomine's wild charge.

* After the one-on-one with Aomine, though he lost due to exhaustion, he still held his head high, his eyes bright with stubbornness.

* In team practice, he precisely found Kuroko cutting to the basket, gave him a perfect pass, and then gave a sincere thumbs-up with a smile.

* Against Toyotama, he danced gracefully within the "Triple Chain," breaking through with extreme flexibility, his eyes burning with confidence.

* And... at the family restaurant, when he quietly listened to her analyze data, his focused profile and the occasional glimpse of a gentle gaze that made her heart skip a beat...

These images were all warm, carrying the unique, heart-stirring radiance that belonged to Bai Ze You. This radiance was so incompatible with the cold, lonely path of "destruction" leading to "Absolute Victory" that Akashi described!

"Yū-kun must be very troubled..." Momoi put down her pencil, resting her chin in her hands, her pink hair slipping over her shoulders. She could almost see Bai Ze You practicing alone, see him repeating basic drills over and over, trying to find the minuscule balance point between Akashi's "absolute" and his own inner "trust." This understanding and concern made her chest feel heavy.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the data room.

"Please come in," Momoi quickly straightened her posture and composed her expression.

The door opened, and in walked Satō Rie, the team manager for Snow Peak Academy. A girl with short, neat hair and equally sharp eyes. The intense clash in the semifinals had forged a peculiar sense of "mutual appreciation" between the two managers through their data exchanges.

"Momoi-san, sorry to intrude," Satō Rie nodded politely, holding a USB drive in her hand. "My coach asked me to give this to you. It's a complete analysis of Fujiwara Ken's techniques and habits, recorded on video. I hope it will be helpful for your finals preparation."

"Ah, thank you very much! Satō-san, please also convey my thanks to your coach!" Momoi quickly stood up to take the USB drive, expressing her sincere gratitude. The magnanimity of Snow Peak Academy filled her with respect.

"It's nothing, it's what we should do," Satō Rie waved her hand, her gaze sweeping over the open record board on Momoi's desk, lingering for a moment on "Bai Ze You's" name and the dense data beside it. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Momoi-san, there's something... I don't know if I should say it."

"Please say it," Momoi said with some curiosity.

Satō Rie carefully chose her words, her eyes serious. "It's about your team's Bai Ze player. In the semifinals... he caused us a lot of trouble."

Momoi nodded, signaling her to continue.

"His style... is very unique," Satō Rie seemed to be searching for the right adjective. "It's different from Aomine-san's explosive impact, and different from Midori-san's mechanical precision. He's like... a flowing White Mist on the court. You can see him, but you can't catch him; you think you've figured him out, but the next second he'll appear in an unexpected place, scoring or assisting in a way you'd never imagine."

"White Mist..." Momoi repeated softly, the description stirring something in her heart.

"Yes, mist," Satō Rie affirmed. "His flexibility, sense of balance, and deceptive changes in rhythm combine to form an unpredictable and uncontainable trait. Our ace, Fujiwara, also said after the game that Bai Ze-san was one of the most troublesome opponents he's ever faced, not because of overwhelming strength or speed, but because of that feeling of 'slipping through your fingers' and 'never knowing what he'll do next.' His passing choices are also very bold and full of creativity, like that last pass to Midori-san..."

Satō Rie paused, looked Momoi in the eye, and said with a hint of emotion and pure admiration:

"Momoi-san, please, you must protect him. Protect his unique 'mist' trait, protect his courage and creativity to trust his teammates even at crucial moments. A player like that, a style like that, is a rare and imaginative light in this era of basketball that pursues power and efficiency. If, for some reason, he were to become 'certain' and 'cold,' it would be a loss for the entire basketball world."

Satō Rie's words struck Momoi Satsuki like a thunderclap! She stood there dumbfounded, the USB drive in her hand feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Protect... him?

Protect his "mist"?

Protect his trust and creativity?

These words precisely hit the most hidden worries and the strongest desires in Momoi's heart! Yes, Yū-kun's "Phantom," his uniqueness, his trust in his teammates at crucial moments—weren't these his most dazzling aspects, and the parts that made her heart race the most? If these were to be erased or distorted because of Akashi's "Absolute Victory"... would he still be himself?

A strong impulse surged through Momoi's heart. She wasn't just a manager who recorded data; she was also... Bai Ze You's observer, one of the people closest to him, who understood his basketball and his inner self the most! She couldn't stand by and watch him be bound by cold ideals!

"Satō-san..." Momoi's voice trembled slightly, but her eyes were exceptionally firm. "Thank you! Truly... thank you so much for your words! I... I will remember them! I will definitely... protect his basketball!" She tightly gripped the USB drive in her hand.

Satō Rie looked at the light shining in Momoi's eyes and gave an understanding smile. "Good luck, Momoi-san. And I wish Teikō success in the finals. Of course, win fair and square." She waved her hand and turned to leave the data room.

The door closed softly, and the data room returned to silence. But Momoi Satsuki's heart was like a lake disturbed by a thrown stone, turbulent and unable to calm down for a long time.

Satō Rie's words were like a key, opening the door named "responsibility" and "courage" in her heart. She sat back down at the desk, her gaze fixed on Bai Ze You's name and the detailed data on the record board. Her fingers no longer drew aimless circles; instead, she firmly picked up her pencil.

Below "Bai Ze You's" name, she created a brand new section and wrote a title in clear, strong handwriting:

「Core Protection Objectives:」

1. 『Phantom Trait』: Flexibility, sense of balance, deceptive rhythm, creativity in tight spaces. (Maintain S+ level)

2. 『Bond of Trust』: Passing choices based on judgment and trust at crucial moments. (Not blind, but courage must be preserved)

3. 『On-Court Imagination』: Unconventional offensive methods and passing inspiration. (Avoid being stifled by "absolute certainty")

Next, she wrote down an action plan:

* Data Support: Strengthen the collection of cases where Bai Ze You uses his "Phantom Trait" to create efficient scores/assists, quantifying its value.

* Psychological Counseling: Find a suitable opportunity, using data analysis as an entry point, to affirm the value of his style and alleviate the pressure from Akashi's remarks.

* Tactical Suggestions: Propose to Captain Nijimura and Akashi-kun (cautiously) to preserve Bai Ze You's tactical freedom as a "gear shifter" and "source of creation," and avoid simplifying his role to just a "finisher."

* ... (To be added)

As she wrote, Momoi's cheeks flushed slightly. She flipped to the last few pages of the record board, which was her "Private Observation Zone" tucked within the data analysis. There were drawings of chibi Bai Ze You shooting a basketball, simple sketches recording his tired but satisfied expression after a training session, and... that sentence, torn off and pasted back, that made her cheeks burn:

「Observer's Subjective Note: Heart rate... abnormal fluctuations observed multiple times during observation. Further analysis of the cause is... required.」

She looked at the sentence, her fingertips gently brushing over the writing, her eyes gentle yet firm. Protecting Yū-kun's basketball, protecting his unique "Phantom," was not just for Teikō's victory, not just for the diversity of basketball, but more importantly, for... the boy himself who made her heart race abnormally.

She took a deep breath and, next to "Further analysis of the cause is... required," she quietly added an answer in tiny letters, visible only to herself:

「Cause Analysis (Preliminary): An uncontrollable variable named 'Like' has intervened in the observation.」

After finishing, she quickly closed the record board, as if afraid of being seen, her cheeks as red as a ripe apple. But her eyes were brighter than ever, filled with determination.

The attention off the court, at this moment, had transformed from simple worry and concern into a weighty responsibility filled with courage. Momoi Satsuki, Teikō's queen of data, decided to use her own methods to protect the white mist named "Bai Ze You," so that it would not be dispersed by any cold "absolute." Her concerns were about basketball, and even more so about the unique boy in her heart.