The suffocating pressure inside Teikō's gymnasium had not dissipated during the post-practice debrief. If anything, it had grown heavier. Akashi Seijūrō's cold, precise assessment of "efficiency" lay over every player's heart like an invisible frost, especially Kuroko Tetsuya, who sat in silence like a stone statue. Bai Ze You watched Kuroko quietly gather his things and leave the gym alone, and the weight of worry in his chest grew stronger.
He couldn't just stand by and watch.
During lunch break, Bai Ze You did not go to the cafeteria. Trusting his instincts, he found Aomine Daiki in a corner of the empty school rooftop. Aomine leaned against the railing, tilting his head back as he gulped down an iced sports drink. Sunlight fell across his sweat-damp black curls, yet it could not dispel the aloof detachment surrounding him. He gazed at the forest of skyscrapers in the distance, his eyes hollow, carrying a faint, barely perceptible weariness.
"Aomine." Bai Ze You's voice broke the silence on the rooftop.
Aomine turned his head. When he saw Bai Ze You, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes before he returned to his usual languid, listless expression. "Hm? Yū. Aren't you going to eat?"
"I can't." Bai Ze You walked over and leaned against the railing beside him, looking into the distance as well, though his focus was not on the cold buildings. "That last ball in the practice game... Tetsuya was absolutely open."
Aomine's movement paused. Then he let out a mocking laugh and crushed the can in his hand, producing a harsh metallic crack. "Open? So what?" He turned his head. The eyes that had once been filled with a pure love of basketball now held only indifference toward his opponents—even his teammates—and absolute confidence in his own ability. "I