The First Team of the Teikō Basketball Club went through its daily training in an unusual calm. The rift from the previous day's practice game had not disappeared; instead, it had become an invisible chasm stretching between the players. Aomine Daiki continued to do as he pleased, displaying despairingly overwhelming individual ability during training while ignoring every instruction to coordinate with the team. Kuroko Tetsuya, meanwhile, had grown even quieter. His presence had always been faint, but now he was like a ghost drifting outside the system. His positioning remained precise, and he still appeared in every open spot right on time, but the glimmer that had once burned deep in those blue eyes for the sake of the "light-and-shadow" combination had already gone out, leaving behind only a nearly mechanical calm, as if he were merely fulfilling his duties. Bai Ze You took it all in, unable to shake the heavy sense of powerlessness in his heart.
As training neared its end, Akashi Seijūrō clapped his hands. His cool voice was like ice beads falling onto a jade plate, instantly bringing every player to a halt and drawing their eyes toward him. The air in the gym seemed to be sucked away in an instant, leaving only the oppressive feeling of a storm about to break.
"Fall in." Akashi's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating force.
The players quickly formed ranks. Aomine stood in the front row with both hands in his basketball shorts pockets, lazily glancing away as if nothing about to happen had anything to do with him. Midōrima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, their lenses reflecting a calm gleam. Murasaki-bara Atsushi yawned, looking somewhat bored. Kise Ryōta wore a trace of tension and curiosity that was difficult to notice. Bai Ze You