At the start of the first round, the character controlled by Eriri launched a fierce assault, and the fight looked almost completely one-sided. (Continued)

With a simple Iron Mountain Lean, Hasegawa Izumi sent Hiiragi Gosho, who was considerably bigger than him, stumbling aside and broke through in time.

Then came the familiar sight of a basket...

They tried everything they could, even resorting to moves that nearly counted as fouls, but still couldn't change the outcome.

"How are we supposed to play against this?"

A strong start, then a decline, and finally exhaustion.

Faced with such an overwhelming gap, even the members of the Basketball Club, for all their fighting spirit, couldn't help losing heart and falling into despair.

"Ah..."

Hasegawa Izumi noticed the change in the opposing team's mood and couldn't help sighing.

How lonely it was to be invincible. How empty...

In that case, I'll stop holding back!

"Tap..."

Then Hasegawa Izumi cleanly stole the ball again.

"Defense!"

Hyuga Konji continued directing everyone's movements.

Though their fighting spirit was gradually fading now that they'd lost hope of winning, they still had their pride and weren't about to simply give up on the game.

Just then, they saw their opponent do something astonishing again.

Hasegawa Izumi had stopped just past the center line.

"Hey, don't tell me he's going to..."

"Could it be? Is he going to shoot from there?"

"Can you really do that?"

The members of the Basketball Club briefly forgot they were in the middle of a game. They all stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before them like a performance.

Hasegawa Izumi leaped into the air and took a shot. The basketball soared along an incredibly high arc, then dropped straight through the hoop without even brushing the rim!

"I forgot to tell you: my range is actually the entire court."

As he spoke, he jogged back with short steps.

Come to think of it, what were we even doing this whole time?

If you'd told us you could do that, how could we possibly have agreed to play you? We should've just forfeited!

The members of the Basketball Club couldn't even begin to describe how they felt.

They'd probably never forget the shadow this man had cast over them for the rest of their lives.

"You were just messing with us on purpose, weren't you?!"

Akamine, who had quite a temper, called him out on the spot.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I don't have the time or interest to target you."

Hasegawa Izumi came to a slow stop and turned his head at a forty-five-degree angle, like a character in a Shinbo anime. "I just thought it'd look cooler to break through on my own."

There was no hint of falsehood in his words or expression.

The members of the Basketball Club realized just how insignificant they were. It turned out this man had never taken them seriously at all.

No wonder the members of the Tennis Club and Go Club had gone into seclusion after losing.

So that was it. They'd all suffered wounds to their Dao that were impossible to heal.

For the rest of the game, the Basketball Club members completely accepted their fate. Even when they saw him make shots from impossible positions, they thought nothing of it.

"Tweet!"

The final whistle blew, and the Far East Magic Society's score settled on a glaring number: 100.

Yes, that was Hasegawa Izumi's rating for his hard-working teammates.

He was very satisfied with how much they'd improved in just a few days.

"Wow!"

"Hasegawa, you were amazing!"

"I'm your fan from now on!"

As the cheers rang out, the disheartened left the court, while the satisfied strolled happily toward their teammates.

"Sage."

"Lord Sage!"

"Izumi-chan."

"Hasegawa."

The four girls looked at him with delight. Led by Chika, Rikka and Dekumori followed suit and high-fived him in celebration.

Only the last girl seemed unable to meet his eyes.

"Nibuya?"

He asked softly.

"Thanks to you, Hasegawa!"

Nibuya Morika let out an obvious sigh and gave him a helpless look before stepping over to high-five him.

He was quite pleased.

Mori Summer had returned to her body, but her heart hadn't returned with her.

But after this game, she'd clearly taken a big step forward.

"Hasegawa-kun, could you give me a moment? I'd like to discuss something with you..."

"I'm not interested in taking responsibility. Thanks."

The Basketball Club coach had hurried over first, but before he could get a word in, Hasegawa Izumi reflexively raised his hand to refuse. Then he headed for the exit on the other side with Rikka and the others.

"Huh? How did he know what I was going to say?"

The Basketball Club coach was stunned.

Just then, a sturdy-looking first-year student came up beside him, his eyes burning with determination. "Coach, I want to play basketball! Please teach me how to use those special moves!"

"W-well, I don't know how to do them either!"

The coach was instantly drenched in sweat and scratched his head.

Hasegawa Izumi and the others didn't go far. Instead, they headed to a small park on the Shuchiin grounds.

He hadn't forgotten that they'd arranged to be interviewed by the News Department after the game.

"Hasegawa-kun, wait!"

Before they'd even had a chance to sit down, the three girls from the News Department called out to them impatiently.

Rapid footsteps sounded behind them.

This time, Asahi Shizuku, Kyose Erika, and Ki Karen had all come together, showing just how seriously they were taking this.

"Hasegawa-kun, you were so cool in this afternoon's game!"

Ki Karen clutched her notebook in one hand, her excitement plain to see.

"Mm-hmm."

Kyose Erika nodded like a little squirrel.

Earlier, they'd been so indifferent, looking at him like he was an idiot. Now they were acting like starstruck fans.

Guys, basketball really does work!

Of course, you have to be as cool as him, too.

"You two, keep your emotions in check! Show some professionalism!"

Asahi Shizuku couldn't help reminding them.

"Yes."

The two girls nodded meekly, realizing they'd let their excitement get the better of them.

They moved to a pavilion.

As usual, the News Department interviewed the whole team and asked them about a few secrets.

For example, how Rikka and the others had managed to put on such an impressive performance.

"Why would that be strange? If I could use the power of the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant King, there'd be no need for the Sage to step in. I could've taken care of them all by myself."

"Exactly! Mere mortals are beneath me. I, Dekumori, never pay them any heed, death!"

Rikka and Dekumori answered with complete sincerity.

"All right, next."

Ki Karen waved them on perfunctorily.

Fujiwara Chika and Nibuya Morika gave more ordinary answers, saying things like "we trained to the point of exhaustion" and "it's all thanks to Hasegawa's coaching."

"Hasegawa, you're up."

Soon, three pairs of eyes turned to him expectantly.

"Let's start with the key points of Blue Butterfly Swirling Cloud Body Movement..."

Hasegawa Izumi first explained the technique's mysteries in terms they could barely understand, then moved on to the next part that the whole school's teachers and students were eager to hear.

"I won't talk trash this time. I'll just share one of my regrets."

As he spoke, his expression suddenly grew desolate and forlorn. He gazed toward the distant sky.

"I have roamed Shuchiin for more than three weeks, defeated countless foes and humbled every hero. Yet I seek defeat and cannot find it. Alas, how truly lonely..."

"If the Kendo Club can bring me some joy next, that will be enough."

The three members of the News Department exchanged glances, each sensing the others' speechlessness.

Wasn't that still trash talk?

How much did he love doing that?!

This was exactly the kind of opponent I'd been hoping for!

"Goodbye, Hasegawa-kun."

"See you next week... no, the week after."

"I hope you'll be the last one standing, Hasegawa, and bring some excitement to Shuchiin, which hasn't changed in so long!"

After their visit, the three members of the News Department hurried back to finish putting together the interview, then post it on the school website.

When they realized there was a chance Hasegawa Izumi might actually succeed in his seemingly absurd challenge, they became very supportive. Beyond wanting to see what happened, they were Pure Academy students who knew Shuchiin better than most, and that only gave them more reason to be dissatisfied with it.

Before, no one had been capable of doing anything. Now, at last, someone had stepped forward—and they couldn't have been happier.

After saying goodbye to the News Department, all that remained were matters concerning the team itself.

Strictly speaking, they'd only been thrown together temporarily and weren't particularly close. Now that the challenge was over, the team was naturally about to disband.

"Well, Izumi-chan, I have club business to take care of, so I'll be off~ You were amazing in today's game! I felt your overwhelming manly energy, and you protected me so fiercely~"

Fujiwara Chika winked playfully and gestured with her right hand before turning to leave without much hesitation.

"Now that those decayed humans are finally gone, we can get down to business."

Takanashi Rikka watched her go, then turned around and asked, "Sage, what do you think of Dekumori? Is she worthy of joining our organization and standing alongside us?"