"Please take good care of us!" After the new team and the First String had lined up and exchanged greetings, Ken Kaneki, the second-tallest of the newcomers, and Taro Sugiya stepped to the center line for the tip-off.
Watching the sweat trickle down Sugiya's forehead, Kaneki chuckled and tried to put him at ease. "Don't be too nervous, senpai. We're just a bunch of rookies."
"Hmph! Don't expect me to go easy on you!" Sugiya gave a cold snort, all bluster and no confidence, and tried to sound threatening.
Jeez, the local upperclassmen sure are rude, Kaneki grumbled inwardly, saying nothing aloud.
"Beep-beep!" The whistle cut off Kaneki's thoughts. The referee had tossed the ball into the air, and Sugiya was already jumping.
"Hey, senpai, at least wait until I'm ready!" Kaneki leaped up after him, his feet practically spring-loaded, and easily tapped the ball into his team's hands.
It was only a simple tip-off, yet it left everyone there utterly stunned.
"No way. Captain Sugiya's half a head taller than him!" one of the Second String members watching exclaimed.
"And that kid jumped later, but when he got to the ball in midair, Taro could only reach his elbow. Taro can practically dunk, you know. That kind of talent is truly... incredible!" the scorekeeper beside him added with a sigh.
"Shuzo, what do you think of this game?" Kōzō Shirogane asked, turning to Shuzo Nijimura with interest.
Nijimura's expression remained unchanged as he replied matter-of-factly, "Taro's bound to lose. The gap in their ability is too great."
The people on the sidelines were still discussing the tip-off, but the game continued. Teiko Junior High's team certainly lived up to its reputation for discipline. The moment they lost the ball, they rushed to pressure Shoichi Hidari, the newcomer who'd received it. Hidari had never faced this kind of defensive intensity and panicked at once, trying to pass. But the more you rushed, the more likely you were to make a mistake. Sure enough, Koji Nishida, the First String shooting guard, took advantage and stole the ball.
"Yeah!" Sugiya was already clenching his fist to celebrate when a figure flashed through the corner of his eye. He looked again and saw Kaneki charging down the court.
"Come on, can't you senpai give your kouhai a chance to adjust?" Kaneki called out from behind Nishida just as the older boy stole the ball and went up for a layup. Before Nishida could react, Kaneki hammered the ball against the backboard. The sight made Sugiya's eyes ache. He looked down in disbelief at the spot where Kaneki had started his run—a bright white free-throw line that nearly blinded him.
"Kaneki's going to win," Seijuro Akashi said, his eyes gleaming as he watched the court.
"Tch, I could do that too." Watching Kaneki make a sensational play, Daiki Aomine said sourly.
Kaneki seemed not to notice that he'd become the center of everyone's attention. He grabbed the ball and passed it to Hidari, who'd just made the mistake, offering encouragement. "It's okay. Take it steady. If you can't get a shot off, pass it to me. If you can't pass it out, take the shot. I'll get the rebound."
"Yes, Kaneki!" Hidari had been blaming himself for his foolish mistake, and now he felt a sudden warmth in his heart.
Rookies with no training really don't have a feel for the game, Kaneki thought regretfully. If he'd been the one to make that last play, he'd have already scored on a fast break.
"Kaneki has a real knack for leadership," Shirogane remarked, seeing how much the newcomers' spirits had lifted. "Shuzo, when you first joined the team, you weren't nearly as considerate of your teammates."
"You're right, Coach." Nijimura didn't argue. He readily admitted it. "I've talked with Satsuki Momoi and Daiki Aomine. Kaneki's a really kind person in private. That's just not my nature."
"Haha, Shuzo, don't take it to heart. I was just making an observation, not criticizing you. You're the Lion King type of player: you focus on doing your own job well and inspire the whole team that way. Kaneki, on the other hand, is the Wolf King type: he draws his teammates in and lifts the team that way. Who's to say one is better than the other? All that matters is winning." Shirogane waved his hand with a smile and turned his attention back to the game.
By then, Hidari had shakily dribbled the ball across half court. Seeing the senpai closing in as if to double-team him, he decisively passed the ball back to Kaneki.
"Honestly, I wanted to let you guys play a few possessions first." Kaneki muttered under his breath as he took up the Triple Threat position. His eyes fixed on Nishida, who'd volunteered to guard him.
"Kid, that last shot was a fluke. You're not making this one. I'm Teiko's First String defensive ace. I specialize in destroying offensive players' confidence." Nishida adopted a pose that practically screamed, I'm strong, trying to mess with Kaneki's head.
"You sure can rattle off a lot of catchphrases. You studying for exams or something?" Kaneki said, unimpressed. "Your stance is so loose. Who do you think you can guard like that?"
As he spoke, Kaneki jumped and shot without hesitation. Nishida rushed to block him, so caught up in the moment that he even collided with Kaneki. But when their bodies met, Kaneki only swayed slightly before steadying himself. Nishida wasn't so lucky—he was knocked backward by the force and landed hard on his backside.
"That's a foul!" Aomine said regretfully. "Looks like Kaneki's getting three free throws."
"No way. That shot's going in," Shintaro Midorima said seriously, pushing up his glasses.
Sure enough, swish—the ball sailed through the hoop as everyone watched. At the same moment, the referee blew his whistle. "Nishida, shooting foul. The three-point shot counts, and he gets one free throw."
Everyone watching fell silent at the sight of Nishida sprawled on the court. As Teiko Junior High's First String starting shooting guard, his tough defense and reliable three-point shot had been one of the team's key weapons over the past year. Yet against Kaneki, he'd been utterly helpless.
Kaneki looked at Nishida on the ground and kindly offered him a hand. "Are you okay, senpai?"
Nishida looked up at Kaneki. Under the lights, his blond hair seemed especially dazzling. "Tch, I don't need you pretending to care!" Nishida gritted his teeth, slapped Kaneki's hand away, and snapped angrily.
Kaneki had offered kindness and gotten rebuffed. He shrugged helplessly and silently walked to the free-throw line, where he took the ball from the referee. He bounced it a few times, took a deep breath, and casually shot.
"Is this one... going to miss?" Everyone watching wore strange expressions. Somehow, the words miss a free throw seemed completely at odds with the thought of Kaneki, whose three-point shot had been so accurate.
"Here it comes!" Akashi suddenly spoke, as if he'd been watching for something. The shock in his voice was unmistakable.
On the court, Sugiya and Jun Okazaki, the First String starting power forward, easily boxed out the newcomer who'd tried to go for the rebound. They stared intently at the ball as it bounced high into the air, ready to grab it. But then a shadow loomed over the paint like a demon crawling out of the abyss. With a thunderous slam, Kaneki put the ball back in.
"You Teiko senpai are really rude." Kaneki landed and slowly straightened, his eyes seeming to burn with the flames of hell.
"Damn it! What the hell are you? Some kind of monster?" Sugiya stared at Kaneki and let out a helpless wail.
"M-me? Of course I'm Ken Kaneki!" Kaneki grinned, looking like a beast ready to devour its prey.
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