What Kind of Monster Are You (4)

The score was 5-0. It wasn't just in rookie training matches, but even against strong opponents from other schools, Teiko Junior High School had never faced such a situation. Seeing that things were not looking good, Jun Okazaki quickly called a timeout.

"Kaneki-kun, you're amazing!" Shoichi Hidari ran to Ken Kaneki's side, as excited as a sasaeng fan meeting their idol.

"Haha, don't be too surprised. Train hard, and you can do it too." Off the court, Ken Kaneki's expression changed from the fierce, man-eating look he had on the court to a gentle one as he spoke. "Actually, you don't need to be too scared. I'll be your safety net, so just play with confidence and play your own style."

"Yes! Kaneki-kun, we'll do our best!" Shuji Iizawa, standing nearby, took the opportunity to chime in, seeing how approachable Ken Kaneki was.

"Actually, you can introduce yourselves and your preferred positions. That way, we can coordinate better on the court!" Ken Kaneki suggested.

"My name is Shoichi Hidari, I'm good at breakthroughs and play small forward."

"My name is Shuji Iizawa, I'm good at shooting and play shooting guard."

"My name is Ichiro Hasegawa, I play power forward in mini-basketball."

"My name is Daichi Sugimoto, I play center." A sturdy young man, about Ken Kaneki's height, said with a simple smile.

"Okay, then I'll play point guard. After that, just play in your preferred positions, and leave the rest to me," Ken Kaneki said with a smile. "You need to believe in yourselves. On offense, if you can shoot, shoot immediately. If you can't, pass to me. On defense, don't worry too much. Just stick to your man and try to slow them down as much as possible. Let these older students see that we're not to be trifled with!"

"Yes!" The rookie team was thus united by Ken Kaneki. With Ken Kaneki as their backing, the team's morale surged. In contrast, the senior team seemed to be in a dire situation.

"Damn it, that brat actually called us rude!" Taro Sugiya angrily slammed the bench. "He's the one who's rude! Look at that arrogant attitude!"

"Getting angry now is useless," Jun Okazaki said, rubbing his face vigorously. "He can shoot threes, he can grab rebounds and dunk. This guy is too overpowered."

"What, you can't play when you encounter a real master?" Shuzo Nijimura's voice sounded from the side. "You're embarrassing the entire Teiko First String!"

"Sorry, Captain." The First String players lowered their heads and accepted the scolding. They couldn't argue, as they were indeed playing poorly.

"From now on, remember this: on offense, spread Ken Kaneki out. Whoever is furthest from Ken Kaneki will be the one to score. On defense, double-team him. If two people aren't enough, use three. If three aren't enough, use four, starting from the half-court line, double-team Ken Kaneki so he can't even receive the ball. As for the rest of the rookies, I don't think you'll have any more problems, right?" Shuzo Nijimura's cold voice made the players on the court tense up. "If you lose, you'll all be demoted to the Third String."

"Yes, Captain!" The senior players responded in unison.

When the timeout ended and everyone returned to the court, the senior team began to pass the ball constantly, deliberately avoiding Ken Kaneki's coverage area. Finally, the basketball landed in Jun Okazaki's hands as he established position under the basket.

"Hmph, brat, you think you can stop me?" Jun Okazaki glanced at Ichiro Hasegawa, who looked nervous behind him.

Ichiro Hasegawa swallowed and remained silent, staring intently at Jun Okazaki. Jun Okazaki first faked a turn with his left shoulder as the axis, shaking Ichiro Hasegawa's balance, and then turned again with his right shoulder as the core. A pump fake sent Ichiro Hasegawa, who lunged to block, flying. With a fadeaway jumper, he shot the ball towards the hoop.

"Your reflexes are good, but you're still too green, junior," Jun Okazaki commented in the air with a senior's demeanor, as if he was certain of scoring this shot.

"You spoke too soon, senior!" Ken Kaneki, who had been at the three-point line just moments ago, was now in front of Jun Okazaki. He leaped up like a rocket and, with a bang, slapped the ball out of bounds. The basketball hit the scoreboard with a loud noise.

"This... this block is too unfair!" Although they had seen Ken Kaneki's nail-the-board block earlier, everyone on the court was still shocked by Ken Kaneki's reflexes and jumping ability.

"That's why mediocre talents are just mediocre talents," Atsushi Murasakibara said from the sidelines, yawning, yet still sounding unconvinced. "But I can do that kind of block too."

Back on the court, the senior team, having suffered a significant setback, finally dared not be careless and played according to their strategy. Eventually, Koji Nishida, who had finally found an open shot, made a three-pointer.

"Sorry, my bad." Shuji Iizawa's face was full of shame as he gestured that he had missed his assignment.

"It's okay, just make it up," Ken Kaneki patted Shuji Iizawa on the back of the head, then looked at Ichiro Hasegawa and said, "Hurry up and inbound the ball."

Just as Ken Kaneki was preparing to receive the ball, the senior team's formation changed. Taro Sugiya and Koji Nishida stuck closely to Ken Kaneki, preventing him from receiving the ball. The remaining players gambled by pushing forward, attempting to disrupt Ichiro Hasegawa's inbound pass. Ken Kaneki, wanting the rookies to get some experience, did not interfere. Fortunately, this time, Ichiro Hasegawa successfully solved the world-class problem of inbounding and passed the ball to Shoichi Hidari.

"Kaneki's being tied up..." Daiki Aomine exclaimed in surprise. "That's not right. Based on Kaneki's strength, he shouldn't be unable to break through this kind of double-team."

"He's holding back," Seijuro Akashi said with certainty.

"This is a game that will decide if he can join the First String, and he's holding back? Besides, he even fights to win in physical tests. You're telling me he'd hold back against opponents? I don't believe it," Daiki Aomine retorted.

"He seems to be testing something, I can't quite explain it, but he seems to be testing and familiarizing himself with something," Seijuro Akashi said hesitantly. "But I'm sure he's not holding back out of contempt for his opponents."

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd off the court, the first half of the game came to an end. Apart from the initial few plays, Ken Kaneki did not exert himself much. Whenever he received the ball, he passed it immediately. At the end of the first half, the first-year team was trailing by 20 points, with a score of 45 to 25.

"What the heck?" Taro Sugiya said smugly. "I admit that rookie is good, but his teammates are too weak. We've definitely won this game!"

"Don't get careless, Taro," Jun Okazaki said, looking displeased at Taro Sugiya. "As seniors, it's already embarrassing that we have to avoid Ken Kaneki and play around him. But as long as we win, it's fine."

While the senior team was celebrating their lead, Satsuki Momoi quietly walked over to Ken Kaneki and comforted him. "Kaneki-kun, are you okay? They're all First String seniors, so it's normal for them to play better."

"Huh? What?" Ken Kaneki, who had been spacing out, snapped back to attention. "I'm fine, it's no big deal. Victory and defeat are common in warfare."

"We're sorry, Kaneki-kun, our skills are just too poor," the other first-years apologized.

"It's okay, I understand the situation completely now. The second half is our time to counterattack," Ken Kaneki said, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips.

After a 20-minute break, the second half of the game began. Abandoning his slacking off in the first half, Ken Kaneki immediately used his speed to break away from his defenders and receive the pass at the start of the second half.

"Bring it on, brat!" Taro Sugiya angrily slapped the floor.

Looking at Koji Nishida and Taro Sugiya double-teaming him from front and back, Ken Kaneki revealed a strange smile. His aura slowly rose around him. In an instant, Taro Sugiya felt the environment around him change drastically. He felt as if he were immersed in a massive data stream, like in The Matrix. Koji Nishida felt the same. The Ken Kaneki in front of them seemed no longer corporeal. No matter how they moved, Ken Kaneki could evade them one step ahead. By the time they came to their senses, Ken Kaneki was nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome to my Domain," Ken Kaneki said nonchalantly as he sank a three-pointer. "Asura Divine Path. Domain. The Matrix."