Teiko Middle School had never started a game with a 5–0 lead—not even against powerhouse teams from other schools, let alone in a scrimmage against rookies. Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Jun Okazaki quickly called a timeout.
"Kaneki, you're incredible!" Shoichi Hidari ran over to Ken Kaneki, as excited as a celebrity-obsessed fan who'd finally met his idol.
"Haha, no need to be so surprised. Train hard, and you can do it too." Off the court, Ken Kaneki's expression was gentle, a stark contrast to the ferocious look he'd worn during the game. "There's no need to be too nervous, either. I'll have your backs, so just play with confidence and show off your own style."
"Yes! We'll do our best, Kaneki!" Shuji Iizawa chimed in, taking the opportunity to speak up after seeing how approachable Ken Kaneki was.
"Why don't you tell me a little about yourselves and what positions you're good at? That way, we'll know how to work together on the court," Ken Kaneki suggested.
"My name's Shoichi Hidari. I'm good at driving to the basket, and I play small forward."
"My name's Shuji Iizawa. I'm good at shooting, and I play shooting guard."
"My name's Ichiro Hasegawa. I played power forward in mini-basketball."
"My name's Daichi Sugimoto. I play center." A sturdy young man about as tall as Ken Kaneki said with a bashful smile.
"Good. I'll play point guard, then. You guys can play the positions you're good at, and leave the rest to me," Ken Kaneki said with a smile. "Believe in yourselves. On offense, shoot as soon as you have a good look. If you don't, pass me the ball. On defense, don't worry too much, either. Stay close to your man and try to slow him down. Let's show these upperclassmen that we're not pushovers!"
"Yes!" With Ken Kaneki as their anchor, the rookies came together as a team, and their morale surged. By comparison, the upperclassmen's side looked decidedly gloomy.
"Damn it, that brat called us rude!" Taro Sugiya slammed his fist against the bench in anger. "He's the one who's rude! Look at that smug face!"
"Getting angry won't help." Jun Okazaki rubbed his face vigorously. "He can shoot threes, grab rebounds, and dunk. That guy's a little too overpowered."
"What, you can't play anymore just because you've run into a real star?" Shuzo Nijimura's voice rang out from nearby. "You've brought shame on the First String!"
"Sorry, Captain." The First String players bowed their heads and accepted the scolding. They couldn't argue; they really had played terribly.
"Here's what you'll do. On offense, draw Kaneki away from the ball and have whoever's farthest from him take the shot. On defense, double-team him. If two men aren't enough, use three. If three aren't enough, use four. Start at half court and keep him from even receiving the ball. As for the rest of those rookies, I don't think you'll have any more trouble with them, right?" Shuzo Nijimura's cold voice made the players heading back onto the court tense up. "If you lose, you're all going down to the Third String."
"Yes, Captain!" the upperclassmen answered in unison.
When the timeout ended and everyone returned to the court, the upperclassmen began passing the ball around, deliberately keeping it away from Ken Kaneki. Finally, the ball reached Jun Okazaki, who had secured position beneath the basket.
"Hmph. You think you can stop me, kid?" Jun Okazaki glanced at Ichiro Hasegawa, who stood behind him with a nervous expression.
Ichiro Hasegawa swallowed, saying nothing as he stared intently at Jun Okazaki. Jun Okazaki first used his left shoulder as a pivot to feint with a half-turn, shifting Ichiro Hasegawa's balance. Then he spun around with his right shoulder as the pivot and faked a shot, sending Ichiro Hasegawa leaping to block him. He followed with a fadeaway jumper toward the hoop.
"Nice reflexes, but you're still too green, rookie," Jun Okazaki commented in midair, striking a veteran's pose as though he were certain the shot would go in.
"You're speaking too soon, senpai!" Ken Kaneki, who had been at the three-point line moments earlier, was already in front of Jun Okazaki. He leaped like a rocket launching into the sky and, with a BAM!, swatted the ball out of bounds. It slammed into the scoreboard with a tremendous crash.
"Th-that block was ridiculous, wasn't it?" Everyone present had seen Ken Kaneki's earlier block against the backboard, but they were still stunned by his reflexes and jumping ability.
"Like I said, a mediocre player is still a mediocre player." Atsushi Murasakibara yawned on the sidelines, then added with some indignation, "But I could make a block like that, too."
Back on the court, the upperclassmen had finally learned their lesson and started playing proper team basketball. After managing to get open, Koji Nishida finally made a three-pointer.
"Sorry, that was my fault." Shuji Iizawa raised his hand, looking ashamed that he'd lost track of his man.
"It's fine. We'll make it up on the next play." Ken Kaneki patted Shuji Iizawa on the back of the head, then looked at Ichiro Hasegawa. "Go inbound the ball."
Just as Ken Kaneki was about to receive the pass, the upperclassmen changed their formation. Taro Sugiya and Koji Nishida stuck close to Ken Kaneki, preventing him from getting the ball, while the others threw caution to the wind and pressed up the court, trying to disrupt Ichiro Hasegawa's inbound. Ken Kaneki wanted to see what the rookies could do, so he didn't interfere. Fortunately, this time Ichiro Hasegawa managed to solve the universal problem of getting the ball inbounds and passed it to Shoichi Hidari.
"Kaneki's getting tied up," Daiki Aomine remarked in surprise. "That doesn't make sense. With his skill, he should be able to break through a double-team like that."
"He's holding back," Seijuro Akashi said with certainty.
"This game decides whether he gets into the First String, and he's still holding back? He even tried to win the fitness tests. You expect me to believe he's taking it easy on his opponents? I don't buy it," Daiki Aomine retorted.
"He seems to be testing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seems to be testing and getting used to something," Seijuro Akashi said hesitantly. "But I'm sure he isn't holding back because he looks down on his opponents."
As the spectators murmured among themselves, the first half came to an end. Aside from the first few plays, Ken Kaneki hadn't done much. Whenever he received the ball, he passed it away almost immediately. At halftime, the first-year team was down by twenty points, 45–25.
"What's the big deal?" Taro Sugiya said smugly. "I admit that rookie's good, but his teammates are terrible. We've got this game in the bag!"
"Don't get cocky, Taro." Jun Okazaki looked at Taro Sugiya with some displeasure. "As upperclassmen, it's embarrassing that we have to avoid playing against Kaneki. But as long as we win, that's what matters."
While the upperclassmen celebrated their lead, Satsuki Momoi quietly walked over to Ken Kaneki and tried to comfort him. "Kaneki, are you all right? They're all First String upperclassmen. It's only natural that they're better at basketball."
"Hm? What?" Ken Kaneki snapped out of his daze. "I'm fine. It's no big deal. Winning and losing are part of the game."
"Sorry, Kaneki. We just aren't good enough," the other first-years apologized.
"It's fine. I understand the situation now. The second half is when we strike back." A mysterious smile crept onto Ken Kaneki's lips.
After the twenty-minute break, the second half began. Abandoning his lackadaisical play from the first half, Ken Kaneki immediately used his speed to shake off the defenders double-teaming him and received the pass.
"Come on, kid!" Taro Sugiya shouted, slapping the floor.
Ken Kaneki looked at Koji Nishida and Taro Sugiya, who had him trapped from the front and behind, and smiled eerily. His presence slowly swelled. In an instant, Taro Sugiya felt the world around him change. He seemed to be inside a massive stream of data, as if he'd been transported into The Matrix. Koji Nishida felt the same way. Ken Kaneki no longer seemed to have a physical form. No matter what the two of them did, Ken Kaneki always evaded them one step ahead. When they finally came to their senses, Ken Kaneki had vanished from sight.
"Welcome to my domain." Ken Kaneki casually sank a three-pointer. "Asura Divine Path: Domain—The Matrix."
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