Dinner Party

Reality isn't like anime, where you can win by shouting about friendship, hometowns, or bonds when you're cornered. Under Ken Kaneki's overwhelming talent, Taro Sugiya's First String team, after a resistance that was neither tense nor fierce, even a bit boring, was crushed by the rookie team with a score of 78 to 50, a 28-point difference.

Taro Sugiya refused to accept this reality. After the loss, he threw the ball and stormed out. With the scene of Ken Kaneki culling the chickens to warn the monkeys fresh in their minds, no one dared to step forward and challenge Daiki Aomine and the others. The planned evening practice was also ended early in this strange atmosphere.

"Hey, Ken-chan," Atsushi Murasakibara said casually while changing in the locker room, "You said you'd treat us to ramen, is that true?"

"Really, you still remember that?" Ken Kaneki said with a wry smile, wiping his hair with a towel. "Let's wait for Aomine to finish changing, and then we'll go eat together."

"Coming, coming," Daiki Aomine, who had been eavesdropping, said as he quickly changed and walked over. "I want tonkotsu ramen~ Let's go to the recently famous Red Cat Ramen Shop! I heard you can pet cats there."

"Ah~ Red Cat Ramen Shop... Murasakibara, what do you think?" Ken Kaneki looked at Atsushi Murasakibara, seeking his opinion.

"Huh? Me?" Atsushi Murasakibara mumbled incoherently while peeling and eating a rice cracker, "I don't care, as long as it's delicious."

"Alright, it's settled then." Ken Kaneki finished changing and packed his things. He thought for a moment, then looked at Shintaro Midorima and Seijuro Akashi. "Akashi, Midorima, do you two want to come?"

The tsundere Shintaro Midorima had intended to refuse, but seeing Seijuro Akashi readily accept Ken Kaneki's invitation, he agreed to avoid seeming out of place.

By the time they left the gym, the moon was already high in the sky. Under the streetlights at night, the shadows of the six youths who had just met stretched long.

"Hey, Kaneki, you've been hiding your skills too well," Daiki Aomine said, stretching lazily, sounding a bit displeased. "You told me your basketball wasn't good, and this is how 'not good' is? Who exactly are you? You always seem like you're hiding something."

"I'm just passing by... I'm just an unlucky guy who happened to be bumped into by you," Ken Kaneki said with a helpless smile, shaking his head.

"What hiding something? A-Dai, if you ask me, Ken-chan is just a disloyal idiot," Atsushi Murasakibara said lazily, chewing on a piece of nori.

"You're the idiot! You're the disloyal idiot! The one calling someone an idiot is the idiot!" For some reason, Ken Kaneki also became like a child around Atsushi Murasakibara.

"Oh dear," Satsuki Momoi said with an awkward laugh. "Murasakibara-kun, Kaneki-kun. Stop arguing, or Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun will laugh at you."

"Haha, not at all. Ken-chan seems to know Murasakibara and Aomine very well," Seijuro Akashi said with a smile, helping Satsuki Momoi out of her predicament.

"Murasakibara-kun and Kaneki-kun are desk mates," Satsuki Momoi said kindly—yes, kindly—watching the three little devils walking ahead. "This afternoon, they were caught by the teacher looking at manga. Murasakibara-kun said it was Kaneki-kun's idea, and Ken Kaneki gave Murasakibara-kun's manga to the teacher. Honestly, two immature guys. As for how A-Dai and I met Ken Kaneki... that's a long story."

Seijuro Akashi showed no intention of pressing further and simply nodded without speaking.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the Red Cat Ramen Shop that Daiki Aomine had mentioned.

"Welcome!" the server at the door greeted them enthusiastically. "What would you like to eat?"

"I'll have a bowl of tonkotsu ramen," Atsushi Murasakibara said, raising his hand.

"Soy sauce ramen, please," Ken Kaneki said with a smile.

As they finished ordering, the group sitting opposite each other opened up the conversation.

"Kaneki, your performance this afternoon really surprised me," Seijuro Akashi said with a smile, looking at Ken Kaneki. "I never expected such a skilled player like you to not be known in mini basket."

"Haha, I usually just play casually near my house, I haven't played mini basket. But I heard Murasakibara is very good at mini basket," Ken Kaneki said, diverting the topic to Atsushi Murasakibara.

"Huh?" Atsushi Murasakibara seemed to react a beat slower and said indifferently, "Whether I play well or not, it's all the same. Most of them are just people without talent anyway. It's fine to just play casually."

"Hmph, another one who doesn't give his all," Shintaro Midorima snorted coldly, picking up a glass of water with his left hand and drinking it in one gulp.

"Ah, speaking of which, what is that in your left hand?" Atsushi Murasakibara asked, not paying attention to Shintaro Midorima's displeasure. He reached out and took Shintaro Midorima's model, examining it closely.

"Don't just grab other people's things!" Shintaro Midorima snatched the model back and rebuked him.

"Um, is your left hand injured?" Daiki Aomine asked cautiously. "Why is it always bandaged?" After his conscience was thoroughly kicked by Ken Kaneki, he was now cautious when asking questions like this.

"Please excuse us," Seijuro Akashi explained. "Midorima-kun believes in fate and morning horoscopes. This model is his lucky item for today. As for his left hand, it's to ensure his shooting hand doesn't get injured outside of games."

"Pffft hahahahahaha, I can't believe you, Midorima, believe in that stuff. Even my grandma doesn't believe in it hahahaha," Daiki Aomine said, clutching his stomach and unable to stand up straight from laughter upon hearing Seijuro Akashi's explanation.

"Hmph! Fool! Do you know what it means to do your best and leave the rest to fate?" Shintaro Midorima, who was being mocked, was clearly losing his composure.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Hey, Midorima, why don't you go get your fortune told and try on a pair of sunglasses?" Daiki Aomine said, completely unfazed by Shintaro Midorima's outburst.

"Your meals are ready, please enjoy~" Just as Shintaro Midorima was about to say something else, the server interrupted their conversation.

"Alright, A-Dai, Midorima-kun has his own ideas, you should learn to respect others," Satsuki Momoi said, quickly offering a way out as she saw Shintaro Midorima turning red.

"Ding ding ding," Ken Kaneki tapped his glass with his chopsticks and raised his glass of juice high. "It's fate that we can all play on the same team. I hope we can all get along in the future! Come, cheers!"

"Please take care of us~" With the clinking of glasses, the beginning of the Generation of Miracles truly started, right here in an ordinary ramen shop.