Hose and Joe Yabuki

As time passed, the long-planned series of scrimmages drew to a close. Without a single surprise, Teiko Junior High steamrolled its way through the games with overwhelming talent, finishing undefeated.

Yes, undefeated. The game against Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School had been interrupted, but Teiko had been leading when it was stopped. And after the game, they'd beaten the opposing team's captain to a pulp. A win-win—in other words, they'd won twice.

"Coach Platinum, I've finished compiling the results of the boys' scrimmages." Naoto Sanada handed Kōzō Shirogane a folder. "Aside from the first game, when Ken Kaneki and Atsushi Murasakibara played together, every player went on to lead a team by himself, and they all won by a wide margin. We have a great chance of dominating the country this year."

"Hmm..." Kōzō Shirogane studied the results, offering no clear opinion. "Do you think there's anyone among these boys we should pay special attention to?"

"These boys are all excellent, exceptionally gifted. If there's anyone who needs a little extra attention, though... I think Ken Kaneki's situation deserves some." Naoto Sanada hesitated, carefully weighing each word.

"Oh? Tell me what you think." Kōzō Shirogane regarded Naoto Sanada with interest.

"Ken Kaneki is certainly strong—he has great skills, a strong body, and good leadership. But if you'll forgive my bluntness, Kaneki seems a little disconnected from the others."

"Oh? Disconnected? That's your opinion?" Kōzō Shirogane asked.

"Yes, disconnected," Naoto Sanada replied without hesitation. "You can see that among all the rookies, Kaneki has the best numbers, both in advanced statistics and in the basic ones. On top of that, he's the most disciplined of them all. I've looked into his training volume, and it's on par with that of most professional players."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Kōzō Shirogane asked, puzzled.

"Yes, Coach Platinum. But after observing him closely, I've noticed that even though he gets along well with his teammates, there's always a measured distance between them—subtle enough that no one notices, but enough to keep them from getting too close. It's as if he can already see the day when he and his teammates will fall apart." Naoto Sanada elaborated on his point at length. "He's far too calm. If the game needs him to step up, he does. If it doesn't, he's perfectly happy to give up possession. He's nothing like the boys who are always trying to grab the spotlight. I don't know how to bring out his drive. I don't even know what he wants."

"If anything, Ken Kaneki knows exactly what he wants most. His goals are too clear." Kōzō Shirogane let out a long sigh. "That boy is far too mature for his age. He isn't suited to being taught, Sanada. Exceptional talent, an exceptionally mature mind, and exceptionally clear goals—handled well, he could be a once-in-a-millennium prodigy. Handled poorly, they might end up ruining him."

While Naoto Sanada and Kōzō Shirogane fretted over how to coach Ken Kaneki, the once-in-a-millennium genius was secretly reading manga in class with Atsushi Murasakibara.

Ever since Ken Kaneki had made a spectacular showing at Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School and taken a baseball bat meant for Atsushi Murasakibara, the two had grown closer and closer. Ken could now occasionally have some of Murasakibara's chips, and even take his manga home to read. On top of that, Ken had managed to get an A-rank draw and the title of "Restroom Warrior" out of Murasakibara.

"Hey, Ken-chan, look. That move Joe's doing is a lot like the one you used when you beat those guys up the other day. Have you studied boxing?" Atsushi Murasakibara pointed at the manga's protagonist, Joe Yabuki.

"I've never studied it seriously, but I've watched boxing matches on TV." Ken Kaneki rested his chin in his hand, looking a little bored. "By the way, Murasakibara, I never expected you to like this kind of hot-blooded manga."

"No, it's not that. Don't you think the fact that a natural genius like Joe Yabuki could only narrowly beat a skilled fighter like Hose proves something?" Atsushi Murasakibara said seriously. "Even a talented genius can't win every time. So what's the point of working hard if you don't have talent?"

A big question mark appeared over Ken Kaneki's head. "I thought you'd say something about passion or hard work. I didn't expect you to put it that way."

"Hard work only has value when you have talent. No matter how hard you work without talent, you'll only get so far," Atsushi Murasakibara said. "Honestly, when I was little and played mini-basketball, watching all those mediocre players running around irritated me. They'd already lost, anyway."

"If you really think that way, Murasakibara..." Ken Kaneki looked at him seriously. "I promise you that someday you'll be defeated by one of those mediocre players you look down on—just like Hose was beaten by Joe, who was willing to burn himself up completely."

"Tch. I'm stronger than Hose." Atsushi Murasakibara pursed his lips.

"You should learn from Joe. Respect the value of hard work, because you might run into your own Hose someday." Ken Kaneki raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah. You're so annoying, Ken-chan." Atsushi Murasakibara had had enough. He snatched the manga away, turned his back, and read by himself.

"Teacher, Murasakibara's reading manga in class!" Ken Kaneki raised his hand and called out.

Atsushi Murasakibara jumped in fright and hurriedly stuffed the manga into his desk. But when he looked up, the only ones in the classroom besides him and Ken Kaneki were a few students sleeping with their heads down.

"Come on, it's free time during PE. What are you worried about?" Ken Kaneki teased smugly.

"Seriously, Kaneki, you're such a little shit." Daiki Aomine, who'd been sent out to stand as punishment again, couldn't help chiming in.

"What's it to you? Just focus on standing there." Ken Kaneki shot Daiki Aomine a look. "Otherwise, I'll go tattle to your teacher after class and show you what a real little shit looks like."

Amid the laughter and banter, the school day came to an end. Daiki Aomine, Ken Kaneki, Atsushi Murasakibara, and the others chatted as they headed toward the gym. Suddenly, Ken Kaneki caught sight of a small figure out of the corner of his eye and grabbed Aomine and Murasakibara.

"Careful, Kuroko. You'll walk into someone if you read while you're walking," Ken Kaneki kindly warned him.

"You can see me?" Tetsuya Kuroko asked in surprise.

"You're not a ghost. Why wouldn't I be able to see you? Are you on your way to practice? Watch where you're going, and don't get distracted by your book again."

"Thank you for looking out for me." Tetsuya Kuroko bowed in thanks, then turned and walked away.

"Who's that, Ken-chan?" Atsushi Murasakibara asked curiously.

"He might be your Hose. Or he might be Joe Yabuki." Ken Kaneki sounded a little wistful.

Hose and Joe Yabuki are characters from the hot-blooded manga Tomorrow's Joe. The ending is a bit of a downer.

I've got something to take care of today, so this is the only chapter for now. I'll make it up tomorrow, or write a few longer chapters over the next few days.