The Guide

Shogo Haizaki was completely broken. All his life, he'd been the strongest player on the court, and he'd never imagined that one day he'd become the trash people talked about, just like the opponents he'd once crushed. The pain of being crushed by Ken Kaneki might have been why he'd go on to make things difficult for Ryota Kise at every turn.

He had no idea what the future held, but he knew one thing for sure: the guy in front of him was someone he couldn't beat.

"Um, I give up... I'll be your backup..." Shogo Haizaki caved completely. His knees buckled, and he collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

"Pathetic trash. What's with that expression? Why are your eyes so red? And why are you crying?" Ken Kaneki regarded him with pity and frustration. "You can't post up, your shots are sloppy, your footwork is all over the place—there's not a single thing you do well! And now you don't even have the courage to challenge me! Is bullying the weak all basketball means to you? Someone like you has no business standing on a court!"

"Enough, Ken," Kōzō Shirogane said with a genial smile, stepping in to break things up. "Since Haizaki has realized his mistake, why not give him another chance?"

Kōzō Shirogane paused, then looked at Shogo Haizaki, who was still sprawled on the floor. "As we planned, he'll be your backup, Ken. Make sure you teach him well."

"Yes, Coach," Ken Kaneki replied with a bow.

"All right, the show's over. Time to train." Kōzō Shirogane clapped his hands and got the Basketball Club's practice underway.

"Get up. It's time to train. Quit playing dead." Ken Kaneki shot Shogo Haizaki a cold remark, then turned and joined the practice.

As Shogo Haizaki listened to Ken Kaneki's taunts, his resentment reached its boiling point.

"One day... One day, I'll take everything from you!" Shogo Haizaki glared at Ken Kaneki on the court and spat out the words viciously.

"Hey, Kaneki, when did you learn my moves?" Daiki Aomine asked curiously, coming over during a break.

"What do you mean, 'learned them'? You can't call it stealing when it's basketball, can you?" Ken Kaneki rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's just streetball. You can pick up that style just by watching."

"Ken's right," Seijuro Akashi said, joining them. "His streetball skills just now were better than yours, Aomine."

"But in all this time, whether it's practice games or regular team practice, Coach has always held Kaneki up as the model of proper basketball," Daiki Aomine said, impressed. "I never thought he'd be this good at streetball, too."

"I've just practiced day in and day out." Ken Kaneki took a drink of water. "As long as your fundamentals are solid, you can play any style of basketball."

"Hey, let's play one-on-one, Kaneki!" Daiki Aomine's basketball-obsessed side took over. "Now that I think about it, we've known each other for ages, but we've never played one-on-one!"

"Forget it, Aomine. We're still practicing." Ken Kaneki had meant to turn him down, but seeing the eager look in Daiki Aomine's eyes, he knew the guy would keep pestering him if he refused.

"How about this? The Prefectural Tournament starts next week. If you can average thirty points a game before we make it to Nationals, I'll play you." Ken Kaneki offered the compromise with some exasperation.

"Deal!" Daiki Aomine bounced away to practice, thrilled to have Ken Kaneki's promise. Having rested enough, Ken Kaneki prepared to get back to training as well.

"Wait, Ken!" Seijuro Akashi called out to Ken Kaneki as he was about to leave.

"What is it? Go ahead." Ken Kaneki turned to Seijuro Akashi, puzzled.

"Ken, I'm curious about you," Seijuro Akashi said frankly. "I get the feeling that beneath your gentle exterior, you have a heart that refuses to yield to anyone... No, that's not quite it. It's more like you want to conquer everything. I'm curious—where does your confidence come from?"

Where does my confidence come from? What a question. I'm using cheats. Ken Kaneki was speechless. Or maybe he's just got too much free time if he can afford to feel lost.

Of course, he couldn't say any of that to Seijuro Akashi. Ken Kaneki thought for a moment, then smiled warmly and replied, "Because I can see further into the future. Having seen it gives me confidence."

"Seeing... and finding confidence in it...?" Seijuro Akashi's pupils contracted. Something terrifying seemed to roar and cry out inside him, and deep in his eyes, a glimmer of gold flashed like a spark.

"Thank you for your advice, Ken," Seijuro Akashi said, bowing in gratitude. "It really helped."

"Huh? Oh, it was nothing..." Seijuro Akashi's earnestness caught Ken Kaneki off guard, but he waved it off. "You don't need to be so formal, Akashi. If that's all, I'm going to get back to training."

"Go ahead, Ken," Seijuro Akashi replied politely.

"What did you say to him, Akashi?" Shintaro Midorima asked, approaching after watching them for a while.

"Nothing... We just talked about something unimportant." Seijuro Akashi watched Ken Kaneki's retreating figure, his answer deliberately vague. "There's more to Ken's talent than meets the eye..."

"That's true." Shintaro Midorima recalled Ken Kaneki's Logo shot and sighed. "I've never seen a three-point shooter that terrifying... He shot from that far away and was still so confident."

As Shintaro Midorima and Seijuro Akashi whispered to each other, the system notification sounded in Ken Kaneki's mind.

"Congratulations, host! Your Character Bonds with Seijuro Akashi have reached 'Close Friends.' Reward: one S-rank draw and one A-rank draw!"

"Congratulations, host! Your Character Bonds with Shintaro Midorima have reached 'Close Friends.' Reward: one S-rank draw and one A-rank draw!"

"Congratulations, host! Your Character Bonds with Shogo Haizaki have reached 'Hates You to the Core.' Reward: one A-rank draw and one B-rank draw!"

"Congratulations, host! Hidden Quest Unlocked: The Guide;

Quest Objective: Successfully guide the Generation of Miracles members to find their own Basketball Way and accelerate the blossoming of their talents;

Quest Progress: 3/6;

Quest Reward: one S-rank draw."

Hmmmm... I didn't expect to beat Shogo Haizaki up like that and still squeeze a reward out of him... Ken Kaneki couldn't help laughing at the system. That's darkly funny. If Haizaki knew, he'd probably want to die... But the Guide? When did I guide anyone?