Information Gathering (1)

"Ken Kaneki, what did you say?" Daiki Aomine, who was eating in the cafeteria, spat out a mouthful of rice. "You and Momoi are dating?"

"You're so disgusting, Aomine-chan." Atsushi Murasakibara, with rice grains stuck to his head, shook his head. For the first time, he lost his appetite for the food in front of him.

"Aomine, that was rude," Shintaro Midorima said, shaking his head helplessly. "I really don't get along with you."

"Seriously, you're so noisy." Daiki Aomine shot a glare at Shintaro Midorima and continued to look at Ken Kaneki and Satsuki Momoi, who were sitting together. "No, man... you were totally faking it back then, right?"

"..." Ken Kaneki slapped his forehead and said helplessly, "I really didn't. Forget it, pretend I never said anything. Let's eat. Later this afternoon, help me ask for leave so we can go watch Shibuya First Junior High's practice."

"Practice?" Daiki Aomine curled his lips. "What's so good about watching practice? Playing games is way more fun. Besides, it's really hard for me to get leave. I'm not going."

"That's why I say, if you don't use your brain when you play, you'll never amount to anything," Ken Kaneki said. "If you're not going, fine. Momoi and I will go together."

"The teachers just let you take leave that easily? What about your classes?" Atsushi Murasakibara asked curiously.

"Excuse me, Satsuki and I both have all A's in our current exams," Ken Kaneki said, bragging slowly.

"Damn it, why can't I get leave!" Daiki Aomine gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"It must be tough for you, Aomine. You go to class every day, but your grades are barely any different from those who skip. What's the point of you asking for leave? The teachers don't seem to like you, so how could they approve it?" Shintaro Midorima added, twisting the knife with a poker face.

"Damn it, are good grades really that amazing?" Daiki Aomine let out a defeated howl.

"Excuse me, good grades really are that amazing," Ken Kaneki said smugly.

"Hmph!" Daiki Aomine angrily took his tray to a nearby table and ate alone, looking dejected.

"I'm done, enjoy the rest of your meal." Ken Kaneki quickly tidied up his utensils and stood up to leave.

"Wait for me, Ken-chan!" Satsuki Momoi quickly tidied up the table and followed Ken Kaneki.

"You bastard, die!" Watching the two figures walk away hand in hand, like a couple, everyone present cursed in unison for the first time -- except for Daiki Aomine.

"Hey, Aomine-chan, your childhood friend is dating Ken-chan, aren't you bothered at all?" Atsushi Murasakibara asked curiously.

"Heh heh... Hehehehe!" Daiki Aomine lowered his head and let out a laugh like a movie villain. "Five years. Five years. Do you know how I've lived these five years? Do you know how many monsters I've had to eat at the risk of my life these past five years?"

"Huh?" Atsushi Murasakibara looked at the deranged Daiki Aomine, thinking, I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked.

"Finally got rid of that nagging, dark-cooking-loving Momoi-type mother hen," Daiki Aomine continued, tears streaming down his face as he recounted his tragic past. His face was almost radiating holy light – the joy of surviving a near-death experience.

"Hey, hey, Ken-kun, wait for me at the school gate. I'll go ask the teacher for leave right away." Satsuki Momoi let go of Ken Kaneki's hand, turned, and ran towards the school building. "You'll wait for me, okay?"

"Don't worry, just run slower," Ken Kaneki said with a smile, watching Satsuki Momoi's retreating figure with concern.

Before long, Satsuki Momoi arrived at the school gate, panting, and looked at Ken Kaneki with anticipation. "Ken Kaneki-kun, where are we going this afternoon?"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? We're going to Shibuya First Junior High to observe their practice," Ken Kaneki said as a matter of course.

"Ah?? You're really going to watch practice?" Satsuki Momoi looked at Ken Kaneki with great disappointment.

"Satsuki, you don't want to go?" Ken Kaneki asked kindly, patting Satsuki Momoi's little head. "It's okay, don't force yourself. I can go alone."

"Ah, no, no, I want to go! I love watching basketball the most," Satsuki Momoi quickly denied.

"Ah, although it's an old school, it's surprisingly cozy," Satsuki Momoi said unexpectedly as she strolled through Shibuya First Junior High with Ken Kaneki.

"Ah, yes." Ken Kaneki took out a notebook and pen from his pocket. "I heard Keisuke Kobayashi and Kotaro Hayama came to this school precisely because of its long history and proximity to their homes."

"Eh? You know that too? That's amazing, Ken-kun!" Satsuki Momoi looked at Ken Kaneki with admiration. "Even though Ken-kun looks about our age, I always feel like Ken-kun knows everything."

"Haha, I'm not that amazing, Satsuki." Ken Kaneki felt a little uncomfortable under Satsuki Momoi's intense gaze. "Actually, I've just recently developed the habit of collecting opponent information before matches."

"Information?" Satsuki Momoi's eyes were full of curiosity. "I don't quite understand, but it sounds amazing... Is collecting information difficult? Can I help Ken-kun?"

"Eh? This might work!" Hearing Satsuki Momoi's words gave Ken Kaneki a burst of inspiration. After all, although Satsuki Momoi later became just a team manager, under the influence of the Generation of Miracles, her predictions about players' court habits, strengths, weaknesses, and development directions reached an astonishing level. In other words, except for players of miraculous caliber, no one could escape Satsuki Momoi's information gathering and development predictions.

If Ken Kaneki's primary reliance for information gathering was his Divine Void Vision and Asura Domain, then Satsuki Momoi's terrifyingly accurate female intuition was her vital weapon for information gathering and player prediction.

"Hahaha, Satsuki, you're truly amazing!" Ken Kaneki burst into laughter, picked up Satsuki Momoi, and spun her around several times. "If you're really willing, you'll be a huge help to me."

"Um, I'm happy if I can help Ken-kun..." Satsuki Momoi said, blushing.

Before she could finish, Ken Kaneki grabbed Satsuki Momoi's hand and hurried towards the Shibuya First Junior High basketball gym, saying as they walked, "Let's go, let's go! There's no time to waste. I'll teach you how to collect information."

Before long, they arrived at the Shibuya First Junior High basketball gym. Coincidentally, Shibuya First Junior High was currently conducting an intra-team practice.

"Hey, Ken-kun, look, that guy has yellow hair just like you! Is that the ace of Shibuya First Junior High that Captain Nijimura and Coach Platinum mentioned, Kotaro Hayama?" Satsuki Momoi asked curiously, pointing at an active figure on the court.

"Yeah, it's him. How did you know?" Ken Kaneki asked curiously.

"Because Ken-kun and Little Murasakibara have colored hair, so I just figured anyone with colored hair must be the ace of Shibuya First Junior High!" Satsuki Momoi replied matter-of-factly.

"Ah? Is that so... That actually makes some sense..." Ken Kaneki gave a helpless wry smile and took out a camcorder from his backpack. He planned to give Coach Platinum a little shock with data basketball.

Heh heh, did you think there were only two updates today? Actually, there are three!