Information Gathering (2)

"Hey, who are you guys? Who told you to film over here?" Seeing Ken Kaneki openly set up his camera, the Shibuya First Junior High captain finally noticed the commotion on Ken Kaneki's side and went to chase them away.

"Senpai, I'm from our school's newspaper club. The fact that our school made it to the final four last year was thanks to you seniors." Ken Kaneki shamelessly lied without batting an eye. "We had a big win last round, and Senpai Nakamori from the school newspaper thought this year had great potential to break through the prefectural tournament, so she had us come film the Basketball Club's daily life. She wants to do a special Basketball Club edition when our record improves further this year."

"Nakamori?" The Shibuya First Junior High captain couldn't quite believe it, his face flushing red, his eyes welling up. "Are you talking about Akina? Has she finally started paying attention to our Basketball Club?"

"Of course, it's Senpai Akina~" Ken Kaneki continued to pour it on. "Actually, Senpai Akina has been paying attention to the Basketball Club for a long time, so please take good care of us, Captain!"

"Haha, take care, of course, we'll take care." The Shibuya First Junior High captain cheerfully patted Ken Kaneki on the shoulder. "Uh, make sure to film me looking cool later."

"You got it, Senpai." Ken Kaneki patted his chest and sent him away.

"Ken-kun, how did you know that Akina Nakamori was the president of their newspaper club?" Satsuki Momoi asked curiously.

"Her photo is on the school bulletin board." Ken Kaneki found a stool, sat down, and started taking notes.

"But won't this cause some not-so-good situations later?" Satsuki Momoi was a little worried.

"Other than this senior potentially succeeding in being elected Gotham Villain Leader, there won't be any other bad things." Ken Kaneki patted the stool beside him, gesturing for Satsuki Momoi to sit down. "Never mind him, let's get down to business."

"Okay~" Satsuki Momoi then remembered Ken Kaneki's purpose for coming to Shibuya First Junior High and obediently sat down beside Ken Kaneki.

"You look first. If you have any questions, you can ask me." Ken Kaneki opened his notebook and focused on watching the training on the court, occasionally looking down to take notes.

"Where's classmate Kaneki?" Kōzō Shirogane looked surprised at Ken Kaneki's rare absence from training.

"He and Momoi went to Shibuya First Junior High." Daiki Aomine fiddled with the basketball in his hands, his face filled with boredom. "They said they were going to gather intel on Shibuya First Junior High. But I bet he's secretly going on a date with Momoi."

"What are you talking about, A-Dai!" Satsuki Momoi had just pushed open the gym doors when she heard Daiki Aomine teasing her and Ken Kaneki, and she playfully chided him in embarrassment.

"Don't be so naive, Aomine." Ken Kaneki followed closely behind, retorting, "I've brought you first-hand information."

"Oh?" Kōzō Shirogane was also a little curious. "What did you gather?"

"A lot." Ken Kaneki took out a stack of paper materials from his school bag. "This is all information about Shibuya First Junior High's trio that Momoi and I collected this afternoon."

"First is their ace, Kotaro Hayama." Ken Kaneki pulled out Hayama's information from the materials and distributed it to the First String members. "He's a speed-type player, right-handed, not great at mid-to-long range shots. One point that needs special attention is his dribbling is quite something."

Ken Kaneki took out a PAD from his pocket and played a video of Kotaro Hayama training. On the screen, Kotaro Hayama weaved through the crowd, making shot after shot.

"Looks ordinary," Daiki Aomine pouted. "I can do that level too."

"Well said, Aomine. Don't say it again next time." Ken Kaneki pointed at Aomine with his pen. "Did you guys notice his dribbling?"

"You mean the abnormal sound when he dribbles?" Seijuro Akashi was the first to notice Hayama's anomaly, pondering. "The force of his dribble is indeed strong, and the ball moves very fast, making it difficult for defenders to steal."

"That's right, but that's all." Ken Kaneki crossed his arms over his chest. "His hand skills are indeed very good, but as long as you can keep up with his speed, it's no different from a normal layup. Also, his left hand isn't skillful yet, so try to force him to the left and force him into high-post jump shots."

"I'll handle him." Daiki Aomine eagerly volunteered.

"That's what I was thinking too." Ken Kaneki looked at Daiki Aomine. "But remember not to get out of position when stealing."

"Don't worry, Ken."

"Next is Keisuke Kobayashi." Ken Kaneki pulled out another stack of materials and distributed it to everyone. "Nothing much to say. A rare big guard, 180 cm tall. His skills are relatively agile for his height, balanced with both hands, good at organizing and three-point shots."

"A shooting big guard?" Shintaro Midorima pondered.

"You can't compare." Ken Kaneki looked at the fighting spirit in Shintaro Midorima's eyes and said directly, "All you need to remember is to make physical contact with him when he receives the ball. Don't give him space to dribble."

"OK." Shintaro Midorima was as concise as ever. After speaking, he picked up his lucky charm for the day – a model of the Sparkling Rod.

"If you can't defend him, I'll use that Sparkling Rod to give you a Sparkling Skull Shattering Kill." Ken Kaneki looked at the strange and varied lucky charms Shintaro Midorima had every day and couldn't help but feel amused.

"Then what about that center, Ken-chan?" Atsushi Murasakibara casually flipped through the materials in his hands, curious about the lack of information on Daisuke Narumi.

"He's not worth mentioning. His footwork and dribbling are terrible. He plays purely on brute force, with even lower basketball IQ than Aomine." Ken Kaneki didn't take Daisuke Narumi seriously at all.

"Haha, well done, Ken." Kōzō Shirogane smiled as he finished reading all the information Ken Kaneki had gathered. "It seems you've really seen something, and your notes are very thorough."

"This isn't all my credit, Coach." Ken Kaneki smiled and pulled Momoi over. "Most of the written parts were organized by Little Peach."

"No, I just expanded a bit based on classmate Ken Kaneki's ideas. Most of the work was done by classmate Kaneki." Satsuki Momoi smiled and looked at Ken Kaneki. "Classmate Kaneki really stole the show today."

"What? You're saying the newspaper club didn't send anyone to film?" The Shibuya First Junior High captain looked in despair at the team member he sent to gather information, as if hearing his heart shatter.

"So, this afternoon, someone from who-knows-where came and secretly filmed our training, and then, out of boredom, beat up Hayama and the others?" The Shibuya First Junior High coach looked at the captain suspiciously. "It's normal to be infatuated when you're young, but you harassed student Akina and came up with such a ridiculous excuse, student Yamanaka, are you out of your mind?"

"He wasn't lying, Coach." Kotaro Hayama stood up with a grim expression. "We also asked about his origins."

"What did he say?" the Shibuya First Junior High coach asked with a displeased expression.

"He said..." Kotaro Hayama recalled the arrogant figure from that afternoon. "He said he was just a passing basketball genius."