Not a Single Bit of Difference

"This guy is taller than me... and yet he's so fast!?" Daisuke Narumi stared in terror at Atsushi Murasakibara, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Ken-chan!" Atsushi Murasakibara ignored Daisuke Narumi's thoughts and threw the ball forward as soon as he landed.

"Murasakibara, after this game, you're going back to practice your long passes!" Ken Kaneki looked at the cannonball-like pass with a wry smile, his long legs already carrying him towards the frontcourt.

"Huh? Did I throw it hard?" Atsushi Murasakibara belatedly looked at his right hand. "I thought I was just using normal force..."

Ken Kaneki, naturally unaware of Atsushi Murasakibara's confusion, leaped high during his long sprint and snatched the ball into his arms. He then looked at Wei Liu, who was braced for impact, with a playful smile. He never expected that two of Yosen High's future "Iron Walls"—the Chinese exchange student Wei Liu and Atsushi Murasakibara—would meet under such circumstances.

"Senior Wei Liu, there's an old Chinese saying: 'He who understands the times is a wise man'," Ken Kaneki said in perfect Mandarin. "So, you should probably step aside."

"Huh? Step aside? What are you talking about?" Before Wei Liu could finish speaking, he felt the world around him dissolve into a torrent of data composed of zeros and ones. He struggled desperately, trying to keep up with Ken Kaneki's pace, but he couldn't maintain his balance and fell to the ground.

"Is this what Ken Kaneki meant by seeing further?" Seijuro Akashi intently watched Ken Kaneki's every move, as if he had glimpsed something profound. An unknown feeling surged within him.

"Pathetic struggle." Ken Kaneki looked down at the disheveled Wei Liu with pity, calmly caught the ball, and shot. The composure on his face made it seem as though he wasn't in a game, but rather practicing his shooting. After completing the offense, Ken Kaneki slowly turned and walked away. The entire court fell silent, with only the swish of the ball entering the net reminding everyone that the game was still in progress.

Seeing the morale of the players on the court plummet to rock bottom, the coach of Shibuya First Junior High quickly called a timeout.

"Daddy, that blonde-haired boy is so fast!" Reiko pointed at Ken Kaneki with curiosity. "He just completely fooled that big guy from Shibuya First Junior High! I never thought someone that tall could move so agilely. And that purple-haired center too."

"Ken Kaneki's speed is indeed astonishing, but the secret to that play wasn't just speed," Kagetora Aida sighed. "He just saw it."

"Saw it?" Reiko looked at Kagetora Aida with confusion. "Can you really do that?"

"Of course, and there's more than one way," Kagetora Aida said with a complex expression. "Either you have eyes that can clearly see every subtle movement of your opponent, even their breathing rhythm and muscle tension, or you have a brain that can precisely predict their next move."

"I think the second option is more realistic," Reiko quipped. "The first method... do eyes like that really exist?"

"Who knows," Kagetora Aida mused.

"But Shibuya First Junior High's coach looks quite flustered," Reiko observed sharply. "They're only down by five points, and he's already losing it."

"It's not just about the five points, Reiko," Kagetora Aida clicked his tongue. "Anyway, let's watch the game."

"Scum! You're all scum!" The coach of Shibuya First Junior High raged. "I didn't come to Tokyo to watch you get blown out by a bunch of first-years! Hayama, where's your speed? Where's your defense? Why didn't you double-team that blonde kid just now?"

"Coach," Kotaro Hayama mumbled, trying to explain, but was cut off by the coach's roar.

"And you, Daisuke Narumi. What kind of game are you playing? You can't even win the tip-off, and you got blocked after they gave you a step! Have you no shame!"

"Shibuya's coach seems really angry," Seijuro Akashi watched the Shibuya First Junior High bench with amusement. "He's not holding back at all."

"It's true that the rotten apples spoil the barrel," Shintaro Midorima snorted disdainfully. "Their coach is all show and no substance, and the students are all bluster and no backbone. Not a single decent player among them."

"You can't say that, Midorima," Ken Kaneki turned to Daiki Aomine. According to his plan, this game would serve as nourishment for Daiki Aomine's growth. "I tested Hayama Kotaro for you. His current level is about the same as yours. I've already told you how to play him, and I even gave you a demonstration just now. The rest is up to you, no problem?"

"Ah, got it. Leave it to me," Daiki Aomine clenched his fists, a fighting flame burning in his eyes, like a tiger about to be released from its cage.

"Bzzzz~" With the buzzer of the timer, the timeout ended, and the game resumed.

"Hey, Blackie," Kotaro Hayama received the pass from Kazuhiko Yamanaka, looking at the excited Daiki Aomine in front of him. "Call that blonde kid over."

"First, my name is Ken Kaneki, not 'blonde kid.' Second, try beating Aomine before you challenge me!" Ken Kaneki was speechless at Hayama Kotaro misrepresenting him right in front of him. He had switched defensive assignments, but he wasn't deaf.

"Haha, so Ken-kun has been bothered by that!" Satsuki Momoi giggled, seeing Ken Kaneki display such a rare childish side.

"Did you hear that? Bring it on! Hayama Little Blondie!" Daiki Aomine excitedly slapped the floor, his eyes fixed on Kotaro Hayama.

"Then I'll defeat you first," Kotaro Hayama said through gritted teeth, his face darkened as he glared at Daiki Aomine, "and then I'll defeat that blonde kid!"

As Kotaro Hayama finished speaking, a rumbling roar echoed through the stadium again. Although it was worlds apart from Ken Kaneki's thunderous dribble, it still exuded an imposing aura to everyone from Shibuya First Junior High.

"Force him left, stay close," Daiki Aomine recalled the details Ken Kaneki had given him about the opponent, sticking tightly to Kotaro Hayama's right side, driving him towards the area he was less comfortable with. Under Daiki Aomine's harassment, Kotaro Hayama was forced to attempt a breakthrough with his less-familiar left hand.

"Hey, Blackie, what are you muttering about?" Kotaro Hayama asked irritably, looking at Daiki Aomine who was constantly mumbling.

"Analyzing your weaknesses," Daiki Aomine replied truthfully as he watched Kotaro Hayama's breakthrough being blocked. "Just like Ken Kaneki said, you're not good at mid-to-long-range shots."

"Huh? I just think scoring on a breakthrough is more efficient." Kotaro Hayama blushed slightly at Daiki Aomine's words. He stopped abruptly, gathered the ball, and prepared to prove that his mid-to-long-range shooting was just as exquisite.

"Stop struggling." Daiki Aomine lunged forward, stealing the ball the moment Kotaro Hayama raised it. "Ken Kaneki also predicted that you might be provoked by my words and stubbornly try to shoot against me~ Not a single detail was missed." After completing the steal, Daiki Aomine barely adjusted his form before taking off like a bullet from a gun, reaching the frontcourt in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it!" Kotaro Hayama, having made a mistake, chased after him, trying to defend the shot.

"Naive." Feeling Kotaro Hayama chasing him from behind, Daiki Aomine's lips curled slightly. He caught the ball and raised his hand.

"Mada mada! (Still far from it!)" Kotaro Hayama leaped up, preparing to block the shot.

"Hayama! No!" Kazuhiko Yamanaka felt a sense of foreboding and was about to warn him, but it was too late. Kotaro Hayama slammed into Daiki Aomine in mid-air.

"Foul or not, at least I can't let him score directly," Kotaro Hayama thought through gritted teeth. "But why is his expression... it even carries a hint of mockery. Could it be that in this state, he can still..."

"Don't be so surprised," Daiki Aomine, who had lost his balance from being hit in mid-air, looked at Kotaro Hayama's contorted expression and smiled, tossing the ball towards the basket as if casually.

"Bang, swish."

"Beeeep~ Green team number 6, shooting foul, basket counts, and one!" The referee's whistle blew the moment the ball hit the backboard and went in.

"You bastard..." Kotaro Hayama glared at Daiki Aomine through gritted teeth, his eyes wide with fury.

"Honestly, Ken Kaneki's effortless floating shots are really hard to imitate," Daiki Aomine said, half-relieved and half-provocatively, looking at Kotaro Hayama. "Looks like I got lucky, Hayama Little Blondie."

Sorry, sorry, everyone, I'm a bit late. I made some major revisions to this chapter.

P.S.: During their first year, only Atsushi Murasakibara showed a dominant performance, crushing Teppei Kiyoshi. Kise hadn't started playing basketball yet, Midorima was still a regular three-point shooter who never missed, not yet the monster he became after his awakening; Daiki Aomine was in a back-and-forth game with a guy named Inoue from Kami-gi Junior High; Akashi hadn't awakened his Emperor Eye yet and was just a point guard with excellent fundamentals. Therefore, it's normal for Hayama Kotaro, who is a year older than Aomine, to be about the same level as the first-year Daiki Aomine. The difference lies in their subsequent growth curves.