Aftermath of the Competition

"What do you mean?"

Hearing Kawashima's shout, Yamagami Sawano was puzzled.

They'd already scored, and in the final few dozen seconds at that.

The game's over now, so why tell him not to look at the scoreboard?

Curious, Yamagami Sawano turned his gaze toward the scoreboard.

The moment he saw the score, his pupils violently contracted!

"I've been played?!"

Bonds and all that were fake! A team could only beat opponents who weren't too far apart.

Once that gap widened, he—no, the whole team—was a joke!

In the end, he was just that frog at the bottom of the well!

Bang!

The shock to his brain made Yamagami Sawano's vision go dark. He collapsed to the ground, and this time, he truly couldn't hear anything!

"Sawano!"

"Senpai!"

Many people rushed toward Yamagami Sawano, who lay on the floor.

Only then did many realize—since Gojo Satoru had been the one scoring all along, they hadn't paid much attention to the score.

Not until they saw Yamagami Sawano faint after looking at it did they notice: those weren't counterattack goals!

123:45

There was no miracle at all!

They were just being toyed with!

When someone was about to shoot from beyond the three-point line, he'd block them instantly, but when Yamagami Sawano went for a dunk, he just gave up the defense.

That bastard was humiliating them!

"What do you mean by this?!"

"You first-year bastard, what the hell are you doing?!"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you!?"

The upperclassmen started pointing fingers at Gojo Satoru.

But Gojo Satoru just smiled back.

"Sorry, I was too tired. Couldn't stop it in time."

He paused, then added, "And didn't you guys say to let him score one?

Now that he scored, why aren't you happy?"

The upperclassmen were about to say more, but Horikita Manabu cut them off.

"Game over! First-years win!

Everyone, watch your words. Don't cause a commotion!"

Horikita Manabu's voice rang out loudly through the gym, and the place fell silent instantly. But plenty of furious eyes were still fixed on him.

Guess that's what you'd expect from the Student Council President?

His presence really was something.

Looking at the silent gym, Gojo Satoru lost interest in sticking around.

He walked to the bench where he'd left his bandages, wrapping them around his hand as he said flatly, "It might be rude to say this, but hot-blooded idiots are kind of outdated."

Those simple words made fools of Yamagami Sawano and the upperclassmen who'd been cheering him on.

But with Horikita Manabu there, they didn't dare stir up trouble again.

Seeing no one planned to argue back, he looked up at Xiao Mako and called out with a grin, "Xiao Mako! Let's go."

Seeing that he hadn't called her, but that girl instead, Kamuro Masumi felt her eyes sting a little.

"Is Kamuro-san crying?"

Beside him, Sakayanagi Arisu teased Kamuro Masumi with a smile.

But the other girl just turned her head away without replying.

After a moment, she silently walked off.

Jealous, huh. Kamuro's really easy to read.

"Satoru-kun!"

Bam!

Just as he stepped out of the gymnasium, Amikura Mako came flying at him from behind. Sensing her, Gojo Satoru immediately turned and caught her in his arms.

He looked down at the silly girl in his embrace with some concern.

"Be careful. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"No way. I know Satoru-kun will catch me!"

Hearing those trusting words, Gojo Satoru didn't know what to say for a moment.

After hugging for two minutes, Amikura Mako finally let go. Looking at the Gojo Satoru in front of her, she asked curiously, "Satoru-kun, why aren't you sweating even after playing for so long?"

"What if I said I'm not human? Would you believe me?"

He meant to tease her, but her next words caught him off guard.

"I would! Satoru-kun must be an angel sent from heaven! And I'm your angel!"

Is that so?

This time, Gojo Satoru just smiled without replying.

Then he looked at Kobashi Yume, who was standing behind Amikura Mako, and opened his arms.

Seeing this, both Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako were confused.

Gojo Satoru grinned and said, "I won, didn't I? Don't I deserve a reward? I earned you some points."

Hearing that, Kobashi Yume's face instantly turned bright red. She glanced at Amikura Mako, who was watching her with an amused expression.

In Amikura Mako's mind, Gojo Satoru would only have more girls around him in the future, and that side of things wasn't something she could handle alone.

Rather than letting strangers in, it was better to drag her best friend into it. That way, she could legitimately take care of her!

Seeing that Amikura Mako had no objections, Kobashi Yume shyly walked over.

But the moment they embraced, her already flushed face deepened even more.

So this is what Gojo-kun smells like?

It felt so warm. Even after playing such a long game, there was no sweat, just a faint, pleasant scent.

Feeling the contact of their bodies, she couldn't help recalling the naked body she'd seen in the dorm last time.

If her boyfriend were Gojo-kun, wouldn't she be just as happy as Mako?

"Yume-chan, are you addicted to hugging?"

Still lost in her fantasy, she was jolted back by his sudden words.

Only then did she realize he had already let go at some point—she was the one still holding on!

Snapping out of it, Kobashi Yume immediately released her arms and stumbled back two steps, waving her hands in front of her as she stammered, "I—I didn't mean it like that! No, no! That's not—I mean, I don't have that kind of thought!

I...!"

She babbled incoherently. Seeing this, Amikura Mako burst out laughing.

"Hahaha~

What are you even saying, Yume-chan?

What 'that kind of thought' or 'that meaning'?"

But Kobashi Yume was too embarrassed to say anything more. It almost looked like steam was rising from her head.

"Damn it! Didn't I tell you not to run?!"

A sudden shout interrupted their play.

Looking over, they saw Ibuki Mio running toward them.

"Tch. Here comes trouble."

Watching her charge over, Gojo Satoru felt nothing but exasperation.

Then he told the two beside him to leave first.

"You two go wait for me at the Cat Cafe. I have something to handle. I'll change out of this tracksuit and meet you there."

"Mm-hmm, okay."

Not wanting to cause trouble for her boyfriend, Amikura Mako pulled the bewildered Kobashi Yume away and left.

After all, judging by the look of things, it wasn't anything good.

Ibuki approached Gojo Satoru without a word and immediately launched a high kick at him.

Seeing the attack aimed straight at his face, Gojo simply stepped back slightly, then raised a hand to stop her.

"Hold on!

There are plenty of security cameras around here, aren't there?

If I report this later, you'll be in serious trouble."

Hearing this, Ibuki halted her pursuit but kept running her mouth.

"You bastard! Who told you to mess with me last time!

This time, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

"Ah, that. I already saw it.

White."

"Huh?!"

Ibuki Mio didn't understand what he meant at first, but then she noticed where Gojo's gaze was aimed—downward!

She immediately pressed her hand against her skirt hem, glaring at Gojo with a faint blush creeping onto her face, and ground out through clenched teeth.

"That's not what I meant! You pervert!"

'She only just realized?'

Hearing her curse him, Gojo wasn't sure whether to argue back.

He had seen it, that was a fact, but it wasn't like he'd deliberately looked.

Besides, what kind of girl wears a skirt without Safety Pants when she's about to fight?