It's fine, because you're weak

"Hey! You bastard, what the hell are you trying to do? What's with making me do all the heavy lifting?"

Kamuro finally snapped after following Gojo Satoru around.

For hours, she had trailed behind him, carrying things while he shopped to his heart's content and refused to carry a thing himself.

Whenever she was carrying so much that she could barely manage, he made her haul it all to his dorm by herself. He would stay right where he was, waiting for her to come back, then add,

"Huh? You're so slow. Have you not been exercising?"

16:00

Glancing at the time on his phone, Gojo smiled faintly and said,

"Relax. Getting angry gives you wrinkles. We're done shopping. Come with me to the Basketball Club, and take out your phone."

"Huh!? Why are we going there? Are you joining the club?"

As she spoke, she handed him her phone.

"Of course not. I'm challenging them."

Masumi took her phone back and stared in shock at the additional three million Private Points. She blurted out every question that came to mind.

"What does this mean? Where did you get so many Private Points? Are you really a new student? And why do you keep wearing that blindfold?"

Faced with her barrage of questions, Gojo answered lightly before heading for the gym.

"Don't ask so many questions at once. Just follow me, and everything will be fine. Besides, men are more charming when they're mysterious. Don't you think so, Shinsuke?"

"Who said you could call me that?!"

What an obnoxious guy.

Kamuro Masumi put away her phone and hurried after him.

With a bang,

the gym doors were shoved open. Gojo strode inside like he owned the place, while Kamuro Masumi, following behind him, wanted to bury her head in the crowd.

Does he have no shame at all?!

Fenfen, an upperclassman in the basketball club, looked over, along with a few female students who had come to watch practice.

"Who are they?"

"I've never seen them before. Maybe they're new students."

"They have no manners. They scared me half to death."

Ignoring the irrelevant chatter, the two walked straight toward the basketball team.

"You two are new students, right? What do you need? If you're hoping to join, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. That's when the clubs will be recruiting."

A boy wearing a number four jersey, about 186 centimeters tall and with a resolute look, walked over.

He seemed somewhat imposing, and was a little shorter than Gojo, but Gojo didn't seem to care as he replied,

"Join the club? You've got it wrong. I'm here to challenge you!"

"Huh!?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"New kid, are your parents aware you're this cocky?"

"Move aside. I'll take him on one-on-one!"

Unlike the other players, the captain in the number four jersey only darkened his expression slightly.

"Are you this arrogant because you have a little talent? Basketball isn't as simple as you think. Leave now, and don't interrupt our practice."

"What, are you scared?"

Gojo taunted them outright.

I came all this way. You'd better cough up some coins.

"But don't worry, I won't waste your time. If you beat me, I'll pay you three million Private Points. If I win, you pay me the same."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mood in the gym grew harder to control, and everyone started whispering.

"Is he serious?"

"He's a new student, isn't he? How does he have three million Private Points?"

"Could he be the whole class's hope?"

Even the basketball team captain couldn't stay calm.

"Are you serious? Three million is a fortune even for an upperclassman. Are you sure a new student like you can pay?"

"Don't act like you've already won. Let me introduce myself. I'm Gojo Satoru, Class 1-D. I don't have any points, but she does."

As he spoke, he pointed at Kamuro Masumi beside him.

Though she wondered why he wouldn't show his own points, she played along and took out her phone.

"I'm Kamuro Masumi, Class 1-A. Just like he said, if you win, the three million points are yours."

Seeing the balance displayed on her phone,

3086,480

the captain quickly accepted.

"Fine. I accept your challenge on behalf of the basketball club. What are the rules?"

He was afraid the easy money would get away.

"Simple. A normal half-court one-on-one. First to score five baskets wins. So, which of you is up? You?"

He took the bait. I've got plenty of points now, but I can't exactly explain where they came from. I should earn some through a more public route, so no one complains later when I spend points like water.

After all, aside from the people who were there at the time, Student Council President is probably the only one who knows about the points I earned from the shops. If that got out, the school would have a hard time dealing with it.

"Of course not. I'm Kawashima, Class 3-A. As captain, I mainly play point guard, so I'm not suited for one-on-one. You'll play our power forward instead. His name is Yamagami Sawano."

As soon as he finished speaking,

a black-haired boy about 190 centimeters tall walked out. He was the one who had called for a one-on-one earlier.

"I'm Yamagami Sawano, Class 3-A. Nice to meet you."

Thinking that this underclassman was about to bring the basketball club three million points in funding, he couldn't stop grinning as he greeted him warmly.

"Likewise."

Gojo replied with a smile.

"You can go first. You won't get another chance to touch the ball."

On the court, though he was clearly shorter, Gojo still looked as arrogant as ever.

Yamagami Sawano was getting annoyed.

"You haven't even changed your clothes. You're wearing your school uniform, and you haven't even loosened your tie! And that black blindfold of yours has to be blocking your vision. Yet you're telling me to go first? What kind of joke is this? Are you serious? Don't forget, if you lose, your girlfriend's three million points are ours."

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

Out on the sidelines, Kamuro Masumi, who had been quietly watching, was sent over the edge by that last remark.

She was already fed up with being ordered around by that guy all day. Now he'd mistaken her for his girlfriend, and she couldn't help shouting out a denial.

Yamagami Sawano's eye twitched at her outburst. If she wasn't his girlfriend, why was she putting up three million points to play with him?

He looked awkwardly across the court, where Gojo waved a hand with a smile and said,

"It's fine, because you're weak."

Yamagami Sawano's face flushed red, but he couldn't be bothered to respond. He'd given Gojo a chance to get ready, and he'd refused. Now he could prepare to lose decisively!

They took their positions, and Kawashima blew the whistle.

Yamagami Sawano dribbled quickly and easily got past Gojo on his right.

What was that? I thought he'd be good, but I got by him with one simple side-step dribble.

Since it was half-court, Yamagami Sawano soon reached the basket. He leapt into the air, ready to teach the young underclassman a thing or two about dunking.

Thud, thud, thud...

Staring at the basketball that had been knocked out of bounds, Yamagami Sawano couldn't believe his eyes.

How is that possible? He was standing behind me just a moment ago. How did he catch up so fast?

He looked again at his right hand, the one that had just held the ball.

I can still feel the ball in my hand, but it's already been slapped to the ground. Is this for real?

Everyone watching from the sidelines was just as stunned into silence. Even Kamuro Masumi, who knew nothing about basketball, thought it was completely absurd.

Gojo hadn't even moved when Yamagami Sawano stepped into the free-throw lane, yet by the time he jumped, Gojo had rushed up beside him and leapt even faster, swatting the ball away.

Not only Yamagami Sawano, but most of the people watching hadn't reacted in time. They hadn't even seen what happened before the ball had already slammed into the floor.

Facing Yamagami Sawano's stunned expression, Gojo smiled and said,

"Now it's my turn to attack, right?"

Seeing Gojo's raised smile, Yamagami Sawano had a bad feeling!

They returned to their original positions, but this time they switched sides. Gojo was on offense, and Yamagami Sawano was defending.

Gojo's dribbling looked full of openings, but Yamagami Sawano didn't dare go for the ball. He wasn't going to underestimate him this time. The explosive speed his opponent had just displayed was far beyond anything he'd imagined, and he still hadn't fully recovered from the shock.

Have you learned your lesson? It won't help.

Unlike Yamagami Sawano, whose expression was grave, Gojo leisurely dribbled in place, then tossed out a question.

"You were planning to dunk just now, right?"

"What?"

Caught off guard by the question, he started to look up at his opponent, then immediately realized—

I've been tricked!

He looked down at the ball again, only to see it already passing between his legs. Gojo broke through on his left. Just as Yamagami Sawano turned to recover, he was startled to see Gojo leap from beyond the free-throw line!

Leaping from beyond the free-throw line, he held the ball in one hand at a sharp angle. With the hoop about three meters away, he used his immense strength to send the ball flying into it. The ball's arc, from his hand to the basket and through the net, was like a meteor streaking downward.

Meteor Jam!

A special move from Kuroko no Basuke, used by Kagami Taiga.

Even Kagami Taiga himself could only use it while in the ZONE.

As the basketball hit the floor, the crowd on the sidelines erupted.

"You've got to be kidding! Is he a monster?!"

"Am I dreaming? Is that really an underclassman who just enrolled?"

"Coach, I want to learn that!"

Kawashima stared excitedly at the silver-haired boy on the court, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Winning or losing no longer mattered!

Three million Private Points might have been a lot, but for Class 3-A, he himself had nearly five million.

Compared with those points, which he couldn't take with him after graduation, that boy was his real target: the national championship!

Their best result so far had only been making it to the quarterfinals. But now things were different. Through that boy, he could see it—the gleaming championship trophy!

Kamuro Masumi, meanwhile, looked utterly helpless. She had lost count of how many times she'd been caught off guard today. Ever since meeting him, she hadn't been able to find a moment of real peace. His every move kept pulling her emotions along with it.