Sudo's moment in the spotlight

Time flew, and soon the day of the Basketball Club's official roster tryouts arrived.

In the classroom after school, the students trickled out. Ken Kaneki was just about to get up when the terminal in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He took out his phone and saw a text from his homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira, on the screen.

"If you're free tonight, come by my room at the Teachers' Dormitory."

A smile appeared on Ken Kaneki's lips as he read the message. Having gotten a taste for it, Chabashira-sensei had clearly abandoned her formerly aloof attitude completely. The suggestion between the lines spoke for itself.

Ken Kaneki naturally knew what she had in mind. He casually typed an "OK" and sent it, then slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Let's go see how those Basketball Club tryouts everyone's been talking about on campus are going."

Ken Kaneki turned toward Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Rokusuke Koenji, who had already packed their bags and were waiting for him.

He had also asked Shiina Hiyori whether she wanted to come along and join the fun, but Hiyori really had no interest in sweaty, confrontational sports competitions.

Besides, she had recently been busy dealing with some book-borrowing matters, so she had politely declined Ken Kaneki's invitation.

And so, the Classroom of the Elite F3 headed out in full force once again.

The moment the three stepped into the Basketball Hall, they felt the lively atmosphere.

Quite a crowd had already gathered inside the spacious hall. Besides boys from every year, a considerable number of girls were sitting in the stands.

Clearly, occasions that showcased boys' masculine energy and athletic talent always drew plenty of attention from the opposite sex.

At the center of the hall, the Basketball Club's captain held a megaphone and loudly announced the tryout rules to all the first-years who had signed up.

"Listen up, rookies! These tryouts for the official roster consist of four events!" The captain's voice echoed through the hall.

"The first is a test of basic fitness and explosive power, including baseline shuttle runs and a standing vertical reach test;

the second is basic ball-handling skills. You'll need to complete a full-court obstacle dribbling course and accurate passes within the time limit;

the third is shooting consistency. Each of you will take three shots from each of five spots beyond the three-point line;

the final event is a practical assessment. Everyone will be randomly grouped for three-on-three half-court games.

The top five in the final combined scores will be promoted directly to the school team's official roster as a special exception."

At the captain's command, the tryouts officially began.

Among these somewhat inexperienced first-years, Ken Sudō's presence was unquestionably overwhelming.

In the very first fitness test, Sudo displayed terrifying physical abilities as flamboyant as his red hair.

During the vertical reach test, he leaped effortlessly, his fingertips reaching well above the bottom edge of the backboard, drawing gasps from those around him.

In the baseline shuttle runs, he was like a cheetah, leaving the other first-years in his group far behind.

In the ball-handling and shooting tests that followed, Sudo was a little rough in terms of finesse, but his solid fundamentals and exceptionally strong muscle memory still earned him outstanding results.

What truly made him shine was the final scrimmage.

Bam! The dull sound of the basketball striking the rim rang throughout the hall.

On a fast break, Ken Sudō caught a long pass from a teammate and charged straight toward the basket like an out-of-control heavy tank.

He leaped high in the face of a defender and slammed the ball through the hoop with a powerful one-handed dunk!

"Whoa!! That was amazing!!"

"Who's that red-haired first-year? He's incredible!"

"Those physical abilities-he's a monster!"

The spectators in the stands were instantly fired up, especially the girls, who erupted into screams and cheers.

After landing, Ken Sudō pounded his chest in excitement and threw his head back with a roar, savoring his moment in the spotlight.

But unlike the fiery atmosphere on the court, the three standing in a corner on the sidelines watched with some boredom.

"What a dull performance. Exercise at this level doesn't even deserve a single drop of my sweat.

By comparison, that beautiful second-year girl of mine interests me much more."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji watched Sudo flaunting his prowess on the court with an expressionless face and shook his head too.

"There really isn't much to see. Still, I heard you promised Chabashira-sensei you'd drag our so-called 'defective' Class D all the way up to Class A?"

Although Ayanokoji thought Ken Kaneki's decision was a bit troublesome, he wasn't opposed to it.

"Yeah. You could call it a mutually beneficial deal." Ken Kaneki smiled.

"After all, with such an obedient homeroom teacher out front acting as our shield, it'll be much easier for us to do things at school."

"Taking that bunch of useless fools to Class A? What a thankless game." Koenji chuckled, but then changed his tune.

"But since you've decided on it, I wouldn't mind cooperating a little when I'm in a good mood.

After all, I'd like to see the faces of those self-proclaimed elites in Class A when we trample them underfoot."

"Count me in. As long as you don't make me step into the spotlight and stick my neck out," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji agreed.

Seeing the two state their positions, Ken Kaneki nodded in satisfaction.

Then he took out his terminal, pulled up the announcement he had previously screenshotted from the school's club forum, and held it out in front of them.

"Take a look at this." Ken Kaneki pointed to a line of small print on the screen.

"This is the Basketball Club's latest announcement about the interschool tournament. Participants must be official members and pass every subject on the midterm exams."

Ayanokoji and Koenji exchanged a glance, instantly understanding Ken Kaneki's intention.

"All Sudo can think about right now is making the school team and becoming a professional player." Ken Kaneki watched Sudo reveling in scoring on the court, a smile curling his lips.

"He naively thinks that as long as he shows enough athletic talent, the school will make an exception for him and waive his expulsion for failing.

However excited he is now, that's how desperate he'll be when he discovers that failing his exams won't just get him expelled-it'll keep him from even playing in the tournament."

"I see." A flicker of understanding passed through Ayanokoji's eyes.

"Let him climb into the clouds, then drag him straight down into hell. Throwing him a lifeline when he's at his most desperate really is the best way to make him behave and obey completely."

"Heh, what a twisted plan. But I like it." Koenji laughed elegantly.

As the three chatted, the tryouts on the court gradually drew to a close.

With his overwhelmingly superior physical abilities and outstanding performance in the scrimmages, Ken Sudō unsurprisingly ranked first in the combined scores, and the Basketball Club's captain announced on the spot that he had made the official roster.

Four other students who had performed well were also selected.

Hearing the captain announce the results, Ken Sudō excitedly high-fived the teammates beside him in celebration. The spectators in the stands had thoroughly enjoyed the show too, and erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers.