The atmosphere in the gymnasium was loud and suffocating. Every student was leaning forward, phone cameras held high.

On one side was Kenji, the star player/golden boy of the basketball team, his jersey drenched in sweat from his flashy warm-up. On the other side, Akira stood calm and quiet, like a hunter waiting for the signal to start.

"Check ball," Kenji spat, bouncing the rock hard toward Akira's chest.

Akira caught it with one hand, tossed it back, then immediately got into his defensive stance, bouncing on his toes with ease.

The coach blew the whistle.

Kenji moved instantly. He was fast… there was no denying that. He charged at Akira with intense energy, his eyes filled with a mix of hatred and cockiness.

"Ready to get embarrassed, Creep King?" Kenji taunted in a loud enough voice for the crowd to hear. "I'm gonna make you look like the joke you are!"

"Enough talking, Kenji. Show me what you've gat."

Kenji didn't respond verbally.

Instead, he performed a rapid-fire double crossover, hoping to catch Akira off balance. When he didn't see any movement from him, he spotted an opening and pushed hard to the right. He planted his foot and jumped up for what seemed like an easy, guaranteed layup.

But the world seemed to shift for Akira.

His enhanced stats didn't just make him fast; they gave him a spatial awareness that bordered on the supernatural.

"Now, darling," Ai whispered.

Akira launched.

He didn't just jump; he soared. His hand met the ball at its highest point with a loud, sharp sound like a gunshot.

THWACK!

The impact sent the ball flying back, smacking directly into Kenji's face as he was descending, sending the captain stumbling back onto his backside.

The crowd gasped in unison as the ball bounced right back into Akira's waiting hands.

"My ball," Akira said in a terrifyingly calm voice.

Kenji scrambled up, his nose bleeding slightly, his face turning a deep shade of crimson. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You'll pay for it."

Akira didn't say a word; he just started his approach, dribbling slowly at first.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He felt the rhythm of the floor. Kenji lunged, playing an aggressive, suffocating defence, reaching in for a steal. Akira reacted with lightning-fast speed, the ball moving so quickly it seemed to vanish.

Kenji stumbled slightly, thrown off by the unexpected skill. The crowd murmured in surprise.

"Whoa, did you see that?"

"Kanzaki's got moves!"

Akira drove toward the hoop, and Kenji recovered quickly, getting back into defensive position. But Akira was too fast. He jumped for a layup, his technique perfect, the ball rolling off his fingers right into the basket.

Kenji jumped to contest, his hand reaching up to block.

But Akira adjusted mid-air, something that shouldn't have been possible, twisting his body to avoid the block and laying the ball in from an impossible angle.

Swish.

"Two-zero," Akira said calmly.

The crowd erupted in louder murmurs now.

"Did he just do that?"

"Holy shit!"

Kenji's face turned red. "Lucky shot! That's all that was!"

Akira checked the ball back to him. "Your ball."

Kenji took it aggressively, immediately going into his attack. He was faster than Akira expected, his footwork showing years of practice as he crossed over, stepped back, and launched a fadeaway jumper.

The ball arced perfectly, dropping through the net with a satisfying swish.

"Two-two," Kenji announced loudly, trying to reclaim the crowd. "That's how it's done, Creep King! Welcome to reality!"

His crew erupted in cheers, trying to maintain momentum.

Akira took the ball back, dribbling at the top of the key. "Ai, check my PP points."

"Currently at 2,335PP, darling. Why?"

"The Flow State Meter. Can I activate it?"

"Not yet, love. You used it yesterday, remember? Twenty-four-hour cooldown. You still have about eighteen minutes left."

Akira glanced at the timer in his peripheral vision. Eighteen minutes. He'd have to hold his own until then.

"Fine. Let's see what I can do without it."

—

The next several possessions went back and forth.

Akira scored on a smooth drive: 4-2.

Kenji answered with a tough pull-up jumper: 4-4.

Akira hit a mid-range shot: 7-4.

Kenji drove hard and finished through contact: 7-6.

The crowd was getting louder with each exchange, realising this wasn't going to be the one-sided beatdown everyone had expected.

"Kanzaki's actually keeping up!"

"This is crazy!"

"Go, Akira!" That was Mia's voice, cutting through the noise.

By the time the score reached 9-9, Kenji was starting to sweat. Not from exertion, but from the realisation that Akira was actually matching him point for point.

"You've been practising," Kenji admitted grudgingly as they reset. "But it won't matter. I've been playing this game my whole life."

"We'll see," Akira replied.

Kenji scored again: 11-11.

Akira answered: 13-13.

"Thirteen minutes left on cooldown, darling," Ai informed him. "Think you can hold on?"

"I have to."

Kenji was getting frustrated now. The easy victory he'd expected was turning into an actual contest, and the crowd was split between cheering for him and cheering for the underdog.

He drove hard, going for a tough finish at the rim.

Akira jumped to contest, and their bodies collided in mid-air. Kenji's elbow caught Akira in the ribs, making him grunt in pain.

The ball went in: 15-13, Kenji's lead.

"That's a foul!" Mia shouted from the sidelines.

Coach blew his whistle. "Clean it up, Takahara! One more dirty play and you're done!"

Kenji just smirked, chest-bumping Akira as they reset. "What's wrong, Creep King? Can't handle real basketball?"

Akira said nothing, just took the ball back.

He drove, and Kenji shoved him hard with both hands, sending him stumbling.

Another whistle. "Takahara! Final warning!"

"My bad, Coach," Kenji said with zero sincerity.

The score continued to climb: 15-14, 17-16.

"Five minutes, darling."

They reached 20-20, both players breathing heavily now.

But because of the "win by two" rule, the coach announced another game of 21. The tension was becoming unbearable. They pushed through that set, reaching a stalemate again.

"Game of 11 points, win by two points," Coach announced again.

Kenji wiped sweat from his forehead, getting tired of the back and forth but trying to make it look like he was teasing Akira. "Tired yet?" he asked. "You're... nothing... but a fluke!"

"Akira, darling?" Ai announced. "Flow State Ready."

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