Kenji took the ball, looking really determined. He wasn't going to let some nobody beat him in front of the whole school.

He drove hard, going for a powerful dunk to end it spectacularly.

[FLOW STATE METER: 100/100 - READY]

[COST: 1000PP]

[PP BALANCE: 2335 PP]

"Not yet," Akira whispered. "Not yet..."

He jumped to contest the dunk without the Flow State, relying solely on his enhanced stats.

Kenji's hand came down hard on the rim, but Akira's hand got there first, swatting the ball away with perfect timing.

The ball flew into the stands, bouncing off a student's head.

The gym exploded in noise.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"DID YOU SEE THAT BLOCK?!"

Akira grabbed the ball as it bounced back onto the court. "My ball. Game point."

He checked it to Kenji, who was still in shock from getting blocked.

"Lucky," Kenji muttered. "Just lucky."

Akira dribbled at the top of the key, and this time, he activated it. "Flow State. Activate."

[FLOW STATE ACTIVATED]

[COUNTDOWN STARTED - 10:00]

[ALL STATS IN TENFOLD]

Akira felt the 1,000 PP vanish from his balance as the system surged.

[PP: 2335 - 1000 → 1335PP]

To the crowd, Akira was standing still.

To Akira, the universe had frozen. He could see the microscopic tremors in Kenji's leg muscles, the sweat beads dripping down his forehead and the frantic dilation of his pupils. He could even sense the position of every student watching from the bleachers.

His body felt weightless, powerful, and unstoppable.

Then, Kenji lunged forward to steal the ball.

In the "real" world, it was a desperate, high-speed swipe.

In Akira's world, Kenji was a statue being slowly tipped over. Akira didn't just cross over; he performed a triple-move in the span of a single human heartbeat.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

The ball blurred. Kenji stumbled, his ankles rolling and giving out entirely. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, staring up in genuine horror as Akira floated past him.

Akira didn't dunk; he reached the rim and simply placed the ball into the hoop like a man putting a glass on a table.

2–0.

The gym went absolutely silent for one full second. Then it erupted as if a bomb had gone off.

"What the... I didn't even see him move!" someone screamed from the bleachers.

The next three minutes were a massacre.

Kenji felt very embarrassed and angry. He stopped playing basketball and started playing street brawls. He charged at Akira, shoving him with his shoulders, trying to physically foul him out of the game.

But it was useless. With tenfold stats, Akira was a ghost.

Kenji tried to drive; Akira stripped the ball so fast the referee didn't even see the contact. Akira stepped back to the three-point line. Swish. 5–0.

Kenji tried to post him up, putting all his weight into Akira's chest. Akira didn't budge an inch. It was like Kenji was pushing against a mountain. Akira reached over Kenji's head, plucked the ball out of his hands, and sprinted to the other end. 7–0.

"DIE!" Kenji screamed, throwing a blatant elbow at Akira's jaw during a layup attempt.

Akira tilted his head by a fraction of a millimetre. The elbow whistled past his ear.

While still in the air, Akira grabbed Kenji's jersey, stabilised him so he wouldn't fall and hurt himself—not out of kindness, but to ensure the game didn't end prematurely—and finished the shot. 9–0.

Kenji managed to scramble two desperate, long-range shots that rattled around the rim and fell in, and a lucky free throw after a marginal contact call. 9–3.

"You're... you're a monster," Kenji panted, looking pale. His lungs were screaming, and he could barely stand.

The "Creep King" he had bullied was gone; in his place was someone who wasn't even breathing hard.

"Nine-three," Akira said, his voice echoing in the almost silent gym. "Game point, Kenji. Make it count."

Kenji gathered every ounce of strength he had left. He didn't care about the ball anymore; he wanted to hurt Akira. He drove hard, not for the basket, but directly into Akira's path, intending to tackle him.

Akira didn't dodge.

He used a Flash Step manoeuvre, appearing behind Kenji before the Captain could even register the movement. Kenji flew into empty air, stumbling toward nothing.

Akira easily drove past him. Kenji got back up and tried to chase, but Akira was already at the basket.

Instead of an easy shot, Akira jumped, pulling the ball back with one hand. And he slammed it through the hoop.

The gym went absolutely silent for one full second.

Then it erupted like a bomb had gone off.

"HE JUST DUNKED ON KENJI!"

"KANZAKI CAN DUNK?!"

"THAT WAS INSANE!"

Score: 11-3, Akira's lead.

Kenji stood there, mouth hanging open, unable to process what had just happened.

[FLOW STATE DEACTIVATED - OBJECTIVE COMPLETE]

The scoreboard showed 11-3.

Game over.

The gym exploded in total chaos, and the noise was extremely loud.

Students were jumping, screaming, and chanting Akira's name like he'd just won a championship instead of a simple one-on-one.

"AKIRA! AKIRA! AKIRA!"

Kenji stood frozen at centre court, still trying to process what had just happened. His perfect record, his reputation, his dominance... all of it had just been shattered in front of everyone.

"No," he whispered. "No way. This isn't... this can't be..."

Coach walked onto the court, blowing his whistle to quiet the crowd. It took several attempts before the noise died down enough for him to speak.

He stared at Akira with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I've been coaching for twenty years... I've never seen anything like that. Kanzaki, you're not just on the team. You're starting varsity. Monday. Don't be late."

He turned to Kenji, his voice turning cold. "Takahara, go to the locker room. We'll discuss your future as Captain… if you even have one tomorrow."

"But Coach, I…"

"Locker room. NOW!"

Kenji's jaw clenched, his face going from pale to bright red. "Yes, Coach."

Without another word, he grabbed his bag and stormed toward the exit, shoving past students who tried to congratulate him on a "good game."

His girlfriend, the cheerleader he'd been parading around, didn't even follow him. She was too busy staring at Akira with obvious interest.

[PP BONUS: COMPLETE VICTORY +200 PP]

[KENJI HUMILIATION COMPLETE: +300 PP]

[PP: 1,335 → 1,835]

[NEW REPUTATION UNLOCKED: RISING STAR]

Before Akira could even leave the court, Rina came sprinting over and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"That was amazing!" she squealed. "You destroyed him! Did you see his face? Oh my god, I got it all on video!"

"Rina, you're choking me," Akira managed to say, laughing despite the lack of air.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited!" She pulled back, still grinning. "Everyone's talking about it! This is going to be legendary!"

Mia was next, pushing through the crowd with one mission in mind. She didn't say anything; she just grabbed Akira's face with both hands and kissed him hard, right there in front of everyone.

Wolf whistles and cheers erupted from the watching students.

When she finally pulled back, her eyes were shining with possessive pride. "You were perfect. Absolutely perfect."

"Thanks, Mia."

"And everyone saw it," she continued, her voice dropping lower. "Everyone saw that you're mine. That you're no longer the 'Creep King'. You're... you're..."

"The Basketball King!" someone in the crowd shouted, and it got a huge laugh.

Aoi approached more cautiously, clapping enthusiastically from a few feet away. "Akira-kun, that was wonderful! I've never seen anyone play like that before!"

"Thanks, Aoi."

Even Ayaka, who'd been watching from the far corner with her usual detached interest, looked impressed. She gave him a small nod of approval before slipping out of the gym.

[MULTIPLE AFFINITY GAINS]

[RINA: +10 → 85]

[MIA: OBSESSIVE DEVOTION MAINTAINED]

[AOI: +5 → 55]

"Well done, Master," Ai purred, the Flow State timer finally hitting zero. "You didn't just win a game. You redefined the food chain."

As the crowd slowly dispersed, students still buzzing with excitement and replaying the highlights, Akira finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He was walking toward the locker room when a familiar, cold voice stopped him. "Kanzaki-kun. A moment, please."

He turned around and saw Sakura Hanamura standing a short distance away. She had her arms crossed, and her face showed no clear emotion.

The Ice Queen, Student Council President.

The girl who'd publicly humiliated him just weeks ago, reducing him to a viral laughingstock with her cruel rejection.

Now she was looking at him with something that might have been... interest?

Almost immediately, a system prompt appeared in his vision.

[CHOICE AVAILABLE]

[A: Treat her with cold indifference. Reward: +50 PP, +10 Confidence, SAKURA INTEREST: PEAKED (She isn't used to being ignored; it will drive her to pursue you).]

[B: Use your new Charm to tease her. Reward: +100 PP, +5 Charm, SAKURA AFFINITY: 0 → 15 (Starts her route immediately).]

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