"What's he doing?"
Kasamatsu frowned as he watched Kota standing in the middle of the court, eyes closed, dribbling with one hand like he was communing with the spirit of basketball.
Kise walked over.
"I just told Kota how to enter the Zone… and now he's like this."
"Wait—there's a method for that?" Kasamatsu blinked, stunned.
"Yeah, kinda. It's… abstract" Kise said, repeating Aomine's words like a secondhand fortune teller.
"So he's trying to enter the Zone?" Kasamatsu nodded in realization, then muttered,
"But this isn't even a real game. No way he can focus that hard right now."
Takeuchi, listening nearby, silently agreed. Kasamatsu had a point—entering the Zone required extreme mental focus. Only true geniuses could hit that level of concentration during high-stakes matches.
Aomine could do it at will because of his insane focus and talent, sure — but expecting that from anyone else? Unrealistic.
"He's rushing it…" Takeuchi sighed. He could tell Kota was rattled by the loss to Kise. But c'mon, Kise wasn't normal — he was basically a human highlight reel, without the Zone. Talent-wise, Kise might be one of the most absurd players in basketball history.
Even so, Kota's current skill level was more than enough to outplay Akashi and get selected for the national youth team.
Akashi in the Zone? Don't be ridiculous… That'd be too much.
Just as the thought popped into Takeuchi's mind, he quickly shook it off.
No way.
The rest of Kaijo's team started gathering around, listening in on the conversation.
Kobori's nostrils were flaring as he wiped away an emotional tear:
"Unreal! Kota's already so strong, and now he's trying to break into the Zone? I can't fall behind! I'm dunking 10,000 times today!"
Kasamatsu promptly smacked Kobori on the back of the head.
"Cool it, Captain Posterize."
The rest of the team murmured about Kota's chances, most of them skeptical. Zone wasn't exactly something you picked up like cabbage at the supermarket.
"Once Kota gives up, let's take him out for dinner" Kise thought to himself.
"He'll probably feel better… especially if I pay."
Even Kise, who had full faith in Kota, didn't believe he'd pull it off. If he hadn't managed to enter it yet, Kota's odds weren't great. Honestly, if he didn't know how Aomine's brain worked, he'd think the guy was just trolling them.
Meanwhile, Kota had no idea what was going on around him. His focus was laser-sharp. He crouched low, adjusted his shorts—
And suddenly… something snapped in his mind.His dribbling felt smoother, more intuitive. Even though he hadn't triggered "Fourth Quarter King" standing near midcourt gave him an unshakable confidence—like if he took the shot, it'd swish.
He opened his eyes. A flash of white lightning sparked through them.
...
New Talent Detected: Zone
Added to Talent Panel.
Unlocks during moments of extreme mental focus. Temporarily boosts physical potential to the max.
This talent was self-discovered by the host.
...
"No way… Did I actually do it?"
Kota looked at his hands, almost in disbelief. He'd only followed Kise's explanation out of curiosity. And somehow… it worked.
His "trigger" was actually… pulling up his shorts for defense?
"Huh? Why is everyone standing over there?"
In his Zone state, Kota's awareness was still mostly locked onto the ball. It took him a few seconds to notice the entire Kaijo squad had gathered at the sideline.
Takeuchi's eyes were so wide, you could've fit a whole watermelon in his mouth. Kasamatsu froze mid-smack on Kobori's head, staring like he was watching a ghost dunk a three.
Even the bench players looked like they'd seen Bigfoot do a backflip.
Only Kise recovered fast enough to sprint over and dive onto Kota's back.
"Kota!! Teach meeeee!!"
Later that evening…
"Hey, Miss Masako? I'm bringing a friend over for dinner tonight. That cool?"
Silence. Kota quickly added,
"Don't worry. It's not coach Takeuchi."
Two more seconds of silence. Then a soft "Okay" came through the phone.
"Whew."
Kota exhaled. Good thing he clarified. If she thought it was Takeuchi, he'd be getting blocked harder than a layup on Murasakibara's birthday.
"Alright, we're going to my training spot—HEY, Kise! Get off me already!"
Kota glared at the human barnacle on his back. Ever since he entered the Zone, Kise had clung to him like a koala on caffeine.
"Not until you teach me how to get into the Zooooone!"
Kise gripped Kota's head like it was a steering wheel.Kota sighed.
"I told you. Full mental focus… then pull the 'trigger.' Just like Aomine said."
Kise pouted.
"Liar. That's so vague!"
So Kota repeated Aomine's explanation again — because honestly, it was all he had. There was no cool-sounding technique. No fire aura. Just… concentration and pants adjustment.
Kise sulked the whole way there, muttering "stingy" and "liar" like he was auditioning for a villain role.
My stamina's really improved, huh...Kota glanced up at the familiar sign: Shark Gym.
No way he could've carried Kise this far before Araki's brutal training started.
Finally, Kise let go as they reached the entrance, glancing around curiously.
"I'm back!"
Kota casually opened the door and strolled inside. Kise tailed behind him, eyes wide.
Araki emerged. She didn't say anything to Kota—just stared for a moment, then gave Kise a small nod as greeting.
Unlike Kise's awkward demeanor, Kota flopped onto the sofa, tossed his legs on the table, and called out like it was his own house:
"Miss Masako, can we have steak tonight?"
"You're not due for a cheat meal until next week" she replied coolly, not even glancing at him as she poured water.
"Come on, we've got company!"
Kota shrugged, all smiles.
"I'll help you cook!"
The Shark Gym wasn't just a training center — it also had a full mini-kitchen.
Kota turned to Kise.
"Chill for a bit, genius. There are machines over there if you wanna mess around."Then he strolled into the kitchen humming a tune.
Kise stared blankly.
"Wait… isn't she supposed to be coach Takeuchi's crush? Why does it feel like she and Kota are weirdly close?"
Of course, Kota and Araki didn't notice. They entered the kitchen, one after the other.
"You're in a good mood today" Araki remarked, glancing at Kota sideways.
"Eh, kind of. Something nice happened" Kota replied, casually washing vegetables like it was a daily ritual. He knew dinner here usually meant lots of greens.
Araki said nothing, just hummed and pulled out two steaks.
The kitchen quieted. Just the sounds of water and sizzling meat filled the air.
Until, finally, Kota broke the silence.
"Miss Masako… Why do you help me so much? Is it just because of coach Takeuchi's recommendation?"