The locker room smelled of sweat, leather, and the sharp tang of adrenaline. The fluorescent lights flickered faintly, throwing long shadows across the walls lined with lockers, gym bags strewn about like remnants of a battlefield. The echo of sneakers squeaking against tile mixed with the low hum of heavy breathing.
Marcus leaned against his locker, chest heaving, still trying to process the encounter moments ago in the hall. Yuuto stood beside him, fists clenched, jaw tight, his eyes burning with focus and a little something else: an unfamiliar fire, ignited by Rikuya Kanzaki's words.
> "Dominance."
The word kept looping in their heads. Kanzaki had said it so simply, so casually, yet it weighed more than any block or point they'd ever faced. A king of the court, a predator, someone who didn't just lead; he controlled.
