September 1st, Monday. Thunderstorms raged across the city.
A full month had passed, and the Winter Cup qualifiers had officially ended the previous Sunday. Inside the classroom, a black gel pen spun rapidly between Haizaki Shogo's fingers as his gaze drifted through the window toward the school grounds outside, where rain lashed the earth beneath a sky torn apart by thunder and lightning. Bolts of white light split the heavens one after another, striking distant buildings before being diverted harmlessly into the ground by lightning rods.
Haizaki stared silently. This weather had continued for three straight days—not just rain and thunder either. At times, fierce winds and even typhoons had swept through. The storm that had once felt like a warning on the horizon had now fully arrived.
The rain had already begun.
A soft, melodious voice drifted into his ears, pulling him from his daze.
"Shogo-kun, the Tokyo qualifiers ended last week. Seirin High, Shutoku High, and Kirisaki Daiichi all secured spots in the national Top 32. The opening ceremony is next week. Aren't you excited?"
Shimizu Rena had just returned from outside the classroom. Turning toward him with a bright smile, she tilted her head slightly.
Haizaki shrugged. "It's fine, I guess. Not unhappy, not particularly excited either. It just feels... ordinary."
Shimizu studied him for a moment before smiling again. She picked up a sheet of paper from her desk and handed it over. "Here. It's the opening ceremony schedule. There's something related to you on it."
"Related to me?"
"Mhm."
Haizaki accepted the sheet, suspicion flickering across his eyes as he read.
Opening ceremony. Entry procession for all thirty-two teams. Speech by Ministry of Education representatives. Speech by event organizers. Speech by sponsors. Student representative speech. Speech by representatives of the Summer National Championship team. Team representative lottery draw...
His eyes paused as realization slowly dawned on him. The student representative wasn't him, though he already knew exactly who that would be—Akashi Seijuro. As for the speech on behalf of the Interhigh champions... that responsibility had landed squarely on him.
Haizaki merely blinked before his expression returned to calm. There was no excitement, no surprise, and not the slightest ripple in his heart. Recently, as his physical abilities continued improving, he had begun noticing changes in himself. He felt increasingly detached, increasingly calm, as if fewer and fewer things could shake him emotionally.
It felt like he had stepped into some unfamiliar state, but even he couldn't explain it. So he simply let things happen naturally while, outside, the rain continued to pour, thunder continued to roar, and time marched steadily forward.
Soon enough, the weekend arrived.
The opening ceremony had begun.
Outside Tokyo's central sports arena, crowds had already gathered. Students, basketball fans, and curious spectators packed the surrounding streets. Of course, another eye-catching scene filled the area as well, with wave after wave of energetic, adorable girls arriving and turning heads everywhere they went.
Soon, a bus pulled up. The first to step down was a bald young man wearing Fukuda Sogo Academy's red uniform and carrying a sports bag over his shoulder—Mochizuki Kazuhiro. Then, one by one, more players followed: Kimura Tosho, laughing loudly as always; Harano Shinichi with his gentle smile; the silent Ishida Hideki; the cold and aloof Suzuran Karasu; and finally, walking together with calm expressions, Haizaki Shogo and Shimizu Rena.
The moment they appeared, voices erupted around them.
"Look, it's them! Fukuda Sogo! Last season's champions!"
"Wow, their manager is gorgeous!"
"The captain is so cool!"
The team exchanged glances.
Since when did we start receiving treatment like this? Once upon a time, they had only watched others stand in the spotlight. Now people looked at them the same way.
"Let's go," Haizaki said, his voice breaking through the noise. "The ceremony's starting soon. Stop standing around."
Everyone snapped back to reality and followed behind him into the arena. Inside, stirring music already echoed through the halls, and most of the thirty-two teams had already arrived, with familiar faces occasionally flashing through the crowds.
Almost immediately, Suzuran, Kimura, and Okawa spotted a familiar pink-haired figure.
"Look! Look! It's Momoi!"
Haizaki nearly stumbled. Black lines practically formed across his forehead.
Since when did you idiots start calling Momoi 'Momoi-chan'?
Behind him, Shimizu Rena covered her mouth and laughed. The team had always followed Haizaki's lead and called her "Shimizu-chan," yet now Momoi Satsuki had somehow become "Momoi-chan." The difference felt oddly amusing.
Haizaki led everyone to Fukuda Sogo's designated area, and the team immediately lined up in perfect formation. At that moment, countless eyes from other schools turned toward them. Instantly, every member straightened even further, their backs rigid as pride and fighting intent radiated from every face.
From Tōō Academy's side, familiar voices whispered.
"That arrogant bastard's rubbing off on his idiot teammates."
Aomine Daiki crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. Imayoshi Shoichi adjusted his glasses before smirking. "Not arrogance. They're showing off."
Sakurai Ryo nodded nervously. "I... I think Captain's right..."
========
Meanwhile, at Kaijo High—
"Fukuda Sogo is still terrifying with him leading the team."
Kasamatsu Yukio narrowed his eyes while Kise Ryouta silently stared ahead.
"He really is amazing..."
Beside them, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro loudly slapped his own cheeks.
"Let's go! Let's go! You're amazing too!"
Smack! Smack!
Kise's fingers trembled slightly as he looked around at the atmosphere surrounding him.
This atmosphere. This stage. This Winter Cup...
He had waited far too long for this.
So we have to win.
Not far away, Rakuzan's players stood assembled.
"They're here," Mibuchi Reo spoke softly.
Akashi Seijuro shifted his gaze. "...I saw."
He stared at Haizaki from the corner of his eye.
"They've changed."
Hayama Kotaro tilted his head. "Really? Haizaki doesn't look different to me."
Akashi smiled faintly. "Compared to before, the difference is enormous."
"Really?"
"Yes," he replied as his eyes narrowed. "And that's good. If he hadn't changed, this would be boring."
Akashi remained standing in the front row, silently observing. This former Teiko teammate—the one he had personally driven away from the team—had changed beyond expectations. Not only had Haizaki gone farther than anyone anticipated, he had even led Fukuda Sogo to a national title.
Three days apart is enough to see someone anew.
Perhaps that saying truly fits.
Everything between them had begun back in Teiko Junior High. Their conflicts, their pride, and their unfinished grudges had all started there.
Good.
Let's settle everything on the court.
One by one, my former teammates.
Elsewhere, another intense gaze locked onto Haizaki.
Kagami Taiga.
His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Suddenly—
Thump.
Kuroko Tetsuya casually kicked the back of Kagami's knee, causing him to nearly fall forward.
"Kuroko! What are you doing?!"
Kuroko looked at him expressionlessly. "Kagami-kun, you're too fired up. Save that energy for the court."
Kagami froze as realization slowly dawned on him. Just now, he had practically allowed hatred to cloud his judgment. That wasn't like him at all.
Around him, Seirin's teammates nodded in agreement. Kagami slowly withdrew his gaze and let out a long breath as his emotions gradually settled.
But the memories remained.
For Kagami Taiga, Haizaki Shogo had left an unforgettable impression—one carved deep into his memory, deeper than he could ever forget.