You never really know what kind of player you are…
Until the scoreboard stops caring who you were.
🏆 Scene 1: The Prefecture Tournament Begins
The bus ride to the gymnasium was a mix of tension and chaos.
Sakuragi was yelling about how he was going to dunk on the entire enemy roster. Again.
Mito was trying to get him to shut up. Again.
And I… I was trying not to hurl from nerves.
This was it.
Shohoku's first match in the Prefecture Tournament.
We weren't some shadow team anymore.
There were banners. Cameras. Scouts.
And fans. Actual fans.
I pulled my duffel tighter and looked around the bus.
Kogure was quietly reviewing plays.
Mitsui had his headphones on, nodding like he already knew the outcome.
Rukawa? Dead asleep. As usual.
Then there was Sakuragi.
Leaning forward across the aisle with that ridiculous grin on his face.
"Kudo… you ready to witness greatness? The Genius is about to SHINE!"
I smirked. "I thought you were already shining."
"This is different! This is tournament shine! It's like… ultra-luminosity!"
"Pretty sure that's just called sweat."
He punched my shoulder, laughing.
Yeah. This was my team.
And whatever happened out there…
I wasn't alone.
🏟️ Scene 2: Warm-Up
The stadium was packed. Noise echoed in a way that made your heart vibrate.
I caught sight of Coach Anzai speaking with the refs. Calm as ever.
Meanwhile, the opposing team—Ichinose High—was doing synchronized layup drills like they were sponsored by the military.
"They look serious," Haruko murmured behind me.
"So do rabid dogs," I replied.
She stifled a laugh.
The whistle blew.
Time to take the court.
🧪 Scene 3: The Risky Vision
Ever since I came to this world, my spatial memory had been sharper than I remembered in my past life.
I could "see" plays unfolding before they happened—snapshots of player movement in high detail, like my brain was preloading reality.
But it wasn't perfect. Too much noise, and the visions got static. Too many variables, and I froze.
I wanted to try something new today. Something bold.
I called it: Thread Vision.
Instead of just reacting, I'd see the passing lane not where it was, but where it would be.
Risky?
Definitely.
Cool?
Absolutely.
I looked at the bench, caught Anzai's glance.
He nodded once.
Go ahead, his eyes said. But come back alive.
⛹️ Scene 4: First Half
The game started rough.
Ichinose's defense was tight. Their guards double-teamed Rukawa early, forcing bad shots.
Sakuragi was fouled twice on rebounds—he made zero free throws.
"You need to calm down!" I shouted.
"I AM CALM!" he yelled, then headbutted the ball. Great.
By the second quarter, we were down by 8.
Coach called timeout.
I stood there, heartbeat pounding like a trapped animal.
This was where it would usually fall apart.
But not this time.
"Let me run point," I said.
Mitsui raised a brow. "You sure?"
I looked over. Sakuragi was breathing hard but still grinning.
"Yeah. Let's change the rhythm."
The moment I took the ball at top key, something in my chest clicked.
I saw the court—not as five defenders and four teammates.
But as threads.
Lines of movement. Pressure. Hesitation.
Thread Vision activated.
I crossed left—two defenders shifted.
Then—zip—pass to Kogure in the corner.
Three.
Next play, I pretended to drive, saw Sakuragi moving before even he did.
I launched a no-look lob over the paint—
SLAM.
The crowd roared.
Sakuragi landed, eyes wide. "I—what was that?!"
I grinned. "You flew."
"I DUNKED?!"
"Yeah. Again. Just don't cry."
"I'M NOT CRYING YOU IDIOT—"
"YOU'RE CRYING!" Mito yelled from the bench.
Momentum shifted.
We went on a 12–2 run.
Halftime: Shohoku leads 39–37.
🤝 Scene 5: Locker Room Truths
While the others grabbed water and stretched, I found myself sitting next to Sakuragi.
He nudged me.
"Hey… you ever think you'd be here? Like this?"
I thought of my past life.
The hospital room.
The regret.
"No," I said. "But I think I was supposed to be."
He didn't say anything for a moment.
Then:
"You ever lose something? Someone?"
I froze.
He looked down at his hands.
"My dad died when I was little. And… sometimes I act all loud, but it's just 'cause I don't know how else to fill the quiet."
I stared at him.
"You're not loud, Sakuragi. You're alive. Some of us forget how to be."
He looked up.
And for the first time since I met him, his smile was small.
Not cocky.
Not dramatic.
Just… real.
"You're weird, Kudo."
"Takes one to know one."
🔥 Scene 6: The Finish
Second half was chaos.
Ichinose came out swinging. Full-court press. Fast breaks. Traps.
They wanted to rattle me.
But I held on.
Thread Vision pulsed harder now. I saw seams splitting open.
Rukawa went off—back-to-back jumpers. Mitsui drained a deep three.
Then—final minute.
Score tied: 66–66.
Ichinose possession.
I stole it.
Drove past two defenders.
But then—
I stopped.
Sakuragi was running the baseline.
I had one more pass in me.
Thread Vision opened.
I faked left. One defender bit.
Then whipped the ball underhand across two bodies—
Straight to Sakuragi.
He caught it mid-run.
And leapt.
Time slowed.
BOOM.
He dunked harder than ever before. The whole backboard shook.
The crowd exploded.
Ichinose panicked on the final play and bricked a three.
Final Score: Shohoku 68, Ichinose 66.
We won.
And for the first time…
It felt like more than a game.
đź’¬ Post-Game
In the locker room, everyone was yelling. Coach Anzai actually smiled.
Sakuragi threw a towel around my head and shouted:
"THAT'S IT! WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE! WE'RE THE NEW KINGS!"
Mito muttered, "Here he goes…"
Haruko came over shyly. "That was amazing, Kudo."
"He's got weird powers," Sakuragi said. "Like an alien, but cooler."
I grinned.
Maybe I was an alien.
Or maybe…
I'd finally come home.