Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of a ball hitting polished wood echoed through an empty gym.
A single figure stood at the free-throw line.Shoulders relaxed. Breathing steady.Eyes locked on the hoop like it owed him answers.
Riku Aoyama.
He bounced the ball once.Twice.
Swish.The net barely moved.
He took a step back.Another.Fadeaway jumper.
Swish.No rim. No sound. Just net.
The moonlight seeped through the dusty windows, casting long, angled shadows across the floor.
"Still obsessed with that shot, huh?"
A voice rang from behind the bleachers.
Riku didn't turn.He knew that voice.
Keigo Tanabe.Ex-center. Towering. Loyal. Built like a tank but soft-spoken like a monk.
Keigo stepped out of the shadows, hoodie half-zipped, a bottled drink in hand.
"Three years, Riku. Three. I thought you were done for good."
Riku retrieved the ball and dribbled slowly back to the three-point line.
"I was."
"So why now?"
"Because I remembered what it felt like."
He launched another shot.
Swish.
Keigo whistled.
"Still got it."
Riku paused.Stared at his hands.
"I never lost it. I just… stopped trusting it."
⛓️ Flashback – Three Years Ago
Middle School Nationals: Quarterfinals
"Time! Sub out Aoyama!"
Coach's voice was a blur.
The scoreboard read 68–70.Riku clutched his leg, collapsing after a hard drive.
Across the court stood Jin Kisaragi.Unfazed. Unbothered.He didn't even glance at Riku.
They were teammates once. Brothers on the court.
Then Jin transferred to Black Fang Academy.And when they faced off? He didn't hold back.He went for the kill.
Riku's last memory of that game:Jin walking off the court with a cold stare, leaving him broken on the hardwood.
🕊️ Present Day
"So what now?" Keigo asked, leaning against the wall.
Riku pointed at the faded school crest above the gym doors.
KAIZEN HIGHA school no one talked about. No team. No league presence. Just a forgotten court and rusty bleachers.
"We build it from nothing.""I'm forming a new team. Not stars. Not prodigies. Just people who want it bad enough."
Keigo laughed.
"What, like a revenge team?"
"No. A team with no crowns… but full of fire."
Just then—
CREAK.The gym doors opened.
Two figures stepped in.
One with messy hair and thick glasses, holding a clipboard.The other with a streetball grin, spinning a ball on his finger.
"Yo, we heard a ghost was building a squad.""Hope you got room for a shooter who never misses and a nerd who knows your win-loss ratio by heart."
Riku smirked.
"Welcome to Kaizen."