Bab 6.Shadows of the Past and the Unseen Wall

The victory celebration in the Seirin Baru locker room was loud and energetic. Hyuga was grinning ear to ear while checking his phone for tournament updates, and Izuki was already jotting down new wordplay puns inspired by their win.

In the corner, Hoga slumped onto the wooden bench, throwing his head back against the wall. Sweat still dripped from his messy red hair onto his towel.

"Man, that blonde guy was a real pain," Hoga said, though a satisfied grin cracked across his face. "If all the 'Generasi Keajaiban' are like him, this Inter-High tournament is gonna be insane."

"Kise-kun is only the beginning," Ariaki replied, pulling a fresh shirt over his head. His movements were precise, revealing the defined musculature of his back and shoulders—a stark contrast to the frail body he had possessed during his middle school days at Teiko Lama.

Riko walked into the locker room, slamming a thick stack of scout reports onto the table. Her expression was dead serious.

"Don't get cocky just because we beat Kaijo in a practice match," Riko said, crossing her arms. "The Inter-High qualifiers start next week. And our district block is a total bloodbath."

"Bloodbath?" Hyuga raised an eyebrow. "Which school is in our bracket?"

Riko pointed a dry-erase marker at the top seed of their regional bracket. "Shutoku Baru—one of the Three Kings of Tokyo. And their star freshman is another member of the Generasi Keajaiban: Midorima Shintaro."

Hoga’s eyes flared at the name. "A shooter, right?"

"Not just any shooter," Ariaki added softly, his blue eyes darkening slightly. "Midorima-kun never misses a shot within his range. And his range... is the entire court."

The following afternoon, training at Seirin Baru reached a whole new level of intensity. Riko had devised a grueling conditioning regimen designed specifically to build Ariaki and Hoga's synergy.

"Run it again!" Riko barked, blowing her whistle.

On the court, Ariaki moved like a ghost. He used his Presence Erase to slip past Hyuga, then instantly tapped a bouncing ball toward Hoga without looking.

Flik!

Hoga caught the blind pass in stride and threw down a ferocious reverse dunk. But as Hoga landed, he noticed Ariaki clutching his knee, taking a deep, ragged breath.

"Oi, Aki," Hoga called out, stepping closer with a frown. "You good? You've been looking slightly off since yesterday."

Ariaki straightened up immediately, suppressing the slight tremor in his legs. "I am fine. Just a slight dip in stamina."

"Don't lie to me," Hoga growled, stepping into his space. "You're overworking yourself. Ever since Kise mentioned Aomine, your passes have been getting sharper, but your body is tense as hell."

Ariaki stayed silent for a long moment. He looked down at his palms, feeling the phantom sensation of cold sweat that used to consume him every time he remembered that game—the crushing defeat against his former partner, Aomine, where his passes were completely ignored and his presence rendered utterly useless.

"When you lose everything on the court, Hoga-kun," Ariaki said, his voice barely above a whisper, "you realize that being a 'shadow' isn't enough if the shadow breaks under pressure. I need to be stronger. Stronger than I was at Teiko Lama."

Hoga stared at him, then let out a loud, frustrated sigh, roughly grabbing Ariaki by the back of his jersey collar.

"Listen to me, you idiot!" Hoga yelled, startling the rest of the team. "You're not playing with those Teiko arrogant bastards anymore! You're playing with me! If you break, I'll pull you back up. That's what a team does!"

Ariaki blinked, caught off guard by Hoga's raw, unfiltered bluntness.

Hoga let go of his collar and bumped his fist against Ariaki's chest. "So stop fighting your past alone. Next match, we crush Shutoku Baru together."

A faint, rare smile touched the corner of Ariaki’s lips. He raised his fist and tapped it against Hoga’s.

"Understood."

Three days later, the Tokyo Inter-High Qualifiers officially kicked off. The main arena was overflowing with thousands of spectators, high school bands, and scouting teams from across the country.

As Seirin Baru walked through the main concourse toward Court A, the crowd began whispering.

"Look, that's Seirin Baru! The team that beat Kaijo in a practice match!"

"Is that big guy Kagami Hoga? He looks terrifying..."

Ariaki walked quietly in the middle of the group, his eyes scanning the balcony above. Standing near the railing, wearing a green tracksuit with taped fingers and holding a giant stuffed bear as a lucky item, was a tall, sharp-eyed teenager with green hair and glass frames.

Midorima Shintaro looked down from the balcony, his eyes cold and analytical as they locked directly onto Ariaki.

"So you chose this obscure school, Tetsuya," Midorima muttered to himself, adjusting his glasses with his left hand. "Foolish. A shadow cannot exist without a worthy light... and your new light is far from enough."