➪ 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 ᵏⁿᵇ ˣ ᵗᶜᶠ

8. Let's Play

On Touou's side of the court...

"So...can anyone explain just what the fuck was that?! What the hell is up with you Sekka?!" Aomine pointed accusingly. 

Clopeh, his fanatical expression now absent, merely sent the tanned boy a look of uninterest. 

"Cale-sama...is my god," he stated solemnly. "I was initially planning on pulling out of this match because I absolutely cannot go against Cale-sama but he told me to play. Therefore, I will consider this match an honor to play against my god's team."

This was the longest he'd ever spoken and the team's response was to gape at him with open mouths.

Coach Harasawa felt another headache coming on and quickly attempted to steer away from this strange conversation to the matter at hand.

"Sekka, I hope you will still play to the best of your ability. Otherwise, I will not put you on," the man said.

"Of course, I will, coach. It would be disgraceful for me to hold back as it would mean an insult toward Cale-sama," replied Clopeh solemnly.

Wakamatsu's eye twitched, "Cale-sama this, Cale-sama that, aside from worshipping him, what we are more interested in is whether or not he'll be a threat."

Clopeh glared at Wakamatsu for his disrespectful tone. He was about to say something to berate the teen when the coach threw him a look.

"Sekka, calm down. Wakamatsu isn't completely wrong. From the way you respect this...Cale-sama of yours, he must have some quality that a prodigy like you admire."

Clopeh's expression briefly flickered to his fanatical one before turning back to normal. He said, "Cale-sama is a legend and a hero. His accomplishments, however, are not known around...these parts. If it is to do with basketball, then you do not need to worry about him taking part as he will not."

The white-haired male's answer was, to say the least, utterly confusing.

"What kind of shit answer..." Aomine grumbled under his breath. 

In the meantime, Momoi was on the side replaying the whole Clopeh x Cale scene from earlier with a bit of blood dripping down her nose.

****

With a blow of a whistle, the first match began between the two teams. 

Touou had control of the ball at the start with Aomine's impressive play but Kagami was able to keep up and apply pressure on his rival. The two rivals were quick to get lost in their own world as they darted around the court. 

Clopeh didn't make any moves and kept to Touou's side of the court. He watched the two aces with calculating eyes before briefly turning toward the side where Cale was sitting watching the game expressionlessly. Clopeh's eyes brightened upon seeing his beautiful god before they turned serious as the two aces ended up on his side of the court. 

At the benches, Riko watched the game carefully and analyzed every little detail she could spot. 

Seeing Kagami and Aomine duking it out on the court, a sigh escaped her lips. 

"There they go again - getting lost in their own world..." she muttered. 

From a distance, she could spot the annoyed expressions of both team captains as they watched the two figures darting around. 

"This must happen frequently," Cale guessed. 

Riko nodded, "It's like those two were born to be rivals."

"I can see why," muttered Cale. Truthfully, he was quite impressed with both teens. Considering this was a world without magic or any supernatural elements, the strength the two boys displayed was definitely something that made them stand out from the rest. They were basketball prodigies no doubt. 

"What you told the team earlier...how certain are you that it will work?" Riko suddenly asked. 

Cale glanced at the girl before turning back to the game. A beat passed before he replied, "It'll work so long as Clo - ahem - Sekka-kun doesn't notice anything."

"He's observing the others right now," Riko pointed out. 

Cale hummed, 'Not really. That's just the face he makes when he watches insects squabbling in front of him.'

No offence to Kagami and Aomine of course. 

Riko clicked her tongue when Aomine managed to score a three-pointer giving Touou a headstart. 

The game continued and Touou steadily took the lead without Clopeh moving from his spot. However, Seirin began striking back. 

Noticing the white-haired male was making no moves, they launched a direct attack headed by Kagami and Kuroko that managed to break past Aomine and Wakamatsu. Kagami threw the ball from the two-pointer line and scored a basket. 

"Oi you bastard! What the hell are you standing around for?!" Wakamatsu growled at Clopeh. "You were right there? Why didn't you block them?!"

Instead of responding, Clopeh only gave a brief look at the teen before letting out a yawn. This only angered the Touou captain further resulting in Sakurai having to pull him back from attacking the stoic male. 

The next couple of plays, Seirin and Touou both scored baskets. 

Close to the end of the first half, Clopeh finally took proper action.

With the ball in his hands, he dribbled it past Seirin's defence effortlessly, and swerved the ball away from Kuroko's sneaky hands that were reaching out to steal it. 

Stepping back, he did a jumpshot and landed the ball in the basket. 

This all happened in a matter of seconds. 

Kagami stood near Kuroko with his hands clenched into fists. Just from that single play, he was convinced of Clopeh's strength. And the fact he couldn't do anything to stop it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Clopeh didn't stop there though.

He pulled Touou's points far ahead of Seirin without breaking a single sweat aggravating both teams. His team were angered mainly by the fact the ball never came to their hands. At all. 

Aomine was particularly peeved about this. After all, it was usually him in Clopeh's position with the ball always at his fingertips. 

Seeing the distraught players on court, Cale and Riko shared a look. 

"Looks like it's time," muttered the brown-haired girl. 

Cale nodded. 

"It's a shame we can't beat him though," Riko lamented. "Is he even human?"

"Don't worry. You shouldn't compare your players to him. Don't use him as a standard," Cale told her. 

"If only I could get a clear look at his stats..." she muttered under her breath. 

Cale pursed his lips hearing her. He made a mental note to tell Clopeh not to undress in front of her.