The next day, Hikki returned to school as usual. The classes were uneventful, just like any other day. Currently, he stood in line alongside other first-string players, gathered for a briefing about their upcoming opponents in the Nationals.
Assistant Coach Makiyama, a serious looking man, took the floor.
"Our first opponents are Shoto Junior High. They are known for their solid defense. Three of their players pose a real threat to us. The rest..."
He paused momentarily, then continued, "Well, they're not in the same league, but don't underestimate them. Here's a breakdown of each player, compiled by Sasaki."
He motioned toward Asuka, who stood nearby with a stack of papers in her hands, a pleasant smile on her face.
"Here's the data, Hikki-kun," she said, offering him one of the sheets.
Hikki smiled and accepted it before skimming through the information Asuka had meticulously gathered. It included everything from their names, hobbies and past experiences to their stats.
Looking at the paper in his hand, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the opponents, since Meikō had someone like Asuka in their ranks, this match wouldn't be much of a problem.
While gathering information on their opponents made sense, what caught his attention was that Asuka had also included the weaknesses at the end of each player's profile.
'She's really good at analysing information and pinpointing their weaknesses. Impressive,' Hikki thought to himself, casting a sidelong glance at Asuka, who had returned to her spot behind Assistant Coach Makiyama. She was beaming with satisfaction.
'But, you know, it might be more interesting this way...'
As he pondered it further, Hikki couldn't shake the feeling that should Asuka be on the opposing team. Then the match would make for an exciting one, he mused, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Mibuchi, who stood beside Hikki suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he glanced at Hikki's grinning face. He couldn't help but silently wonder, 'What could he be thinking..?'
Hikki's behavior had Mibuchi puzzled. However, this was typical of Hikki when he was clearly anticipating something.
'He's clearly excited about something. I wonder what's got the Hikigaya heir so worked up,' Mibuchi thought silently. He adjusted his hair before looking back at the coach.
"Nah, I don't need this. Here, you can take it back..."
However, their musings were interrupted by Momoharu, who handed the information papers back to Asuka.
"Why? Wouldn't it be more convenient to know your enemy first, Haru-chan..." Asuka began, her voice trailing off.
"It'd be way too boring that way. I'd rather have some surprises when I face them later. Makes for a stronger challenge," Momoharu explained, grinning widely.
Asuka couldn't hide her frustration as she reluctantly took the papers back from Momoharu. "Hmph! Don't blame me if you lose later!"
"You don't need to worry about that..."
Momoharu just chuckled, his grin growing even wider.
Assistant Coach Makiyama cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, thank you for your hard work, Sasaki. Now, let's prepare for some light training for tomorrow's match."
Hikigaya, who held Asuka's papers, suddenly asked, "Assistant Coach Makiyama, could you please share the starting lineup with us?"
The question immediately turned every first string player's focus onto Assistant Coach Makiyama. Even Masahiko, who was usually uninterested, was looking forward to knowing who would be starting in tomorrow's game.
"Of course, it's good to be prepared," Assistant Coach Makiyama replied, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Tomorrow, we will have Masahiko as the center, Hikigaya as the point guard, Kazama as the small forward, Fujiwara as the power forward and finally, Fukumoto as the shooting guard."
This announcement caused a stir of surprise among the players. Shouldn't the first year players be the best choice for the starting lineup?
Hikki nodded in response to the lineup announcement, his expression calm.
'It's a tactical move, not entirely unexpected.'
Hikki understood the game plan of the head coach and his assistant. They were keeping their best players in reserve, planning to surprise their opponents later in the tournament.
He glanced at Assistant Coach Makiyama and saw a shrewd strategist behind his calm demeanour.
'However, all these tactics will become irrelevant when we face absolute power,' Hikki thought as he observed the other first-year players in line.
The first-years each hadn't reached their full potential, and Hikki knew that he hadn't either. Still, despite being relatively new to the game, they were still better than some of Meikō's regulars, who had secured second place in the previous tournament.
'It's only natural for us to win the National Championship this year,' The white haired boy thought.
Hikki was determined to win the Nationals this year, conquering the Nationals was necessary for him going into the best high school basketball club, so the choice was obvious.
Lose and go to a bad high school or Win and go to one of the best high schools in Japan.
Hikki's desire was to always play for the best of the best, and how could he do that as a loser, so his motive for these next three years was to win.
Back to the court, Momoharu, however, appeared less than pleased with the decision.
Momoharu, ever outspoken, voiced his discontent.
"Are you kidding? I want to play in the tournament!" His complaint fell mostly on deaf ears, but he turned to Mibuchi, asking, "Don't you want to play too?"
Mibuchi shook his head lightly, offering a measured response. "...I'm certainly eager to participate. However, Assistant Coach Makiyama and Head Coach Hiroshi made this decision for a reason. Therefore, I'll trust our sensei's arrangement."
Momoharu didn't stop complaining after Mibuchi's response. Instead of engaging in the conversation, Hikki decided to scan the area, curious about the new player the other's had mentioned the day before.
"I heard we had a new addition to the team. But I don't see anyone new here. Where is the new guy?"
Asuka, holding the list of players who had arrived at the training facility, replied, "Oh...It looks like Masayuri skipped training today.."
"I see..."
Hikki nodded, understanding the situation, as he also noticed Kazama looking rather furious.
And it started to make sense why...
