CROSS ZERO
Chapter 6: One Life Remains
The doors to Room 13 slid shut behind them with a heavy clang.
Silence.
Suno stormed past Akira without a word, eyes burning with barely-contained rage. Akira stepped out of his way, keeping his head down.
Taiga threw his towel onto his bed and turned to face the group, arms crossed.
"Okay," he said, voice hard. "What the fuck was that?"
No one answered.
"We played rubbish," Taiga continued. "We had one attempt that worked—and that was more lucky than skillful. They pulverized us. We were useless on defense. We essentially ran around the field wasting energy."
Akira nodded slowly. "Yeah. That means we have one life left. And right now, all of us—except you"—he gestured at Taiga—"are gonna get eliminated."
Taiga had scored the only basket. If Team Omega lost the next game, he'd be spared.
Everyone else would be gone.
Kaoru stretched lazily, grinning despite the situation. "We need to make it count. Plus, I haven't even left a stink in this place yet. I don't wanna go till I do."
Suno stood in the corner, fists clenched, jaw tight.
I won't lose this opportunity because of this team, he thought bitterly.
Then he stood up.
"Sorry," Suno said abruptly.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"It was partly my fault," he continued. "I fought for the ball. But the truth is, they were organized. We were running around like headless chickens."
He took a breath.
"Alright. Everyone tell me your Core. I'll draft a system around it."
Revealing Cores
Taiga spoke first. "Mine is my physique and throw strength."
Suno nodded, making mental notes. "Mine is my vertical leap ability."
Kaoru raised his hand like a kid in class. "Mine is my creativity!"
Suno turned to glare at him. "That's not a Core."
Kaoru grinned. "Yes it is. I'll show ya soon enough."
Suno sighed and looked at Akira. "What about you?"
Akira hesitated. "I… I don't know mine yet."
Taiga clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. That's why we're here. To find out."
Akira nodded, grateful.
Then all eyes turned to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki stood by the wall, arms crossed, staring at the floor.
Silence.
"I…" Mitsuki's voice was quiet, almost hollow. "I had one. But I don't anymore. I'm sorry."
The room went still.
Suno rubbed his face, frustrated. "So we've got two guys with Cores, one guy with a mental issue"—he pointed at Kaoru—"and two who don't have any. What a great team."
He grabbed a tablet from the side table and started sketching out plays, muttering to himself.
"This is the best way to win," he said finally. "With what little info we have."
Dinner
The team walked to the cafeteria in silence.
When they arrived, Taiga was handed a full fish meal—grilled salmon, rice, miso soup, vegetables, the works. A reward for being the top performer.
The rest of them received regular meals—plain rice, a small portion of protein, and water.
Akira sat down at one of the metal tables, staring at his tray.
Taiga slid into the seat across from him and pushed half of his fish toward Akira.
"Here," Taiga said. "You can have some of my meal."
Akira blinked. "No, no need, Taiga—"
"You gave me that assist," Taiga interrupted. "So the basket is yours just as much as mine."
Akira hesitated, then smiled. "Thanks."
He took a piece of the fish and ate in silence for a moment.
Then he looked up. "Taiga… why do you play basketball?"
Taiga paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
"Basketball taught me that players can be superstars," he said. "Justice superstars. At a young age, I wanted to be known as one. I loved basketball, so it was a natural mix."
Akira nodded slowly. "That's awesome."
Taiga smiled faintly. "What about you?"
Akira thought about it.
"I don't know yet," he said honestly. "But I think… I'm starting to figure it out."
Suno's Intel
After dinner, the team returned to Room 13.
Suno was late.
When he finally arrived, he was holding a tablet and grinning.
"I scouted the other team," he announced. "The one we'll face next. Team Beta."
He pulled up footage on the screen.
"Their star players are Oyon and Kurasi."
Team Beta
The screen displayed two players mid-game:
Oyon — 17 years old, tall and broad-shouldered, with a powerful build and a confident smirk. He moved like a freight train, dunking with explosive force.
Kurasi Toru — 15 years old, the youngest prodigy in the program. Small, sharp-eyed, with an unsettling intensity. His movements were calculated, surgical.
Team Beta's Room
The scene shifted.
Kurasi sat in Team Beta's room, watching a live feed of Team Omega's previous match on a tablet.
His expression was cold, analytical.
"This team is trash," he said flatly. "Uncoordinated and trash. But with our skills—and the additional info we've gathered—we'll crush them."
Oyon dunked a ball into a practice hoop in the corner of the room, grinning.
"You coordinate the plays," Oyon said. "I finish. 1+1."
Kurasi nodded. "We lost one game and have one life. So in this game, the losers are eliminated. Which means if they lose, we qualify."
He looked back at the screen, eyes narrowing.
"We'll make it count."
The Debt
The screen in Room 13 flickered.
Vox's mask appeared.
"Your next match begins in one hour," he said. "A reminder: if you lose, you will be eliminated from Project Cross Zero. You will be banned from the National World Cup squad. And you will owe the following debt:"
The screen shifted, displaying a massive red number:
¥1,250,000
Akira's stomach dropped.
Over a million yen.
Suno's face went pale. Mitsuki stared at the screen, expression unreadable. Kaoru whistled low.
"Damn," Kaoru said. "That's a lot of debt."
Taiga clenched his fists. "Then we don't lose."
Vox's voice echoed one last time:
"The next game is about to begin."
The screen went dark.
END OF CHAPTER 6