Sunday.
After getting up early and washing up, Haizaki Shogo stood in front of the mirror, slipped into a black-gray crew-neck T-shirt, pulled on a pair of ripped jeans, patted his shoes, and headed out in a hurry.
Outside the train station at the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland, Haizaki Shogo stood idly by, waiting for his friends who were still on the way.
Before long, a train pulled in. Shimizu Rena stepped off, wearing a beige knee-length dress. In Haizaki's astonished gaze, she walked over to him, waved gently, and greeted him with calm elegance.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shogo-kun."
"Shimizu-chan, you look really beautiful today!"
Hearing that, a faint blush spread across Rena's cheeks, though she still stood gracefully beside Haizaki like a lotus rising from clear water.
"Shimizu-chan, two more friends are still on the way. They should be here soon."
"All right, Shogo-kun. Are they your friends from Teiko Junior High?"
"Yeah, that's right. They're both incredible."
Soon after, the two chatting teens saw Aomine Daiki and Satsuki Momoi step off the train.
Aomine got off first, dressed in a black T-shirt. His whole vibe was cool, but his expression was lazy, as if nothing in the world interested him besides basketball.
Behind him was Satsuki Momoi, practically pushing him off the steps. Today, Momoi wore a white hooded jacket that made her look incredibly pure.
Haizaki's eyes lit up, though he didn't dare show it. He waved. Aomine and Momoi noticed him and walked over together.
"Hey, hey! Momoi-chan, how are you this pretty today?"
"Thanks, Shogo-kun, and sorry to keep you waiting."
"Hahaha, it's fine, we just got here too. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Shimizu Rena—Shimizu-chan."
Rena took a step forward without hesitation, smiling as she greeted Aomine and Momoi, her demeanor natural and composed.
But Haizaki, who knew her very well, had already noticed Rena's left hand slightly behind her back, gently gripping the hem of her dress. The girl was nervous—and there seemed to be other emotions mixed in as well.
"Nice to meet you, Shimizu-chan. I'm Satsuki Momoi—just call me Satsuki. This is Dai-chan. We've known each other since we were kids."
"Nice to meet you, Satsuki, Aomine-kun."
Seeing the pleasant atmosphere, Haizaki grinned.
"Let's go inside. Otherwise, there'll be even more people later."
Somehow, it took less than a minute for the two girls to become familiar with each other. Before long, Rena and Momoi were already arm in arm, walking ahead together.
Haizaki and Aomine fell behind—one lazy, one carefree, the perfect pair of unmotivated slackers.
"So, how are things lately, Dai-chan?"
"What things?"
"That gatekeeper."
"No progress. You?"
"Same as you. Once we're tired of the rides, want to find a place to mess around a bit? Get it out of our system?"
"Good idea. Done deal."
Disneyland — It's a Small World.
Haizaki and Aomine sat front and back, rowing the small boat with effort. In the middle, Momoi and Rena sat excitedly, each holding a big fluffy cotton candy. As the gentle music played, they pointed this way and that at the scenery, touring the whole miniature world.
Disneyland — the roller coaster.
Haizaki and Rena sat in front, Aomine and Momoi behind. All four of them had their mouths wide open, screaming in the rushing wind, satisfaction written all over their faces as the coaster pierced through tunnels and darkness.
Disneyland — Space Mountain.
After getting the Fastpass, Haizaki led the group inside the cosmic-themed attraction.
He held Rena's small hand, sharing in the thrill and excitement of the future-styled ride, while Momoi directly clung onto Aomine's back—quite the romantic scene.
Disneyland — the Haunted Mansion.
Rena and Momoi stood behind Haizaki and Aomine, clutching at their backs while nervously entering the attraction, encountering all kinds of comedic, bizarre, and frightening traps and illusions.
…
Some moments were too beautiful to describe, and some atmospheres too warm to explain. After completing nine attractions, the four exhausted teens went to a ramen shop.
Slurp! Slurp!
Amid the slurping sounds, Rena and Momoi watched in disbelief as Haizaki and Aomine devoured two large bowls of beef ramen each.
After chatting and resting for half an hour, the four happily said their farewells.
The plan Haizaki and Aomine had made—to go shoot some hoops afterward and get their fill—ended before it began.
On the train home, Haizaki casually chatted with Rena as he escorted her back.
"Shimizu-chan, what did you think of my two friends?"
"That Aomine-kun… he's strong. Really strong. Kind of terrifying."
Rena glanced happily at Haizaki, then lowered her head in thought, before raising it again and looking at him seriously.
"Shogo-kun, that Aomine-kun in black—is he a member of Teiko's basketball team?"
"Yeah. The team's ace."
"No wonder… Shogo-kun, now I finally understand what you said before. Aomine-kun's presence is on the same level as yours—our team's other players don't even come close."
"Oh? How so?"
"Shogo-kun, if you on the court are like a greedy gluttonous beast,* then Aomine-kun is like an eerie black panther—a creature standing even above lions and tigers."
"Heh… interesting. Shimizu-chan, you're pretty sharp."
Haizaki praised her lightly and changed the subject without lingering on it.
Sooner or later, Rena would meet the rest of the Generation of Miracles. In fact, she might see several of them next week. Today was just his way of preparing her ahead of time—an emotional vaccine.
He didn't want his whole team frozen in fear the moment Teiko's first string players stepped onto the court.
At Fukuda Sogo right now, only Rena was truly worth cultivating. Everyone else was just fodder waiting to be harvested.
"Shogo-kun, Momoi also gave me a strange feeling. Do you know why?"
"May? Just like you, she collects a huge amount of data. But she can also analyze and predict based on that data—with incredible accuracy."
"That's impossible…"
"Hey, don't be so shocked. That's May's gift—she's amazing. Momoi-chan is super smart."
Hearing that Momoi could not only collect data but also analyze and predict it—something Rena absolutely couldn't do herself—Rena felt a wave of disappointment sink into her heart.
Seeing her discouraged, Haizaki reached out and gently brushed back a strand of hair ruffled by the air conditioner breeze.
"Shimizu-chan, you're amazing too. May can analyze and predict—but you can sense players' conditions. That's a terrifying talent already."
"Really, Shogo-kun?"
"Yeah, really. Remember that skill I told you about?"
"'Weakness Exploitation'?"
"Yeah. Shimizu-chan, you will be able to help the team achieve it."
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