"Daiki! That was way out of line just now! Kise was still our friend back then, you know."
Momoi scolded Aomine with a frown. Aomine, however, just yawned lazily in response.
"Exactly. That's why I'm disappointed in him. He used to be my teammate, so I expected more."
He glanced at Momoi and continued, "I thought he'd at least improve since middle school, but he's even worse now. And to think someone from the Generation of Miracles is spouting nonsense like 'teamwork'? Please. He might as well—"
Aomine didn't notice that Momoi had suddenly stopped walking and kept moving forward, grumbling about how disappointed he was in Kise. Watching Aomine walk like he had no worries in the world, Momoi clenched the hem of her jacket, clearly coming to a decision.
...
"Kota… you looked scary just now."
Hands in his pockets, Kota wore a dark expression.
Kise twitched as he looked at him and thought to himself,
"He still looks scary now…"
Kota didn't answer. Instead, after a short pause, he asked,
"Hey 'genius,' what's Aomine's playstyle again? That guy seriously pisses me off."
Kise was about to respond when his phone rang.
"Hold on — hello? Yeah, let's meet at that burger place on Main Street."
Kise turned to find Kota staring curiously at him.
"Who was that?"
"Eh~ You'll see soon enough. But you might want to save your question — someone else can answer it better."
....
At the burger joint, Kagami was walking around with a tray stacked with burgers, searching for a seat.
"Man, it's packed today... Oh? That spot's open!"
Eyes lighting up, he rushed over, sat down, and took a bite—only to nearly choke in surprise.
"Yo, Kagami-kun. What a coincidence."
"Kuroko?! Since when were you here?!"
"I've been here for a while. You're the one who sat next to me."
Kagami sighed. "Why does this keep happening with this guy…?"
"Well, speak of the devil! Hey, Kuroko! Kagami! Mind if we join you guys?"
Kise popped up with a grin, slinging an arm around Kagami's shoulder. Kota and Momoi followed behind and spotted Kuroko as well.
"Tetsu-kun! Fancy running into you here! Must be fate~"
Momoi dove at Kuroko for a hug. Kuroko weakly greeted Kota and Momoi while still being squished.
Kota rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wait a second… wasn't Momoi into Kuroko or something? Then why'd she go to the same high school as Aomine? Weren't they childhood friends?"
He nodded like he got it—then frowned again.
"Nope, not really sure. These three have the most confusing relationship chart ever…"
Kagami stared at the scene, utterly baffled.
"Wait, Kuroko… you have a girlfriend?"
Kuroko tried resisting Momoi's clinginess, failed, and gave up. He replied calmly:
"No, we were classmates at Teiko."
Momoi turned her head and proudly said,
"I'm Tetsu's girlfriend—also the former Teiko basketball team manager!"
Kagami froze. Former Teiko team… Wait, that's the Generation of Miracles! But hold up, one of you says you're dating, and the other denies it… What's going on?!
Kota couldn't help but laugh at Kagami's face.
...
"So Kise and Aomine are about to play a match? And you dragged us here hoping someone would beat Aomine?"
Kagami massaged his forehead. The last few minutes of conversation had been… weird.
Momoi let go of Kuroko and lowered her gaze.
"Daiki hasn't trained seriously since middle school because he hasn't found a worthy opponent. He keeps saying, 'Only I can beat me' like some anime final boss. He doesn't care about teammates anymore. But if someone defeats him, I think he'll change. He'll go back to how he was — loving basketball, training hard, and caring about his team again."
Kagami raised an eyebrow.
"Only I can beat me? Seriously, are all of the Generation of Miracles this full of themselves?"
"Hey! Watch it!" Kise snapped. "You lost to me and still talk big?"
"What was that, pretty boy? I'll crush you next time!"
Kota smacked both of them on the head.
Then looked at his hand, amused.
"Huh. Kasamatsu's method actually works."
"Hey! You smug, smiling psycho! What's your problem? Wanna fight?"
Kota kept smiling ominously, ready to explode.
Meanwhile, Momoi pulled out a folder from her bag, completely ignoring the scuffle.
"This has detailed data on all of Too's players — including Daiki. I want you guys to beat him. In this training match. Show him the value of teamwork."
...
"So in the end… I still don't really know what Aomine's playstyle is."
Kota muttered as they walked down the street.
"Ah, Aomine's style? Think Kagami, but like… Kagami on steroids. Well, current Kagami isn't close, but Aomine's solo game is unmatched. I've never seen anyone come close."
Kise gave Kota a dead-eyed stare.
"Still don't get why you refused that scouting report. We'd have a better shot with it."
"What are you, stupid? It's not an official game. Knowing all that beforehand just screws us over when it actually matters. During Nationals, we'd be overconfident and misled."
—Earlier, back at the burger shop—
"Aren't you and Aomine close? Isn't this kinda… backstabby?" Kagami asked, eyeing the folder.
Momoi didn't reply. She just bit her lip.
Kota glanced at the papers and pushed them back toward her.
"Thanks, but no thanks. We don't need this."
Momoi looked shocked, and Kota just smiled.
...
"But… wouldn't our chances be better with the data?" Kise mumbled. He really wanted to win—especially against Aomine.
"Winning through borrowed strength means nothing. Besides, using scouting reports in a practice match? That's overkill."
Kota replied calmly, though in his mind he thought: So you want us to do your homework for you and act like you're helping? Sneaky woman.
Suddenly, Kota stopped walking and gave Kise a swift karate chop to the waist.
"Ow! What was that for?! Stop copying Kasamatsu's weird habits!"
"Listen, if you suck in tomorrow's match, I swear I'll kill you, 'Mr. Genius.'"
With Kota's death glare aimed his way, Kise immediately nodded and shut up.
Though he said it like a joke… dealing with that extreme lone-wolf type really is a pain.