Prologue: The Card
I stared at the card Ren Kisaragi had handed me after our one-on-one.
THE CLOCKTOWER CIRCLE
"The World Remembers."
No address. No number. No QR code. Just a symbol—an ouroboros coiled around a shattered basketball.
It felt like something out of a manga. But this wasn't fiction.
Someone, somewhere, knew the truth behind my transmigration. Behind ours.
And the world of high school basketball?
It was just the first layer of something much deeper.
Shohoku's Gym – The Calm Before the Qualifiers
Shohoku had a week left before the inter-regional tournament. The gym was humming with focus and fire. We ran new plays, studied opponent tapes, and drilled conditioning like our lives depended on it.
Sakuragi now arrived before practice, not just on time.
Rukawa was passing on fast breaks.
Akagi's commands had sharpened. Mitsui's form was pure muscle memory.
And me?
I was no longer just the strategist on the bench. I was now a bridge between their instincts and the game itself.
Coach Anzai's Private Meeting
One day, after practice, Coach Anzai called me into his office.
"Coach?"
He was staring at a photograph—yellowed and frayed at the edges. A group of teenagers in old uniforms. At the center: a young Anzai-sensei.
"I've seen that look before," he said softly, not looking up.
"What look?"
"The look you had when you faced Ren. Like you were meeting a ghost that remembered your sins."
My throat dried.
"You know about the Clocktower Circle?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Back when I was a player… I faced someone like you. A boy from nowhere, who shouldn't have existed. He made passes no one taught him. Predicted plays before they happened. We called him the Prophet."
"What happened to him?"
Coach's eyes turned distant. "He disappeared. After defeating us in the finals. No one ever found his name on any registry. Just… gone."
He turned to me now, eyes sharp.
"If you're getting involved with the Clocktower, Kudo… be careful. They don't play fair."
Side Story: Rukawa's Suspicions
Meanwhile, Rukawa had started noticing the inconsistencies.
"You said you were from a countryside school," he muttered one night, pacing the dorm hallway near my room.
"But no footage. No record. No tournament logs."
He remembered Ren's strange phrasing during their scrimmage: "You're changing the story."
Rukawa wasn't just sharp on the court—he was sharp everywhere.
And the more I tried to maintain my cover, the more he started watching me.
Shohoku's Internal Scrimmage – Trust Exercise
To prepare for the qualifiers, Coach ran an unusual drill.
"No talking," he announced. "Ten-minute scrimmage. No words. Only eye contact and instinct."
A silence fell.
We split into teams.
Rukawa and I were on opposite sides.
From the jump, it was a mind game. No calls. No plays. Just reading each other.
Sakuragi crashed the boards like a meteor, while Mitsui slithered along the perimeter like a snake with a jumper. Akagi became a silent general, positioning everyone with just a look.
And me? I saw everything.
When Rukawa cut left, I passed right—knowing Mitsui would fill the spot.
When Sakuragi hesitated, I darted backdoor—trusting he'd see me.
And he did.
I scored. Twice. Silently.
At the end of the scrimmage, Coach simply said: "You're ready."
But as we walked off the court, Rukawa bumped my shoulder.
"You're not normal."
"…Neither are you," I replied.
We left it at that.
For now.
The Invitation
Two nights before the qualifiers, another message appeared on my burner phone.
Clocktower HQ – 3rd District, Old Signal Station. Come alone. Midnight.
No choice. I had to go.
But I wasn't as stupid as they thought.
I left a note taped under my bed.
"If I disappear, don't trust anyone from Teiko or Rokurin. Especially Ren Kisaragi. —K.H."
Then I slipped out into the dark.
The Clocktower Circle – Underground Meeting
The old signal station was half-destroyed. Vines covered the broken roof, and the clock above the tower had stopped at 2:17 AM—frozen in time.
I stepped inside.
Dozens of figures sat in a dim-lit room. All wore partial masks. All teenagers.
A man in a long coat stood at the center, facing me.
"You're Kudo Hirata," he said. "But not this world's version."
"…You've got me confused with someone else," I lied.
He smiled. "No. We've tracked you since the moment you changed the Shohoku timeline."
"Timeline?"
He held up a glowing screen. "In the original line, Shohoku loses in the third round. You're not even in the lineup. But here? You've altered everything."
My stomach dropped.
"What do you want?"
"To offer you a seat. Join us. You could shape not just Shohoku's destiny—but this entire world."
I clenched my fists. "You're manipulating real people."
"They're NPCs," he said. "Projections."
I saw red.
"They're real enough to feel. Real enough to fight. And I'll never let you twist that for your experiment."
The room tensed.
"We'll see how long your nobility lasts," the leader said. "The deeper the tournament goes… the more unstable this world becomes."
Escape and Intercept – Rukawa Appears
I stormed out of the tower.
But outside, under a shattered moonlight beam—
Rukawa stood, leaning against a pole.
"How long were you—"
"Long enough," he said. "To know you're not just a strategist."
"You followed me?"
"You left a trail. Maybe on purpose."
I exhaled. "You want the truth?"
He nodded once.
"I'm not from this world. I was… transferred. Like a glitch in the system. I don't know why. But I'm here. And everything I do… is to protect this team."
Rukawa was quiet. Then he said:
"…Then don't hold back anymore. We'll protect you too."
It hit me harder than I expected.
We walked back in silence.
But the bond between us?
Stronger than ever.
Night Before the Tournament – Team Bonding
Back at the dorms, we all gathered in the common room—no training, no speeches. Just old arcade games, instant noodles, and a lot of laughter.
Sakuragi screamed at a horror game. Akagi kept correcting his chopstick grip. Mitsui burned his noodles. Rukawa fell asleep mid-match.
And me?
I looked around at these weird, broken, perfect teammates.
They weren't just people in a story.
They were my people.
Shohoku Status Update – Pre-Tournament Shift
Name
Role
Current Growth
Kudo Hirata
Strategist / Secret Transmigrant
Balancing truth, preparing for war
Rukawa Kaede
Ace SF
Loyalty shift, eyes on greater game
Sakuragi Hanamichi
Wild PF
Transforming chaos into strength
Mitsui Hisashi
Veteran SG
Focused leader, emotional anchor
Akagi Takenori
Captain
Unshackled, inspired
Ren Kisaragi
Clocktower Agent
Rival, shadow of fate
Closing: The Tournament Begins
The morning of the tournament dawned crisp and golden.
Shohoku walked into the regional arena with eyes high and hearts steady.
But for me, everything had changed.
The game was no longer just about victory.
It was about fate.
And I wasn't playing to survive anymore.
I was playing to win—against the world itself.
[Next Time on Benchwarmer Chronicles — Chapter 37: "Opening Round – The Tides of Change"]
Shohoku's first tournament game begins—but their opponents are not what they seem. Kudo faces a shadow from his buried memories. Meanwhile, the Clocktower Circle begins to interfere from the sidelines…