"What are you talking about? You're not running a fever, are you?"
Kise reached out and touched Kota's forehead, muttering,
"Nope, not hot."
Kota brushed Kise's hand away and said seriously:
"I just suddenly realized… the importance of the bench squad!"
Takeuchi frowned, thinking to himself:
"Is this kid mad at me for not letting him play?"
The rest of the Kaijo team thought Kota had completely lost it. The coach had personally offered him a chance to play in the rotation games, and this guy actually said he wanted to stay on the bench and wave a towel instead.
"Say no more, brothers. Just get ready to feel the power of my encouragement! The battlefield isn't only on the court, you know!"
Everyone on Kaijo was speechless: That uniquely absurd idea… only Kota would come up with something like that.
The referee's whistle blew, leaving no more time to figure out why Kota refused to play.
Kise gave Kota a helpless look, then headed to center court with his teammates for the tip-off. Honestly, playing without Kota handling the ball felt a bit off for him.
As the ten players on the court bowed to each other, Kota gripped his towel tightly, ready to spring into action… from the sidelines.
It all started that day when Takeuchi, half-jokingly, told Kota to sit on the bench and cheer for the team.
[New Mission: Bench Hype Squad! Cheer for the starters and become the brightest star on the bench! (Even a sub should bring starter-level energy!)~]
~PS: Rewards will depend on the host's performance.~
Though being officially labeled "benchwarmer" by the system irritated him, Kota figured that if sitting out earned him talents, he'd gladly stay benched every game.
"What a deal! Instead of sweating bullets against the Generation of Miracles for one little upgrade, now I just wave a towel and score rewards. This is practically a side hustle."
BEEP!
The ref blew the whistle. Kobori leaped up and secured the ball for Kaijo's first possession. Sure, he wasn't on Kagami or Aomine's level athletically, but picking on weaker opponents? That, he could do.
Kasamatsu began advancing the ball slowly. After playing with Kota for so long, Kaijo's entire pace had slowed.
He glanced at the opponent's formation. Nothing major to exploit.
"Yeah, they're definitely tournament-level. Let's give the first play to Kise."
He passed the ball to Kise, who protected it, scanned the defense, and then instantly exploded forward—his defender couldn't even react before he was left behind.
"Sorry! Someone cover me!"
Two big defenders lunged at Kise, howling like linebackers. Without even looking, Kise delivered a slick bounce pass between them straight to Kobori, who repaid the trust with a massive two-handed dunk. Kaijo scored the first two points.
That move? Kise totally copied Kota's signature play. Normally, he would've forced the shot himself. It might've gone in, but it wouldn't have looked nearly as cool.
As Kobori landed, ready to scream in triumph, Kota beat him to it from the bench:
"WOOO!! Great shot, Kobori-senpai!!"
Kota jumped up and down like a caffeinated gorilla, wildly swinging his towel. Takeuchi nearly fell off the bench, startled. Even the players and the referee paused to stare at him like he'd just lost his mind.
Kasamatsu twitched.
"If we weren't in the middle of a match, I swear I'd walk off this court just to smack that fool. He's embarrassing us!"
Takeuchi wiped his forehead and thought,
"Did I actually drive Kota insane? After benching him all those games… Maybe he really snapped."
Feeling guilty, Takeuchi looked over and tried to gently offer a compromise.
"Kota… what if I called a timeout and subbed you in? You know, let you blow off some steam?"
Kota's face turned solemn.
"No, Coach. I won't go in. In fact, I want to thank you. If you hadn't benched me, I would've never realized how powerful the bench truly is!"
Takeuchi broke into a cold sweat. Just as he was convinced Kota had finally gone over the edge, something unexpected happened—Kaijo's bench players were moved to tears.
"Kota's right! We're subs, but that doesn't mean we're useless!"
"Let's go, everyone! Time to cheer like our lives depend on it!"
"Heck yeah! Get fired up! Show 'em what we got!"
And just like that, Kaijo's bench turned into a full-on cheer squad. They all mimicked Kota and started whipping their towels around like they were trying to summon a hurricane. The entire arena turned to look at them. Even the opposing bench felt the pressure.
"We can't lose to them! Let's go, boys!"
"So what if we can't beat them on the court — let's out-cheer them instead!"
Both benches erupted into a full-blown hype war. Their chanting got so loud it started drowning out the ref's whistle.
Coach Takeuchi quietly stepped away, questioning his life choices:
"Why does no one see how unhinged Kota is? Why is everyone joining in?! Have I really grown that distant from the younger generation?"
Unaware of the coach's existential crisis, Kota glanced across at the opposing bench.
"Not bad... but I came prepared."
From who-knows-where, he pulled out a megaphone, instantly sparking shouts of amazement from the Kaijo subs.
"Classic Kota!"
"Get 'em, Kota! Show them our power!"
Grinning proudly, Kota turned on the megaphone, ready to unleash hell. But just then, the ref finally lost it.
BEEP!
Game paused.
"Huh?" Kota blinked.
"Why the whistle? The ball hasn't even been passed in yet. I didn't even get to go full power!"
The referee jogged over and handed both benches a warning, his voice weary.
"Look, cheering is fine. I get that you're hyped. But can you please not make it sound like a rock concert? This is just a warning. Next time, it's a technical foul."
Takeuchi nodded stiffly, then shot Kota a glare. Kota sheepishly shrank into his seat.
The warning worked—both benches quieted down. Though they kept waving their towels like it was an Olympic event.
The gym finally settled into a normal atmosphere again. Kise actually felt a bit… off. Sure, it was quieter, but that roar of applause after his play? That was real. The bench had actually pumped him up.
Kise realized, amazed, that Kota hadn't been exaggerating. The bench really could change the flow of a game.
Kasamatsu, on the other hand, rubbed his temples like he had a migraine. That chaotic noise had reminded him of a vegetable market.
He didn't like it — but as Kaijo's on-court commander, he had to admit: since Kota fired up the bench, everyone was playing better.
He sighed, defeated.
"I told him to lead the bench… and he actually did it. The madman."
Basketball talent aside, Kota definitely had something special.
A different kind of genius.