"Shidou, Shidou, I'm going to my part-time job. Food is on the table—remember to eat when you wake up!"
Chizuru knocked on Shidou Ryusei's door.
"I know, I know! What a pain!"
Shidou didn't wake up until noon; after all, he had been tossing and turning until late last night.
He got up, washed, finished the meal Chizuru left for him, and then familiarized himself with the house.
It was a two-bedroom apartment with a living room, about 60 square meters—quite decent for two people.
After looking around, Shidou sat on the bed, unsure what to do. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened last night. His hands were itching to play basketball.
"Calling Blue Lock~"
"Blue Lock is here!" At the same time, a blue screen appeared.
On the left side of the screen was a miniature version of himself spinning continuously, surrounded by his data profile.
Based on the host's current overall strength rating: B+
Strength Rating Divisions:
Professional Players (S-rank and above):
SSS, SS, S
Amateur Players: A, B, C, D, E
(Each rating is divided into three stages.)
Host Ability: Excellent scoring ability within the three-point line.
A sharp scoring instinct and offensive techniques that defy common sense.
Ultra-fast dribbling breakthrough speed.
Overall Strength Analysis: B+
Interior Offense: B+
Perimeter Offense: B-
Defense: C
Vision: C
Playmaking: C
Ball Handling: B
Speed: A
Basketball IQ: B-
Shidou put on his basketball shoes and headed out, wanting to find a court to test things out.
After walking for about five minutes, he spotted a basketball court. Shidou Ryusei saw a dark-skinned guy playing one-on-one. His moves were incredibly smooth; anyone could tell the two players weren't on the same level. The dark-skinned guy was clearly toying with his opponent.
"Interesting!"
"Hey, interested in a game with me, American-style dark-skinned boy?"
Shidou Ryusei shouted provocatively while leaning against a nearby tree with his hands in his pockets.
His loud voice drew everyone's attention.
"No way, he's challenging Teiko Middle School's ace, Aomine Daiki? Is he serious? Has he lost his mind?"
Everyone turned to look at Shidou Ryusei, shocked that someone would challenge Aomine Daiki directly.
Hearing the chatter, Shidou didn't hold back.
"Hey, you bunch of scrubs barking without skill—are you that bored, losers?"
"Interesting guy."
Aomine Daiki noticed Shidou and turned to look at him. His instincts told him this strange pink-haired guy would definitely surprise him.
"Then... come on! First to three points wins!"
Aomine threw the ball to Shidou. Shidou caught it one-handed and faced him.
"Here I come, American boy!"
He dribbled twice, and then the ball slipped out of his hand.
An awkward silence followed.
"Losing the ball while dribbling? Does this guy even know how to play?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Are you here to be a comedian?"
Even Aomine was speechless.
But his instincts told him this guy's real strength wasn't like this.
Shidou reacted quickly, instantly disappearing from Aomine's line of sight.
Aomine's pupils shrank as he reacted and rushed after him.
Shidou sprinted toward the ball before it went out of bounds, saved it, and immediately moved to attack. Aomine wasn't going to let him succeed.
Aomine's speed was no joke, and he stuck to Shidou with tight defense.
"You're sticking too close, American boy..."
Before finishing his sentence, Shidou jab-stepped and instantly burst past him like lightning.
What?!
Aomine felt the wind rush past as Shidou sped by.
Bang!
Shidou had already taken off.
The sound of the basketball slamming into the hoop echoed across the court.
Slam dunk!
"Whoo-hoo! Goal!!!"
Shidou grabbed his face as his entire aura shifted. He hadn't originally planned to dunk, but once he reached the free-throw line, an inner voice told him to do it.
He loved the feeling.
Turnover.
Aomine rhythmically dribbled while Shidou watched every movement.
Just as Shidou prepared to steal the ball, Aomine suddenly accelerated and swept past him with equal speed.
Shidou immediately chased him down and appeared in front of him again, but unexpectedly, Aomine pulled up for a fadeaway jumper right in his face.
"You're really looking down on me..."
Shidou jumped to block, but Aomine kept leaning back.
Shidou stared in disbelief.
Aomine released the ball at an almost impossible angle.
Shidou landed and watched as the ball dropped cleanly through the net with a satisfying swish.
Aomine was thrilled; this was the most exciting opponent he'd faced on this street court.
"Again!"
Shidou was equally excited. It was his first time playing, and meeting someone who made every cell in his body boil with excitement felt incredible.
Holding the ball, Shidou jab-stepped again, but his movement was too obvious. It was his first time playing seriously, and his technique still lacked refinement.
Aomine easily stole the ball.
The tables turned.
Aomine dribbled faster and faster, the ball seeming glued to his hand. Watching Shidou's defensive stance, he broke left. Shidou intercepted instantly. Aomine suddenly stopped, changed direction, and blew past him on the right.
Shidou turned to defend, but Aomine scored with a floater.
2:1.
Shidou didn't mind the score; his momentum kept rising. When it reached a certain point, Aomine looked straight at him.
At the same time, inside the Teiko Middle School basketball club, a red-haired boy with heterochromatic eyes and a green-haired boy with bandages on his left hand stopped their chess game and looked toward the street court. Nearby, a blue-haired boy and a blond-haired boy also paused their training and looked in the same direction. Even a tall purple-haired boy eating snacks glanced up.
"It's appeared again!"
They all spoke in unison.
Just as Shidou and Aomine prepared to continue, two voices called out:
"A-dai!"
"Shidou!"
Both turned around.
Shidou saw a well-developed pink-haired girl calling Aomine, standing beside his sister, Shidou Chizuru.
The two girls looked at each other and smiled.
"A-dai, why are you playing one-on-ones again? You didn't even reply to my messages."
Seeing Shidou beside Aomine, she bowed politely.
"I'm sorry. A-dai is just like that. Please forgive him if he was rude."
Shidou was caught off guard by the politeness and turned completely red.
Chizuru also bowed.
"My brother has a bad temper. Please forgive him if he was impulsive."
Aomine also turned red, though it was hard to tell because of his dark skin.
"Hello, I'm Momoi Satsuki, and this is Aomine Daiki. We grew up together."
Momoi greeted Chizuru first.
"I'm Shidou Chizuru, and this is my brother, Shidou Ryusei."
"Oh, your hair color is so pretty! Is it dyed?"
Momoi asked curiously.
"Oh, you mean the pink strands? We inherited them from our father—it grows naturally."
Chizuru answered with a smile.
"Would you like to have a meal together?"
Chizuru invited her, and Momoi happily agreed.
Throughout the exchange, Shidou and Aomine remained mostly silent.
They exchanged contact information when parting.
Before leaving, Aomine invited Shidou to join Teiko Middle School, saying he would recommend him to the coach and help with the transfer process.
Excited about their next match, Shidou agreed immediately.
Chizuru was also happy that Shidou had found a friend and hoped they could attend school together.