Standing by the phone, Shōgo dialed the number for Rina's home.
"Hello?"
The familiar, gentle voice put Shōgo at ease inexplicably.
Thinking of the girl with her rosy red long hair on the other end, Shōgo playfully teased Rina over the phone.
"It's me, Rina-chan!"
"Shōgo-kun?"
"Yeah! Are you free this afternoon? Let's go out and have fun together!"
"Go out and have fun? You mean the two of us?"
"Yeah! Is that not okay?"
"No, no, no, I'm free!"
Feeling the eager explanation on the other end of the line, Shōgo finally revealed his purpose.
"I've made plans to play basketball with Daiki and Satsuki this afternoon. Let's go together."
"With Daiki-kun and Satsuki-chan? Okay, Shōgo-kun."
...
"Alright, that's settled then. See you there!"
"See you there!"
After setting the time and place, Shōgo hung up the phone.
This time, inviting Rina was partly because he didn't want to inexplicably keep eating dog food.
Secondly, he wanted to create an opportunity for Rina and Satsuki, who excelled at collecting and analyzing data, to communicate and complement each other. This could potentially benefit both sides.
Thirdly, he had some selfish motives too, he wanted Rina to gather data on Daiki in advance so she could directly experience the power and terror of the Generation of Miracles.
After lunch and his mother's reminder to stay safe, Shōgo walked out of the villa.
Dressed in sportswear and carrying a sports bag, Shōgo arrived at a convenience store and bought some fruits and snacks that both girls liked. He then boarded a tram and headed to the agreed-upon location.
Getting off the tram, Shōgo saw Rina and Satsuki already there. The two girls were holding hands, and Daiki was standing behind them, a basketball spinning rapidly on his right index finger.
"Hey! You guys got here quite early!"
"Shōgo-kun!"
"Shōgo-kun!"
"Let's go, Shōgo!"
Three people greeted him differently. The attitudes and tones were distinct between the girls and the guy, with the girls' tone sounding more soothing.
Of course, Daiki's casual greeting also put Shōgo at ease, indicating their close relationship and deep friendship.
Taking off his somewhat heavy backpack, he handed gifts to the two girls.
"Here, it's all your favorite stuff, take a look!"
After speaking, Shōgo had already caught up with Daiki, who was walking ahead. Daiki was also in sports attire, and they walked into the basketball court together.
Looking around the empty court, Shōgo was somewhat surprised.
"What day is it today that there's no one playing basketball?"
"Ullambana Festival, don't you know?"
"Ullambana Festival? A ghost festival?"
"Yeah! Everyone's at the temple offering incense to the Buddha, no one's here."
Speaking, the two had already taken off their outer clothing and placed it by the side of the court.
Picking up the basketball from the ground, Shōgo passed it to Daiki.
"Here, you go first, Daiki!"
"Sure, I won't hold back then!"
Taking the ball, Daiki's entire body surged with excitement. The pleasure that hadn't appeared in a long time intoxicated him, addicting him.
This was the basketball that Daiki pursued, the opponent he wanted to encounter.
Without any warm-up or testing, he went full force. The rapid dribbling sounds of 'thump,' 'thump,' 'thump' echoed as Daiki accelerated, trying to get past Shōgo's defense.
But Shōgo was like a nail, firmly planted in Daiki's path. Feeling the daunting aura radiating from Shōgo, Daiki's calm and collected aura finally erupted.
Daiki dribbled with his left hand, approaching Shōgo. As he got close, he flicked the ball to the right and quickly pulled it back, performing a turn to his right. After the turn, he switched the ball to his right hand. The rapid switches were dizzying.
Yet, Shōgo kept up with Daiki's rhythm. As Daiki jumped diagonally, he executed a side hook shot, and the ball went into the hoop.
Outside the court, Rina, who was eating cherries with Satsuki, was suddenly stunned by Daiki's dazzling and unpredictable movements.
Next to her, Satsuki was much more composed. Her voice was calm as she spoke gently to Rina.
"Aren't you shocked, Rina-chan? Seeing Daiki's playing style for the first time, you must be amazed."
"Yeah! It's beyond just being amazed, the speed switches of Teikō's ace are astonishing."
"Well, that's Daiki's style. He likes to be unrestricted, going fast when he wants and slow when he wants. But, Shōgo-kun is amazing too."
Just as Satsuki was speaking, Shōgo, who had taken the ball, this time didn't snatch Daiki's style. He started dribbling and breaking through according to his usual rhythm. However, his speed was overwhelming.
The basketball swayed left and right, then he stopped and executed a fadeaway jump shot. The ball sailed over Daiki's outstretched hand and smoothly swished through the net.
"Hey hey hey! It seems like the defeat to Teikō last time didn't knock you down; on the contrary, you've grown quite a bit, Shōgo!"
"Knocked down? You're kidding, Daiki."
"Interesting! Let's keep going!"
"Bring it on!"
Seeing Shōgo's clean and precise goal, Satsuki commented to Rina.
"See, Shōgo-kun's speed is just as astonishing. Although he doesn't have Daiki-kun's unrestricted style, his movements are more streamlined and efficient."
"Yeah, I didn't expect Shōgo-kun's speed to be this overwhelming."
"This version of Shōgo, you haven't seen it before?"
"No, we never had a chance to see Shōgo-kun play at full strength in the basketball club."
"That makes sense, Daiki hasn't played with this much vigor for a while either."
On the basketball court, Daiki, who had received the ball, had electricity flashing in his eyes, and his speed had doubled.
Facing Daiki, Shōgo's eyes also displayed grey electric currents. They followed Daiki's lead, sticking to him closely. The two of them squeezed and contested each other, entwined in a struggle.
Seeing this miraculous scene for the first time, Rina was amazed and incredulous. Her small mouth hung open, forgetting to close it.
"This is..."
"The Zone, a state that only selected individuals can enter. In this state, a large amount of energy is consumed, and all abilities are maximized."
"The Zone?"
"Yeah, it's rare even for me. At the moment, I've only seen Shōgo-kun and Daiki able to activate it."
"Wow, Shōgo-kun and Daiki-kun are both this powerful?"
"Yeah, their strength has surpassed their peers."
Outside the court, Satsuki explained the concept of the Zone to Rina, dissecting the strengths of Daiki and Shōgo.
On the court, the two, one blue and one grey, refused to give in. They struggled and battled, matching each other's moves.