Ace of the Bench

The scoreboard glowed: Seiryō 33– Shikoku 53.

Five minutes into the third quarter and it felt like the floor was tilting the wrong way.

Marcus barked, "Stack left! Stack left!" as he jogged the ball up. Shunjin darted to the wing; Riku set a high screen. Marcus drove, bounced a pass into traffic, but Kaito read it early, knifing between them for a steal. Sneakers squealed. Fast-break the other way. Akira sprinted ahead, caught the lead pass and hammered a one-hand layup off the glass. 55–33.

Seiryō tried to answer quickly. Kento popped to the corner for a three, Marcus hit him, but the shot rattled out. Daigo tipped the rebound to himself, swung to Haruto, and suddenly Shikoku were running again. Haruto pushed the middle, Marcus retreated, but a no-look dish to the trailing Akira left him wide open for a pull-up jumper. 57–33.

Coach Takeda slapped his clipboard. "Get back! Match up!"

They tried. Marcus came off a stagger screen, curled to the elbow and hit a mid-range jumper to stem the bleeding. 57–35. The bench clapped weakly. But Shikoku didn't blink. They ran their secondary break perfectly: Kaito cross-screen for Daigo, Daigo ducked in hard, caught on the low block, spun baseline and scored through contact. Whistle. And-one. The crowd roared as the free throw dropped. 60–35.

Seiryō slowed it down. Marcus called "horns," trying to free Shunjin on a high-low set. Shunjin caught, jabbed, rose for a fadeaway blocked from behind by the short guard rotating up. The ball skittered loose, picked up by Akira. Another burst of speed. This time, he swung it to Haruto on the wing; Haruto pump-faked, stepped in, hit a floater. 61–35.

The green scoreboard burned red, numbers glaring at Seiryō's bench. The run was now 8–2. The crowd had turned into a low thunder. Marcus bent over, hands on knees, sucking air. Shunjin slapped his own chest in frustration. Even Kento's hands trembled as he reached for the inbound.

he scoreboard burned red: Seiryō 35–Shikoku 61.

Time bled off the clock. Marcus's chest heaved, jersey plastered to his skin. Sweat dripped from his chin as he barked out another defensive call.

"Stay tight! No open looks!"

They were trying to claw back, but Shikoku's rookies were relentless quick traps, smart cuts, clean shots. Each possession felt heavier than the last. The gap never closed; it stretched, like a rubber band about to snap.

Coach Takeda paced the sideline, muttering under his breath. "Techniques… their rotations are a technique in itself…" He blew out a slow breath and turned to his bench. His eyes landed on one player.

Yuuto Kai.

Yuuto sat in warm-ups, head down, fingers drumming against his knee. The tension on the bench was a living thing. Daichi hissed under his breath, "Why isn't he in yet?" Shunjin shot him a glare. "Coach has a plan."

Takeda finally clapped his hands. "Go in now"

Inside Yuuto's mind, a faint chime rang.

[System Notification]

New Quest Unlocked: "Turn the Tide"

Objective: Enter the game, take control of the offense, and cut Shikoku's lead to under 10 points by the end of the quarter.

Bonus Reward: Temporary Skill Boost Court Vision+ for 3 minutes.

Failure: Confidence Penalty – All stats –5% for next half.

Accept Quest? [YES/NO]

Yuuto's lips tightened. He could almost feel the translucent prompt hovering in his peripheral vision, glowing faint green. His thumb twitched like he wanted to press something.

Of course I'm in, he thought. I've waited long enough.

The gym buzzed like a beehive as Yuuto stands. Kana, the cheerleader, shot to her feet in the bleachers. "YUUUU-TOOO!" she screamed, hands cupped around her mouth. Her voice cut through the noise like a blade. Other students joined in, surprised murmurs chasing her cheer:

"Isn't his knee still messed up?"

"Wait he's actually going in?"

"They're desperate…"

Even the teachers leaned forward. Nobody not even Seiryō's own players really knew what Yuuto could do after the injury.

Yuuto walks up to the scorer table and gives his name and number and who he's subbing with.

The scorer's table horn blared BWAAP! as the referee's whistle shrieked.

Substitution.

Number 5, Kento Sato, jogged off the court and hugged Yuuto on the sideline.

"Good job," said Yuuto.

"Now it's your turn, Yuuto."

He jogged toward Marcus. The court seemed to shrink around him, the noise funneling into a low roar. Green banners rattled. Shikoku's players stared, sizing him up.

He slapped Marcus's palm as they crossed paths.

"The new formation," said Yuuto.

"Right," said Marcus, sliding to shooting guard.

The system's voice flickered again

[Quest Active: Turn the Tide – 0:00/5:00]

Across from him, the two defenders squared up. The tallest player Riku Senda and the shortest Akira Hoshino Shikoku's oddest duo moved in like wolves.

"Well, well,"Riku smirked. "Look who it is Yuuto Kai."

Akira sneered. "Is your leg okay?"

Yuuto's eyes narrowed. He gave a half-shrug. "I don't know… you tell me."

He switched the ball from right hand to left, crossover, then back again nothing fancy, not his usual blazing speed, just enough to test the floor. The two defenders closed the trap.

Yuuto planted himself at the three-point line, feeling the weight of every pair of eyes in the gym. His fingers tingled, not from fear, but from the old rhythm the rhythm of leather slapping against his palm, echoing like a heartbeat in his chest.

The two defenders closed in, Riku Senda, Akira Hoshino, forming a wall. Marcus shouted from the wing, "Pass it!" but Yuuto shook his head ever so slightly. Not now. This was his moment.

He dribbled slowly, deliberately thump-thump, thump-thump the bounce sounding louder than it should, the polished floor amplifying it. The defenders lunged, hands snapping toward the ball, but Yuuto's movements were measured. Not his usual speed, not his old flair, but precise. Every step counted.

He took one deep breath, eyes narrowing, reading the distance, the angle, the tiny gap between the tallest defender's shoulder and the shorter guard's outstretched arm. He jumped whoosh and the gym seemed to tilt with him.

The ball left his fingers with a perfect spin, cutting through the air fzzzz high, arching, beautiful.

From the stands, Kana's voice pierced everything: "YUUUUTO!"

Time slowed. Every student froze mid-cheer. Every teacher leaned forward, unable to blink. Marcus' eyes widened, the world reduced to a single orange sphere spinning in the air.

The defenders hung in the air, suspended between reaction and disbelief. The tallest one's jaw was tight; the shorter one's arms hovered, unsure if they could reach in time.

The ball continued its flawless curve, each rotation a heartbeat. Thump… thump… thump… Every eye in the gym followed its path.

Would it swish? Would it bounce off the rim? No one knew.

All anyone could do was watch.

Yuuto hung in the air for a split second longer, chest rising and falling, the tension of the gym pressing in from all sides.

Then, nothing.

Not yet.

P/s Thank you for all your support starting next chapter the story will be going premium I hope you all will continue supporting my story and follow Yuuto as he because the best player in the world.