Ace of the Bench

Morning sunlight spilled over the courtyard of Seiryō High, glinting off the bikes, backpacks, and chatter of students filing through the gates. Usually, the basketball team could blend into the morning rush unnoticed, but today the atmosphere shifted the moment Marcus, Yuuto, Shunjin, and the others stepped inside.

Heads turned.

Whispers rippled across the hallways.

"Yo, that's the basketball team!"

"They beat Easton by one point, right?"

"Shunjin hit the shot! The fadeaway!"

"I saw Marcus' assist on TikTok, that pass was CRAZY!"

Phones discreetly rose at angles. Students nudged each other. Girls whispered, covering their mouths. Some boys offered nods of respect as the team passed by.

For most of them, the attention felt good.

For Yuuto?

It felt… hollow.

Hallway, Before Class

Kana and Ayaka stood waiting near the shoe lockers, bright-eyed as always. Kana waved wildly.

"Marcus!! Yuuto!! Over here!"

Ayaka smiled softly as Marcus approached. "Congratulations on the win. That last play was beautiful."

Marcus grinned. "Appreciate it."

Shunjin strutted forward, puffing his chest out so dramatically that even the janitor paused to stare.

Kana clasped her hands together. "Shunjin, you were AMAZING! That fadeaway… the whole school is talking about it!"

Shunjin's smile sharpened. "Of course they are. It was clutch. I'm the ace of this team remember, I mean… who else makes shots like that but the ace?"

Daichi muttered behind him, "Bro, relax…"

But Shunjin barely heard him. The praise flowed into his ego like gasoline into a fire.

He stood taller. Smirked more. Walked differently.

Yuuto stood slightly behind the group, hands in his pockets. Kana shifted her gaze toward him.

"And Yuuto! You guys really did it!"

He forced a smile. "Yeah… we won."

Ayaka tilted her head. "You don't sound excited."

"I'm happy we won," Yuuto replied, trying to sound genuine. "I just… feel like I didn't do much."

Marcus shot him a quick look. "You helped. Don't think like that."

But the words didn't land. Yuuto stared at the school courtyard, where students filmed Shunjin reenacting his game winner like he was some celebrity.

He swallowed.

Winning by one point… depending on someone else to save the game… it didn't feel right.

He wanted more.

He needed more.

Throughout the day, students visited the team's classrooms like it was some tourist attraction.

"Marcus, can you sign my notebook?"

"Daichi, is it true the Easton point guard cried?"

"Shunjin, can you show us the shot again?!"

Yuuto sat quietly at his desk, chin resting on his hand. Students didn't ask him for autographs. They barely asked questions. When they did, it was always:

"Yuuto, how did it feel to be on the court when Shunjin hit it?"

"Yuuto, did you touch the ball in the last minute?"

He answered politely.

"It was a team win."

"My part wasn't big."

"Shunjin made the shot, not me."

But deep down, each sentence chipped away at him.

By lunch, Shunjin was surrounded by cheering tables. Marcus and Daichi were talking with teammates about the next match. Yuuto picked at his lunch quietly, hearing snippets of conversations from nearby students.

"We barely beat Easton."

"there are stronger teams."

"And Hakuro Academy is one of them don't Forget it. No one is touching Ryu Kazen."

"Yeah, 200 points in one day? That's not human."

Yuuto's jaw tightened.

He hated feeling small.

[After School Gym Practice]

The gymnasium was warm and familiar, the squeak of shoes and the echo of basketballs grounding them back in reality.

"Light training today!" Marcus called. "Coach Hikari said to loosen up, then talk strategy."

Yuuto dribbled alone at first, the rhythm steady, sharp, controlled. The steady slap of the ball felt better than any praise, any hallway compliment.

Daichi started doing shooting drills with Riku. Shunjin practiced his fadeaway — loudly.

"Watch, watch THIS is what I did yesterday!"

"Bro, we KNOW," Riku groaned.

Marcus gathered the team at midcourt.

"We need to talk about Hakuro first."

Daichi nodded. "They're fast. Their guards run nonstop. Their big men play high screens all game."

"And Ryu," Marcus added. "Their ace. Elite speed, elite finishing. If we don't wall him off, he'll score 30 easily and not to mention he's a point guard."

Yuuto finally spoke. "We can't afford another one-point game. If we play like we did yesterday, we'll lose."

The team fell quiet.

He surprised even himself.

Then he continued:

"We need to tighten rotations, focus on weak-side coverage, and improve our transition speed."

Marcus smirked. "That's what I like to hear. Yuuto, we can use your eyes on defense. You read plays better than anyone amd we need those 3 pointers."

Yuuto's chest tightened with a small flicker of pride.

Riku brought up the next, heavier topic.

"And what about… Ryu Kazen?"

The gym fell silent again.

Shunjin swallowed hard.

"He… scored 200 points. By himself."

"But he's not unbeatable," Marcus said sharply. "No one is."

Daichi stretched his arms behind his head. "But he's close…"

Yuuto pictured Ryu's cold expression, the grid-pattern eyes, the disdainful voice echoing across the arena:

"You are not good enough. You do not deserve to play in this tournament. You… are pathetic."

Yuuto shivered involuntarily.

"We need to train like we're playing him tomorrow," Yuuto said, voice firmer. "No more barely winning. No more depending on last-second miracles."

Shunjin's ego deflated slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah… we need to level up."

Marcus looked around at all their faces — tired, nervous, but burning with something new.

Resolve.

"Good. Then let's"

The gym doors slammed open.

THUD.

Everyone turned.

A tall figure stepped inside, wearing a black windbreaker with the Seiryō emblem. His hair was slicked back, eyes sharp and assessing.

Coach Takeda.

He walked across the gym, each step echoing.

Marcus straightened. "Coach Takeda…"

Takeda stopped at center court, arms crossed.

"I heard the commotion," his voice rumbled. "Heard the praise. The chatter. The ego."

His eyes locked on Shunjin, then Yuuto, then Marcus.

"But I also heard something else."

The team waited, hearts pounding.

Takeda smirked.

"I heard… ambition."

He glanced at the hoops, the floor, the players trembling slightly under his gaze.

"Good. Because starting tomorrow…"

His expression sharpened like a blade.

"Training becomes hell."

Yuuto's pulse spiked.

Marcus grinned.

Shunjin paled.

Takeda continued:

"If you want to beat Hakuro…

If you want to stand on the same court as Ryu Kazen…

Then you need to become stronger than you have ever imagined."

The team swallowed hard.

Yuuto's fingers curled into fists.

This was exactly what he needed.

Exactly what he wanted.

Takeda pointed to the hoops.

"Warm-up is over.

Light training is over.

Playtime is over."

He smirked.

"Time to evolve."