Crownless Kings: Court of Fire-Chapter 34 – "The First Sparks"
Chapter 34 - 34 – "The First Sparks"
Game Day – Kurosei Academy vs. Kaizen High
Venue: North Tokyo Regional Gymnasium
Crowd: Smaller than usual.
Cameras: Minimal.
Energy: Quiet.
Because no one expected much from Kurosei.
Big mistake.
---
🎧 Pregame – Locker Room Tension
Kaizen's squad gears up.
Renji wraps his wrist.
Drift spins a ball on one finger, silent.
Keigo stretches in the corner like a soldier prepping for war.
Souta reads over a playbook that looks handwritten, messy, and violent.
Coach Tanaka walks in.
> "This isn't a ranked match.
This is a trap."
The team turns.
> "Kurosei plays like they've got nothing left.
Those are the teams that will break your jaw to make a point."
> "You don't respect them.
You bleed."
---
👣 Entrance – Kurosei's First Impression
Kaizen enters first.
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Muted claps.
Then Kurosei walks out.
Black jerseys.
No flair.
No smiles.
Just fists clenched.
Their captain, Seiji Amagata, leads them.
6'3", wiry, and his eyes look like he hasn't slept in a year.
Behind him —
a guy with long sleeves and headphones on.
Calm. Too calm.
> "Who's that?" Drift whispers.
> "Don't know," Souta answers.
"He wasn't on their roster before."
---
🔥 Tip-Off
Keigo vs. Amagata at center.
Ref blows the whistle.
Ball goes up.
Amagata doesn't jump.
Lets Keigo win it.
Kaizen takes possession.
Riku (watching from the sideline) narrows his eyes.
> "They're baiting us."
---
🧊 Kurosei's Defense – Stonewall Formation
First Kaizen set:
Drift drives baseline — cut off.
Renji curls off a screen — bodied hard.
Keigo tries a post-up — gets shoulder checked mid-turn.
No fouls.
No calls.
> "Ref's letting it play," Coach mutters.
Drift resets.
Steps back.
Takes the three.
Clank.
Rebound – Kurosei.
Fastbreak – seamless.
1–0.
---
🧠 Souta Notices Too Late
Second possession.
Kaizen tries a motion set.
But Kurosei's off-ball defenders...
aren't reacting.
They're reading ahead.
Renji's curl = blocked.
Drift's backdoor = intercepted.
Keigo's roll = delayed trap.
Souta mutters:
> "They're not defenders.
They're chess pieces."
---
👤 Riku's POV
From the bench, Riku studies Kurosei's spacing.
> "That new guy... headphones..."
Camera zooms in on him.
He hasn't said a word.
But he's directing everyone with micro-gestures.
Every defender is reacting to him.
Riku's eyes widen.
> "They've got a conductor."
---
🧢 1st Quarter Ends
Score: Kurosei 13 – Kaizen 6
Drift's 0 for 4.
Renji hasn't touched the paint.
Keigo's got two illegal screens.
Souta slams his clipboard.
> "We're not being outplayed.
We're being predicted."
Coach Tanaka doesn't panic.
He kneels in the huddle.
> "Then stop playing like you're supposed to win."
> "Play like you're on fire, and they're trying to smother you."
