➪ 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 ᵏⁿᵇ ˣ ᵗᶜᶠ

9. It's Our Loss

Cale Henituse, once known as Kim Rok Soo, wasn't a fan of basketball. 

Actually, that's not quite right. It would be more accurate to say that he didn't hold an interest in basketball because he didn't have time to. Living as Kim Rok Soo, he spent most of his days just trying to survive in an apocalyptic world so he didn't have the luxury of enjoying sports. And thanks to his miserable childhood, he wasn't able to enjoy the same things that other children would've enjoyed; sports included. 

Had he not come to this world and not been forced to join the Seirin basketball team as its manager, he probably would've continued to remain ignorant of the sport. 

Cale hated troublesome things but what he hated even more was doing things half-heartedly. If he started something, he was going to finish it. That's why, when he decided he was going to help the Seirin basketball team, he went the extra mile and read up on everything basketball-related he could get his hands on. And thanks to his 'record' ability, the knowledge he gained was stored safely in his brain. 

Of course, he initially planned to only relay his opinions and suggestions in an emergency since it was technically Riko's job to train and make plans for the team but after Clopeh suddenly entered the scene, he knew he would need to speak up. 

A simple basketball game was not a war or a battle against armed forces and the white radish so there was no need for him to take it seriously. However, while it may not be important for him or Clopeh, basketball was everything to these teenagers and it was just as important to them as slacking off and money was to Cale. 

Cale respected their commitment and hard work. If they were knights of the Roan Empire, they would've definitely become some of the Empire's top knights or commanders with their commitment and loyalty. 

That's why, he told them everything he knew about Clopeh's habits and movements that he was familiar with. 

'He tends to look in the opposite direction of where he is going...'

'Be careful of his footwork...Don't get caught up in it...'

'If he fakes, he'll always go left first...'

'Keep an eye out for this movement...it means he is planning to shoot...'

It was one thing to tell them what to look out for but it was another thing for them to be able to utilize his information. After all, it's difficult to actually keep track of movements in a three-second span on the court. One would have to be extremely focused and observant. Even then, the team may be able to predict what Clopeh might do next but they would still be unable to react on time. 

Cale watched with a neutral expression as Clopeh once again dunked the ball through the hoop. 

A resounding cheer followed up from Touou's reserved teammates. 

The players of Seiring were getting frustrated and it was clear they were unable to grasp their rhythm. 

Cale made eye contact with Hyuga who was busy wiping the sweat off his chin and the redhead nodded. 

Hyuga understood what it meant and quickly gathered up the team. The team huddled together where a brief exchange of words was uttered until the whistle was blown forcing them back into position. 

Standing in their separate positions on the court, fierce determination burned in their eyes. 

****

Clopeh eyed the Seirin players with mild interest. 

As expected of a team that Cale-nim decided to support, they hadn't yet given up despite the large gap between points. Their fiery spirits still burned as brightly as ever and judging by their renewed determination, they were planning something. 

"Huh?" Clopeh's eye caught the sight of Kuroko ducking behind one of his teammates. The white-haired male frowned, "What is he--Ah!"

The ball was swiped from his hands and passed to Seirin's ace; the loud redhead. The boy jumped up and slammed the ball through the hoop with a resounding shout. 

"HA!" Kagami shouted. As he landed back on his feet, the rest of his team cheered. 

"Haha! Nice one!" Izuki slapped his back as a friendly gesture. 

"We got them," Kuroko muttered with a small grin. 

On the sidelines, Riko clenched her fists and grinned. She looked down at Cale who was watching the players with an impassive look. 

"It worked Cale-kun! We were able to catch them off guard like you said," she said. 

The pretty crimson-haired male merely hummed in response. Opening his mouth, he said, "That strategy won't work again though. However, it has established the groundwork for what comes next. Hopefully, Hyuga-san and the others will be able to pull it off."

"I'm sure they will," Riko told him with full confidence. She trusted her boys to push past their limits. 

'It's just one basket but it was enough to motivate them further,' thought Cale. 'Whatever happens from now on will be up to them and their ability to adapt.'

Cale looked over at the court and caught Clopeh staring at him with a familiar crazed fanatical look in his eyes. Black lines appeared on Cale's grimacing face and he quickly averted his eyes.

'Crazy bastard.'

****

"Thank you for the match!!" shouted the two teams in unison. 

On the scoreboard, the points were at 80 for Seirin and 140 for Touou. 

"At least they didn't double our score," Koganei said before hefting a heavy sigh. "Clopeh and Aomine together should be illegal."

"Had we played for longer, not even double, they would have tripled our score!" Furihata exclaimed with a pale face. 

The team were naturally upset at their loss but they were accepting of it. To the end, they hadn't given up and continued doing their best. Perhaps, if Clopeh was not there, the results would've been very different. But as Cale said, this was an excellent learning experience.

"We still have much to learn and improve on," Kuroko said as he stood next to Kagami who was drinking water. The tall redhead wiped away the droplets from his lips and scowled, "Tsk. Don't say something so obvious."

Kuroko hummed and looked over to where their crimson-haired manager was standing. He and Clopeh Sekka were engaged in a conversation in a language that he couldn't recognize. It sounded like a mixture of German and French. 

Cale was obviously very annoyed but he didn't seem to shoo the other away. And Clopeh, well, he was still looking at Cale with crazed eyes that spoke of unadulterated worship.

"Say, Kagami-kun, what do you think is the relationship between those two?" he suddenly questioned. 

Kagami glanced at where Kuroko was looking and looked away almost instantly. In a neutral tone, he said, "I don't know and I don't think I want to find out. Sometimes, it's better to turn a blind eye to certain things."

"...Hmm."

****

A/N: Um...surprise? Finally worked up some motivation to write this chapter so here it is. Apologies for those expecting some complicated basketball tactics and action but I don't play basketball nor am I very knowledgeable on it so I kept things very vague. You guys are free to imagine how the scene played out and stuff. I have not dropped this story at all so don't worry. I plan to continue writing this to the end. And don't worry, the rest of the TCF characters will begin making an appearance. 

P.S. Do check out my original novel that I published on my sub-account. It is called 'Lynette'. You can find it in my Wattpad Reading List.