[FLOW STATE: ACTIVATED]
The world didn’t stop. It just... slowed down.
Every sound was drawn out; the crowd’s cheering sounded like a low, deep rumble. The squeaky shoes echoed slowly... even his own heartbeat felt slow and steady, like a clock ticking down the ti.
Akira saw everything.
Takeshi was leaning forward, ready to push off. His hands were down low to guard against a crossover move. He had his feet spread wide, prepared to slide sideways.
Twenty seconds beca two.
Akira crossed over hard to his left. Takeshi bit, shifting his montum to cut off the lane.
Then Akira stepped back.
His injured ankle scread in protest as he planted on it, but the Flow State muted the pain just enough. He rose up, releasing the ball in one smooth motion.
Takeshi lunged forward, hand stretching desperately toward the ball.
Too late.
The buzzer sounded.
The ball rotated through the air, spinning perfectly, arcing high over Takeshi’s outstretched fingers.
It hit the back of the rim, bounced once against the front, and dropped through the net.
Swish.
The gymnasium exploded as the scoreboard flashed: Kawakami 70, Shibuya 67.
Akira’s legs gave out.
The Flow State deactivated instantly, and the full weight of the pain ca crashing back. His ankle buckled, his knees went weak, and he dropped hard toward the floor.
The team sward him imdiately, their hands pulling him to his feet and voices shouting in celebration. Soone grabbed his shoulders and another his arm, lifting him up despite the pain shooting through his leg.
Kenji stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching the chaos with an unreadable expression. When their eyes t, Kenji looked away first, turning and walking toward the bench without a word.
Then the crowd parted, and Mia was there.
She pushed through the chaos, with a mix of relieved and angry expressions on her face. "Are you okay? That looked bad."
"I’m fine," Akira said, though his weight was almost entirely on his good leg.
Rina appeared next, her violet eyes wide with worry. "You’re not fine. You can barely stand."
Aoi was right behind her, her hands twisting nervously. "Should we call an ambulance? That fall looked really bad."
Ayaka was the last to slip through the crowd. Her face was calm, but her eyes were sharp. She leaned in close, her voice just a whisper over the noise. "When you hit the ground, your energy shot up. I think the SPIU noticed."
Akira’s stomach dropped.
In the VIP section, Valerius stood.
He started clapping slowly. His hands ca together in a rhythm that broke through the noise. Soon, the crowd followed his lead, one person after another, until everyone in the gymnasium was on their feet and clapping.
Valerius made direct eye contact with Akira across the court. He smiled and mouthed two words: Impressive. But that looked painful.
Then he turned to Sakura, offering his hand. "Co. Let’s give them privacy."
Sakura hesitated for just a second, glancing down at Akira. Then she took Valerius’s hand and let him lead her toward the exit.
Akira tried to move, tried to stop them, but his ankle gave out again, and he nearly collapsed.
By the ti he looked up, they were gone.
—
In the upper bleachers, two SPIU agents sat with tablets open on their laps.
One of them rewound the footage, zooming in on the mont Akira hit the ground. Fra by fra, he analysed the impact, the way Akira clutched his ankle, and the brief flicker of sothing beneath his skin.
"There," the first agent said, pausing the video. "Golden shimr. Less than a second, but it’s there."
The second agent leaned in, squinting at the screen. "Could be a cara artifact. Lighting reflection."
"Or it could be a supernatural healing response." The first agent tapped the screen. "See... Kanzaki Akira is already on the watchlist after the festival incident."
"Flag it?"
"Flag it and escalate to Command."
The second agent typed quickly, attaching the footage to an encrypted ssage. "Done. They’ll want to bring him in for testing."
"Not yet. Observation only. But if he shows any more signs, we move."
—
The locker room was empty by the ti Akira limped in.
The celebration had moved to the courtyard, where the team was basking in the post-ga crowd. Coach had tried to get Akira to stay, but he’d waved them off, insisting he needed ice and rest.
Now, alone in the quiet, he sat down on the bench and carefully unwrapped the athletic tape from his ankle.
The skin underneath was swollen and bruised, with angry shades of purple and black spreading across the joint. He flexed it carefully, wincing at the sharp pain.
"Ai. Partial healing. Just enough to walk without limping."
"Are you sure? If anyone sees..."
"I don’t have much of a choice. Just do it."
The golden light returned, softer this ti, flowing through his ankle like warm water. The swelling reduced slightly. The bruising faded from black to dark purple, and the pain dulled to a manageable throb.
It wasn’t completely healed, but it was functional.
He stood, testing his weight. Better.
His phone buzzed. He unlocked the screen and saw three new ssages waiting.
Satomi had texted about a Gate opening in the Warehouse District. Delta-class, and the SPIU was monitoring but hadn’t moved yet. He needed to handle it before they did.
Ayaka had sent a ssage about Rina. Her essence was spiking again. She was trying to hide it, but Ayaka could feel it from where she was. Rina needed him.
Aya wanted to et tonight at their usual place. She needed to talk about what she’d seen during the ga.
And Valerius had sent the last ssage. "Congratulations on the win," he’d written. Then he invited Akira to dinner that night to discuss a business proposition. He wanted Akira to bring Sakura. She’d already agreed to join them.
The system chid softly in his peripheral vision.
[WARNING: SAKURA CORRUPTION PROGRESS: 40%]
[TI REMAINING: 3 HOURS]
Akira stared at the screen. Three hours until Sakura’s corruption beca irreversible. A Delta-class Gate opening. Rina destabilizing. The SPIU closing in. And Valerius had Sakura right where he wanted her.
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