🕛 Start of the 4th Quarter
Kaizen 55 – Tokinaga 50
The crowd's tense.
Ayame stands at midcourt, arms at her sides.
She's no longer whispering plays.No more signals.
Just silence.And a new kind of stillness—the kind right before lightning.
🧠 Riku Notices First
On the sideline, Riku's eyes narrow.
"She's letting go."
Coach Tanaka:
"Of what?"
"Control.She's going to stop being a composer…And start being the storm."
⚔️ Ayame Breaks the Flow
First possession—no chain.Just a jab step.Drive.Contact.Bank shot. Bucket.
Next?She rips the ball from Drift mid-dribble.Fastbreak. One defender.Eurostep through contact.
And-one.
She screams—first time all game.
"Let's stop hiding behind systems."
💥 The Court Becomes a Battlefield
Kaizen answers.
Renji crosses over two.Stepback three. Splash.
Souta spins out of a trap—lob to Keigo.Slam.
Drift breaks two ankles, tosses a behind-the-head dish.Daiki finishes.
Ayame drives coast-to-coast.Lefty floater. Swish.
The scoreboard barely blinks before the next play starts.
🩹 Timeout – 3 Minutes Left
Kaizen 66 – Tokinaga 64
Both teams are drenched.
Riku limps into the huddle.
Renji looks at him.
"She's not playing to win anymore."
Riku nods.
"She's playing to prove something."
👤 Flashback – Ayame's Childhood
A brief cutaway.
Piano recital. Judges watching.Ayame plays perfectly. No mistakes. No applause.
Her father:
"Perfection means nothing if no one remembers you."
Her mother:
"Emotion is weakness. Your job is to execute."
🎯 Final Minutes – One-on-One: Ayame vs. Renji
Riku draws a play.Renji ignores it.
"No more choreography."
Ayame takes the inbound.Renji meets her at halfcourt.
She dribbles once.Twice.
Jab step.Spin.Crossover.Behind the back.
She fakes left—
Renji doesn't move.
He waits.Reads.Strips the ball.
Fastbreak.
He doesn't pass.
One step. Two.
Ayame closes in—
Renji lifts—
Contact.
Ball arcs.
Swish.
And-one.
🕊️ The Final Scene – After the Buzzer
Kaizen wins: 69–64
Ayame sits at the baseline, breathing heavy.
Renji walks over.Offers a hand.
"You were right.I was angry.But now?I'm free."
She takes his hand.
For the first time—she smiles.
"Then we both won."