Chapter 50: If You Can’t Steal It, You Just Can’t Steal It

Aomine Daiki knew very well—his defense couldn't compare to that freak Tendou. So in every game, when Tendou was over there racking up steals and messing with the opponents' mental states, Aomine would just focus on scoring. Because that was his specialty. Tendou was a defensive monster. Aomine was born to score. Unexpectedly, Aomine wasn't the smartest guy around. He didn't have Akashi's court vision or Midorima's cool head. But what he did have was a basketball instinct that transcended the entire team. He knew what his strengths were. And he knew how to use them. Scoring. That was what he was made for. And as a scorer, how could he possibly accept scoring less than Tendou? In Aomine's eyes, Tendou was a guy whose defense was even stronger than his offense. "No way I'm losing to him!" He bolted up the court like a comet streaking through the sky. "Aomine's hunger to score is intense. He'll be an ace scorer someday." "Yeah, he was born for it." The coaches were happy to see their players in such excellent form. Until they noticed Kise... no—Haizaki—hot on Aomine's heels. The lone wolf who'd been lurking for most of the quarter had finally bared his fangs. "Don't get in my way, Haizaki!" "Screw off, charcoal-head!" Haizaki used his superior off-ball speed to get ahead of Aomine and cut him off. "Then I'll crush you," Aomine said, fired up. What he loved most was going one-on-one with strong opponents. Unfortunately, the captain had a team to run and rarely scrimmaged with him anymore. Akashi and Midorima weren't his type either, so usually, he only got to duel with Tendou. Now that Haizaki was here, he was excited. Pure streetball style—though not yet as polished as it would be in his second year. The basketball danced in Aomine's hands like a sprite—lightning-fast, unpredictable, impossible to read. But Haizaki didn't flinch. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned. "You think I've been standing around doing nothing this whole time?" "I'll take you down—and then I'll take down Tendou!" A sadistic grin twisted Haizaki's face as he lunged in the instant Aomine made his move, his right arm cutting forward like a blade. Even Nijimura and Shirogane on the sidelines were stunned. "No way!" "He's even copied Tendou's 'Cleave'?!" "Wasn't that move derived from Tendou's kendo strikes? Don't tell me Haizaki's also a kendo master?!" Everyone was shocked. The scene playing out was simply too unbelievable. The sudden chorus of gasps from around the court made Haizaki feel extremely satisfied. This was what true plunder looked like. "Got you, Daiki!" His attack was swift, his right arm slicing through the air like a spear. Aomine sensed danger. His instincts kicked in and he tried to dodge. Then—smack—their hands collided. But it wasn't the explosive impact everyone expected— It was... ... 『Huh?!』 『Yo, is this BL bait?』 『Damn, is Haizaki mad at Tendou because Aomine was stolen from him?』 『They're... holding hands?』 『KANYOBIRE~~』 『KANYOBIRESOUWASÉKANYOBIRE~』 The comment feed instantly exploded. Because Aomine, trying to avoid the steal, had switched the ball to his other hand right as Haizaki lunged— —And Haizaki ended up grabbing Aomine's hand instead of the ball. For some reason, a faint pink aura seemed to bloom in the air. Tendou screeched to a stop, nearly whiplashing his neck as he flung his head back in disbelief. He opened the comment stream—only to see a wall of chaos and karaoke lyrics from If You Are the One. "These two boys... so daring!" Riko gasped, covering her mouth, casting a suspicious glance at Tendou. "What's with that look? I'm totally normal! Basketball is the only thing I ever do with him!" Tendou protested, feeling personally attacked. He was absolutely straight, thank you very much! ... 『HAHAHAHAHA~』 『Riko's look was too real.』 『Why are y'all laughing? This is textbook discrimination. So what if Daiki's hot? It's not weird for someone to fall for him.』 『But Haizaki's a guy!!』 『Doesn't the law allow man-riding-man relationships?』 『Oh god, even this series has BL bait?』 『Yo, bro above, what's your QQ number?』 『Traditional values!』 ... Tendou nearly barfed. He shut the comment feed instantly, nearly losing his lunch from the chaos. These dumbass netizens always found new ways to mess around. Who needed comedy anime when your own fans were like this? On the court, Aomine was initially just mad that his scoring opportunity had been ruined. But when he felt the shift in the crowd—noticed his childhood friend looking at him like that— His face, usually dark from his tan, actually blushed. "You bastard!" "Haizaki, what the hell was that?! You even know how to play basketball?!" Aomine yanked his hand back in fury. "I-I-I didn't do it on purpose, damn it! Like I'd wanna hold your hand!" Haizaki's face also turned bright red, that bloodthirsty expression gone, now replaced with awkward embarrassment. He was a seven-foot-tall man. His favorite pastime was chasing girls. There was no way he liked men! And if he did—he definitely wouldn't go for someone tall, dark, and built like Aomine! These bastards were insulting his entire character! He turned around—and saw Tendou bending backward dramatically. That bastard. Was he really suspecting Haizaki's orientation? Haizaki wanted to kill him. But calming down, he suddenly realized something else. He couldn't steal "Cleave." Even though he copied Aomine's move and predicted his next step— It wasn't the same. It just didn't feel the same. Even if Aomine hadn't dodged, it would've been a clean steal at best—not terrifying, not lethal. Not like Tendou. There was no mistaking it. "You just... can't steal it." That feeling—the icy chill, the razor-sharp killing intent of Tendou's "Cleave"— It simply couldn't be replicated. No matter how hard he tried. "How the hell does he do that?" "It's just a steal... why can't I copy it?" --- Vote with some power stones in this story. By using them on this book, you guarantee bonus chapters weekly.