If you've ever had someone stare at you like you're a ghost… you'll know what it feels like when your past refuses to stay buried.
Ren Mizuhara wasn't just someone from "Akira's" past.
He was the past.
He walked beside me after practice. No crowd. No noise. Just the sound of our sneakers echoing on the concrete behind the gym.
"I wasn't hallucinating earlier, was I?"
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know how.
"You disappeared two years ago, Akira. Vanished. Everyone thought you were dead. Your mom stopped coming to school."
He looked at me like he wanted to cry.
I didn't feel like crying.
I felt like running.
But this wasn't a life I could run from anymore.
"My name is Kudo Hirata now," I said quietly. "And no—I don't know how. I just woke up… here."
He stepped closer, voice low and brittle.
"Then what am I supposed to do, huh? Pretend you're someone else? Act like you didn't leave me and everyone else behind?"
I stayed silent.
"You left without saying goodbye. Without finishing our last game. You were supposed to be my captain."
He was trembling now.
And for the first time, I realized something.
I wasn't the only one grieving.
Coach Anzai must've smelled tension from across the city. Because the next day, he pulled out the war board and dropped a bomb.
"Today's practice will be a controlled scrimmage. Red team vs White team. Kudo and Ren—opposite sides."
Of course.
Because clearly, this wasn't dramatic enough already.
I ended up on a team with Sakuragi, Kogure, and Miyagi. Ren got Rukawa, Mito, and Yasuda.
As we stood at half-court, Sakuragi leaned over.
"Oi, Kudo. Who's that guy glaring at you like you stole his lunch money?"
I didn't answer.
He blinked. "Wait. You did steal his lunch money?"
"Shut up and rebound."
He grinned. "That's the spirit."
The whistle blew.
Ren played like a storm. Fast, clinical, angry.
It was like watching someone play chess at 2x speed—only the chessboard was on fire and he was trying to kill me with every screen.
We traded assists early on. Miyagi's speed kept us in it, and Sakuragi actually boxed out for once.
Then it happened.
Midway through the second quarter, I ran a no-look bounce pass to Sakuragi in transition.
He caught it—miraculously—and took flight.
BOOM.
The dunk rattled the entire gym.
Ayako actually gasped. Even Rukawa looked mildly impressed.
Sakuragi yelled, fist in the air:
"Did you see that?! I am the rebounding dunking genius!!"
Coach Anzai scribbled something down. Probably: miracle confirmed.
We huddled. Sakuragi grabbed my shoulder.
"That pass—teach me again later, yeah?"
I nodded. "Only if you promise not to break the floorboards next time."
We both laughed.
But Ren didn't.
Final minutes. Tie game. We were down to the last play.
Coach gave me the nod. My ball. Last possession.
I could see Ren locking eyes with me from across the court.
"One more time," I whispered to myself. "Let's see if I've really changed."
I dribbled left. Pump fake. Kicked it out to Kogure—who passed it back mid-air.
It was instinct now.
Overclock vision activated. Everything slowed.
Sakuragi cut to the rim like a wild bull with tunnel vision.
I threw the lob.
He rose.
Caught it.
SLAMMED IT HOME.
Buzzer.
We won.
And then the crowd erupted—well, crowd meaning the three managers and the janitor. But still. Victory.
After everyone else cleared out, I stayed behind to shoot free throws.
That's when Haruko showed up.
She stood by the baseline, holding a cold sports drink.
"You were amazing today."
I smiled. "Sakuragi was the one flying. I just threw the ball."
"You looked like you belonged."
I stopped mid-shot.
"Kudo… can I ask something honest?"
I nodded.
"If you had to choose… between the life you had before, and this one—right now—what would you choose?"
My hands tightened around the ball.
"It's not that easy," I muttered. "I had people I loved there. People I still dream about."
She stepped closer.
"And what about the people who are starting to love you now?"
That hit harder than any dunk.
I turned.
She was smiling softly, but her eyes shimmered with something raw.
"Don't get lost in a life that's already gone, Kudo. We're here. I'm here."
Later that night, I stared at my reflection in the window. Not the mirror. The window.
Because windows show what's beyond you. Mirrors only show what's behind.
And I realized…
Maybe it wasn't about choosing between past and present.
Maybe it was about choosing to live—fully—in whichever one you're lucky enough to have.
📓 Final Thoughts
Ren remembers the old me.
Haruko sees the current me.
And somewhere in between…
I have to figure out who I really want to be.
Basketball is funny like that.
You can fake a shot.
Fake a pass.
Fake your way through almost anything…
Except heart.
And right now?
Mine's still figuring out where to go.
But at least… it's still moving.