Chapter Text
Sendoh woke to the shrill buzz of his alarm.
Still half-asleep, he fumbled for his phone on the nightstand and silenced it without opening his eyes. He stayed in bed for another ten minutes, face buried in the pillow, clinging to the last soft fragments of the dream he'd been having.
Then the rest of his body caught up, and the dream's parting gift made itself known.
Sendoh swore under his breath.
Not again.
He shoved the sheets aside and headed straight for the shower, turning the water cold enough to hurt, hoping it would wash away the rest of it too.
By the time he finished his usual morning routine, the sky outside was still washed in early blue. He changed for his jog and rolled his shoulder, still sore from last night.
He reached for his phone.
More than fifty notifications. At a glance, he could see texts from the assistant coach. His parents. Mitsui. Even a message from Koshino, who hadn't texted him in months.
His stomach sank.
He opened the latest one first. It was from the team manager.
What did you guys do??
Below it were a photo and several links from local news outlets.
Sendoh tapped the photo before he opened any of the articles.
It was blurry, clearly taken in a rush, but there was no mistaking any of them. Sakuragi's red hair gave him away instantly, caught mid-swing with his fist connecting with someone who was already on his way down. Mitsui was off to the side, mouth open in the middle of yelling something. Rukawa had a man's arm locked in his grip, his face flat and unreadable. In a photo like this, that expression could only make things look worse.
He opened the first article.
Top B.League Basketball Team Brawls in Bar
The second:
Yokohama Tritons Under Fire After Barroom Altercation
And the third:
Sponsors Express Concern Over Players' Conduct
His phone rang before he could click anything else.
Coach Taoka.
Sendoh straightened at once and answered.
"Sendoh," Taoka barked. "Get your ass to the facility. Bring the team. I expect every last one of you."
The line went dead.
Sendoh stared at the screen.
"…Shit."