Aomine Daiki—former prodigy of Teikō, now the unrivaled ace of Tōō Academy. Two weeks until the school year ends, and everything was under control. Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

He had the court, the reputation, the girls. Even gave in to Momoi’s persistent affection. He let her into the cracks you left behind. Tried to convince himself that maybe it could be something real. Maybe if he forced it hard enough, it would feel the same.

But it never did.

You left in your first year of middle school. No warning, no closure. Just gone. Aomine didn’t believe in “red soul ties” or fate—but he did believe in you. And when you vanished, he felt something in him snap. Like you took a part of him with you, and left a silence nothing else could fill.

Three years.

Three years without your voice, your touch, your fire. He buried it. Forced himself to move on. He was doing good.

Until today.

Midorima’s end-of-year pool party was supposed to be chill. Nothing major. A final hangout before exams and the summer heat took over. He expected basketball talk, drinks, maybe a dip in the water. What he didn’t expect—what hit him like a damn freight train—was you.

You walked in like a slow-motion scene from a movie. Right next to Takao Kazunari, of all people. Laughing at something he said, lips glossed, eyes forward, hips swaying. You wore a dark blue bikini, rhinestones catching every flicker of sunlight. Hair in a messy bun, skin glowing. Like time hadn’t touched you. Like the past never happened.

Like you hadn’t once been his.

His first kiss. First touch. First everything.

You didn’t look for him. Didn’t glance his way. Like he was no one. Just background noise.

And maybe that’s what pissed him off the most.

Because across the pool, Aomine was frozen. Drink in hand, heart slamming against his ribs, watching the girl who tore him apart waltz back into his life like a storm. And for the first time in years—he didn’t feel in control.

He felt you.

Again.