Kiyoshi finally holds up a hand, like a traffic cop stopping rush hour. “Hold your horses, people,” he says, voice all chill and steady. He totally knew this was gonna drop like a bomb. That was kinda the point, TBH.

  “I get the surprise, I really do,” Kiyoshi continues, voice still calm and reassuring, like he's talking everyone off a ledge. “And yeah, James is the new kid on the block. And nope, we haven’t seen him in a real game yet. True. But,” he pauses for dramatic effect, “I’ve been watching him. Like, really watching him.” His gaze softens a little, and he actually looks over at James, who’s just standing there at the back, quiet as a mouse. Dude’s expression? Still totally unreadable. Like a stone-faced emoji. Mysterious vibes were off the charts. What was Kiyoshi seeing that everyone else was missing? This was getting interesting… and maybe, just maybe, a little bit exciting?

  “James,” Kiyoshi keeps going, voice getting more confident now, like he’s actually believing his own hype. “James has… a whole different vibe on the court. He’s not about the fancy footwork or screaming at the top of his lungs after every basket. He doesn't even know how to dribble properly. He’s not trying to be Mr. Hypebeast out there, you know?”

  Kiyoshi pauses, thinking for a sec. “He’s more… low-key observant. Like a ninja, but for basketball strategy. He’s always watching, always analyzing. And he sees gaps, man. Openings that the rest of us just totally miss because we’re too busy trying to look cool or whatever.” He gets a little quieter, voice dropping like he’s sharing a secret. “He pys with this… quiet intensity. It’s kinda intense, but in a chill way? Hard to expin. But trust me, it's like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s… unique.”

  He steps away from the bnk whiteboard, finally abandoning it completely. He moves closer to the team, making it feel more personal, more conspiratorial. “Think about it,” he says, voice even lower now. “Motijheel? They’re gonna expect us to be… well, us. Py our usual game. Run our usual pys. They’ve probably watched our game tapes, done their homework. They know who’s gonna dribble, who’s gonna shoot, who’s gonna trip over their own feet.” He gives a pyful side-eye to Arshad, who just ughs and shrugs.

  Kiyoshi gets serious again. “They’re ready for us. The usual Banani High team. Predictable. Expected.” He points towards James again. “But they don’t know James. They haven’t seen him py. He’s like… a secret level boss they didn’t unlock yet. A total wild card. A curveball. A plot twist in their perfectly pnned strategy.”

  Kiyoshi’s eyes actually sparkled a little, like he was a mad scientist or something, but with basketball strategy instead of, you know, actual science. “My master pn, if you will, is this,” he announces, all dramatic. “We start with the OGs, the starting five you know and love – and more importantly, trust. We gotta ride out the initial chaos, feel out Motijheel’s game pn, keep the score tight. Basically, just survive the first half.”