Chapter 136: Teikō’s Past
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly and sighed as well.
“I didn’t expect it either. But that’s just how life is—no one can ever be sure what the future holds.”
Shuzo Nijimura let out a sigh.
“Yeah… you’re right. No one can predict it. By the way, Haizaki—what about Akashi and the others? Did anything change after we left?”
Shogo Haizaki’s expression shifted the moment he heard that.
Shuzo Nijimura noticed it immediately and pressed him.
“What is it, Haizaki? Did something big happen after we left?”
Shogo Haizaki nodded, his expression complicated.
“After you left… something did happen.”
Miyamoto Tokima frowned slightly and said,
“Go into detail.”
Shogo Haizaki nodded and began recounting what happened.
“After you left, everything was fine at first. Everyone trained as usual, following the routine and preparing for the following year’s competitions.
“But the problem appeared in the second half of that year.”
He sighed heavily.
“Coach Shirogane… fell ill…”
Shuzo Nijimura’s face filled with shock as he blurted out,
“Coach Shirogane really got sick? Damn it, Tokima—are you some kind of prophet?!”
Miyamoto Tokima shot him a flat look and stayed silent.
Shogo Haizaki shook his head.
“It wasn’t extremely serious. He just couldn’t continue leading our training.
“Honestly, it’s thanks to Tokima-san’s preparations in advance that Coach Shirogane’s condition didn’t worsen.”
Shuzo Nijimura turned toward Miyamoto Tokima.
“Tokima, what did you do?”
Miyamoto Tokima replied calmly,
“My family has hospitals in Japan. I made arrangements long ago—any injuries involving Teikō’s basketball team would be fast-tracked and treated with top priority.
“When I was in the United States, they contacted me and said a Teikō coach had been hospitalized. After asking around, I found out it was Coach Shirogane, so I told them to do everything they could to keep him stable. Clearly, they succeeded.”
In truth, Miyamoto Tokima had already anticipated Kōzō Shirogane’s illness.
He had once arranged medical examinations for him, and the results showed that his physical condition was already declining and required treatment.
Miyamoto Tokima tried to persuade him, but Kōzō Shirogane refused. He wanted to witness the growth of the Teikō players—more accurately, he didn’t want them to take the wrong path.
With no other choice, Miyamoto Tokima made advance arrangements with the hospital, preparing for the day Coach Shirogane would fall ill.
After hearing this, all the words Shuzo Nijimura wanted to say turned into a single sigh.
“…Hah.”
“Go on, Haizaki,” Miyamoto Tokima said, signaling him to continue.
Shogo Haizaki nodded.
“After Coach Shirogane fell ill, we were all devastated. We visited him and then went back to training—but the very next day, something changed.”
“Akashi… changed…”
“He became someone we didn’t recognize at all. It was like he turned into a completely different person.”
Miyamoto Tokima frowned deeply.
Everything Shogo Haizaki was saying pointed to one conclusion—Akashi’s second personality had awakened.
What confused Miyamoto Tokima was this: Akashi hadn’t even faced anyone in a one-on-one duel yet. So why had the second personality taken over?
Shogo Haizaki continued describing what happened next.
Shogo Haizaki’s memories…
The day after Coach Shirogane fell ill.
Teikō Middle School Basketball Club.
Everyone was training, but a trace of sadness lingered on every face.
Shogo Haizaki was practicing his shooting. After missing yet another shot, he angrily slammed the basketball away.
“Damn it!”
Shintaro Midorima saw this and said calmly,
“Haizaki, your mind is unsettled.”
Haizaki shot him a displeased glance, clicked his tongue, and turned back to keep shooting.
Midorima didn’t mind and casually tossed the ball in his hand.
Daiki Aomine spoke up,
“Midorima, why bother talking to him? You know exactly what he’s like. Ever since Miyamoto and Nijimura-senpai left, he’s completely let himself go.
“Other than taking practice seriously, when has he ever not slacked off during actual games?”
Midorima pushed up his glasses and replied evenly,
“That’s exactly why I’m curious. Why does he train so seriously, yet start slacking off the moment it’s a match?”
Aomine waved his hand.
“Who knows? I just don’t like him.”
Nearby, Atsushi Murasakibara munched on potato chips and asked lazily,
“Huh? Why isn’t Akashi here today?”
Aomine looked just as puzzled.
“Yeah, why isn’t Akashi here? He’s the least likely person to skip practice.”
“Hey, Aomine, wanna go one-on-one?”
Ryota Kise said with a bright smile.
By then, Kise had already joined the basketball club and become Shogo Haizaki’s backup.
Drawn in by Aomine’s overwhelming talent, he had set his sights on defeating him.
Aomine waved him off impatiently.
“Nope. Not today. I’m not in the mood.”
Kise sighed helplessly and spun the ball on his finger.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Coach Shirogane’s sick, but we still can’t slack off on training.”
“By the way, Aomine—you’re already this strong. Why do you still train so hard?”
Aomine froze, memories flooding back.
Recalling the pressure Miyamoto Tokima had given him that day, he shuddered slightly and said in a low voice,
“Because… there’s someone I absolutely have to beat.”
Kise asked curiously,
“You mean that Miyamoto Tokima everyone keeps talking about? Is he really that strong?”
Aomine snapped his head around, his expression deadly serious.
“He’s strong. So strong that I couldn’t score a single point against him.”
Kise froze, disbelief written all over his face.
“You’re… you’re joking, right? You couldn’t score even once? What kind of monster is he?!”
Murasakibara popped another chip into his mouth and said slowly,
“Miyamoto… I kinda miss him already.”
Midorima adjusted his glasses and walked over, his tone solemn.
“Kise, you just joined, so it’s normal that you don’t know. Miyamoto used to be the strongest among us—also the most complete. Even my three-pointers couldn’t beat him.”
Kise’s expression changed completely, shock flashing through his eyes.
“Huh?! Midorima, you’ve gotta be kidding me! Someone’s better than you at threes?!”
Thud.
A sound rang out as someone stood with their hands on their hips.
Kise yelped, clutching his lower back, spun around, and shouted,
“Kuroko! That hurts!!”
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