Chapter 137: The Bet
Tetsuya Kuroko expressionlessly jabbed Ryota Kise in the side, making Kise yelp in pain.
Ignoring Kise’s wailing, Kuroko said calmly,
“Miyamoto really is strong. Kise, as you are now, you still can’t defeat him.”
Kise protested indignantly,
“I’ll definitely beat him! But before that, I’ll take down Aomine!”
Daiki Aomine let out a mocking smile, his voice utterly flat.
“The only one who can beat me… is him. You… can’t.”
Kise shot back stubbornly,
“Don’t look down on me. I’ll beat you for sure.”
Aomine spread his hands.
“Then I’ll wait for that day.”
Click…
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed through the gym.
The Teikō players all turned toward the entrance.
Seijuro Akashi walked in expressionlessly, an icy, oppressive aura radiating from him.
He stopped in front of the group and spoke in a detached tone,
“So, everyone’s here.”
Shogo Haizaki snapped irritably,
“Obviously. What, you think everyone shows up late like you?”
Akashi cast him a cold glance.
That single look made Haizaki feel as if he’d plunged into a glacier, a chill piercing straight through him.
“Shogo,” Akashi said coolly, “don’t interrupt when I’m speaking.”
Haizaki clenched his teeth, his face twisted with anger, but he didn’t say anything. From Akashi, he felt an unmistakably dangerous presence.
Shintaro Midorima’s expression shifted slightly. He had sensed Akashi’s change as well.
In fact, everyone had.
Only after no one spoke did Akashi continue,
“Since we’re all here, I have something to announce.”
“From today onward, I expect all of you to give everything you have in matches, and put in absolute effort during training. We share the same goal.”
“I believe each of you already has your own thoughts, don’t you?”
Aomine and the others’ expressions subtly changed.
Because Akashi was right—every one of them had the same thought.
That was…
To defeat Miyamoto… with their own strength.
Aside from Atsushi Murasakibara, Shogo Haizaki, and Tetsuya Kuroko, everyone wanted to defeat Miyamoto with their own power once they reached high school.
Because of that, they trained relentlessly.
Ever since that one-on-one match, Aomine had carried a clear goal in his heart and pushed himself toward it.
In other words, Aomine had completely changed. He didn’t become the arrogant, all-conquering prodigy from the original story.
Instead, he became someone who chased after Miyamoto’s footsteps with sheer effort.
Kise, who had always trained with the goal of defeating Aomine, now had another target in mind—
the person Aomine acknowledged: Miyamoto.
After losing that three-point contest, Midorima silently swore that one day, he would defeat Miyamoto with three-pointers.
Never having fallen into darkness to begin with, he only became more diligent than before.
Their growth came earlier than expected. By the middle of their second year of junior high, Teikō stormed into the National Tournament with consecutive victories, each by margins of over fifty points.
Even third-year Kotaro Hayama, fighting with everything he had, couldn’t escape defeat. Teikō crushed them with a sixty-six-point difference.
Watching the changes in their expressions, Akashi continued,
“I’ve discussed things with the assistant coach. The lineup for the National Tournament has been decided.”
“Center: Atsushi. Power forward: Daiki. Small forward: Ryota. Shooting guard: Shintaro. Point guard: myself.”
When Akashi finished, everyone froze in shock.
Kise pointed at himself, barely believing it as he spoke,
“Akashi… you mean… I’m a starter?”
Akashi nodded lightly.
“Ryota will start at small forward. The substitute will be Shogo.”
Haizaki exploded immediately,
“What the hell are you saying?! You want me to be his backup?!”
He’d never gotten along with Kise, so his anger was only natural.
Kise was just as unhappy with Haizaki, seeing him as nothing more than a delinquent.
“This was decided by Akashi and the coach together. What right do you have to object?”
Haizaki grabbed Kise by the collar, snarling,
“You little punk!”
Akashi barked sharply,
“Shogo! Let go! Do you want to be expelled from the basketball club?!”
Haizaki twisted his head away, shouting back,
“Who do you think you are, ordering me around?!”
Akashi’s expression darkened, the cold pressure around him intensifying.
“You… want to die?”
That presence made Haizaki’s body go cold. Without realizing it, he loosened his grip and let Kise go.
Damn it… what’s going on? Is this really the Akashi I know?
Haizaki was shaken to the core. It was hard to believe that the usually gentle Akashi could give off such a merciless, chilling aura, as if he were an entirely different person.
Seeing Haizaki let go, Akashi said indifferently,
“You’re dissatisfied?”
Haizaki grit his teeth, glaring.
“Of course I am! Why the hell should I be this kid’s backup?!”
Akashi replied coldly,
“Because his talent surpasses yours. With your level of talent, you can’t keep up with us at all. You… are weak…”
Haizaki stiffened, then roared,
“That’s complete bullshit!”
Akashi picked up a basketball beside him.
“Don’t believe me? Then let’s settle it one-on-one. If you win, you’ll stay as a starter, and I won’t make any further demands of you. But if you lose… you’ll quit the basketball club.”
The moment he said that, everyone was stunned—including Kise.
Kise only disliked Haizaki; he’d never intended to drive him out of the club entirely.
Aomine quickly stepped in,
“Akashi, that bet’s way too extreme. There’s no need to make him quit.”
He shot Haizaki a meaningful look.
“Haizaki, say something. It’s just a starting position, right?”
Even though Aomine didn’t get along with Haizaki either, they were still teammates who had fought side by side through thick and thin.
He truly didn’t want Haizaki to leave.
Kise also spoke up,
“Yeah, Akashi, it’s not necessary. Worst case, I’ll give up the starting spot.”
They might not like Haizaki, but none of them wanted to push him to the point of leaving the club.
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