Chapter 151: Shūtoku vs. Seirin
At a restaurant near Kirisaki High.
Miyamoto Tokima and the others were seated in a private room, chatting casually.
“So that means all three of you joined Kirisaki?”
Daiki Aomine asked in a daze, clearly struggling to believe it.
Shogo Haizaki curled his lips into a smug grin.
“What, Aomine? Scared?”
Of course Daiki Aomine wasn’t about to back down. He shot back immediately,
“Scared? No way. I’d actually be happier if you guys were stronger!”
And that was the truth. Hearing that they were all at the same school didn’t frighten him in the slightest—it only fueled his fighting spirit.
Though he was a little shaken.
Atsushi Murasakibara spoke while chewing, his words muffled,
“So… Miyamoto, are you guys still missing people?”
Miyamoto Tokima looked confused.
“Huh?”
Atsushi Murasakibara hurriedly swallowed his food and stared ahead blankly.
“Miyamoto Tokima, do you still need players? Should I transfer over?”
Daiki Aomine’s expression changed instantly.
“Murasakibara! You’re thinking of transferring?!”
Atsushi Murasakibara turned his head and nodded slowly.
“Yeah. If Miyamoto needs me, I’ll go.”
Daiki Aomine’s eyes widened, his expression frozen in shock.
If Atsushi Murasakibara really joined Kirisaki, then that team would have no weaknesses at all.
Miyamoto Tokima thought for a moment before asking,
“Atsushi, are you sure? You’ve probably found teammates at your current school too, right?”
Atsushi Murasakibara considered it carefully. Tatsuya Himuro had indeed treated him pretty well.
But if he had to compare him with Miyamoto…
“Sorry. I don’t know him. We’re not close. If Miyamoto says the word, I’ll transfer immediately.”
Miyamoto Tokima looked at him quietly.
Truthfully, Atsushi really was a great fit, and coming to Kirisaki would give him even better room to grow.
“Alright. I’m fine with it. But if you come here, you’ll have to follow my rules.”
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded repeatedly, his face lighting up with excitement.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! I definitely will!”
Daiki Aomine stood off to the side, completely numb.
Damn it… Atsushi Murasakibara was really heading to Kirisaki.
How were they supposed to fight that lineup?
Miyamoto Tokima + Atsushi Murasakibara + Shuzo Nijimura + Shogo Haizaki + Makoto Hanamiya.
How was that even beatable? Only if the entire Generation of Miracles teamed up would there be a chance.
And the worst part was—their own center had just ditched them!!!
Shogo Haizaki immediately noticed Daiki Aomine’s expression. He gave a sly smile.
“What’s wrong, Aomine? Getting scared?”
Daiki Aomine clenched his teeth and forced a tough reply.
“Scared? Not a chance. I’d love it if you all got together. Beating you like that would feel even better.”
After a brief silence, he lowered his voice and asked,
“Hey… Miyamoto. You guys still need anyone?”
Miyamoto Tokima replied dryly,
“…You’re unbelievable.”
...
After that, everyone talked for a long, long time.
It felt as though they’d suddenly returned to their days at Teikō Middle School.
They kept chatting until late afternoon.
Since transfer procedures in Japan took quite a while, Atsushi Murasakibara wouldn’t be able to join Kirisaki anytime soon.
If things moved quickly, he might transfer in time for the match against Tōō.
If not, it would have to wait until the Summer Cup.
Miyamoto Tokima wasn’t worried. As things stood, Kirisaki simply wasn’t going to lose.
After personally watching Daiki Aomine and Atsushi Murasakibara get on their bus home, Miyamoto Tokima supervised as Shogo Haizaki changed his hairstyle back.
At the very least, gray hair looked far better than that bizarre, edgy style.
Shogo Haizaki, forcibly dragged into changing it, was on the verge of tears and didn’t dare resist.
He watched helplessly as his hair was altered back.
The trendy look was gone, replaced by his familiar gray punk style.
...
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, Miyamoto Tokima got up early and called Satsuki Momoi and Shuzo Nijimura to head to the Seirin vs. Shūtoku match.
He wanted to see how much Shintaro Midorima had grown compared to the original story.
When they arrived at the gym, they happened to overhear first-years from another school complaining.
“Why?! Seirin was only founded last year! We’ve practiced way more than they have!”
“Last year they weren’t even worth calling opponents! The strong ones… no matter how you look at it, it should be us!”
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura muttered with mild disdain,
“Is he a sore loser? Is it really that hard to admit you lost when you can’t beat someone?”
“What kind of logic is that? Practicing more doesn’t automatically make you stronger. I practiced more than Jason Silver and his group, and I still got crushed.”
Miyamoto Tokima twitched at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t catch everything, but he definitely heard the resentment toward Jason Silver.
“Sounds like Nijimura-senpai has some issues with Jason.”
Shuzo Nijimura froze for a moment, then laughed awkwardly.
“No, no, not at all. I definitely don’t hold a grudge against Jason for beating me up in daily one-on-ones.”
Miyamoto Tokima shot him a look, clearly unimpressed.
“Let’s find seats. The second half will be Shūtoku versus Seirin.”
Shuzo Nijimura nodded and followed Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi to sit down.
Once seated, Shuzo Nijimura glanced at the scores and commented,
“The gap on that side was pretty close. Kuroko’s team was at 73–71. They almost lost.”
“But Shūtoku’s side is 113–38. That difference is massive.”
Satsuki Momoi studied both teams and said,
“The gap really is huge. Shūtoku’s players clearly have much better overall data than Seirin.”
“Still, that red-haired guy on Seirin has pretty good stats. At least, he’s stronger than the average player.”
Miyamoto Tokima gently ruffled Satsuki Momoi’s hair and smiled.
“Want to guess who’ll win?”
Satsuki Momoi thought for a moment before answering,
“Shūtoku.”
Shuzo Nijimura leaned back with his hands behind his head and said confidently,
“Yeah, it definitely looks like Shūtoku will take it. Midorima’s three-pointers are terrifying.”
Miyamoto Tokima didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked toward Shintaro Midorima on the court and thought quietly,
‘Midorima… can you break through the protagonist’s halo?’
...
Time passed quickly, and it was soon time for the second half to begin.
Inside Shūtoku’s locker room.
Shintaro Midorima sat alone on the bench, his expression calm but his thoughts churning.
‘Kuroko… and his new light, Kagami.’
‘Miyamoto… and Nijimura-senpai.’
Suddenly, Shintaro Midorima closed his eyes.
‘To defeat you, I haven’t slacked off on shooting for a single day, nor have I ever cut corners in practice.’
‘My finger care is exactly as usual.’
‘Today’s horoscope—Cancer ranks first.’
‘Lucky item: the ceramic tanuki is secured.’
‘Shoelaces tied starting from the right.’
‘Everything that can be done by human hands… has been done.’
After a long wait, the match was finally ready to begin.
In the stands, Miyamoto Tokima watched as Shintaro Midorima and the others walked out and murmured softly,
“They’re here.”
Satsuki Momoi, exhausted from waiting, had unknowingly leaned against Miyamoto Tokima’s shoulder and fallen sound asleep.
Shuzo Nijimura slowly straightened up and focused on the court.
Shintaro Midorima emerged from the tunnel.
The moment he stepped out, his gaze locked onto the three of them in the stands.
‘So you really did come.’
Once he recognized them, Shintaro Midorima’s expression became resolute.
He had to show Miyamoto Tokima that he hadn’t spent these years standing still.
After both teams finished warming up, they gathered briefly to exchange words.
Following the friendly pre-game ceremony, the match preparations began.
Junpei Hyuga looked at the Shūtoku players and thought to himself,
‘They’re quieter than I expected.’
Shintaro Midorima walked up to Tetsuya Kuroko and said,
“I didn’t expect you to actually make it this far.”
“But this is where it ends.”
“The idea that even the weakest, most unknown school can put up a fight just by working together is nothing more than a delusion.”
He pushed up his glasses and continued coolly,
“Come on. Let me show you just how foolish that idea really is.”
...
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