Chapter 84: I Have One More Request
The next day, inside the Teikō Middle School gym.
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi walked in together.
Inside the gym, the Teikō first team had already been training for quite a while.
Seijuro Akashi remembered the method Miyamoto Tokima had mentioned earlier. After discussing it with Kōzō Shirogane, he actually went out and bought a specialized machine designed specifically for passing practice. During every training session, Akashi would aim his passes precisely at the openings on the machine.
Daiki Aomine was recklessly firing shots at a cluster of empty hoops, practicing his formless shooting.
After personally checking Shintaro Midorima’s injury and confirming that it had fully healed, Kōzō Shirogane finally allowed him to return to training and play in the next match. A basket full of basketballs sat in front of Midorima as he repeatedly picked one up, shot it, picked up another, and shot again—endlessly drilling his three-pointers.
Atsushi Murasakibara stood off the court, munching on potato chips, clearly slacking off.
Nearby, Shuzo Nijimura and Kōzō Shirogane were deep in conversation and hadn’t noticed him at first.
Catching something out of the corner of his eye, Kōzō Shirogane suddenly turned and barked,
“Murasakibara! Who told you to bring snacks onto the practice court?!”
Startled, Atsushi Murasakibara hurriedly stuffed the chips into his clothes. Avoiding Shirogane’s gaze, he replied weakly,
“I… I don’t have any snacks…”
Clearly unconvinced, Kōzō Shirogane held out his hand, demanding the evidence.
With a dejected look, Atsushi Murasakibara obediently pulled the chips out and handed them over.
Kōzō Shirogane snatched them away.
“Train properly! The game is in two days!”
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded meekly, sounding dispirited.
“Got it, Coach…”
Meanwhile, Shogo Haizaki was locked in a one-on-one match with a second-year senior.
As for Tetsuya Kuroko… Miyamoto Tokima didn’t see him anywhere—it seemed he had taken the day off.
“You’re here, Miyamoto.”
Seijuro Akashi passed the ball out before turning and smiling at him.
Miyamoto Tokima stepped onto the court with a smile and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Daiki Aomine and the others stopped training and gathered around him.
“Miyamoto, what took you so long?”
Miyamoto Tokima shrugged.
“I’m not late, am I?”
Atsushi Murasakibara walked over, grabbed Daiki Aomine by the head, and spoke on Miyamoto Tokima’s behalf.
“Yeah, Aomine. Miyamoto didn’t come late.”
Daiki Aomine slapped his hand away irritably.
“Murasakibara! Don’t touch my head!”
“Nope, I want to.”
“Let go!”
“No!”
Miyamoto Tokima watched the two bicker back and forth, completely speechless.
Seijuro Akashi walked over, smiling as he spoke.
“Miyamoto, you already know who our opponent will be in two days, right?”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
“I know. Rakuzan School, right?”
Akashi nodded.
“Rakuzan School’s ace is Reo Mibuchi, known as the ‘Yasha.’ He’s said to be a shooting guard who excels at three-point shots.”
Miyamoto Tokima curled his lips into a smile and glanced at Shintaro Midorima as he walked over.
“So what? Our team also has a three-point sharpshooter, don’t we? Right, Midorima?”
Shintaro Midorima stopped beside him, adjusted his glasses, and replied calmly,
“I’m just doing what I can.”
At that moment, Kōzō Shirogane and Shuzo Nijimura approached.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Kōzō Shirogane clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, the official match is in two days. After today’s training, rest well tomorrow and be fully prepared for the finals the day after.”
“I expect you to bring the championship back—not fall on the finals stage!”
The Teikō players nodded in unison.
“Yes!”
Kōzō Shirogane gathered everyone together and, using Satsuki Momoi’s data, began explaining Rakuzan High School in detail.
“Rakuzan School’s ace is Reo Mibuchi, nicknamed ‘Yasha.’ His specialty is three-point shooting, and he plays shooting guard.”
“In the match the day after tomorrow, Midorima, you’ll be guarding him. Pay close attention to his threes.”
Shintaro Midorima nodded seriously.
“I will.”
Kōzō Shirogane gave a short hum and continued.
“Rakuzan relies heavily on perimeter scoring. Their inside presence is relatively weak—their center isn’t even as tall as Daiki Aomine. So Murasakibara, I expect you to dominate the paint.”
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded faintly.
“Understood.”
After going over the remaining tactics and confirming there were no issues, Kōzō Shirogane instructed everyone to continue training as planned.
Miyamoto Tokima warmed up on the side, gradually loosening his body.
Satsuki Momoi followed the assistant coach, recording the team’s data.
After warming up for a bit, Miyamoto Tokima was about to start some light training when Shintaro Midorima walked over, holding a basketball.
Miyamoto Tokima looked at him curiously.
“What’s up, Midorima?”
Shintaro Midorima pushed his glasses up.
“Miyamoto, thanks for the bandage.”
Miyamoto Tokima waved it off with a smile.
“That’s it? No need to thank me—we’re brothers.”
Shintaro Midorima shook his head.
“Actually, I have another request…”
“I want to have a shooting contest with you.”
Miyamoto Tokima thought for a moment. Seeing the determination in Midorima’s eyes, he nodded.
“That’s fine. How do you want to do it?”
Shintaro Midorima considered it briefly before answering in a low voice.
“We’ll each shoot one hundred balls. Whoever makes more wins.”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
“Alright. Your rules. Let’s go.”
Kōzō Shirogane noticed what they were doing but didn’t stop them. As long as it wasn’t a full-power one-on-one, he wouldn’t interfere—in fact, he encouraged this kind of competition.
“You two—go help them retrieve the balls.”
He called over two first-team reserves to assist Miyamoto Tokima and Shintaro Midorima.
The two substitutes rushed over eagerly without hesitation. After all, it wasn’t every day they got to watch a contest between first-team starters up close.
Miyamoto Tokima and Shintaro Midorima each chose their shooting spots. Midorima initially positioned himself at the right-wing three-point arc.
But when he saw Miyamoto Tokima standing at the left baseline, he immediately switched positions and moved to the right baseline.
Miyamoto Tokima looked puzzled.
“Midori… what’s that about?”
Shintaro Midorima interrupted him seriously.
“If we’re competing, it should be fair. You’re shooting from the baseline, so I’ll shoot from the baseline too.”
Miyamoto Tokima shrugged and smiled helplessly.
“You’re really something else. Fine—let’s start.”
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