The scene before him made Kuroko pause for a moment. Just as he was about to intervene, his gaze passed beyond the two figures in front of him—and suddenly, he caught sight of two long-unseen seniors walking side by side, along with manager Momoi.
"Shigure-senpai!"
"Captain Nijimura!"
Kuroko quickened his pace, heading toward Akihito Shigure and the others.
The moment the words Captain Nijimura rang out, Haizaki Shōgo instantly tossed the ball in his hands to that arrogant, split-brow thug. At the same time, the feral wildness about him completely vanished.
As expected…
He turned his head back.
And met the gaze of that violent monster head-on.
Haizaki Shōgo: "…"
Tch~!
Wh-what of it?
They were already about the same height… hm, even their builds were nearly the same.
There was no way he would
Boom~!
From across the court!
As soon as he approached, the sheer wild pressure surged like a crashing sea. Haizaki's briefly suppressed ferocity was instantly dragged out again, forced to resurface!
Smack!
That all-too-familiar, humiliating blow landed—casual, violent—striking straight to the back of his head!
"Haizaki, I don't ever want to see that hairstyle on you again, understood?"
"Wha—"
"Why should I?"
"You're not even the captain anymore! A dropout like you belongs in the dustbin of history"
"…"
"Fine! I got it, you damned brute!"
Off to the side, Kagami Taiga wore a strange expression as he watched Haizaki Shōgo—apparently cowed—glance at Nijimura Shuzo. For some reason, Kagami couldn't shake the feeling that this man was incredibly dangerous.
Noticing Split-Brows' gaze, Haizaki glared irritably at him.
The latter only raised a brow…
With the way clear, he stripped off his jacket and stepped onto the court. But when he noticed the stunned looks of two others inside, he couldn't help glancing in the direction they were staring.
It had been too dark earlier to see clearly, but the guy standing further back—so tall! Even taller than the player already on the court. And since the two on court were playing basketball…
Then those others they were staring at must also be basketball players.
Naive though he seemed, Kagami was strangely sharp whenever it came to basketball.
"Are they from the basketball team?" Kagami asked Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi, surprised that a middle schooler who clearly played ball didn't recognize Akihito Shigure or Nijimura Shuzo, hesitated a moment before explaining:
"They're known as Teiko's Twin Stars. They dominated middle school basketball for three straight years. Now they're high schoolers."
"And what about those two?"
Kagami gestured curiously at Haizaki Shōgo and Kuroko Tetsuya.
"They're the juniors of Teiko's Twin Stars. Their generation is called the Generation of Miracles, carrying on their seniors' absolute domination of middle school basketball."
"That blue-haired kid too?"
"…Yes."
"The Phantom Sixth Man."
The others aside—that so-called Phantom Sixth Man?
Kagami looked in disbelief at Kuroko Tetsuya's barely 170 cm frame, doubt written across his face.
That height—and he could play basketball?
And for a team that had dominated all of middle school?
Tch.
Figures.
Basketball in this country really was child's play. Just like the club at his new school—pointless. Not joining them had clearly been the right choice.
"…I see."
From his look, Kiyoshi could tell Kagami had misunderstood something.
But words wouldn't help here. Some things had to be experienced firsthand.
Looking across the court, it was clear the situation wasn't unfolding the way Kuroko had intended. Instead of being stopped, Haizaki Shōgo was practically bursting with fighting spirit under the eyes of his seniors.
On the other side, Nijimura Shuzo frowned slightly. Honestly, the red-haired kid had a solid physique, but judging from the way Haizaki had just stolen from him, there was still a glaring gap in pure physical ability.
With Kiyoshi and Haizaki both present, why was Shigure so interested in this middle schooler?
"That one—if he trains properly, he'll be about Generation of Miracles level."
"…?"
Meeting Haizaki Shōgo's suspicious stare, Akihito Shigure added:
"Of course… he's still far behind Haizaki right now."
Though Haizaki bristled at the idea of just any random mutt being called Miracles-level, the fact it was the Monster Shigure's judgment meant he couldn't outright deny it.
Not that it stopped him from being pissed.
"Oi! Redhead—one-on-one!"
Off to the side, Kuroko hesitated before raising his hand. When Shigure looked his way, he quickly said, "Senpai, Haizaki still has to lead the team in an external match tomorrow…"
In truth…
Teiko had a strict rule against playing streetball.
Because when you played with strangers, you never knew what kind of opponent they were. If they didn't respect the game, if they played too rough, and someone got injured—that would be disastrous.
But from the beginning, neither Shigure nor Nijimura had ever followed that rule.
For Nijimura, no matter the opponent, you had to win. There was no excuse to back down. Even if the opponent played dirty, like Hanamiya Makoto of Kirisaki Daiichi, he'd respond with even harsher force—and taught Shigure to do the same.
And as for Akihito Shigure…
"It's fine."
"Just three possessions."
"Three rounds, and it'll be over."
"…!?" Kagami Taiga's brows furrowed the instant he heard Shigure's words. His trademark fierce expression snapped into place.
"Hey—you think I can just let a line like that slide?"
Haizaki's expression lit up—as expected, Shigure, you get it.
"Heh~ exactly!"
Meanwhile
Arriving at the court with her father, Aida Kagetora, Aida Riko's eyes fell on Kagami Taiga and Haizaki Shōgo, now stripped down to their sports gear.
Even after seeing monsters like Akihito Shigure and Nijimura Shuzo, two more high-level presences suddenly appearing still made her eyes instinctively sharpen.
Her gaze slipped into the data world.
First, the redhead.
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Lv. ? / ?
Neck – 4588
Shoulder blade – 4122
…
Arms – 4413
Chest – ???
Thigh – ???
Every visible part of his body growth had clearly surpassed average high school standards.
Then
Haizaki Shōgo.
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Lv. ? / ?
Neck – 6253
Shoulder blade – 6156
…
Arms – 6256
Chest – ???
Thigh – ???
"The Generation of Miracles' Haizaki Shōgo…"
"Are they all… at this level?"
Even compared to high schoolers, Haizaki was already well above most aces—save for rare monsters like Akihito Shigure and Nijimura Shuzo.
"…?"
Wait.
Her eyes drifted toward the blue-haired boy beside Shigure.
Kuroko Tetsuya.
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 55 kg
Lv. 40 / 60
Neck – 1322
Shoulder blade – 1219
…
Arms – 1356
Chest – ???
Thigh – ???
"…!"
So low!
And yet… that uniform. Teiko.
Standing right next to Akihito Shigure—could he really not be part of the basketball team?
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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