Watching Kuroko Tetsuya step up against Kagami Taiga once again, Hyūga Junpei couldn't help but swallow hard. Even though he had just witnessed it from the sidelines, he still had no idea how that guy had suddenly vanished before their eyes.
The only thing he could be certain of was…
Considering Kuroko's visibly fragile physique, that technique definitely had nothing to do with sheer speed.
On the court
Kagami's eyes were wide, too tense even to blink.
But then
Whoosh!
The figure before him suddenly disappeared again!
Kagami Taiga: "…!?"
What… what the hell is happening?!
Swish!
From behind came the sound of the ball sliding through the net. Kagami turned just in time to see his opponent finishing a layup, his face showing obvious relief afterward.
Haizaki Shōgo smirked: "Hah, this time he actually made the layup instead of missing an open one. That's rare~"
Hearing this, Kiyoshi Teppei wore a complicated expression.
That comment…
It almost sounded like, compared to the disappearing dribble, the real miracle in Haizaki's eyes was Kuroko managing to hit a simple open layup.
Still…
No one could understand.
What exactly had Teiko's Phantom Sixth Man done?
That move that made him look like he had genuinely vanished right before their eyes.
And sure enough—Teiko, the gathering place of monsters—didn't have a single ordinary player among them.
"Again…"
"Give me another shot!"
"This time…"
"I'll stop you for sure!"
Facing Kagami's fiery challenge, Kuroko—experiencing for the first time what it felt like to truly stand one-on-one against an opponent, just like Aomine and the others—nodded earnestly, his eyes shining.
"Alright."
"But…"
"It won't be so easy to see through."
Yet
Whoosh!
Before Kagami could even finish his growled warning of "Don't think you'll get past me!" Kuroko had already slipped by, as smoothly as crossing an empty street at dawn.
But this time, Kagami reacted. The instant Kuroko disappeared from his eyes, he spun to chase.
Damn it!
Damn it, damn it!
I'll—huh?
Why did he… stop?
Catching Kagami's bewildered look, Kuroko said seriously, with words that made Kagami nearly explode with frustration:
"Sorry, Kagami. In one-on-one, this is the only move I have right now…"
"As for scoring options, aside from layups, I'm not good at much else."
Hearing that, Kagami finally understood.
Wait a damn minute…
Doesn't this just mean I've been dragged here as nothing but a practice dummy?!
On the sideline
Nijimura Shuzo glanced at Shigure Akihito. "Isn't that move risky to overuse? Both for his dribble and for his core misdirection ability."
Shigure nodded.
"You're right."
"But compared to the old Kuroko who could only pass, this is already a big improvement. And the principle behind that dribble isn't some unknowable secret—it'll eventually be figured out."
"But here's the thing…"
"Even if opponents see through it, that doesn't mean it can be stopped. After all, it isn't a move Kuroko can spam whenever he wants. As long as certain conditions are met, even if his opponent knows what's coming, they still might not be able to stop it. That's the essence of this technique."
"Besides, this is just one-on-one."
"Kuroko's real strength only shows with teammates—passing or breaking through, it's all the same."
"As for misdirection itself… don't worry. If it ever gets to the point where this makes his ability fail, I'll already have a way prepared."
At that, Nijimura said no more.
Indeed…
Shigure Akihito, the technician.
When it came to ability development, his vision and creativity were far beyond his own.
Off to the side, Haizaki Shōgo was itching with curiosity. Especially when he heard Shigure say "Even if you see through it, you can't necessarily stop it."
The guy just vanished from right in front of you—how the hell are you supposed to block that?
Wouldn't that make him invincible?!
Of course, Kuroko's average physical ability kept things in check. Like just now—after the initial shock wore off, even the split-brow Kagami was able to turn and chase him down.
But what if it were him instead?
One step ahead, and you'd stay ahead. Even Aomine, Murasakibara, Akashi, and Midorima couldn't stop him then, could they?
In the end, Haizaki couldn't hold back. He gave a fake cough, eyes darting aside in embarrassment, before asking stiffly:
"So… what's the secret, anyway?"
Shigure chuckled at him.
"Haizaki, give it up. With your blinding presence on the court—every strand of your wolfish arrogance standing on end—even if you forced it, you'd never achieve the effect of Kuroko's natural lack of presence."
Haizaki scowled, lips curling in defiance.
"Who the hell would even want that kind of thing…"
"And another thing"
"'Every strand of wolf hair standing up'? What kind of description is that?!"
Smack!
Clutching the back of his head, Haizaki glared at Nijimura with a snarl.
Shigure just smiled.
"Anyway, it's nothing to hide. What you just saw wasn't even the technique's strongest form. The key condition I mentioned—that's what unlocks its full potential."
"First, the movement itself. The dribble drives forward diagonally. Human eyes are sharp at detecting horizontal and vertical movement, but diagonals are much harder to track."
"And Kuroko, who spends most of his time observing people, is skilled at reading opponents' lines of sight. He chooses an angle that slips past unnoticed, pressing forward with a diagonal drive."
"Even that alone is enough to wreck most ordinary players. But if it were only that, it'd look more like an illusion than a true disappearance. From a third-person perspective, we can still clearly see his movement."
"But… when certain conditions are met, the disappearance becomes complete."
Shigure paused deliberately. Haizaki, left hanging, practically scratched holes into his scalp with frustration as he stared.
Finally, Shigure went on, amused.
"And that condition is—you, the Generation of Miracles."
Haizaki Shōgo: "?"
"You guys dominate the court with overwhelming presence. Compared to everyone else at the junior level, your existence shines the brightest. Normally, the ball itself is the most visible thing on the court, which is why Kuroko can't use misdirection while holding it. But now, having grown alongside you, he can shift opponents' focus even while in possession of the ball."
"So—when Kuroko diverts his opponent's gaze to one of you, and in that instant drives diagonally past, that's the true Vanishing Drive."
"In other words"
"The move can only reach its full potential when his target is locked onto the Generation of Miracles within their field of vision."
Haizaki Shōgo frowned: "But… just now, I saw him vanish completely too. And there wasn't any Miracle out there on the court…"
At that moment
Haizaki froze.
Slowly, his head snapped toward Shigure Akihito standing beside him.
"…"
And you say I'm the one so dazzling you can see every wolf hair standing up? When you, this monster, are just standing on the sidelines—your aura alone shines like a beacon!
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead
🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead + 6 bonus chapters!
Huge thanks to everyone already on Patreon—you're the real MVPs! 🙌Bonus chapters, early access, and all the good stuff are live. 👀✨
And for the rest—it's not too late to be part of the team. 🚀
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer