On that day, Ryōta Kise never did get an answer for Haizaki Shōgo's strange behavior.
But two months later, on the day of the Junior High Nationals' round-robin finals—coinciding with the day Seirin High only needed one more win to enter the IH (Interhigh) qualifying round-robin finals
That long-forgotten question suddenly received its answer.
…
Inside Tokyo's First and Second Gymnasiums, the Junior Nationals and the IH Tokyo preliminaries were being held simultaneously. One side hosted the round-robin finals, the other an 8-to-4 elimination match.
"Ohhh~!"
"So many people…!"
"We're really going to play in front of this huge crowd?!"
"I'm so nervous!"
For Seirin, a brand-new team in the IH prelims, even though they had already reached the top 8, everyone except Kiyoshi Teppei was clearly showing the jitters of tournament newcomers.
Suddenly thrust into such a massive arena, most of them were still wide-eyed and bewildered.
And though Kiyoshi had played here before…
He wasn't exactly reliable.
In the end, it was the dependable Izuki Shun who realized they had walked into the wrong gym.
"This isn't it. This is the Second Gym."
"We're supposed to be in the First."
"Eh?"
"That one's huge too!"
"Looks like they're holding the junior high prelims here today…"
Hyūga Junpei glanced at the event board outside the gym, where one name stood out clearly: Teiko.
Hyūga Junpei: "Eh…?"
At that moment
Teiko, having secured an easy win as usual, came face-to-face with Seirin. Compared to the lost and confused Seirin, Teiko's victorious squad carried a far more tense and heavy atmosphere.
"Seriously…"
"I think I scored 42 points today."
"Don't joke. More like you hogged the ball too much. Thanks to you, I barely got ten shots off."
"Um…"
"I want the ball too, Kuroko. Can you pass to me more?"
"Whatever. Ugh, what a pain~"
"Tch!"
"I'll crush you next game, Aomine!"
"Enough."
"No more chatter. We'll have a meeting as soon as we get back."
"Let's go."
With the captain, Akashi, giving the final word, the Generation of Miracles walked straight past Seirin, eyes forward, not sparing them even a glance.
Kiyoshi Teppei: "…"
Teiko.
Izuki Shun: "…"
The strongest in junior high…
This was the first time they had seen them in person.
"Their aura's way stronger than ours. And they're just junior high kids, yet their average height is insane!!" Koganei Shinji gulped nervously as he looked at the Generation of Miracles.
On the sidelines
Aida Riko wore the same grave expression.
Just thinking about how Teiko could still be called the Generation of Miracles despite having monsters like the Twin Stars of Teiko in their ranks…
The thought alone was terrifying.
And what's more…
These players would be in high school next year too.
On the other side
Unlike the other Miracles, who carried a cold, aloof air—and unlike Haizaki Shōgo, who pretended not to see them even when he clearly did—Kuroko Tetsuya, upon seeing this team, froze for a moment before walking straight toward them.
"Kiyoshi-senpai."
"Hyūga-senpai."
Even with Izuki's hawk-like perception, the sudden voice startled him.
Following the sound
It was Teiko.
Eh?
Teiko?
Kiyoshi Teppei and Hyūga Junpei also froze, their faces stiff for an instant.
Not because of anything else, but because they both knew very well—this inconspicuous boy, no matter how plain, was still the Miracle capable of using the "vanishing drive."
The Phantom Sixth Man.
Meanwhile
Koganei, barely over 170 cm tall, looked at the not-so-tall Teiko player before him. After swallowing nervously, he finally managed to calm himself a little.
But before he could fully relax
The moment Kuroko spoke, the Miracles all turned their heads curiously. The sudden collective force of their gaze made Koganei step back in fright.
"Long time no see, Kuroko. Looks like Teiko won easily again today~"
Kiyoshi Teppei smiled at Kuroko, then turned to glance at the Miracles, thinking to himself—winning was probably the only outcome possible for them.
"And also…"
"Long time no see, Haizaki~"
Hearing Kiyoshi greet Haizaki, Midorima Shintarō quietly pushed up his glasses, analyzing the situation in his head.
Haizaki himself, however, raised an eyebrow in clear annoyance.
"Cut it out!"
"Some freshly formed basketball club like yours…"
"There's no way I'd join—"
But before he could finish, Kiyoshi Teppei stepped forward with the same energy he had shown when founding Seirin's basketball club. Facing down the entire Generation of Miracles, his focus was locked directly on Haizaki.
"Didn't we agree back when Shigure and Nijimura were around?"
"You'd join Seirin next year~"
The moment the words left his mouth
All the Miracles turned their gazes sharply onto Kiyoshi Teppei.
To be honest
Even Kiyoshi, like Koganei, couldn't help feeling tense for a second.
"Idiot."
"The deal was that Seirin had to win the championship first, wasn't it?!"
Hearing that
Even before Seirin could react, Midorima frowned. For someone as logical as him, even if it was just Haizaki, he took the notion of teammates being recruited seriously.
"Too demanding, Haizaki. Even if we don't mention Captain Nijimura or Shigure-senpai, in high school basketball there's still Hagioka from Rakuzan."
"This team…"
Midorima's gaze swept across Seirin. Without hesitation, he said, "Even with one of the Five Generals, their chances of winning the championship are zero."
Haizaki Shōgo gave him an incredulous look, as if to say are you serious?, then rolled his eyes.
"Idiot. Of course I know that…"
"I was talking about the Tokyo district championship."
Midorima: "…"
Ah…
As the national junior champions, the Generation of Miracles had completely disregarded something as minor as a Tokyo district title.
In his subconscious…
Championship only meant national championship.
But thinking about it again, Haizaki's condition was actually quite lenient. If Seirin, a newly formed team, only needed a Tokyo district title to win him over…
Could it be that he really saw potential in them?
And yet…
He was Haizaki Shōgo of the Generation of Miracles.
Seirin…
With what right?
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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