Three days had passed since Daniel's individual lessons.
Morning to night, drills echoed through the building. Adrian's jumper had grown silkier, Ector had finally stopped bricking his pull-ups, and Deng had learned to dunk without shaking the entire backboard.
But the calm didn't last.
It was already evening when the office door burst open, papers nearly flying off the desk.
Michiko didn't knock. "You won't believe what I just read!" she snapped, storming in like a hurricane in heels.
Marcus looked up from his protein shake. "What now? Budget cut? Economic crisis? Another rapture?"
"No," she said, slamming her phone on the table. "Shutoku lost."
That got everyone's attention. Daniel, sitting across from her with an ice pack on his knee, lifted a brow. "To who?"
"Seirin," she said, each syllable deliberate. "A new, relatively no-name school. Beat them in the Interhigh qualifiers."
Kuhlmann straightened in his chair, the faintest trace of surprise flickering across his face. "Seirin?" he repeated. "I've never heard of them."
Michiko said. "A few had. Until today."
For a moment, silence – broken only by the hum of the fluorescent light above them.
Marcus leaned back, whistling. "So that's it then. The mighty Generation of Miracles are… what's the word, Coach?"
"Überbewertet," Kuhlmann said coldly. "Overrated."
Daniel chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? They ain't much."
Michiko crossed her arms. "Don't get cocky yet. Shutoku might've fallen, but that doesn't make Seirin a joke. Apparently, they've got one of the GoM themselves."
Marcus raised a brow. "Wait – what?"
"The sixth man," Michiko said. "Someone named Kuroko Tetsuya. They call him invisible or something."
Daniel blinked. "Invisible?"
Marcus frowned. "That's a nickname or…?"
Michiko ignored him and kept going. "And there's more. They've got an American kid too – supposedly a monster of an athlete. And a guy who used to be one of the Uncrowned Kings."
Marcus tilted his head. "And who the hell are they supposed to be?"
Michiko exhaled through her nose, clearly annoyed. "In Japan's high school basketball, there were five players who didn't make the Generation of Miracles lineup but were just below that level. The 'Uncrowned Kings.' One of them – Teppei Kiyoshi – is now at Seirin."
Marcus let out a low whistle. "So they got the benchwarmer miracle, the American, and a fallen prince. Sounds like a Disney movie."
Daniel smirked. "If they beat Shutoku, they must be nice."
Kuhlmann stood, crossing his arms, tone ice-cold. "Let's see how deep the cracks in this so-called miracle generation go."
Michiko placed her hands on the desk. "You won't have to wait long. The practice match is confirmed. June first. Tokyo."
Marcus blinked. "That's, like, in four days."
"Exactly," she said. "So get your team ready."
The news traveled fast.
The boys were gathered near the bleachers, mid-stretch after drills. Ector was the first to hear it from Daniel, who had just stepped in from the office.
"Pack your stuff," Daniel said simply. "We're playing in Tokyo."
Ector blinked. "Wait, like – actual Tokyo? The city? Neon lights, ramen stands, big TV screens?"
"Tokyo," Daniel confirmed. "Shutoku High. Practice match."
For a moment, silence. Then Novak grinned. "Yo, we're going to real Japan!"
"Finally!" Ector threw his towel into the air. "No more countryside rice fields!"
Jesus whooped. "Tokyo, baby! Time to see some civilization!"
Adrian shook his head. "We're supposed to play, not sightsee."
"Can't we do both?" Ector said, already miming photo poses. "C'mon, bro, imagine the selfies."
Biha laughed deep from his chest, while Deng nodded solemnly. "I will eat sushi. Real sushi."
Novak turned to Daniel, half-joking. "So, uh, who are we even playing again?"
Daniel smirked. "Shutoku."
Ector blinked. "And?"
"They lost," Daniel said. "To some underdog team named Seirin."
For a moment, the group just stared – and then erupted in laughter.
"They lost?" Ector doubled over. "Man, these miracle dudes really frauds!"
"Bro," Jesus grinned, "I told you all that GoM thing was fake! Media clowns!"
Adrian snorted. "Guess high school is not that sweet."
Daniel only smiled, quiet and sharp. "Enjoy the jokes while you can. On June first, we see how real you all are."
The laughter died down just enough for Ector to say, still grinning, "Yeah, yeah, Coach. But first – Tokyo, baby!"
"Tokyo!" the team shouted back in unison, voices echoing through the gym.
The sound carried and rolled through the gym.