Shidou Ryusei and Shidou Chizuru arrived at the residence arranged by William, and Chizuru quickly bowed to thank Butler Jack.
It was a two-story villa with its own swimming pool and basketball court. Shidou shamelessly moved his belongings in and settled down.
The next day, Chizuru went to Shidou's room to call him for breakfast. After knocking for a long time with no response, she pushed the door open, only to find that Shidou Ryusei was nowhere to be seen.
Looking out the window, she spotted Shidou in a training suit, practicing dribbling and shooting on the court.
Seeing him, Chizuru felt relieved.
During their time in America, Shidou woke up early every day to practice. She had thought he might slack off after returning, but he hadn't.
"Shidou~!"
Shidou turned toward the window. "What is it, Sister Chizuru?"
"Time to eat!"
"Got it."
"How are the preparations going?"
"Huh? Preparations for what?"
Chizuru's face darkened. She twisted Shidou's ear.
"Preparations for starting school!"
"Eh? Speaking of which… which school are we going to?"
Chizuru stared at him speechlessly. "Can't you pay a little attention? Good thing I came back with you. I can't imagine how you'd survive alone."
"Alright, alright. Anyway, you're here."
"Oh, right. The middle school basketball league finals are this afternoon. Are you going to watch?"
Shidou paused as memories of colorful-haired former teammates surfaced in his mind.
"I'll go take a look. I want to see how much stronger they've become."
Chizuru suddenly regretted bringing it up, remembering Shidou had been expelled from the Teiko Basketball Club.
That afternoon, Chizuru dressed Shidou in a loose hoodie, blue jeans, and classic Nike Air Force 1s. Simple and comfortable.
She wore a vintage-print shirt, high-waisted wide-leg pants, a brown leather belt, and black loafers. Both still carried an American fashion influence.
However, they took the wrong route. Having lived in Tokyo before, they assumed the finals were there, only to discover the match was actually held in Kyoto.
By the time they arrived, the game was nearly over. The scoreboard read 111:9.
"Seriously… you're so unreliable!"
"What did you say? Wasn't it you who said it was in Tokyo?"
"Um…"
Shidou scratched his head awkwardly.
Chizuru looked at the scoreboard in shock. "But your former teammates are really strong! They only allowed nine points."
Shidou watched expressionlessly.
Meiko Middle School's No. 7, Ogiwara Shigehiro, broke past Aomine and attempted a jumper, but it missed.
Aomine muttered helplessly, "Damn it, I even let you get past me—at least score."
"Hey! Murasakibara!"
"Got it."
Murasakibara easily tipped the ball in. Only then did Meiko's players realize what Teiko was doing when they saw the scoreboard.
The buzzer sounded.
"Congratulations to Teiko Middle School for winning 111:11 and achieving an unprecedented three consecutive championships!"
Chizuru blinked. "Why… did they help the opponent score?"
"Huh? Isn't it obvious?"
She finally understood after seeing the score.
"Isn't that insulting? Shidou, don't ever do something like that."
"I know… you're so naggy."
He turned and left. Chizuru turned around only to see he was already gone.
"Wait for me, you idiot!"
"Who told you not to pay attention?"
"Damn it! Shidou, you jerk!"
They left quietly, as if they had never been there.
At the same time, Akashi, Aomine, Midorima, Kise, and Murasakibara subconsciously glanced toward the passage Shidou had exited. Meanwhile, a bandaged player slipped away unnoticed.
"I'll prove your basketball philosophy is wrong…"
After the three-peat, the Generation of Miracles—Akashi Seijuro, Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintaro, Kise Ryota, Murasakibara Atsushi, and the unseen Kuroko Tetsuya—became famous nationwide.
Their paths would now diverge. No one knew what butterfly effect Shidou Ryusei's existence would cause.
After the tournament, things quieted down.
In Teiko's gym, the Generation of Miracles gathered once more.
Akashi spoke calmly: "From now on, we're enemies. Let's meet again at the national high school stage."
Kise sighed. "No need to be so hostile already, right?"
Murasakibara added lazily, "We're just going to different schools."
Akashi shook his head. "It's not coincidence. None of us intended to go to the same school. We all hate being grouped together. To prove who's best, we'll defeat each other. It's instinct."
"I agree," Kise admitted.
"Of course," Aomine said.
Midorima adjusted his glasses. "No objections."
"Murasakibara: "Kuroko probably feels differently."
Akashi replied, "Even so, he'll participate. He's already headed to Seirin High."
He then added coldly, "And there's also someone we've forgotten."
Shidou Ryusei's figure surfaced in their minds.
Meanwhile, Shidou sneezed during shooting practice.
"Sister Chizuru must be talking about me…"
In the kitchen, Chizuru sneezed as well.
Soon, high schools across Japan began welcoming new students.
At Rakuzan High, Coach Shirogane smiled at a profile sheet:
Name: Akashi Seijuro
Position: Point Guard
Middle School: Teiko
At Tōō High, Aomine walked lazily while Momoi complained beside him.
At Shutoku, Midorima registered for the basketball club, spear in hand.
At Yōsen, Murasakibara got lost and asked Himuro for directions.
At Seirin, Kagami Taiga submitted his form arrogantly, followed silently by a blue-haired boy.
Finally, at Kaijō High, Kise Ryota arrived, surrounded by screaming fans.
After dazzling everyone with a dunk, he was promptly kicked by captain Kasamatsu.
Then, the club doors opened once more.
A pink-haired figure appeared.
"Is this the basketball club?"