Chapter 145: The Light Is Too Bright
“When I was in the United States, I met the man who was standing behind us just now.”
After a moment of thought, Tetsuya Kuroko continued,
“His name is Shuzo Nijimura. He was our captain back then.”
Junpei Hyuga froze, then cried out in shock,
“You mean Shuzo Nijimura, the former No. 1 power forward in middle school?!”
Tetsuya Kuroko nodded.
“Whoa—”
The Seirin members all sucked in a sharp breath. The No. 1 power forward of middle school, the captain of the “Miracle Generation”—
his strength was something no one could take lightly.
Junpei Hyuga muttered unconsciously, “I never thought he’d show up too.”
Suddenly, Hyuga turned toward him.
“Kagami, how did you meet him?”
Taiga Kagami told everyone how they had met, along with the result of their one-on-one match.
When they heard the outcome, the shock on everyone’s faces deepened.
Shinji Koganei said with a pale expression,
“I can’t believe that even Kagami couldn’t score a single point against him.”
Tetsuya Kuroko explained,
“Senior Nijimura was already very strong back then. He definitely didn’t stop training in the United States, so I don’t really know how strong he is now.”
“Wait a second.”
Riko Aida suddenly remembered something.
“If Nijimura is already that strong, then who’s the man in front of him? Nijimura seemed to be following his lead!”
The others immediately realized she had a point and asked at once,
“Yeah! Kuroko, who is he?”
Tetsuya Kuroko replied,
“His name is Miyamoto Tokima. You may not recognize the name, but you’ve definitely heard his nickname—[Magic Cube].”
The Seirin players all froze. After a brief pause, Junpei Hyuga swallowed hard, still half-doubting his own ears.
“Kuroko… are you saying… that man is the [Magic Cube] who stands above [The Generation of Miracles]?”
Tetsuya Kuroko nodded.
In an instant, despair washed over the Seirin members.
“We’re done for. Just the [Miracle Generation] alone was already suffocating, and now even the [Magic Cube] has shown up.”
Taiga Kagami looked completely lost. He had only ever heard of the [Miracle Generation]; the [Magic Cube] was new to him.
He quickly asked,
“What exactly is this [Magic Cube]? And Miyamoto Tokima… I feel like I heard that name back in the States.”
Kagami hadn’t paid much attention to professional leagues. In the United States, his days were spent either playing one-on-one with Tatsuya Himuro or completing Alex Garcia’s training assignments.
Because of that, he didn’t know about Miyamoto Tokima’s achievements in the U.S.—he had only heard the name in passing.
On top of that, Kagami had left just one day before the scouting physical reports were released. (Plot requirement—please don’t nitpick.)
Junpei Hyuga began explaining everything to him.
After listening, shock spread across Kagami’s face, but at the same time, a blazing fighting spirit ignited in his chest.
Hyuga sighed.
“Who would’ve thought… not just Nijimura, but even the [Magic Cube] has appeared. The matches ahead won’t be easy.”
Riko Aida nodded.
“That’s right. Judging from the fact that they showed up together, there’s a good chance they’re from the same school.”
Shinji Koganei exclaimed,
“No way! A [Magic Cube] who surpasses the [Miracle Generation], plus the captain of the [Miracle Generation]—both at the same school? That’s basically unbeatable!”
Junpei Hyuga nodded heavily.
“Yeah. No matter what school they attend, that school instantly becomes a top championship contender.”
Tetsuya Kuroko added calmly,
“And there’s more. The girl behind them isn’t simple either—she was our advisor back at Teikō Middle School.”
“What?!”
Everyone shouted at once, their astonishment overflowing.
Junpei Hyuga pressed his temples and murmured,
“The only thing we can pray for now is that they don’t join an already strong team.”
Just as everyone was sinking into despair, Taiga Kagami suddenly said,
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re here to take on strong teams!”
Riko Aida quickly followed up,
“Kagami’s right! They may be strong, but we’re not weak either!”
Caught up in the team’s fighting spirit, Junpei Hyuga finally smiled.
“That’s right. We’re strong this year too!”
With that, he held out his hand. One by one, everyone placed their hands on top of his, and together they shouted,
“Let’s go!”
...
“Miyamoto, sorry I’m late.”
Tetsuya Kuroko walked over to the three of them and spoke.
Miyamoto Tokima turned around with a faint smile.
“You’re not that late.”
Kuroko looked him in the eyes and asked,
“Miyamoto, what did you want to see me about?”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded and said slowly,
“Tetsuya, I need to know what happened after we left.”
At those words, Tetsuya Kuroko’s expression changed instantly, turning subdued.
He then explained everything.
It turned out that ever since Seijuro Akashi had changed, the atmosphere of the team had begun to shift.
Although everyone continued to train seriously, a sense of distance gradually formed between them.
After Akashi’s change, he also stopped passing during games, choosing to play solo more often instead.
Daiki Aomine had once confronted him about it, but Akashi replied,
“I don’t think we need teamwork with our current strength. If you want to score, just rely on your own ability and take the ball.”
After those words, the team’s atmosphere changed completely.
No one talked much with anyone else anymore, and during games, no one wanted to pass.
As soon as someone got the ball, they attacked on their own. Even though Atsushi Murasakibara trained hard, on the court he was mostly too lazy to move.
He almost stood still under his own basket, while the other four fought each other for possession.
Everyone played for themselves. Passing ceased to exist.
The light had become too powerful. Once the light grew strong enough, there was no longer any place for shadows.
That’s right—Tetsuya Kuroko was abandoned. Though he was never expelled from the basketball club, he never stepped onto the court again, riding the bench until the very end.
At one point, Kuroko even considered giving up the basketball he loved, because he felt that the Teikō players’ purpose for playing had changed.
But because of the promise he had made with his dear friend Shigehiro Ogiwara, he didn’t quit the club.
Everything changed during the championship game.
Kuroko went to Seijuro Akashi and said he wanted to play. Even after sitting on the bench for so long, he was willing to accept anything—he just had to be on the court for that one game. Akashi agreed.
But once the game began, the unexpected happened.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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