Night had fallen.
At an outdoor court near Teiko, Nijimura Shuzo walked ahead while Shigure Akihito strolled alongside Kuroko Tetsuya from behind. The flickering streetlamps cast shifting shadows across the path, mirroring the unsteady state of Kuroko's heart.
Especially…
That first-string jacket draped over Nijimura's shoulders.
Its presence was overwhelming.
"Senpai…"
"What's the purpose of this?"
"With my current ability, there's no way I can match up to Captain Nijimura. I probably won't even put on a decent performance… I'm just a third-stringer…"
"Why are you bringing that up again?"
"Don't be scared. Just play."
"No…"
I'm not scared anymore.
He didn't know what Shigure-senpai was hoping to see.
But more than anything…
He just didn't want to disappoint him.
"Senpai…"
"I'll give it everything I've got."
Shigure nodded.
Even though,
There was absolutely no way he could win.
But at the very least, he should show Nijimura what he's got.
Who knows? Maybe something entirely new, something off-script from the original timeline, would awaken.
As much as he hated to admit it, when it came to basketball, Nijimura had a sharp eye.
Especially now, having his growth trajectory drastically altered through a year of direct and indirect clashes with Shigure.
Shigure scratched his head.
Scary how strong he is.
On the court.
When Nijimura Shuzo stood face to face with Kuroko Tetsuya,
The difference in scale was almost comical. Shigure was immediately reminded of the canon matchup between Akashi Seijūrō and Shinji Koganei.
No, this was even more exaggerated.
A lion facing off against a chihuahua.
Nijimura: "…"
There's… really no scent of a strong player at all.
Shigure… did you misread this one?
Clap clap clap,
From the sidelines, Shigure Akihito clapped enthusiastically for Kuroko, even shouting something outrageous:
"Go get him, Kuroko!"
"Crush him!"
Nijimura rolled his eyes again. But seeing the serious look on Kuroko's face after the encouragement, he lowered his center of gravity and took a defensive stance, not at full strength, but focused enough.
Kuroko Tetsuya,
Triple-threat position.
You could see he'd learned Teiko's style.
"I'm going, Captain Nijimura."
"…"
"Are you underestimating me?"
"Why the warning?"
"Attack already."
Kuroko's face tensed as he began probing with light steps. But those tentative little jabs, paired with his small frame, barely made Nijimura twitch an eyebrow.
Pat,
Pat,
Pat,
Kuroko dropped the ball into a dribble.
It was obvious he'd been training diligently. His eyes remained locked on Nijimura, shifting the ball from side to side, and then,
Suddenly, he dipped low and launched into a quick acceleration!
A fluid step-through move!
It was one of the most basic techniques from Teiko's training drills. His form was technically sound… until the actual drive. The problem?
His speed was sluggish.
More importantly,
The key issue was this:
His form was good, until the moment of the drive.
Swoosh,
Nijimura, barely exerting effort, still moved faster than Kuroko could have imagined. The moment he blocked the drive, Kuroko's expression froze.
Because he realized,
His hand was empty.
Captain Nijimura was still in front of him.
The ball wasn't stolen.
Which meant,
…
Shigure's eyes followed the scene closely, eventually settling on the ball… which had been unintentionally tapped by Kuroko's own foot during his drive and bounced clean off the court.
Silence.
A strange, suffocating stillness took over the court.
Nijimura: "…"
A total beginner?
Not even entry-level.
He looked decent while dribbling in open space. But the moment a defender got close, everything fell apart, he even dribbled onto his own foot and lost control of the ball.
A newbie at that level…
It'd been ages since Nijimura had seen one. Especially at Teiko.
Fwoosh,
Nijimura shot a cold glance at Shigure, his eyes practically yelling: "Are you kidding me with this?"
Smile
Shigure replied with a calm, "Please be patient" kind of smile.
Alright…
Let's rule out the possibility that Kuroko can pull off 'vanishing dribbles' in middle school
His fundamentals are terrible.
Even Shigure hadn't expected them to be this bad until seeing it firsthand.
Back on court,
Kuroko stood awkwardly, clearly flustered.
He hesitated, then spoke up:
"Captain…"
"It's my turn to defend now."
Nijimura withdrew his stare from Shigure and turned back to Kuroko. "Mm. Well… good luck, then."
At the very least,
He's… determined.
But,
What was with that soul-crushed look just now?
What did that letter say?
Weird.
"Captain Nijimura…"
"Yeah?"
"Can you go all out?"
"…"
"I want to know just how far I still am from making the first string."
Voom, !
ROAR, !
Nijimura didn't answer with words. He answered with action.
Before Kuroko's eyes,
A massive lion came to life.
Baring its fangs.
Kuroko could feel its breath on his face, like his head was stuck in its open maw, about to be snapped shut.
BOOM, !
A powerful, thunderous dribble rang out!
Unlike his earlier, laid-back defense, this time, Nijimura's offense was on full throttle, wild and relentless.
Since the third-stringer in front of him wanted to understand the gap,
Even if…
Nijimura's level was far beyond even the first-string.
This was a rare chance for someone like Kuroko. So he'd make sure the kid saw it all, clearly and completely.
BOOM, !
He used the same basic step-through move that Kuroko had tried earlier, but under Nijimura's control, it erupted with the ferocity of a wild beast tearing through its prey!
At the same time,
His speed was like a gust of wind!
Kuroko: "...!"
No illusion.
As Nijimura blew past him,
He really felt wind brush against him.
So fast!
That explosive step shredded Kuroko's paper-thin defense and bulldozed through. Watching from the sidelines, Shigure could only think:
Like blasting a cannon at a mosquito.
BANG, !
A clean slam dunk!
Nijimura swung down and landed steadily.
But unlike what Shigure expected, Nijimura didn't look disappointed. Instead, there was a complex glint in his eyes, his curiosity reignited.
Nijimura: "...?"
It was faint…
And buried beneath a huge physical disadvantage.
So faint it was barely noticeable.
But even Shigure might've missed it,
This first-year named Kuroko Tetsuya… his body made a subtle, instinctive anticipatory move.
What was that?
Was it like him?
An ability to gather and analyze the opponent's movement patterns?
"Again."
"I'll attack."
"You defend."
On the sideline,
Shigure, who hadn't noticed anything special during Kuroko's earlier defense, suddenly perked up when Nijimura responded this way. He scratched his head, puzzled.
And then…
The two on the court, who clearly weren't on the same level, continued with Nijimura attacking and Kuroko defending. The roles stayed fixed, the one-sided beatdown continued.
Yet somehow…
They both seemed more and more into it.
"…"
I don't get it anymore.
End of chapter...
To be continued...
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