Outside Coach Sanada Naoto's office.
The moment Nijimura's words rang out, carrying with them that unrestrained, primal wildness, Akihito Shigure—who had been leaning casually against the wall—couldn't help but show a faint smile.
Compared to the "original story," where Nijimura stepped down as captain under the excuse "My father has been hospitalized since last spring. If anything happens, even in the middle of a game, I'll have to abandon everything and rush to the hospital", filled with regret and guilt…
The Nijimura now, brimming with untamed fighting spirit, was practically someone Shigure himself had reforged.
Hmm…
It felt almost noble, like he had saved a man's soul.
Heh~
Inside the office.
More than Nijimura's words, it was that wildness breaking loose from its leash that spoke volumes. And as for the "final opponent" Nijimura spoke of—it couldn't be clearer. At this stage of middle school basketball, the only one Nijimura could truly call a rival was…
Akihito Shigure.
Well then…
That works too.
Facing the captain who had led Teiko's legendary "hundred victories, zero defeats," Coach Sanada closed his eyes. After a long silence, he sighed heavily, unable to completely hide his reluctance as his gaze finally moved away from Nijimura.
"Hah…"
"It's just like last year."
"Nijimura…"
"Maybe this too is a kind of tradition."
"I understand now."
"I'll speak with Coach Shirogane for you."
Hearing that, Nijimura bowed deeply. That bow carried more than just apology for his own willfulness. It was almost like a farewell to Teiko basketball itself—for from here on, his entire focus would be poured into that one final showdown.
At that moment
Sanada Naoto stood up and stepped closer to Nijimura.
To tell the truth…
Whether it was his stern leadership during daily training, his embodiment of Teiko's iron creed, or his selfless suppression of his own offensive instincts in pursuit of higher-percentage plays
Nijimura Shuzo was, without doubt, the most faithful embodiment of "Victory is everything" Teiko had ever seen.
Sanada couldn't help but feel reluctant.
He patted Nijimura's shoulder.
"Captain Nijimura… you've carried a heavy burden all this time."
Leaving Sanada's office, Nijimura was surprised to see Akashi Seijūrō standing beside Shigure. After blinking in surprise, he asked, "When did you get here?"
"Senpai, I just—"
Before Akashi could finish, the door Nijimura had just closed was pushed open again. Shigure strolled in, but not before tossing over his shoulder with a grin,
"He heard everything~"
"As a declaration of war, it was a little weak."
"But as a farewell speech?"
"It was brilliant."
"Pretty damn cool."
"Right, Akashi?"
Akashi Seijūrō: "…Yes, senpai."
Clap!
The door closed again, leaving Nijimura and Akashi awkwardly standing on either side of it.
Finally, Nijimura broke the silence.
"Yeah, that's how it is. I've mentioned this to you before, though it seems you've found out earlier than planned. From today on, Akashi—you're Teiko's captain."
"Um… but isn't it still undecided? Coach Shirogane—"
Akashi's words were swiftly cut off by Nijimura's firm wave of the hand.
"What are you hesitating for?"
"Because of your… second personality?"
"You're uneasy?"
The sudden question made Akashi's eyes flicker slightly.
"Don't doubt yourself. In matters like this, Shigure is terrifyingly perceptive. He told me long ago about your potential second personality. He's already thought it through, considering your family situation—deeply."
Meanwhile, inside the office, the noisy voices carried on—Shigure's usual easygoing tone, Sanada's exasperated roars.
Things like
"Vice-captain? No thanks, I quit~"
"Good!"
"Hah?!"
"Coach, at least try to make me stay! Nijimura's right outside the door!"
"Stay for what? Even Momoi would make a better vice-captain than you!"
"…"
"If you say that, I'll hand vice-captain to Murasakibara~"
"Don't joke. Give it to Fukaya."
"Oh, he won't do it either."
"Then give it to Midorima!"
Outside
Nijimura rubbed his forehead in disbelief, while Akashi stood frozen, still shaken by Nijimura's earlier words. And yet, what Nijimura said next left him even more stunned.
"Everyone in Teiko, even the new guy Kise, is a genius with overwhelming talent. But among geniuses, not everyone can win."
"In the end, there will only be one who stands above the rest."
"Just like Shigure and me."
"If the pressure from your teammates forces another personality to take over, and you surrender to that—then what was the point of all the victories you've won up to now with us?"
"Before you've even faced the Generation of Miracles, would you really lose to yourself first?"
"I don't believe you will."
"The right way for you, Akashi, is to truly recognize yourself—recognize basketball's cruelty—accept it all, and with unwavering will and conviction, suppress that other side."
"I believe you can. Easily."
"That so-called second personality is only another side of you. And someday, when you devote your entire being to basketball, you won't need to wear a mask at all."
"I look forward to the day I see the real you."
"That's my final wish for you, as captain."
For once, Akashi was left speechless, unable to immediately respond. Not until the office door opened again did he finally come back to himself.
"Eh?"
"What's with that look?"
Shigure tilted his head.
"I told him everything you told me," Nijimura explained.
Shigure: "Hah? Isn't that a bit early? The other guy hasn't even shown up yet. I was kind of looking forward to seeing 'the other Akashi.'"
Akashi Seijūrō: "!?"
"Well, whatever."
"Just swallow him whole and be done with it, save us the trouble. You all have a lot of work ahead of you. After I crush Nijimura, he's coming with me in high school. You don't have time to slack off~"
"Right, Nijimura?"
Nijimura rolled his eyes, while Akashi stood frozen again—stunned both by Shigure's complete confidence in his control over his second personality and by the thought that these two captains might once again unite in high school.
"Anyway."
"From now on, it's your job, Captain Akashi~"
"Oh, and by the way, let Midorima know—he's vice-captain now."
Hearing this, Akashi slowly clenched his hand into a fist. So… I'm captain now? He lifted his head, answering with solemn resolve.
"Yes."
Kise Ryōta, meanwhile, still couldn't wrap his head around why Kuroko Tetsuya was not only in the First String, but even a regular starter.
When Kise finished cleaning the gym as part of his First String initiation, changed clothes, and stepped outside, he bumped into Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kuroko Tetsuya, and third-year senior Kurokami Shinji. From the way they looked at him, it was obvious—they'd been waiting.
Kuroko, in his first time acting as someone's personal mentor, had already asked Vice-captain Shigure for permission. As the organizer of this little "event," he greeted Kise directly.
"Kise-kun."
"Huh? What's going on?" Kise blinked.
Before he could get an answer, Aomine threw an arm around his neck. "Tetsuya's throwing you a party for joining the First String! Pretty nice of the senpai, right?"
"Eh?"
Kise barely had time to react before the "freeloaders' squad"—Aomine, Murasakibara, and Kurokami—raised their fists in unison and shouted with excitement.
"Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"…What the heck is this?"
It didn't take long before Kise was completely speechless. Sitting outside a convenience store, ice cream in hand, he twitched at the corners of his eyes. Whatever little excitement he had was now gone.
"What… is this supposed to be?!"
Aomine answered instantly, "What do you mean? A party~"
Leaning against the store entrance, Aomine, Murasakibara, Kurokami, and Kuroko all happily licked their ice creams, looking genuinely content.
"A party?! At a convenience store?! And I had to pay for the ice cream!"
"Seriously…"
"Even with a third-year senpai here?!"
Kurokami patted Kise on the shoulder. "We're middle schoolers. You're a model, right? You should have pocket money to spare. Don't sweat the details~"
At that, Murasakibara suddenly spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness, "Senpai, buying by the box is cheaper, you know~"
Ha~
Ha…~
Aomine burst out laughing, and even Kuroko cracked a smile. Kise's face darkened.
"If it were just this, fine…"
"But seriously…"
"How did we end up with one more person all of a sudden?!"
Kise spun around—only to see Midorima Shintarō standing there, somehow with the same ice cream as everyone else.
Midorima calmly pushed up his glasses. "Aomine called me. I was already at the store."
Aomine grinned, "Yep! The more the merrier."
Midorima added, "So, I don't mind joining you."
While Aomine and Midorima bantered, Murasakibara slipped quietly back inside the store. No one even noticed.
Suddenly
"Oh! Shigure, you won!" Kurokami exclaimed.
The others crowded around. Shigure's ice cream stick clearly had "Winner" printed on it.
"Senpai, your luck is amazing."
"Wow! That's incredible!"
"I've never seen it before! Even buying a whole box, it's super rare!"
Kise joined in the excitement—then froze, realizing… Wait, when did Shigure get here?! He slipped in like it was the most natural thing in the world!
"Eh~?"
"What's going on~"
Kise turned to Murasakibara, blurting out, "How many are you planning to eat, senpai?! That's way too many!"
Murasakibara hugged two big boxes. "Not too many~ Oh, what just happened?"
"Oh… Shigure won. Which means… another one!"
Before Kise could even recover, Momoi Satsuki came flying in, latching onto Shigure.
"Senpai, senpai, can I really have this?!"
"Huh? Of course"
"I'll treasure it forever!"
Aomine groaned, "Idiot, if you don't exchange it, what's the point?"
"Shut up, Aomine!"
At that moment
A blinding light cut across the street.
A motorcycle roared past, swerving sharply. Everyone jumped out of the way, though Momoi stumbled and fell hard to the ground.
"Ow…"
"Thief! Stop him!"
A distant shout rang out.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures shot forward at once—Shigure, Aomine, Kise, Kurokami, and even the clueless Murasakibara, all giving chase.
"Tch… there's no way you can catch a motorbike."
Midorima calmly picked up an unopened box of ice cream Murasakibara had dropped. With perfect shooting form, he launched it. The box traced a beautiful arc through the air.
At the same time, as Kise sprinted forward, he noticed something flying over his head. Looking up
Wham!
The box smashed squarely onto the thief's helmet. Losing control, the bike skidded and crashed!
"Hey!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Aomine blocked the thief's path coldly, while Kise closed in from behind. Cornered, the man swung his fist at Kise!
"Eh?!"
Kise froze—he had been hoping to talk things out.
But the next instant, the thief felt like he had run headfirst into a wall.
He looked up
And saw a mammoth.
"!?"
Before he could react, he saw the phantom of a rampaging beast bearing down on him. A crushing force slammed into his helmet
Bam!
Face-first into the ground!
Pinned and held down!
Without that helmet, he'd probably be hospitalized for a month.
And then came the follow-up blows.
The air filled with his wretched screams.
Seeing this, Kurokami was secretly glad Nijimura wasn't around, and quickly shouted, "Shigure, stop! We can just call the cops and hand him over."
Shigure stood up, snorted, and muttered,
"A harmonious society saved your life."
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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