After what Kise could only describe as a messy, chaotic celebration party
The very next day.
During P.E. class, Kise Ryōta and Murasakibara Atsushi were chatting together.
"Hmm~? Kuro-chin~? He might be weak in other areas, but he's a good guy, y'know~"
"I'm not asking about his personality. I just don't get it—how could someone like that possibly be chosen as a regular?"
"Eh~ but Kuro-chin's actually pretty useful. Besides, it was Smiley-senpai who decided it."
"Smiley-senpai…? Who's that?"
"By the way, uh, who are you again?"
"Kise! Kise Ryōta! We even ate ice cream together last night!"
"Ohh, I see~"
Kise's face fell. With a sigh, he muttered, "Ugh… guess I asked the wrong guy."
Still unconvinced, Kise went to Midorima, quietly trying to gather intel on Kuroko Tetsuya.
"You want my opinion on Kuroko?"
"Yeah."
"…And why are you asking?"
"Well, he's supposed to be my supervisor, but… wait, you actually remember who I am? That's rare…"
"That's because both senpai value you highly."
"Eh?"
"Speaking of Kuroko, he's an Aquarius. Today's lucky item should be an English dictionary. Oh, and for Cancers, it's a doll."
"…What?"
"Kuroko's blood type is A. It doesn't get along with my B type. Go ask someone else."
"…?"
All morning long, Kise kept asking everyone he could—eventually even the team manager, Momoi Satsuki.
But none of the answers satisfied him.
That afternoon, during practice, Kise finally got the chance to play alongside Kuroko.
He immediately began targeting Kuroko with consecutive steals.
It got to the point where even Kuroko's teammates started complaining:
"Tetsuya!"
"Don't keep letting a rookie steal the ball off you!"
By the end of practice, Kise completely lost it.
"This isn't fair!"
"How can someone like him be a regular?!"
Shigure Akihito smacked him lightly on the head. "Don't go pointing fingers at Kuroko. That's way too rude."
Kise rubbed his fingers awkwardly, then turned toward Aomine with a frustrated look.
"Tell me… if I went one-on-one with him, who would win?"
Aomine didn't even hesitate. "Of course you'd win."
"Then why…?"
Aomine smirked, deliberately leaving things unsaid, waiting for Kise to see Kuroko's ability for himself and be shocked later.
"That guy's different from everyone else on the First String. But on the court, he's insanely useful."
"You'll see soon enough. When the time comes, you'll understand just how strong he really is."
Just then
Midorima, who had already "smoothly" handed over the vice-captain's position to Shigure, walked over, dutifully calling out two names:
"Kuroko. Kise."
"The two of you will be leading the Second String in a practice match tomorrow."
Kise blinked, confused. "The Second String?"
"For the sake of victory, Teiko has a tradition. Every Second and Third String match must be led by at least one First String regular."
"Remember this: at Teiko, there's only one principle—winning."
"If you lose, then you're worthless. Everything else can only be discussed after victory. But if you lose, then whether you're in First or Second String, there's no point in arguing about supervisors."
At that, Midorima suddenly turned toward Shigure Akihito, his face showing a rare look of exasperation.
"Senpai, the coach specifically asked you to lead tomorrow's Second String match."
"…Huh?"
"The Second String match… me?"
"Yes. The coach said… it's your punishment for acting willfully."
Shigure Akihito: "…"
He glanced to the side, at Nijimura Shuzo, who was deep in his own training.
Shigure really wasn't happy about it.
The next morning, under the lead of the coach and Shigure Akihito, a squad of Teiko players in uniform set out together. At the front of the pack were Kise Ryōta and Kuroko Tetsuya.
"Everyone here?"
"Move out!"
With matching basketball club backpacks slung over their shoulders, the group headed for their opponent: Shimanami Academy, a private school with decent results but a terrible reputation.
Still, they were opponents worthy of Teiko's Second String. For someone like Shigure Akihito to lead the team—it felt like overkill.
The Second String players, relieved but also curious, whispered among themselves about this legendary senpai.
"Hey…"
"You see that? The strongest vice-captain in the country!"
"Uh…"
"I heard he stepped down from being captain himself."
"Yeah, even Captain Nijimura too. Well, they're third-years—it makes sense. Time really flies, huh."
The Second String coach, overhearing the chatter, couldn't help but smile, his eyes drifting toward Shigure Akihito.
He could feel it—the sense of safety the players carried in their hearts.
Normally, against a dirty-playing team like Shimanami, the boys would be unsettled. But this time, with Shigure Akihito at their side, that anxiety vanished.
Still…
Coach Sanada found it odd that Shigure had been sent to a match like this. If he played too much, the game would end too quickly, which wasn't good for the Second String's training.
After some thought, the coach spoke up:
"Shigure, for this match, you probably won't get much court time. You understand, right…?"
Before the coach could finish, Shigure nodded knowingly.
"I get it. Think of me as the backup insurance. Only put me in if it's absolutely necessary."
Yes, Kuroko and Kise were already the first layer of insurance. But Coach Sanada clearly didn't trust those two, certain that problems would arise.
After all, Kuroko's strength only shone when paired with an even stronger 'light.'
And the current Kise was still far from the level of the Generation of Miracles.
In the back of the line, Kise listened to the whispers of respect and admiration for Shigure-senpai, thinking how ridiculously cool this "nation's strongest" was.
But when he turned back around
He realized that aside from Shigure, who'd only step in during critical moments, the one actually leading the team was none other than the player he considered the weakest on the First String—Kuroko Tetsuya.
What the heck…
"Supervisor, I've got a proposal."
"…What is it?"
"In this match, if we both play, let's compare. Whoever scores more points wins. If I beat you, hand your regular spot over to me."
"Kise-kun, have you thought about what happens if your selfishness causes Teiko to lose? What then?"
"Eh? No way, not with Shigure-senpai here…"
Kuroko turned to him, his eyes calm.
"This is my first time as a supervisor. But since I've been entrusted with you, there's something I need to say. At Teiko, the most important thing is understanding your role."
"Basketball isn't a one-man game. If you think having senpai around means you can slack off, then from this very moment, our chances of losing have already skyrocketed."
"It's not that senpai isn't strong. It's that Kise-kun is too careless."
Both Kise and the Second String players behind him froze at those words, their expressions shifting instantly.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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