Just as Shigure Akihito's outrageous alley-oop three-pointer—straight out of Mitsui Hisashi's legend—left every single Kaijō player dumbfounded, the scene shifts elsewhere.
Kyoto – Rakuzan High School.
Tasked with the menial job of handling new member applications, third-stringer Mayuzumi Chihiro found himself staring at three figures who had appeared together. For once, that calm, unshaken expression of his—so similar to Kuroko Tetsuya's—showed a flicker of surprise.
"Excuse me, is this where we submit our applications to join the club?"
The one speaking, with disheveled black hair and a strangely delicate tone, was Mibuchi Reo. Mayuzumi gave a curt nod, but before he could say anything, a blur suddenly slipped behind him.
"Overlocking? What's that supposed to mean?"
Leaning uncomfortably close, leopard-like eyes staring straight at the computer magazine in his hand, was Hayama Kotarō. Mayuzumi frowned, about to reply, when the third boy—a hulking giant—spoke up in an unnervingly clueless voice:
"Must mean eating until you're full, right?"
Mayuzumi: "…"
Idiot. It's CPU overclocking, obviously.
With a sigh, he subtly shifted the magazine to hide the light novel tucked beneath—Honey & Rinrin-chan—then raised his eyes to study the three.
So these guys… do they have no pride?
Rakuzan already has Hagioka-senpai, the strongest in the nation. This is the most dominant team in the history of high school basketball. And yet, the three Uncrowned Kings all decided to show up here…
Tch. No wonder they're called the Uncrowned.
Mibuchi noticed the look Mayuzumi gave him and frowned slightly. Most of the Rakuzan members handling recruitment were tall, but their expressions betrayed youth and inexperience; their eyes darted away under pressure. Clearly, they weren't first-string material.
Except this one, the quiet upperclassman before him.
He wasn't nervous.
If anything, there was a faint malice in his thoughts.
"Long time no see, Mibuchi."
Mibuchi turned to see Kawahara Daichi , a former teammate from Sendō Junior High, who had once led them to a runner-up finish at Nationals back when Mibuchi was still in his first year.
Runner-up—that was the highest Sendō ever reached.
And of course… that was before Teiko's era of domination.
Mibuchi smiled lightly. "It's been a while, senpai."
As they spoke, he began filling out the application form: name, age, middle school, tournament records, reason for joining. Standard stuff. Though, knowing Rakuzan, none of this really mattered. Once you entered the gym, the only thing that counted was performance.
After all, when their ace first joined—bringing the entire Okayama Miracle squad with him—he secured a spot on the First String that very day through one-on-one matches.
Miki couldn't help but smirk at the memory. Then, glancing down at Mibuchi's form, he caught sight of the words written under "Reason for Joining":
I want the championship.
When the Uncrowned Kings left, the recruitment hall erupted into chatter from the freshmen who had been too intimidated to step forward earlier.
"It was the Uncrowned Kings!"
"Night Demon Mibuchi Reo, Thunder Beast Hayama Kotarō, Steel Wall Nebuya Eikichi—I know them! They were in the same class as Teiko's Twin Stars. Those guys are monsters!"
"Seriously, just their aura alone…"
"I used to copy Mibuchi's shooting form back in junior high! He's grown so much though, he's almost 190 cm now…"
"No way, he's like 186 at most."
"'At most'?!"
By then, the three had already stepped into Rakuzan's massive gymnasium. The scale of the place rivaled Teiko's—and even the coaching staff carried a similar air.
For the first time, the Uncrowned Kings saw Hagioka Kasayuki up close. Standing beside assistant coach Satō Takuo, he looked every bit the composed captain. Mibuchi also noticed a cluster of familiar faces sneaking glances his way—the Sendō upperclassmen.
His third-year seniors from junior high.
But here at Rakuzan, they were all stuck on the Second String.
Shifting his gaze again, he found the Okayama Miracle gathered together: Tajika Makoto, Hino Shinya, Kurumiya Tosei, Tondo Kaoru—the entire squad intact.
"Hey, Mibuchi, how do you think Rakuzan will handle their entrance test?"
Mibuchi thought for a moment. "This place is too similar to Teiko. And coach Shirogane Eiji might even have ties to them. If that's true, then it could be Teiko's old tradition—one-on-one matches."
At that, Hayama's eyes lit up.
One-on-one? Perfect! That's what he excelled at. If he could challenge Hagioka directly—and win—that would prove he was strong enough to surpass even Shigure Akihito!
But contrary to their expectations, Rakuzan revealed a different test. One that carried more risk, and seemed almost tailor-made for the three of them.
"Next, we'll have a full-court five-on-five scrimmage. Including myself…"
"It will be the first-years, against the second- and third-years."
"The final evaluations will be made by Coach Satō."
"That is all."
With Hagioka's announcement, every freshman immediately turned their eyes toward the three Uncrowned Kings. A five-man freshman squad? Of course they'd want to be on the same team as them.
But while Nebuya and Hayama grinned without a care, Mibuchi's thoughts ran deeper. Especially after catching the faint, knowing smile tugging at Hagioka's lips.
Wait.
Second-years aside, the third-years… that would mean the entire Okayama Miracle. Plus Hagioka himself.
And against them, the freshmen side would only have three capable players—himself, Hayama, and Nebuya.
As for the other two spots? The remaining freshmen looked far too raw, their bodies untrained compared to the seasoned upperclassmen.
Which meant…
This was nothing less than a carefully arranged setup for a one-sided beating.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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