Meanwhile, on Rakuzan's side
Akashi Seijūrō approached Hagioka Kasayuki, his tone composed as ever.
"Senpai, Captain Nijimura sent me here."
"Oh~," Hagioka replied with a small smile.
"So you're the young captain of the Generation of Miracles."
He looked at the boy before him—the one Reiji, the coach, had high hopes for next year after Hagioka's graduation.
"That Seirin team... their next year's lineup is forming early. As part of the deal, I had you transferred here as well."
"Consider it early acclimation to Rakuzan."
"Yes, senpai."
Over on Teiko's side, seven players had suddenly dropped to four. The remaining Miracles stood awkwardly, staring at Rakuzan and Seirin, who now each had full squads.
"What the hell? We agreed on a practice match, but we're the ones short-handed now!"
"Four players can still play, but the longer the match goes, the more it'll kill our stamina."
"Is Smiley-senpai joining too? He's been on vacation since forever~"
"Unlike Rakuzan, where the third-years are retiring, Kaijō's senpais are only going into their second year next term. They can hold training camps anytime, which is why they occasionally drop by to help us. I'm guessing this scrimmage will just be between our three teams."
"So... we can call them over?"
"..."
"Hold on. Let's ask."
"Got it."
As chatter spread through the gym, sixteen-year-old Aida Riko stepped forward confidently, her voice clear.
"Alright, everyone, before we start, there are a few things you need to hear first."
"First"
"The three teams participating in this joint training match are Rakuzan, Teiko, and Seirin."
"Second—Rakuzan's Hagioka-senpai was about to retire from the basketball club, and wasn't planning to join this match, but… Akihito thought it'd be interesting, so—"
"well, now here we are."
"Shigure Akihito, Nijimura Shuzo, Hagioka Kasayuki, Kurokami Shinji, and Fukasaya Reiji will each temporarily join one of the three teams."
"They'll be distributed—through competition."
As soon as Riko's words fell, murmurs rippled across the three sides. Even Teiko's Miracles couldn't help whispering—if anything, they looked intrigued.
"So what you're saying is... we're gonna compete to win over Akihito and Nijimura-senpai?" Kise Ryōta asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
Aomine grinned. "Honestly… if those five just formed their own team and played us, I wouldn't complain."
Midorima Shinotarō: "..."
As opponents, with the current balance, they'd have no chance of winning.
But still—he wanted to see it.
Then
The doors opened. Shigure Akihito and the others, slightly late after picking up their gear, stepped into the gym. The first thing Akihito noticed was Kuroko and Haizaki, both wearing Seirin's red jerseys that clearly didn't fit right.
"Kuroko actually looks good in that uniform~ It'd be perfect if you switched to number 11~"
"As for Haizaki…"
Pff
"That's hilarious~"
Click!
Veins popped on Haizaki's forehead as Akihito, grinning ear to ear, pulled out his phone and rapid-fired shots of Seirin's entire lineup.
What a priceless sight~
"Ehem!" Riko coughed twice, snapping everyone's attention back. "Now, regarding the player selection process—I've already discussed it with Captains Hagioka and Nijimura. Considering each team's condition…"
"We decided on the most reasonable method—by drawing lots."
Clatter—clatter
Riko pulled out a small hand-made lottery box from her shoulder bag.
"First."
"The first target of competition…"
"Shigure Akihito."
Clatter—clatter—clatter
As Riko shook the box, Haizaki sighed, throwing her a deadpan look. "You've gotta be kidding…" He then glanced toward Teiko.
"With luck like this… we'll be lucky to get one of them."
But the moment the slip came out
Haizaki froze.
The word written on it
"Arm Wrestling!"
"Ha!"
"Muscle! Muscle! Arm wrestling!"
"Leave it to me!!"
Rakuzan's Nebuya Eikichi pounded his biceps, muscles flexing with thunderous pops, and Seirin's players stared at his arms in horror—even Kiyoshi couldn't help gulping.
"That guy…"
"He's completely fallen into Akihito's rhythm again…"
Recalling Nebuya's performance in the national finals, Kiyoshi muttered, "Actually… yeah, this suits him perfectly."
On the other side
Teiko's Miracles turned to look at Murasakibara Atsushi.
Midorima caught the look of disdain on Atsushi's face toward Nebuya and said calmly, "Atsushi, you handle it. That guy claims to be the strongest in raw power since entering high school. Beat him, and I won't bring up the 'no snacks during training' rule."
"Huh?"
"That muscle gorilla?"
Now towering past two meters—already closing in on the 208 cm he'd reach as a first-year—Murasakibara's attention snapped to the words "strongest in power."
"Hmph."
"I'll show him just how cruel real strength can be!"
"Just another guy I beat back in junior high!"
At the center of the court, Rakuzan sent out Nebuya Eikichi, Teiko fielded Murasakibara Atsushi, and as for Seirin
their only hope in terms of sheer power… was Kiyoshi Teppei.
"Yo~"
"Traveling call boy~"
"Long time no see~"
"You're still that skinny, huh? You guys not eating enough at Teiko?"
Truthfully, for Murasakibara, the memory of facing Nebuya in middle school—and getting called for a travel after trying to imitate Akihito's dreamlike footwork—was long gone.
After all, it was only one play, and afterward, he'd immediately nailed the move perfectly thanks to Akihito's pass, and crushed Nebuya with it.
"Loser, I have no idea what you're talking about~"
"But I didn't lose in strength."
"You're about to, muscle gorilla~"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
END OF CHAPTER
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