"Long time no see~"
"Miracles~"
Hayama Kotarō walked up to the Generation of Miracles. Thanks to the previous training camp, just like his earlier chat with Koganei, he greeted everyone with casual familiarity.
But then
He suddenly blinked wide-eyed when he saw Murasakibara's current height.
Seeing Hayama's stunned expression, Midorima Shintarō allowed himself a faint smile and stepped aside. With Murasakibara's full height revealed, Hayama nearly froze in shock.
Hayama Kotarō: "…"
Good lord.
Those arms, those legs—
He still had room to grow?!
Hayama's voice immediately went up a notch.
"Murasakibara Atsushi, what happened to you?! Captain Hagioka was already ridiculous, but you—can you even still be called a high schooler?!"
Murasakibara: "?"
Koganei Shinji: "...!"
Wait!
This guy Murasakibara!
His attention had been completely pulled toward the sudden appearance of the Miracles. With all their heights rising across the board, Murasakibara actually didn't stand out as much as last year—at first glance.
But looking closely
Murasakibara Atsushi…
Had to be close to 210 cm now?!
"Murasakibara, you…"
"What's your height now?!"
Using Kiyoshi—the tallest on Seirin—as a reference, Kiyoshi was 193 cm. Murasakibara definitely surpassed him by at least 15 cm… maybe even more.
"Two-oh-eight~"
"By the way, who are you?"
"Koganei Shinji, Seirin's player from last year's training camp."
Beside him, Akashi gave a warm smile and nodded at Koganei, helping him out of the awkward moment.
"Oh~"
"Right…"
"I remember now~"
Then Hayama added, "He has wild instinct too~ Rare, right? Though… his is still super weak~"
At those words
Haizaki.
Aomine.
Both turned at the same time. Under the pressure of their wild instincts, the same scene repeated. The pitiful cry of a frightened kitten echoed before all the Miracles.
Compared to that…
Kagami was clearly the more interesting one in their eyes.
Meanwhile
Koganei himself didn't care. His mind was filled with only one thing: the Miracles' heights.
Especially two of them.
Murasakibara.
Midorima.
He knew these two were on the same team.
And both…
Were taller than Kiyoshi.
That was bad… very bad…
Originally he thought the strongest pair entering high school would be Aomine and Kise. But now, after seeing this duo, he wasn't so sure anymore.
His eyes darted around, his brain almost crashing as he tried to record everything. Murasakibara at 208 was already historically monstrous for high school basketball, and Midorima—being a shooting guard—was just as absurd!
Whew…
This was important intel!
However, he didn't know—
There was still someone whose power couldn't be measured by height alone. And oddly enough, it was Kagami—the one meeting the Miracles for the first time—who sensed it first.
Because
Of a single title.
Akashi… "Captain"…
When he heard Hayama call Akashi Seijūrō that, he slowly snapped out of the Miracles' oppressive aura and quietly scanned the situation—then his expression suddenly shifted.
His gaze locked completely onto Akashi Seijūrō
A guy of rather ordinary height…
Only slightly taller than Kuroko.
A first-year.
Captain.
And of Rakuzan—a team with three Uncrowned Kings.
At Seirin, even if Haizaki was terrifyingly strong, Kagami still couldn't imagine calling him captain while Kiyoshi existed.
Much less in Rakuzan, where there were three.
At that moment
Akashi's eyes swept toward Kagami.
Instantly
Kagami's entire body stiffened, shocked!
Because the warm, gentle aura Akashi had just moments ago
Suddenly transformed.
From someone calm and collected…
Into something dark, bottomless—
A presence like a yawning abyss swallowing everything.
Hayama felt it even more strongly.
Because
That aura
Was identical to the one that always led them to victory.
Captain Hagioka's aura.
"Hey hey hey~"
"So scary, Akashi-captain~"
"You didn't let that guy out, right~?"
At Hayama's words, all the Miracles turned at once—eyes locked onto that rose-colored red.
First
As expected of Akashi.
Even in a team with three Uncrowned Kings, he had clearly dominated from the moment he joined and taken the captain position.
Second
Hayama actually knew about Akashi's dual personality. Back in Teiko, it had taken them a long time to confirm that for themselves.
But soon they understood
It wasn't that Hayama was sharper.
It was that high-school Akashi had become easier to read.
Step~
Step~
Koganei and Kagami's thoughts froze as Akashi approached. From where Koganei stood, it was obvious Akashi's target was Kagami.
But
Koganei Shinji: "...!"
What was that expression Akashi was making?!
Completely different from the training camp
Terrifying!
"Long time no see, Koganei. In a moment…"
"I'll have to be a little rude."
Akashi's gentle tone surprised Koganei—the contrast between the 173 cm Akashi standing before him and the overwhelming aura moments ago was shocking.
Kagami, who had forced himself to look away earlier due to the crushing pressure, now returned his gaze to Akashi.
"…"
His voice was warm.
The terrifying pressure was gone.
And yet
He still had an abnormal, commanding presence.
Was this because he was a first-year captain?
Kagami wasn't convinced.
He watched Akashi closely—as Akashi finished greeting Koganei and finally turned his eyes toward Kagami.
Suddenly
A cold, superior gaze fell into Kagami's eyes.
Then
Kagami saw Akashi's pupils change color.
From crimson red
To orange.
For some reason
Even while towering over Akashi physically, Kagami felt provoked by that expression—by the absolute superiority in his gaze.
Recently, with complete control over the Emperor Eye and the second personality's dominance, Akashi's strength had been increasing explosively—and so had his tendency to slip out on his own.
And right now
Perhaps because Kagami was looking down at him.
Perhaps because he sensed Kagami had no fear.
But Akashi's orange eyes flashed with a moment of chilling cold.
"Kagami…"
"Your strength certainly deserves praise. However…"
"Here's a piece of advice."
BOOM!
Black mist began swirling around Akashi's slender frame—ink-dark and thick—spreading forward and engulfing Kagami completely!
Danger!
His aura was overwhelming
So overwhelming it became hard to breathe!
Under the shocked gazes of the Miracles, Kagami instinctively took a step back—disrupting the black haze around him, which scattered like smoke
And in the center of it all
Akashi stood like a dark king, taking a single step forward.
The next second
"Only those who submit to me may speak without lowering their gaze."
With that, the black fog recoiled like a violent tide. Kagami's balance shattered—his body collapsing uncontrollably—his view dropping lower and lower
Until
Thud.
Kagami sat on the ground in stunned silence—his vision at rock bottom.
Akashi looked down expressionlessly.
"You're too arrogant."
Kagami Taiga: "..."
This guy…!
He never touched me…
He only stepped forward—what the hell did he do?!
"Kagami!"
"Akashi! What do you think you're doing?!"
Koganei rushed in front of Kagami, panicked. The sudden change made it clear—this Akashi was nothing like the gentle one from the training camp!
SLAP!
At the same time
With his wild instinct erupting, Haizaki activated the "Heavenly Emperor Eye" in full immersion, grabbing Akashi's shoulder.
"Imposter. Get back where you belong."
"And…"
"Akashi—get out here!"
BUZZ!
CREEEEAK!
CREEEAK!
Under Hayama's horrified gaze—far worse than when he'd seen Kise's Shadow of Sensei
A bizarre shadow appeared behind Akashi!
Haizaki Shōgo: "...?!"
That was…
What?
A puppet?
Strings emerged behind Akashi, connecting to his limbs—pulling him rigidly—freezing him in place. And then—
His pupils turned red again.
The oppressive hallucination vanished.
"My apologies, Koganei-senpai, Kagami-kun."
…
Seirin locker room.
Koganei and Kagami both lifted their eyes from the magazine, faces complicated as they came out of the memory.
Kagami Taiga: "..."
Akashi Seijūrō…
Dual personality…
In his normal state, the first personality was calming, almost gentle—even after doing something outrageous, it was hard to stay angry.
Damn it!
That made it even more frustrating.
Tch!
Fine. He'd just treat them as two different people. Next time he met that damned second personality—he'd make him pay.
Koganei Shinji: "...???"
Was Akashi…
Really okay?
Haizaki said he was totally fine, but the symptoms looked seriously bad.
Was it really…
Not some mental disorder?
…
Soon
To the excitement of Seirin's players, the Weekly Basketball reporter arrived at the gym.
Haizaki, Kuroko, and Kiyoshi smoothly accepted their interviews as the others watched with envy. Even Hyūga—face stiff—handled his part well.
Until
"Hah?!"
"Say that again!?"
"What?!"
Anger, disbelief, outrage—three voices (Haizaki, Kagami, Hyūga) exploded simultaneously, turning every head in the gym.
"That's correct. After comparing footage from all regions, Seirin's rating is S-."
"Compared to last year, that's already a high score."
The reporter had planned to share good news… but unknowingly stepped on a hornet's nest.
Nearby
Aida Riko and the others gathered.
"S-."
"That's not too bad, right?"
"Right."
Kuroko appeared ghostlike behind them.
"Rakuzan is Double-S. Tōō is S+. Most importantly… Yōsen is also S+."
"Ah?"
"Then…"
"Does that mean…?"
"Exactly."
"In the eyes of Weekly Basketball, among all teams that contain a member of the Miracles… we are rated the weakest."
Even the ever-kind Kiyoshi couldn't accept that. And the pitch-black-hearted Kuroko made sure to press right at the sore spot.
Immediately, the entire Seirin team turned to the reporter—eyes burning—especially Haizaki, who looked ready to hold him hostage until he explained.
The reporter: "..."
The reporter: "Since you never led even once against Tōō, their S+ rating is entirely thanks to Aomine's individual level…"
"As for Yōsen—compared to you and Tōō, they're a different style altogether. Simply put… because of Midorima's ability, those two Miracles integrate into their team far better than yours."
"And Rakuzan…"
"Akashi Seijūrō…"
"He's an undeniable monster. Even among the Miracles."
END OF CHAPTER
(Some chapters in patreon are double chapters)
4 IN 1 - BE A MEMBER, GET 4 ONGOING STORIES!!
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
Starting Five - Kuroko's Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer