Chapter 021
Murasakibara yawned lazily and said: "Alright, just call me when the time comes, Haizaki-chin." He picked up a basketball and was about to shoot when he noticed Kuroko dribbling over for a layup attempt nearby.
The result? Complete failure.
Murasakibara immediately felt irritated and muttered quietly: "So pathetically weak."
The assistant coach standing behind Murasakibara adjusted his glasses. While Kuroko's previous scrimmage performance had been impressive, his daily training over the past few days revealed a genuine lack of fundamental basketball talent. He called out: "Nijimura, Akashi, come here."
"What is it, Coach?" Both Nijimura and Akashi jogged over promptly.
The bespectacled coach looked at Kuroko and announced: "Tomorrow we're playing against Nankyu Middle School. I want Kuroko in the starting lineup—I need to evaluate his actual abilities and determine whether he's truly qualified to be a first-string member."
"Yes, Coach."
The next day, Teiko's first-string players arrived at Nankyu Middle School. Akashi watched Kuroko changing into his team uniform and offered encouragement: "Kuroko-san, this is your first official game. Do your best out there!"
"Yes, sir."
Seeing Kuroko's obvious nervousness, Akashi smiled gently: "Currently, aside from Aomine, the other first-string players aren't particularly optimistic about your abilities. But everything comes down to demonstrated strength—victory is everything. I believe in you, Kuroko-san."
"Both teams, please line up."
"Let's have a good game!" both sides called out in unison.
The referee tossed the ball upward, and Murasakibara immediately secured possession. Akashi received the ball and spoke reassuringly: "Don't be overly nervous, Kuroko-san. Just relax out there." The moment Akashi finished speaking, Kuroko stumbled due to excessive anxiety.
Akashi and the others felt cold sweat forming as they asked: "Are you alright, Kuroko-san?"
"I'm totally fine!" Kuroko stood up with a nosebleed and a somewhat dazed expression.
Midorima adjusted his glasses and said: "Honestly, if you're going to be this nervous, you should be substituted immediately."
"This isn't good, Tetsuya," Aomine added with a worried expression.
The assistant coach looked at Kuroko with mild exasperation: "Forget it. Haizaki, you start instead. Kuroko will come in during the second half."
Taking the court, Haizaki said with slight disappointment: "I was actually looking forward to seeing Kuroko's abilities in action. Oh well, there'll be other opportunities."
"Alright, let's secure this possession first," Akashi addressed his teammates.
After the first half ended, the score stood at 45-22, with Teiko more than doubling Nankyu's point total.
In the second half, Kuroko entered the game. Immediately, he employed his misdirection technique to pass the ball to Murasakibara. Upon receiving Kuroko's pass, Murasakibara frowned slightly and thought: 'This pass was way too forced. It has no power behind it whatsoever...'
Seeing an opponent attempting to steal, Murasakibara stepped back and attempted a jump shot, but the basketball hit the rim and bounced out.
Watching this missed opportunity, Murasakibara felt his anger rising. Kuroko's previous pass had been too weak and poorly timed, causing the defending opponent to nearly steal the ball and forcing Murasakibara into a rushed shot.
Aomine secured the offensive rebound with an alley-oop dunk, saying enthusiastically: "Nice, let's get our first points of the third quarter!"
Unlike Aomine's excitement, Murasakibara looked at Kuroko with clear dissatisfaction: "Kuroko-chin, next time put some strength behind your passes! That ball just now was almost impossible to handle."
Akashi frowned slightly upon hearing this. He'd also noticed Murasakibara's difficulty receiving that pass, but tried to mediate diplomatically: "Come on, Murasakibara, don't blame Kuroko. After all, this is his first official game."
"Tch."
Subsequently, Kuroko made consecutive passing errors, and Nankyu's score began climbing steadily. When Midorima received one of Kuroko's passes, his brow furrowed: 'This pass is incredibly forced...'
Without hesitation, seeing opponents converging, Midorima immediately passed to Aomine, who scored with an irregular shot.
At the end of the third quarter, Murasakibara looked at Kuroko with obvious disdain and spoke angrily: "What exactly is wrong with your passing, Kuroko? My layup almost got intercepted." This time Murasakibara was genuinely furious—he'd even dropped the casual "-chin" suffix and used Kuroko's full name.
Akashi looked at Kuroko with growing disappointment, thinking: 'In the third quarter alone, Kuroko made far too many mistakes. Even the few decent passes he managed left teammates unable to perform at their best.'
'Is this due to nervousness, incompetence, or both?'
Kuroko responded with a flat expression: "That's because Murasakibara-san prefers playing one-on-one with opponents. Basketball isn't a one-man sport."
"What did you just say?" Murasakibara exploded with rage, lifting Kuroko's slight frame into the air and roaring: "It's entirely because of your terrible passing!"
Seeing this escalation, Aomine immediately intervened: "Alright, Atsushi, put Tetsuya down first!"
Midorima adjusted his glasses and voiced his own complaints: "Hmph, I always do my utmost and leave the rest to fate, but after receiving your passes today, I've somehow missed two shots."
"I train diligently every day, so I shouldn't be missing shots. The reason I missed today was entirely due to your passing, Kuroko."
Aomine immediately defended his friend: "Those were just your own shooting mistakes—how can you blame Tetsuya?"
"Hmph, don't be ridiculous. When I've done everything possible, my shooting is absolutely reliable. As expected, I don't get along with Aquarius types," Midorima said while adjusting his glasses.
Akashi listened with a bitter smile. While he wanted to stop their conflict, Murasakibara was still furious, and this time even Midorima was complaining—there was no easy resolution.
The assistant coach looked at Kuroko with obvious dissatisfaction. This level of performance wasn't nearly qualified for first-string play. He spoke flatly: "Alright, play properly in the fourth quarter! Remember, at Teiko Middle School, victory is everything."