Chapter 023 -
In the afternoon, Akashi and the other players arrived at the playing field. Murasakibara looked at Kuroko, who had changed into his team uniform, and said: "Don't mess up your passes this time, Kuroko-chin. If you're going to throw the same kind of terrible balls as last time..."
"Be careful, or I'll crush you."
Kuroko nodded and replied simply: "Yes."
"Come on, Atsushi, don't intimidate Tetsuya!" Aomine slapped Murasakibara's back and smiled warmly at Kuroko: "Tetsuya, just like we practiced yesterday—show them how amazing you really are!"
"Yes."
The moment they took the court, Kuroko employed his misdirection technique to deliver the ball into Midorima's hands. Midorima looked slightly startled—this time Kuroko's pass had just the right speed and power, allowing him to assume perfect shooting form.
A three-pointer swished through the net.
Subsequently, Kuroko's consecutive passes showed none of yesterday's mistakes. The players on the court moved with remarkable fluidity. Murasakibara looked at Kuroko's slight frame with internal surprise: 'I didn't expect him to actually deliver passes like this. So powerful—this is the kind of distribution we need.'
Akashi watched Kuroko and thought to himself: 'Can he really unleash this kind of power through our abilities? We're playing with such ease—Kuroko's passing becomes stronger when he encounters strong teammates.'
After the game ended, it was a complete blowout in their favor. Kuroko's first-half passing had utterly dominated their opponents. While his misdirection technique's effectiveness diminished significantly in the second half, the opposing team's morale had been completely shattered by the massive first-half deficit, preventing any meaningful comeback.
When it concluded, Aomine said with obvious enthusiasm: "That was incredible, Tetsuya! You finally did it!"
"Yes, Aomine-san."
Akashi looked at the excited Kuroko and Aomine, a slight smile crossing his lips. Through today's performance, he'd gained a clearer understanding of Kuroko's abilities—the stronger the players on the court, the more powerful Kuroko's contributions became. He truly was a shadow beneath the light.
The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow—that was Kuroko's essence.
A few days later, Kuroko officially became a first-string member and was designated as the team's sixth man starter.
On this particular day, Haizaki, Aomine, and Kuroko arrived at the training facility together. Haizaki looked at Murasakibara and said: "Atsushi, let's go—it's time for that game today."
"Game?" Murasakibara asked with his characteristic blank expression.
"The street basketball match I mentioned before—have you forgotten already?" Aomine smiled warmly while patting Kuroko's shoulder: "The numbers work out perfectly—Haizaki, Tetsuya, you, me, and Ranki make exactly five players."
"Oh right, I almost forgot," Murasakibara suddenly remembered.
Ranki, standing behind Murasakibara, looked at Kuroko with barely concealed coldness. Originally, after joining the first-string under Murasakibara's guidance and learning to dunk, his strength had improved dramatically. He'd always been Murasakibara's protégé, and until recently had expected to become the starting sixth man.
Having that opportunity stolen by Kuroko's sudden appearance was genuinely infuriating.
With these thoughts, he looked at Kuroko and said: "Is there really no problem with him participating? I remember Captain Akashi mentioning that Kuroko's misdirection technique can't last an entire game."
"Generally speaking, it's most effective for about half a game—three quarters maximum. If forced to play all four quarters, the chances of it working in the fourth are essentially zero."
Aomine frowned slightly at this reminder: "Don't worry about it. We still have substitute players available, and Tetsuya will be our ace in the hole."
"Tch." Hearing this, Ranki felt even more resentful toward Kuroko. The guy maintained that expressionless face constantly, yet Aomine and the others continued showing such faith in him.
Murasakibara looked at Kuroko and said: "I don't really care, as long as we can win. You better bring your best effort, Kuroko-chin."
"Yes."
Haizaki smiled wryly: "Alright, let's head out! I expect that Hanamiya guy has brought some serious players with him."
They arrived at the street basketball court Haizaki had mentioned, where basketball enthusiasts had already gathered on the surrounding steps. Most appeared to be around the same age as Aomine and his teammates—local players who enjoyed the street basketball scene. Since school was out today, word of their arrival had generated immediate excitement among those who recognized them.
"Hey, that's Teiko Middle School! That's Daiki Aomine and Atsushi Murasakibara from Teiko!" someone called out. "And Shogo Haizaki too—they're all players who won this year's middle school league championship!"
Seeing how many spectators recognized them, Aomine looked puzzled: "Hey Haizaki, what's going on here? I knew people would watch street games, but this is way too many!"
"No helping it—everyone who plays basketball knows about us now!" Haizaki replied matter-of-factly, adding with a grin: "Plus this is an official street competition venue with real referees and everything."
"Seriously?" Murasakibara looked genuinely surprised.
"Is that so? Well, this should be interesting—there must be tons of people here to see us!" Aomine said with growing excitement.
"Definitely won't be fewer than the middle school league, since there's no admission fee," Haizaki grinned.
At that moment, several middle school students ran over shouting: "Haizaki-san, you made it!"
"Oh, Asho! Aomine, Atsushi—these are my neighborhood buddies. By the way, Asho, is everything I asked you to prepare ready?" Haizaki asked the boy named Asho.
The boy replied eagerly: "Don't worry ! Everything's set up. The game starts soon—you guys come this way first!"first!"
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