"Against Shutoku in a practice game? For real?"
"I heard the Tokyo Three Kings never meet before tournaments. Why so sudden this time?"
"Probably because Shutoku recruited a member of the Generation of Miracles this year. They must want to test that player's strength against a worthy opponent before the Nationals officially begin."
"Is the legendary Generation of Miracles really that strong?"
"Hard to say now, but back in middle school, those monsters dominated the entire national basketball scene."
============
Aside from a handful of main players who had known for days that one of the Tokyo Three Kings, Shutoku High, would visit Seiho for a practice game this Friday,
Most of the first- and second-years only learned about it from the coach on the day of the match.
By the time the news spread, the Shutoku team had already arrived on campus.
============
In the school parking lot,
A bus came to a slow stop, and a group of high schoolers in different uniforms stepped off one after another.
"Huh? So this is Seiho? Doesn't look that different from Shutoku."
"Of course. Both Seiho and Shutoku are historic Tokyo schools. In terms of academics and sports, they're pretty evenly matched."
"No, I mean… Seiho's facilities look just as run-down as ours."
"Quit yapping. Form up."
The Tokyo Three Kings, because of their locations, rarely played each other in practice games. But in the final stages of the Nationals qualifiers, they almost always crossed paths each year.
So when the two sides met inside the gym, there was little small talk, they got straight to business.
"Yes! Finally, we meet these guys again. This time, I'm going to make them pay," Tsugawa Tomoki roared in the locker room, still remembering their middle school loss all too clearly.
"You're getting too hyped, Tsugawa!"
"By the way, has anyone seen Akashi? Isn't he usually the first one here?"
"Ah, right, there's a big class cleanup today. Akashi's on duty, so he might be late."
"What?"
Everyone froze at that.
"No way! Of all days, he picks today for cleaning duty?"
"Not much he can do. I heard their class lost a lot of points for cleanliness, so the homeroom teacher's furious."
"Seriously, that guy…"
============
When Coach Matsumoto Yukinori noticed Asuka wasn't there after they finished changing, he looked puzzled.
After hearing the explanation, even he was left speechless.
"Forget it. Since Akashi's not here, Tsugawa, you'll defend Midorima Shintaro in the first quarter. You've played against the Generation of Miracles before, so you have some idea of what to expect."
"Yoshi~! Perfect!"
"As for the rest of you, stick to the pre-match strategy. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"All right. Let's get out there."
============
Seiho's players strode onto the court with energy.
On the opposite side, the Shutoku squad in orange uniforms did the same.
Most of Shutoku's players were familiar rivals, so Matsumoto paid them little mind, until the last man stepped onto the court.
The moment Midorima Shintaro appeared, the coach's relaxed eyes sharpened.
"Coach!"
"Yeah… I see it. That aura, worthy of the Generation of Miracles."
The air around the strong and the weak was worlds apart. Kitayama Yuuzuki, Seiho's manager, usually handled logistics and wasn't especially sensitive to players' presence.
But when Midorima stepped forward, a chill ran down her spine. That could only mean one thing:
Midorima's strength was so overwhelming, even an outsider could feel it.
Bweeep!
With the referee's whistle, the match began.
In the opening jump ball, Shutoku's center, Otsubo Taisuke, claimed possession easily, his 198 cm height was far above Tsutomu Iwamura's.
Damn it, Akashi, you jerk… once this match is over, I'll make sure you pay.
Jump balls had always been a sore spot for Iwamura. And ever since Akashi joined Seiho, Iwamura hadn't won a single one in training matches.
Normally, that wasn't so bad.
Akashi was a teammate now, so even if Iwamura lost to him, other schools would lose to Seiho, and that balanced it out in his mind.
But he hadn't counted on that guy being late today.
Takao Kazunari caught the ball and immediately launched a long pass to Midorima, who had already started running ahead.
One step outside the three-meter line, Midorima pulled up for the shot.
Whoosh!
The ball arced impossibly high into the air. Midorima pushed up his glasses, turned confidently, and began walking back toward his own basket.
Three seconds later,
Swish!
The ball fell from the sky like a meteor, slicing through the net.
============
"What the hell?"
The Seiho players froze.
"That arc… isn't that way too high?"
"Can a shot like that even go in?"
Anyone seeing Midorima's shooting form for the first time was bound to be shocked, the trajectory was just too bizarre.
The court went silent.
Then Tsugawa's wolf-like howl snapped everyone out of it.
"Ahhh, You bastard! That was a sneak attack!"
Shutoku's fast break in the opening play had caught Seiho completely off guard.
Especially Tsugawa, only moments earlier, he'd been imagining how to dominate Midorima. Instead, before he could react, the ball was already in the net.
Score: 3–0. Shutoku leads.
Thump~~
A fist slammed into Tsugawa's forehead. Iwamura, forehead vein throbbing, barked, "Sneak attack my ass! Weren't you supposed to shut down a Generation of Miracles player? Take this seriously!"
==========
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