A few days later...
Miyamoto Tokima and the others practiced late into the night at the gym. In the end, only he and Daiki Aomine were left behind to clean up.
"Aomine, Tokima, listen—there's something really creepy going on. The gym is haunted at night!!"
That evening, Satsuki Momoi found Miyamoto Tokima and Daiki Aomine, her expression unusually serious.
"Really?" Miyamoto Tokima already knew the truth, but he put on a look of disbelief.
Looks like Kuroko's about to make his entrance.
After all, Kuroko is Teikō's Phantom Sixth Man.
With his near-nonexistent presence, he can pull off all kinds of unbelievable plays.
And let's not forget—the title of this series starts with "Kuroko."
"It's true!"
"After practice ends at the third team's gym, even when there's clearly no one inside, you can still hear the sound of a basketball."
Satsuki Momoi spoke solemnly.
Daiki Aomine's face darkened as he stared at her blankly.
Clearly unconvinced, he scoffed. "That's stupid."
With that, he turned around and walked off.
"Wait! Aomine! Aomine-kun!!"
Satsuki Momoi desperately tried to stop him, but Daiki Aomine didn't slow down at all.
He just thought she was being childish.
"Seriously, what kind of monster plays basketball?"
"If there really was one, I'd love to go one-on-one with it."
Spinning the ball in his hand, he headed toward the court.
"Tokima, look at him. He doesn't believe me at all."
Satsuki Momoi looked at Miyamoto Tokima with a pitiful expression. Ever since that ice pop a few days ago, she had grown noticeably clingier toward him.
Miyamoto Tokima was weak against that kind of look. He quickly comforted her.
"I believe you. If the third team's gym is haunted, then let's go check it out and see whether it's a ghost or a person."
Little Kuroko, here I come.
"Huh? We're really going?" Satsuki Momoi said nervously. "I'm kind of scared..."
She really was afraid of ghosts. Bringing it up earlier had just been idle gossip.
But now that Miyamoto Tokima actually wanted to take her there, the fear felt very real.
"Don't worry," Miyamoto Tokima said gently, a faint smile on his face. "I'll protect you."
Protect... me?
Satsuki Momoi froze. No one had ever said that to her before.
Her heart suddenly started pounding, like a little deer running wild inside her chest. Her cheeks flushed as she shyly lowered her head.
"Momoi?" Miyamoto Tokima looked at her, confused. "Momoi?"
He waved his hand in front of her face.
Seeing his hand, Satsuki Momoi snapped back to her senses.
Still looking down, she said softly, her voice tinged with embarrassment, "O-Okay. Then let's go together."
"Alright."
When she agreed, Miyamoto Tokima took her hand and led her toward the gym.
Satsuki Momoi felt someone suddenly grasp her hand.
She looked up and saw Miyamoto Tokima holding it, guiding her forward.
She didn't resist at all, letting him lead her. She felt incredibly happy—so much so that she even wished he'd walk a little slower, just so she could hold his hand longer.
"Aaaaaah!!"
A piercing scream suddenly rang out.
Hearing it, Miyamoto Tokima immediately let go of Satsuki Momoi's hand and sprinted toward the gym.
He had to witness this famous scene in person.
Satsuki Momoi felt the warmth leave her hand.
She looked up to see Miyamoto Tokima already several meters away.
That warm, fluttering feeling instantly turned into frustration.
She stomped her foot angrily.
Damn it, Aomine! You ruined my moment!!
But just as quickly as the anger came, it faded.
After fuming for a moment, Satsuki Momoi chased after him. She had heard that scream too—Daiki Aomine's scream.
...
Just moments earlier, Daiki Aomine had gone to the gym alone.
Hearing the sound of a basketball inside, he didn't think much of it. He pushed the door open and called out casually, "Hello?"
But the moment he spoke, not only did no one respond—the sound of the basketball vanished as well.
Huh? Hey, seriously?
Is there really a monster playing basketball?
No, that can't be right. Someone must've been practicing up until just now...
They probably just finished...
But it really felt like there was still noise right before I opened the door...
Daiki Aomine stared at the empty court. No people. No basketball. Nothing.
Cold sweat immediately broke out all over his body.
He carefully backed away, step by step, clearly trying to escape the gym without being noticed.
"Um..."
A voice echoed through the empty gym.
Daiki Aomine felt like he'd just seen a ghost.
He instantly dropped into a crouch, covering his ears with both hands. Sweat poured down his face like rain as he muttered frantically:
"Oh God... I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I'll never bring adult magazines to school again!!"
"I won't sleep in class either! Evil spirits, go away! Go away!!"
At the entrance, Miyamoto Tokima had just arrived and clearly heard Daiki Aomine shaking and confessing all his dark secrets.
The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he pulled out his phone and turned on the recorder.
Aomine, you finally fell into my hands. Hehehe.
I'm keeping this recording for life. Just you wait.
...
Inside the gym, Daiki Aomine was still blurting out embarrassing confessions when a calm voice interrupted him.
"Hello."
Daiki Aomine turned his head.
What he saw wasn't a ghost or a demon.
It was a blue-haired boy, slightly shorter, with a blank, expressionless face.
"Huh? You're not a ghost?" Daiki Aomine stood up and looked him over. "Tetsuya Kuroko?"
"The guy's standing right in front of you, and you still think he's a ghost?"
Miyamoto Tokima walked in, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Tokima? Why are you here?" Daiki Aomine froze and quickly asked.
There's no way he heard all that... right? I need to check.
"Uh, Tokima—when did you get here?"
"Me?" Miyamoto Tokima replied casually. "Just now."
Just now? Then he probably didn't hear anything. Crisis averted.
Daiki Aomine let out a long breath of relief.
"Phew... phew... Tokima, what happened to Aomine?"
Satsuki Momoi leaned against the gym door, panting as she asked.
"Well, here's what happened."
Daiki Aomine explained everything and then asked Tetsuya Kuroko what was really going on.
Tetsuya Kuroko hesitated, unsure whether he should tell his story.
He recognized two of the three people in front of him: Daiki Aomine, a reserve power forward on the first team, and Miyamoto Tokima, a starting small forward on the first team who had once turned down the vice-captain position.
Both were unquestionably top-tier basketball players.
In the end, he decided to tell them everything.
After all, he was planning to quit the basketball club anyway.