Aomine Daiki still had very clear eyes at this mont, eyes so pure they seed to contain nothing but basketball. This extre passion for basketball had made him incredibly strong, though it would later make him fearful when his strength surpassed everyone else's and he lost the joy of competition.
Yesterday, Aomine had been fully imrsed in his own match, completely unaware of events on other courts. It was his childhood friend, Momoi Satsuki, who inford him about an outstanding defensive player who had joined the basketball club. Intrigued, Aomine instantly beca excited, eager to have a one-on-one duel with Tendou Kageyasu.
"I still prefer you when you're arrogant and unruly," Tendou remarked.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's have a match soti. I'm pretty interested in playing against you," Tendou said, observing the dark-skinned boy who would eventually beco Teiko's ace. He wanted to see how he asured up against this world's natural talent.
"It's a deal!" Aomine grinned happily, revealing white teeth. His pure, innocent smile was so bright that it nearly blinded Tendou, whose adult soul had long been stained by society.
"No talking during warm-ups," ca a strict voice.
"Tendou, Aomine—five extra laps!"
"Huh?"
Aomine's smile vanished instantly. Tendou silently pursed his lips and obediently ran the five extra laps.
"Captain Nijimura is way too strict. I only said a few words, and his eyes are so scary!" Aomine complained, sweating heavily after finishing the extra laps.
"Well, that's because Nijimura-senpai used to be a delinquent," a girl with pink hair whispered as she quietly approached them.
"Satsuki!?"
"Was Captain Nijimura really a delinquent? Are you serious?" Aomine's eyes lit up with curiosity. He knew his childhood friend well—Momoi always seed to know everything, like a walking encyclopedia.
"Of course! His most notorious act was riding around on a stolen motorcycle."
"No way! I never would've imagined soone as strict as Nijimura-senpai could've been a delinquent!"
Aomine's mind wandered, picturing Nijimura with a classic pompadour hairstyle, causing him to burst into laughter uncontrollably.
Tendou, who already knew sothing about Nijimura's past, was not surprised. As he was about to speak, he sensed sothing fleeting past him.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong, Tendou?"
"Didn't sothing just float past us?"
"What are you talking about? You're imagining things. You're not so tired from those five extra laps that you're hallucinating already, are you? That's pretty la," Aomine teased.
Tendou ignored him, convinced he wasn't mistaken, especially since he saw live comnts appear before his eyes.
『Hahaha!』
『Kuroko's presence is so faint that even Tendou didn't notice him!』
『Their expressions are hilarious, so adorable!』
『You're right, kitty. You weren't seeing things. Kuroko really did just run past you.』
『Neither Aomine nor Satsuki noticed—only Tendou did. Does Tendou love Kuroko that much?』
『Fujoshi, please stop shipping everyone you see. It's unhealthy!』
『It's probably due to his exceptional vision. Tendou's specialty is stealing after all—if you can't see clearly, you can't steal properly!』
『You'd better an stealing basketballs!』
It really was you, Kuroko.
Tendou turned his head slightly and, indeed, saw Kuroko running around the court alone, exhausted but determined.
Unlike Tendou and the others, Kuroko had been imdiately classified by Coach Shirogane as having no basketball talent. Without a second thought, Kuroko was assigned to the third string.
What was the third string?
It was essentially a reserve of reserves. Players who did well in the second string might have a chance to join the main team, but the third string players had no opportunities to play at all.
Coach Shirogane saw no redeeming qualities in Kuroko—stamina, endurance, speed, explosive power, jumping ability, and strength were all at the bottom tier. In simple terms, basketball was not for him. Players like him wouldn't even get a chance in casual exhibition matches.
This year, the new students worth looking forward to were just Tendou and a few others.
But where were those two troublemakers, Tendou and Aomine?
Coach Shirogane glanced around the gym, realizing the pair were chatting away. Aomine, in particular, was laughing like an idiot.
"Tendou! Aomine! Rejoin practice imdiately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tendou quickly returned to his drills. These daily training sessions provided little opportunity to gain popularity points, and acting as a helpful big brother to run alongside Kuroko didn't suit his persona.
Even without intentionally creating scenes, comnts occasionally floated across his vision. Tendou knew Kuroko's eyes kept drifting his way.
...
After club activities ended, Tendou changed clothes and walked out of the locker room, only to find Riko Amanai standing there, hands on her hips.
"Keeping a beautiful girl waiting this long—do you have no gentlemanly manners at all?" she huffed.
"Expecting soone determined to conquer nationals to skip club activities—are you stupid?"
Amanai glared at him. Tendou rolled his eyes.
Their simple exchange of banter caused comnts to float by again.
Wait, why were there comnts now?
Tendou looked around to see if Kuroko was secretly watching. As he turned, he jumped in fright—Kuroko was standing right beside them.
"A ghost!"
Both Tendou and Amanai jumped away in synchronized shock.
"Kuroko!!!"
"Hello, Tendou-kun and..." Kuroko glanced at Amanai, unsure of her na. "Nice to et you."
"What's 'nice' about it? Don't just casually say hello after nearly scaring us to death!"
"But I've been here all along," Kuroko said innocently.
『Kuroko isn't lying, I can confirm.』
『Yes, he was just here to walk ho with Tendou.』
『Haha, no matter how many tis I see this reaction, it's hilarious!』
『Tendou's heart rate: accelerated by 10086%!』
"If I don't live to be a hundred, it's definitely your fault, Kuroko!" Tendou snapped. "With your level of presence, you're basically invisible! Don't tell
you're friends with Harry Potter!"
"Idiot! Harry Potter needs an invisibility cloak. Kuroko clearly has Invisible Woman's bloodline!"
Both Tendou and Amanai stared wide-eyed at Kuroko, genuinely frightened. Kuroko's lips curled slightly as he remarked, "You two have a good relationship. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
A good relationship? Are you blind?
Amanai glared at Kuroko, only then realizing she had unconsciously clung tightly to Tendou during their fright. Embarrassed, she imdiately pushed away.
"Get away from , you jerk!"
"Stupid woman! Don't just randomly hug !"
Reviews
All reviews (0)