KNB: I'm Actually Not the Boss?!

Kaijō vs Yōsen – Game Day

During the warm-up, Kise sank a clean three-pointer, then glanced over at Kota. At that moment, Kota was lazily dribbling the ball with the most basic moves possible—you couldn't even be sure if he was warming up or just killing time.

Kise couldn't hold back anymore. He walked over to Kota and whispered,

"Hey, Kota... how the heck did you know Kurokocchi's skills could be used like that?"

Last time, when Kota was coaching Kuroko, he casually explained a bunch of advanced misdirection techniques that left both Kuroko and Kise completely speechless.

Seriously… who's the actual phantom sixth man here? Kota or Kuroko?

Kota glanced at Kise without answering. He obviously couldn't tell him, "Oh, I just happen to know all of Kuroko's future moves," right? People would think he's a lunatic.

Well... not that this basketball world isn't already full of lunatics.

But Kise wasn't planning on letting him off so easily. He leaned in closer, persistently pestering,

"Come on, just tell meee~! Your team's ace is begging you, ya know!"

Kota let out a long sigh, then raised his head proudly,

"Isn't it obvious? I just took one look and figured it all out. I mean... isn't it kinda weird that you don't know?"

"Bruh..."

Kise, inside, was absolutely not buying it.

Kota looked at Kise's suspicious expression, then suddenly put on a dead-serious face and declared,

"Alright, fine. No point pretending anymore. I'm actually a genius. My brain's evolved way beyond normal humans. I can see everyone's potential... and even their future abilities."

"Hah??"

For a second, Kise was actually stunned.

Thinking about it… Kota wasn't physically gifted—if anything, his athleticism was kinda garbage. But despite that, he always played extremely well.

If it's not physical ability… then maybe he really is just using his brain!?

Kise suddenly spiraled into existential crisis.

"Wait… if Kota's actually a genius... and he can figure out how Kurokocchi grows stronger... and I can't... does that mean... I'm just a normal dude?!"

Kota stared at Kise's face slowly collapsing into despair, completely speechless.

"How... how did this guy even pass Kaijō's entrance exam? Oh wait... right. Basketball recommendation. Never mind then. Carry on."

Kota glanced around the court and casually patted Kise on the shoulder, snapping him out of his meltdown.

"By the way... where's your old teammate? I heard he's, like, huge. Haven't seen him yet."

Kise blinked and came back to reality.

"Oh, you mean Murasakibaracchi? Yeah, that guy's super lazy. He's probably running late. But you're not wrong—he's massive. Back in middle school, he was even stronger than me."

Kota blinked in surprise.

"Wait... Kise actually admitted someone was stronger than him? Never seen that happen, not even with Aomine. Don't tell me... is Murasakibara stronger than Aomine even in the Zone?"

Sensing Kota's skeptical look, Kise quickly explained,

"I mean, back in middle school! He and Aominecchi were the first to awaken their talents. I hadn't really figured out how to maximize my own skills yet."

Then Kise puffed his chest and grinned confidently,

"But it's a whole different story now! No way I'm weaker than him anymore."

After battling Aomine in the Zone for two straight games, Kise was now convinced there was nobody who could stop him.

Kagami? Murasakibara? Meh. Small fries.

Akashi...? Okay, let's not talk about Akashi. That's a different headache. Besides, Kota's got my back!

With Kota covering any gaps, Kise was basically oozing confidence. All he had to do was run around, throw down a few flashy plays, and victory was pretty much in the bag. What other ace gets to be this chill, huh?

Without realizing it, Kise had become totally dependent on Kota. He had shed the typical "ego" of the Generation of Miracles... but at the same time, was quietly losing the sense of "responsibility" that came with being an ace.

Of course, Kota had no clue what was going on in Kise's head. Considering in the original timeline Kise hadn't yet mastered Perfect Copy at this stage, Kota did notice something odd about him...But hey, as the team's strategist, if my ace is this obedient, who am I to complain?

Just then, Kota spotted another notable figure from Yōsen — Himuro Tatsuya, Yōsen's vice-captain.

Fellow vice-captain to vice-captain, Kota's attention naturally shifted toward him.

Polite appearance, roughly the same height as Kota, long hair that nearly covered his eyes, and a beauty mark under his right eye ...Not gonna lie... dude's pretty handsome.

Himuro had just taken off his warm-up jacket and picked up a ball when he noticed someone staring. Turning his head, his eyes met Kota's gaze. He looked slightly confused, probably wondering why this random guy was staring at him.

Kota flashed a harmless smile and went back to his own "warm-up," if lazily dribbling counts as warming up.

"Both teams, line up for pre-game greetings."

A loud whistle pierced the air, drawing everyone's attention.

"Huh? Murasakibara's still not here?"

Kota was genuinely confused.

"The game was about to start... How late was this guy planning to be? Stranger still, the Yōsen coach didn't seem the least bit concerned, like he knew this would happen."

"Pleased to play with you" both teams said, bowing to each other.

Kota finally couldn't hold back and asked,"Um... excuse me, but... Murasakibara isn't here yet?"

Himuro, who had just turned to get into position, glanced back and replied casually,

"Ah... Atsushi's not coming today."

Then he turned back around like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"...Hah?!"

Kota stood frozen.

"Bro, this is the semifinals of the Interhigh! Your team's ace just... decided not to show up?!"

Kise was equally dumbfounded.

"Murasakibaracchi's not coming? He didn't get hurt or something, did he?"

In Kise's memory, Murasakibara might be lazy, but he was never the type to skip games. The guy hated losing and loved winning. Other than getting injured, Kise couldn't imagine any reason that would make him skip such an important match.

Kota frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Wait... now that I think about it, didn't the first Interhigh in the original story also not have Murasakibara or Akashi...?"

Trying to dig through his half-baked memory, Kota vaguely recalled: Too beat Kaijō, Kise and Aomine both got injured, and then neither of them played in the next game. Likewise, neither Murasakibara nor Akashi showed up. Apparently, Akashi decided that since Aomine wasn't playing, there was no point in proving who was strongest. So, he told Murasakibara to sit out too. They'd settle it at the Winter Cup finals instead.

"But wait... we beat Too this time. And nobody got injured. So why's Murasakibara still not showing up?!"

Kota's brows knitted tighter. Even the referee's whistle to start the game didn't shake him from his deep thinking.

As he dribbled the ball past half-court, his expression suddenly stiffened.

He hadn't fully figured it out yet, but one thing was certain — The mastermind behind this could only be Akashi. If there's anyone Murasakibara would actually listen to... it's definitely that guy.