Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned

"Thanks for the guidance ×N!"

After Shigure Akihito walked over on his own, the Seiho side quickly gathered themselves and reorganized their team. At center court, both sides bowed to each other and exchanged handshakes.

At the same time, they finally learned

"What?!"

"You're… a first-year?!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Everyone from Seiho Junior High was so stunned, they forgot all about their frustration. Their eyes widened as they stared at the boy standing in front of them

Teiko's first-year, Shigure Akihito!

"!?"

A first-year!

Teiko!

Regular starter!

And he had just led a comeback in one quarter, scoring nearly 30 points by himself!

All of this together made the whole situation feel utterly surreal to the Seiho players. Who would've thought a first-year rookie could put on a performance like that?

He wasn't even Teiko's ace?!

He was just

A rookie?!

Damn it…

Teiko is already this terrifying this year?!

Soon after, under the stunned gazes of the Seiho players, the Teiko team gathered their things and left the school, boarding the bus to return home.

And sure enough

Cheers erupted from inside the bus.

No one had come down yet from the high of that miraculous comeback.

Even the uncle driving the team bus was grinning proudly. He'd caught the game too, and he couldn't help but feel honored to have witnessed such a win. He thought to himself:

"This year's Teiko… really found some monsters."

Not just one, two of them!

Shigure Akihito.

Nijimura Shuzo.

The moment he recalled a call from a fellow driver who had taken the other team out that day, a grin spread across his face again.

Heh~

One was a freakish scorer who single-handedly overturned a 27-point deficit in a single quarter.

The other, an all-around beast who racked up a double-double in points and assists, and led a comeback of over 20 points!

Hmph!

Let those filthy-rich lucky punks in Ibaraki see what a real powerhouse looks like!

Meanwhile, in the back of the bus,

Everyone was still riding the adrenaline. The smiles hadn't faded at all.

"Shigure, that three-pointer of yours was beautiful. Think I could ask you for some tips sometime?"

"Ah… Sure, no problem."

"Today was insane! I honestly thought it was over, but then Shigure stepped on court like a descending god and pulled us out of the abyss!"

"I swear, that was the most unbelievable performance I've ever seen in a game!"

"Totally agree! Even compared to the regular starters on the first-string, Shigure is way stronger!"

The second-string players couldn't stop showering Shigure Akihito with praise.

To be honest, it wasn't just Seiho who'd been dumbfounded, the Teiko team themselves had been caught off guard. They all knew Shigure was strong, but no one expected that, when he went all out, he'd be this strong!

Maybe it was a burst of adrenaline triggered by being down so much, but either way, everyone understood,

after today, Shigure Akihito's standing in the first-string would never be the same.

After all, before entering the fourth quarter, Coach Hakkin had personally promised:

"If you can win this game, I'll consider you for a starting position."

Now that they thought about it,

From joining the club, to making the first-string, to playing as a regular, and now being considered for a starter spot…

Shigure Akihito had only been here two months!

The next day.

Because the away game ended late the previous evening, they'd been allowed to go straight home after returning to school.

So this morning, the moment Shigure stepped into the first-string gym,

He instantly noticed the change.

Everyone's gaze on him had shifted.

There was pressure.

There was curiosity.

And from a few… there was thinly veiled hostility.

"What?"

"That Nijimura guy…"

A double-double in the fourth quarter? 14 points, 10 assists, leading a 23-point comeback?!

From the murmurs of a few fringe first-string players, Shigure pieced together the details of Nijimura Shuzo's performance in another away match the day before.

He grumbled inwardly about the oddly familiar "mission structure" of their achievements, but couldn't help feeling impressed.

Shigure Akihito: "…"

Damn…

Wasn't he supposed to be the best power forward in junior high?

What kind of point guard stats are these?!

Not long after, the rest of the first-string players began arriving one after another.

Shigure quickly found himself being stared at like a rare animal, the kind you'd only ever see in a zoo. It wasn't until Nijimura Shuzo finally walked in, cold-faced and spinning a basketball one-handed, that the attention shifted.

It was clear as day,

When he saw all the stares, even Nijimura paused for a moment.

"What?"

"You guys wanna duel or something?!"

Everyone: "…"

Speechless.

And so, morning training began.

But Shigure noticed something strange,

The two third-year starters who'd never once missed a practice… were absent.

Just as he was wondering why, the flow of the ongoing passing drill suddenly stopped. Everyone turned toward the gym's edge.

It was Coach Hakkin.

"Shigure. Nijimura. Come with me to the office. I have something to discuss with you."

With a mix of tension and curiosity in their eyes, the first-string players watched as Shigure and Nijimura followed Coach Hakkin to the upstairs office overlooking the court.

From the court, Okura Masaaki, Teiko's starting center and team captain, watched them go. As if confirming something to himself, he lowered his head and let out a soft sigh.

Beside him, the two remaining third-year starters resumed training.

Only now, their layups during the passing drill had turned into thunderous dunks, each one like a burst of frustration.

Okura Masaaki: "…"

Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo, huh?

Coach Hakkin really did find two unbelievable monsters.

Seeing them…

Everyone's going to be shocked.