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

Bang!

The ball Nijimura had swatted midair crashed down hard in front of Chōgen Middle School's coach, then bounced up sharply again, brushing past his cheek.

As the ball grazed him, it lifted strands of his hair, carried by the sheer speed of the ball's velocity.

Silence blanketed the court.

Everyone exchanged looks.

Whether that shot was intentional or not was hard to say.

To say it wasn't would be absurd, Nijimura's glare said everything. But to say it was intentional? The difficulty of pulling it off made that hard to believe.

First, he disrupted Hayama Kotarō's signature Super-Speed Dribbling.

Then, he stayed on him during the step-back jumper.

Then, on the block, that moment, he sent the ball flying… in that exact direction?

It looked like a chain of complex, layered actions.

But in truth, it had happened incredibly fast.

To defend with that kind of precision, weaving intention into each move while maintaining rhythm and dominance, would take frighteningly advanced real-time judgment and coordination.

On the court, Nijimura received a fresh ball from another first-string player. He looked down at Hayama Kotarō, his expression cold and impassive.

"Just as I thought,"

"That's all there is to you."

"Now it's my turn to attack."

The words had barely landed when a clean arc sailed across Hayama's vision, swish!, the ball sliced cleanly through the net.

A fast pull-up jumper from beyond the three-point line.

Shigure Akihito: "…?"

A three-pointer?

And not just any three-pointer, it was a lightning-quick release.

The motion differed from Shigure's, but the visual impact was strikingly familiar. A fast, high-release shot calculated to outpace a defender's reaction, quick, smooth, efficient.

And more surprising: Nijimura rarely shot threes.

Yet it was clean. Perfectly sunk.

Teiko's captain, Masaki Ōkura, chuckled under his breath.

"That guy Nijimura… knew it. He's been quietly watching Shigure. What a sore loser."

...

Moments later, the mood had changed.

On the court,

"Chōgen Middle School's golden boy…"

"Try harder, will you? You're flimsier than paper. I don't even need complex moves…"

"Just a simple step-through breaks your defense…"

"Everyone's already sick of watching this, aren't they?"

"Trash."

"Defend, dammit!"

"…"

"This is the level you came in bragging with? You think you'll play Shigure next? Don't kid yourself. What, you want us to sit here watching you get cooked?"

And just like that, the 1v1 was over.

Nijimura had completely dismantled Hayama Kotarō.

Especially after he switched to offense.

Though only 175cm tall, Nijimura's game was built around overwhelming force, strength far exceeding what his build suggested. His playstyle was brutally efficient: identify your weak point and hammer it relentlessly.

Hayama never stood a chance.

Not only could he not retaliate, he could barely put up resistance.

The result?

Total domination.

Off-court, the first-string players of Teiko stood in stunned silence, listening to Nijimura's nonstop verbal jabs as the rhythmic thud, thud, THUD of body-checks echoed across the gym.

"…Brutal."

Some of those collisions… it was clear he'd initiated contact just for the sake of punishing Hayama physically.

The second-years didn't fully understand the backstory. Sure, Hayama had been a bit brash, even disrespectful to Nanaki-senpai earlier, but… did he really deserve this?

The beating looked painful even from a distance.

…

Nijimura gave Hayama a full-court schooling.

By the end, Hayama hadn't managed to defend even once.

He now stood, hands on his knees, head bowed, silent.

To be honest, compared to the cocky kid who'd waltzed into the gym talking trash with that bright, smug grin, the contrast now was satisfyingly stark.

Especially for the third-years.

"So what if we're a year older?"

"Heh…"

"Looks like being younger doesn't help either, huh?"

"Same first-years."

"But he got shut out, zero points."

On the other side of the court,

Shigure Akihito frowned slightly.

Then, in a gesture that looked gentle at first, he crouched down and handed Hayama a towel and a bottle of water.

But the next words out of his mouth made everyone around faceplant in exasperation.

"Um… Hayama-san?"

"It's my turn now. Do you want to rest first? Or go again right away?"

Nijimura stood next to him.

He gave Shigure a side glance.

Seeing the guy squatting down, head tilted, trying to peek at Hayama's expression while holding out a towel and water, Nijimura's brow twitched.

Then, he turned to Hayama.

"When it comes to basketball… you're not necessarily the better player."

"But that's not even the point."

"It's not about being stronger or older."

"It's about the fact that every single second- and third-year on this court has spent more time grinding, sweating, and pushing through pain than you have."

"I don't care where you're from, or what your name is."

"But the moment you set foot in Teiko's gym, you'd better show some damn respect for that effort."

"Got a problem with that?"

"First-year, Chōgen?"

Shigure looked up at him, clearly surprised by the speech.

The other upperclassmen glanced instinctively at Captain Ōkura.

Those words...

That sounded just like him?

But Nijimura?

He wasn't the kind of guy to say something like that... was he?

And yet, Shigure, who already knew the future, realized something deeper in that moment.

He'd thought Nijimura was just trying to teach Hayama a lesson.

But now he saw,

Nijimura's actions were already rising to something greater.

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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