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

Midorima Shintarō looked in slight surprise at Tomoya Inoue. He hadn't expected to encounter a player of this caliber here, let alone a first-year.

That refined technique, clearly the result of years of relentless training, had polished his fundamentals to such a degree.

So far, his playing style was the complete opposite of Aomine's.

Aomine...

A free-flowing, streetball style.

Inoue...

Efficient, precise, academy-style fundamentals.

It was hard to say who was stronger. Perhaps, it would all come down to raw talent.

On the other side, Aomine Daiki's eyes brimmed with excitement.

The first day of joining Teiko's basketball club had already surpassed his expectations. More than he could have hoped for, this was exactly the kind of opponent he wanted to face in middle school basketball.

And the best part?

He didn't even have to wait for an official game. He met one on day one.

This is perfect!

"You trying to make me laugh, you black-skinned bastard~"

"A first-year~"

"A first-stringer?"

"Letting someone score that easily? What a joke~"

That mocking voice reached Aomine's ears. He turned in irritation. Of course, who else could it be but that spiky-haired, gray-haired idiot?

Though it was their first time meeting, Aomine already found him profoundly annoying.

The two high schoolers from Shōin, both inside players and hired mercenaries, had one of them stepping to the baseline for the inbound.

Aomine moved to receive the pass.

But,

A flash of gray suddenly darted in front of him and stole the ball.

Aomine Daiki: "!"

Shogo Haizaki, that gray-haired moron!

After snatching the ball, Haizaki didn't spare Aomine a glance and charged toward the front court, straight for Shigure Akihito!

"Shigure Akihito, huh?"

"Heard you're the vice-captain of Teiko's basketball team?"

"I'm from Teiko too. Shogo Haizaki. Nice to meet you~"

Midorima glanced oddly at Haizaki, then stepped aside, giving Shigure the space to defend.

At the same time,

He muttered in his heart:

Aomine wasn't wrong... that guy really is an idiot.

Even if it was just one possession, Shigure-senpai's strength should be obvious by now.

"Hello there~"

"Shogo Haizaki-kun."

Shogo Haizaki,

With an earring on one ear and a perpetual air of mockery in his eyes, paired with that wolfish, spiky gray hair, he exuded wild energy.

Of course,

That's not the kind of "wild" Shigure meant.

In terms of height...

About the same as Aomine: 175 cm.

Speaking of which, if Haizaki ends up being called one of the Generation of Miracles, it's funny how all the forwards were the same height in their first year.

Aomine was 192 cm in high school, now just 175.

Midorima, 195 in high school, now 174.

Haizaki, 188 in high school, now also 175.

Kise Ryōta, whom they'd met before joining, was also about that height.

Including last year's Nijimura and himself, everyone was hitting that standard first-year height of 175 cm

Shigure Akihito's thoughts began to drift, clearly frustrating Haizaki.

"Hey"

"I know..."

"With these losers, I probably can't win~"

"But still..."

"How about a bet, Shigure Akihito?"

Shigure raised a brow, curious. "What kind?"

"If I score more points than you in this game, I'll join Teiko's basketball team. But you have to give up the vice-captain position to me~"

"Shouldn't be a problem, right?"

At this, Shigure brightened instantly.

"Sure, sounds great."

"But doesn't that seem a little unfair to you?"

"How about this: if you score more than 10 points this game, I'll give you the vice-captain spot. Deal? I've been meaning to ask you anyway, Shogo Haizaki..."

"Why the hell is your hair gray?"

Shogo Haizaki: "?"

He had no idea what Shigure meant, but it was clearly not a compliment.

And…

10 points?!

Look, it's one thing to mock people, but this?

This is an insult!

Elsewhere, Nijimura Shuzo observed the situation. Though it was a bit childish to use a score contest to decide the vice-captain, he didn't stop it.

Because frankly, Haizaki had no chance of scoring ten on Shigure.

If Shigure went all out, a shutout wouldn't be surprising.

In truth, Nijimura had planned to keep hammering at Haizaki after their one-on-one clash the other day.

Who would've thought,

Haizaki would skip him and go straight for Shigure?

Unlike Midorima, Nijimura had a different view of Haizaki. While arrogant, Haizaki wasn't dumb enough not to recognize Shigure's strength.

He simply refused to lose.

And perhaps...

He thought Nijimura wasn't as strong as Shigure.

Heh.

Then go try.

That overwhelming pressure Shigure exudes...

Let's see if that fearless attitude of yours can hold up.

Haizaki smirked as he faced Shigure, who stood there with an almost relaxed posture.

As Haizaki stepped in front of him, Shigure experienced a strange, indescribable sensation.

Roughly...

It felt the same as when Aomine had stood in front of him earlier today.

But…

Just a bit weaker.

Shigure's stance and expression remained completely relaxed.

Haizaki started with a crossover, trying to bait Shigure into shifting his center of gravity.

But Shigure merely mirrored his movements, gliding alongside with effortless ease.

Hesitation step.

Half-spin...

Through the legs, crossover burst!

Bastard! Don't underestimate me!

Frustrated by Shigure's mocking gaze, Haizaki exploded forward after a crisp series of moves.

Though not quite Aomine's level, he was still quick.

And...

He had his own style.

"Haizaki might be cocky, but he's definitely got skill. Ball control's tight and his speed isn't bad!"

"No wonder he caught the boss's eye."

"Yeah, it's rare for someone to challenge the boss outright."

"Still... going straight for that monster Shigure? Gotta respect the guts."

Amid the commentary, on the court,

"Got past you!"

Haizaki sliced past Shigure with a swift crossover.

But Shigure simply shifted with him, his gaze focused on Haizaki's control hand.

Then, like a magnet, he stuck to Haizaki with perfect timing.

"Nope~"

He bumped him lightly, disrupting the rhythm.

Haizaki missed his timing, and Shigure immediately turned up the pressure. His movements started falling apart.

He gritted his teeth and tried to body through.

No movement.

Through the legs… drive! Pull-up jumper!

To Shigure, the move looked... familiar.

But,

Not quite.

Haizaki launched his jumper.

But in that same instant, Shigure sprang upward, unleashing a pressure that tore through the air like a violent storm.

SLAP!

The echo of the block rang through the underpass!

Nijimura, already anticipating it, dashed in and caught the ball in midair before it could fly off into the river.

Fshh~!

The spin.

The force.

Nijimura could only sigh.

"..."

This guy…

Still the same. Doesn't even try to control the ball after blocking. He swats it like he's aiming for orbit.

The sudden sequence, a block like a cannon shot, and Nijimura's instant recovery, left everyone dumbfounded:

Aomine, Midorima, Inoue, the two high school extras, and poor Nikaidō on the sideline with tissues in his nose...

All stared in stunned silence.

On court, Shigure gave Haizaki a mocking grin, a mirror of Haizaki's own expression.

"Poor imitation~"

"If Inoue-kun sees this, he might think all Teiko first-years are hacks like you~"

"But I must admit..."

"As far as comedy goes..."

"You've brought me joy. Congratulations~"

The "style" Shigure referred to was clear, Haizaki had tried to mimic Inoue's attack.

But as he said, it was just surface-level.

Inoue's years-forged fundamentals were not something Haizaki could replicate yet.

Meanwhile, Nijimura was already on the break.

His defender was one of the Shōyōn high schoolers. At 185 cm and with a more developed frame, he looked imposing.

Nijimura: 179 cm.

The difference wasn't just 6 cm, it was mass, muscle, and bulk.

But,

A simple in-out crossover...

In-out!

And he breezed right past.

Nijimura: "..."

High schooler? Too weak.

Even the defender felt it, it was like facing a wild beast!

Another defender rotated over.

Nijimura glanced...

Aomine,

Good.

He stayed glued to Midorima, knowing the danger of his threes.

Inoue's off-ball movement was also clean.

But...

Compared to Shigure's blade-like cuts,

Nijimura threaded a perfect pass inside!

Shigure caught it.

Facing him: Haizaki and the recovering high schooler.

Without flourish, Shigure jumped.

Pure physical clash.

He could feel the opponent had some power,

Still...

To be acknowledged by Shigure?

That already said a lot.

Then,

BOOM!

1v2 collision!

BOOM!!

A mammoth silhouette erupted behind him!

A tidal force crashed into Haizaki and the defender, and swept them away!

From the outside, Shigure looked like a drawn bow, arms fully extended,

TWANG!

SLAM!

Haizaki and the high schooler were sent flying!

At the same time, the ball, gripped in Shigure's hands, slammed into the rim like a meteor!

BANG!!!

This sound was no ordinary dunk!

Everyone leapt to their feet!

"Damn that Shigure Akihito!"

"That monster..."

"Second time this year, right?!"

"Before, it was just the rim..."

"This time..."

"He brought down the whole hoop! Do we even have a spare?!"

End of chapter...

To be continued...

🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead

🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead

👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer