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

Shigure Akihito's absurd, unreasonable, beyond-half-court three-pointer sent the crowd of delinquent middle schoolers into a frenzy. Clanging bottles and cans, their excited roars echoed around the court like a symphony of chaos.

On the sidelines,

Reo Mibuchi caught the ball tossed by the pink-haired girl beside him.

Whoosh!

A high-arching shot,

Landing cleanly in the basket from beyond the court's boundary.

Though the angle was impossible...

Akihito's attention shifted to the two of them, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk.

"Reo-nee, Kotarō..."

"It's been a year."

"Planning to reclaim your jerseys this year?"

Kotarō Hayama: "..."

Reo Mibuchi: "..."

There it was again... Reo nee.

That bastard!

Elsewhere,

Shuzo Nijimura approached Akihito. Akihito raised a hand as usual, Nijimura slapped it down, a high-five.

"Wrap it up. That was more than enough."

Akihito: "Got it"

Ignoring the two outsiders from beyond Tokyo for now, Akihito and Nijimura prepared to end the match.

All around them,

The crowd cheered wildly, peppered with jeers directed at Haizaki.

"Still zero points"

"Keep it up, Gray Hair"

"The match's nearly over! Better score something, right?"

"Yeah, totally. I'm sure that freak Akihito will slip up soon. I believe in you! Hahaha"

Haizaki Shōgo turned his head toward the hecklers gathered near the court, casting a cold, wolf-like glare. His predatory aura instantly silenced some of the jeers.

But this was a delinquent den.

"Tch!"

"Who's he trying to scare?!"

"You flinched though"

"Come on, don't chicken out now."

"Scared of him? Please."

Watching the mix of timid bravado, Akihito glanced at Haizaki and commented, half-seriously, half-playfully,

"What a shame"

"But this possession, you still won't score."

"2-0."

"I win."

Haizaki snarled, "Come back and talk once you've actually won!"

...

"Uh... did he bet something with Akihito-senpai?"

Momoi Satsuki looked at the absurd score difference, then turned her gaze to the grey-haired freshman in a Teikō uniform whose earlier vicious look had now softened into cautious focus.

Reo Mibuchi nodded. "From what I overheard, Akihito's only taken 2 points this game, while that first-year hasn't scored a single one."

Hayama quickly caught on.

"Seriously..."

"He's freakishly strong, and his personality's nasty too!"

"This year, I'm taking back my jersey... and I'll take Akihito's too. Oh, and Nijimura's!"

Momoi pouted at the mental image, while Reo glanced sideways at Hayama with a sigh.

"You're not aiming high at all, huh..."

"Hm?"

"Akihito's locked in on that first-year."

On the court,

Haizaki stood at the top of the arc.

Facing him...

Shigure Akihito, positioned near the free-throw line.

Despite the distance, Haizaki dared not act recklessly.

'Passing isn't about relying on others.'

'It forms the lifeblood of the game itself, the pulse that drives it forward, the heartbeat that propels the whole system.'

Hah!

Sounds nice!

Haizaki scoffed inwardly, but Nijimura's words, long-winded as they were, rang loud and clear in his mind.

Haizaki: "..."

Damn it!

He suddenly spun around!

Back to the basket,

Protecting the ball, advancing cautiously from the three-point line.

Everyone watching froze.

The usually aggressive, shoot-first Haizaki had, for the first time, opted for such an ugly, almost submissive style of play, acknowledging he couldn't beat his opponent.

And to top it off...

He was this cautious...

Starting from that far out!

"Don't underestimate me!"

"You two..."

"BASTARDS!"

Haizaki roared, pressing back against Akihito. He couldn't move him an inch, but,

He pivoted, drove, using his left hand to shield the ball while trying to hook Akihito's torso with his arm.

"Still not good enough"

Akihito's feet shifted at lightning speed, effortlessly staying in front, cutting him off.

Boom!

Their bodies collided again without hesitation!

Bouncing off Akihito's steel-like defense, Haizaki staggered into a step-back!

...

Still not enough space.

Not even close.

And in that moment,

Haizaki saw it, the phantom shadow of a mammoth crashing down upon him!

"Too bad..."

Despite his efforts, the brief opening he carved out was instantly swallowed up by Akihito's 'green light' zone and beast-like tracking.

It was fleeting,

Gone in a blink.

But it wasn't a bad try.

Just not effective against this version of Akihito.

As Akihito was thinking that,

Suddenly...

For the first time all match, Haizaki seriously shouted,

"AOMINE!"

Whoosh!

Off in the distance,

Aomine Daiki cut in with perfect timing.

Like he'd known what Haizaki would do.

Dragging Nijimura along, he weaved through traffic, brushing shoulders with Akihito.

Akihito, Nijimura, Aomine, Haizaki, all bunched in tight...

A narrow-screen trap!

BAM!

Rather than stubbornly follow, the better option was a switch. Nijimura and Akihito wordlessly executed a seamless defensive cross.

But,

Just as Aomine broke away,

He dashed straight into the paint!

A sharp glint crossed Haizaki's eyes.

The moment Akihito and Nijimura completed their switch,

Haizaki passed the ball, then spun toward the opposite side, both hands up, ready to receive,

Slap!

Haizaki's motion,

Cut off in a heartbeat.

Tomokazu Godai: Intercepted the pass.

[Passive Ability: Interception Seal]

(Triggers when guarding a pass within proximity. Intercepts the ball as soon as it's released.)

In Haizaki's stunned gaze,

Akihito appeared, casually plucking the ball from midair with one hand.

The ball...

At some unknown moment,

Had ended up in his possession.

Haizaki: "..."

Hah...

Even now...

Still being toyed with by that bastard Shigure Akihito,

Right in the palm of his hand.

On Haizaki Shōgo's face...

For the first time,

Appeared an expression of defeat,

Of confusion and loss.

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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