JSWGAS Chapter 56

“Hey, that’s the current number one power forward in middle school, right? Nijimura Shūzō, looks strong and charismatic…”

“He scored twenty points alone in last year’s National Middle School League. But I remember someone else scored even more… Huh? Why can’t I see that person?”

TheDi Guang Teikō Middle School basketball club’s grounds, having just finished the entrance test, were filled with hushed whispers like these.

Nijimura Shūzō and Yabuki Suzu were now reliable seniors, diligently overseeing the entire testing process and amiably answering the newcomers’ questions.

Next to Nijimura Shūzō, a dark-skinned boy was straining his neck, searching through the crowd. “Nijimura-senpai, um… why isn’t Kokonoe-senpai here?”

He had been a standout performer in the recent test, displaying remarkable talent. Furthermore, he played the same position as Nijimura Shūzō, making him even more attentive. Hearing his junior’s question, Nijimura Shūzō clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Hey, Aomine, both of us play power forward, right? Why are you more concerned about that runaway guy…”

Aomine Daiki scratched his head. “Because Kokonoe… senpai’s scoring ability is amazing, and he looks so cool when he plays! And he’s super strong! I watched the finals, and that last alley-oop—whoosh! And then boom, the ball went in! The other team couldn’t even react!”

As he spoke, Aomine Daiki gestured enthusiastically. “And Yabuki-senpai’s passes! Wow, such strong feints! I really want to try and see if I can see through them…”

Nijimura Shūzō: “…What are those onomatopoeic words only elementary school students would use?”

Standing beside them, Yabuki, who was explaining club activities to the newly joined juniors, let out an “Oh!” “Thanks for the compliment! As for Ko-kun, he should be back soon, right? He just sent a message saying he’d be there soon.”

Nijimura Shūzō: “Seriously.” He looked around, noting that this year’s freshmen were quite talented.

The boy in front of him played with unrestrained freedom, reminiscent of streetball; the green-haired boy standing next to Yabuki had an excellent three-point shooting accuracy and a stable style; the red-haired boy next to him played the same position as Yabuki but with a slightly different style, which was also interesting; the purple-haired boy sitting on a bench in the distance, refusing to get up, was tall and a good prospect for center…

Akashi Seijūrō, standing next to Yabuki, spoke. “Ko-kun refers to… Kokonoe-senpai?” He repeated the overly cute nickname in a somewhat strange tone.

Yabuki waved his hand cheerfully. “Ah, that? Isn’t it cute? That guy always has a scowl on his face; he’ll scare the kids sooner or later. And the expression he makes when you call him that is really interesting, you know?”

Midorima Shintarō pushed up his glasses and silently retorted: Is it really okay to say what’s on your mind out loud…

He glanced at Akashi Seijūrō, who was in the same class as him, and was silent with a thoughtful look on his face. The other party had been a little distracted since coming to the basketball club. Just as he was about to ask, Nijimura Shūzō’s words caught his attention.

Nijimura Shūzō scratched his head. “Um—the tests are over, and today’s your first day in the club. Why don’t we just have a match?”

Aomine Daiki’s eyes instantly lit up. “Okay!”

Midorima Shintarō was also a little tempted. “What kind of match?”

Nijimura Shūzō first looked at coach Shirokane standing aside. The latter waved his hand, indicating they could decide for themselves. Only then did he say, “Let’s do 3v3 then? Full court, same rules as 5v5, but only for ten minutes. For the teams…”

Just then, the others resting by the court suddenly burst into an uproar. Interrupted, the group looked over there.

“It’s Kokonoe! That super-strong small forward!”

“Hey, why are you so late today, Kokonoe?”

Interspersed among the greetings and exclamations were even a couple of long-dormant screams from girls who couldn’t restrain themselves. “Kokonoe-kun! You’re as handsome as ever today!”

Nijimura Shūzō frowned in dissatisfaction. “Talk about impeccable timing.”

Even though he said that, a relaxed smile was on his face.

Yabuki poked him. “Is that newcomer behind Ko-kun?”

Kokonoe Taka greeted the other teammates and walked toward them. Behind him was a gray-haired unfamiliar face, looking rebellious and like a tough customer, but surprisingly docilely following behind Kokonoe Taka.

Nijimura Shūzō: “How does this guy always attract strange people…” He rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Kokonoe Taka, unaware of their brief conversation, raised an eyebrow. “The tests are over already?” His sharp gaze swept over the group, and those he looked at straightened their backs subconsciously.

After he looked away, they breathed a sigh of relief: No wonder he’s ranked as the best small forward; his gaze is so imposing…

“I have an idiot here who missed the test, named Haizaki.” Kokonoe Taka frowned in annoyance and slapped the yawning Haizaki Shōgo hard on the back of the head without looking back. The latter yelped in pain, then grimaced, covering the spot that had been hit so hard, looking indignant but not daring to speak.

Nijimura Shūzō stared at them thoughtfully for a long while. “We were just talking about having a 3v3 to see the freshmen’s skill level.” He chuckled with ill intentions. “Why don’t you be our opponent, Ko-kun?”

“We?”

“Of course, this is a good opportunity to beat this guy!” Nijimura Shūzō said seriously to the juniors, and the simple-minded Aomine Daiki was immediately incited by him and shouted in agreement.

Nijimura looked at Yabuki on the side—the latter quickly shook his head. “I won’t get involved in your love-hate feud.” He pointed to the sidelines with a look of amusement. “I’ll be the referee.”

Kokonoe Taka: “Yabuki, you…”

Yabuki Suzu crossed his arms in front of his chest: “No whining allowed!”

Kokonoe Taka: “…Then who are my teammates?”

Nijimura Shūzō and that green-haired kid had already put their arms around each other’s shoulders and formed a united front, so Kokonoe Taka could only turn his attention to the remaining two freshmen.

Midorima Shintarō and Akashi Seijūrō exchanged glances, and the latter spoke at the right time. “I’ll team up with Kokonoe-senpai.”

He walked to Kokonoe Taka’s side and looked up at him. “I’m Akashi Seijūrō, Kokonoe-senpai.”

His expression was calm and polite, but his red eyes were like bottomless pools. Kokonoe Taka looked down at his expression and almost instantly recalled the boy who sat next to his mother, smiling and acting spoiled. Human memory is so amazing—clearly, it was just an insignificant scene in the long passage of time, but after he had thought he had forgotten it, he found that this scene was as if it were yesterday.

Kokonoe Taka stared at him in surprise for a long while. “It’s you…”

Akashi Seijūrō smiled slightly, not happily, but with an inscrutable smile. “Long time no see, Kokonoe-senpai.”

“…” He always felt a little unsettled by the tone with which the other party called him “senpai.”

Nijimura Shūzō couldn’t wait to speak. “So our side is me, Aomine, and Midorima. Ko-kun, your side is you, that kid you brought, and Akashi—is that okay? Same rules as usual, full court, just for ten minutes.”

Kokonoe Taka: “I…”

Nijimura Shūzō interrupted with a pout. “Don’t dawdle!”

Kokonoe Taka was not affected by his trash talk at all. “I was going to say,” he said with a straight face and a ruthless threat, “just wait to get blown out by me.”

……

…………

“They’re just kids, after all.”

Coach Shirokane stood next to Yabuki Suzu, chuckling happily.

On Nijimura’s team, Nijimura Shūzō and Aomine Daiki’s offensive power could not be underestimated, and both played the same position. But compared to Nijimura, Aomine Daiki was more aggressive; and Midorima Shintarō’s outside shooting also added ranged attack options for them.

On Kokonoe’s team, Kokonoe Taka was an absolute scorer. Haizaki Shōgo had a great feel for the ball, and his dribbling and interception movements were slightly similar to Kokonoe Taka’s. But his rhythm was faster and more brutal; Akashi Seijūrō was a typical commander-type point guard, and his passing angles, positions, and timing were all excellent.

Although Nijimura Shūzō shouted that he would defeat Kokonoe Taka, the purpose of this match was to assess the freshmen’s level, and it couldn’t turn into a personal show where the two of them were at each other’s throats. So Nijimura Shūzō sought out Haizaki Shōgo, leaving Kokonoe Taka for the hungry Aomine Daiki.

Nijimura Shūzō gained possession of the ball at the start. He simply and neatly passed the ball to Aomine Daiki. Aomine was a little surprised when he received the ball—the speed was too fast, and the timing was also grasped very accurately. Nijimura Shūzō grabbed the ball almost the second it reached its highest point, unhesitatingly sending it to him. The smooth, flowing motion was so swift that even Haizaki, who was in front of him, couldn’t react.

It’s not even the same level as the matches I’ve had before.

Aomine thought to himself while quickly breaking forward. He took large strides and had the advantage, so this ball should have been his. But before he could reach the free throw line, his path was blocked by a figure.

“As expected, it wasn’t that easy…”

He muttered a few words to himself, but his eyes sparkled.

“You’re our senior after all, it would be embarrassing if we let you pass so easily, right?” Kokonoe Taka chatted with him amicably for a few words. “Newcomers shouldn’t be so ambitious from the start—”

“?” Aomine looked confused. “What’s ‘ambitious’?”

“It means you’re still too green.” Kokonoe Taka chuckled. “I thought you were an idiot the moment I saw you. I didn’t expect I was right.”

Aomine Daiki: “…” He understood!

He gritted his teeth, full of fighting spirit. “Just wait and see!”

Aomine Daiki’s rhythm was fast, and his explosive power was even more amazing. The sound of the basketball dribbling and the footsteps were incessant. In almost three to five seconds, he rushed into the paint! But that was all he could do. Even though he inadvertently switched his rhythm, trying to use a sudden stop to shake off Kokonoe, the latter stuck even tighter. Several times, he almost snatched the ball from Aomine’s hands!

I can’t shoot! Aomine Daiki licked his lips, realizing that if he made such a move, the other party would definitely block the ball harshly!

He couldn’t help but take a step back, blocking Kokonoe’s view with his arms.

Midorima was supporting him from the outside, while Nijimura in the paint looked like he was fighting intensely with Haizaki for position—if he was going to pass the ball, who should he pass it to?

Or should I try to break through again…

“The most taboo thing on the court is hesitation.” A low voice suddenly came from the side. “Calm, decisive choices and hesitant, indecisive actions are two extremes.”

Aomine Daiki was stunned for a moment, and a shadow flashed to the left side of him holding the ball!

The timing of this was perfect. Nijimura Shūzō glanced at Kokonoe Taka’s steal and quickly reminded loudly, “Behind you!” But he had already given up hope and prepared for a change of possession. But perhaps it was instinct, or intuition, that made Aomine Daiki subconsciously block with his hand, so that although the ball was intercepted, Kokonoe didn’t get it, and it flew toward Midorima!

Midorima Shintarō was still a little dazed when he reached out to grab the ball. Kokonoe and Aomine’s duel had only lasted for less than ten seconds. But it was so wonderful that he couldn’t react for a moment. Due to insufficient preparation, the standard shooting posture for the three-pointer changed. And Akashi, who was only two body lengths away from him, took this opportunity to jump up high and touched the edge of the basketball with his fingertip!

As the two landed, two pairs of eyes, one green and one red, met briefly.

As expected, the ball slammed on the edge of the basket, and was about to fall off—but a hand suddenly stretched out from the side and slammed it back into the basket!

It was Nijimura Shūzō, who had shaken off Haizaki Shōgo, leaping high and finally sending the ball into the opponent’s basket, scoring this point!

“So strong!”

“Flawless! Nijimura!”

“Defeat Kokonoe!”

“So handsome, Nijimura-senpai!”

Cheers erupted from the sidelines. Since the first day of the newcomers’ joining the club wasn’t much fun, this high-level match naturally attracted a group of spectators who were shirking their responsibilities.

“Oh, honestly, in the end, senpai had to take action.” Nijimura Shūzō landed, touched his head, and smiled provocatively.

Haizaki Shōgo, who had been shaken off by him: “…Damn it, you annoying guy!”

The whole court was fiercely dueling, and only Haizaki Shōgo had been suppressed by Nijimura Shūzō from beginning to end, feeling extremely aggrieved. He frowned and walked to Kokonoe Taka, “Mine,” he said in a muffled voice after taking responsibility. Then he criticized unhappily, “But you need to get back on defense faster! Don’t be so slow! Didn’t you eat?”

Kokonoe Taka glanced at Nijimura Shūzō, who was making a face at him from afar, and helplessly patted Haizaki Shōgo’s head. “Don’t say stupid things. If you can’t get past Shūzō, then train until you throw up.” But the words he said were extremely cold, ruthless, and devilish.

Haizaki Shōgo: “…”

He shook off Kokonoe Taka’s hand unhappily.

Kokonoe Taka didn’t care, turned his head, and said to the red-haired boy who was jogging over, “The positioning was timely. Did you see that I was going to pass the ball to you after I blocked that shot?”

—If not for Aomine Daiki’s instinctive block, after this ball was intercepted by Kokonoe Taka, it would have been sent by him to a position a little further back, where there was no one guarding, making it an excellent jump shot position. Of course, Kokonoe Taka didn’t just randomly send the ball there. He discovered that Akashi Seijūrō was vaguely approaching that side, so he decided to make a move.

“Yes, Kokonoe-senpai’s position at the time was such that, if you were to take possession of the ball directly, you would be double-teamed by Nijimura-senpai and Aomine-kun, right?” Akashi Seijūrō said unhurriedly. “I just felt that if senpai passed the ball, he might choose to pass it to me…”

“Huh? Why would I pass it to you?” Haizaki Shōgo shouted in dissatisfaction, glancing contemptuously at Akashi, who was shorter than him. “You’re so weak, wouldn’t you fall if I bumped into you… Ouch! Why the hell did you hit me again!”

The rest of his words were interrupted by Kokonoe Taka’s merciless punch. “Don’t deliberately stir things up. Wait until you can get past Nijimura before you start showing off.”

Haizaki Shōgo was trembling with anger. “…Just you wait!”

Akashi Seijūrō didn’t argue with him. Rather, he ignored Haizaki, who was always being kept in check by Kokonoe Taka. “I will also provide support depending on the situation, Kokonoe-senpai doesn’t need to hold back.”

“That’s what I should be saying.” Kokonoe Taka smiled. “I always thought that the point guard was the team’s command tower, the axis of the team. Their behavior determines the team’s style on the court.” He raised his chin and raised an eyebrow at Yabuki on the sidelines. The latter made a throat-slitting gesture at him, the unspoken message being for him not to be so arrogant.

“You don’t need to hold back either.” He extended his fist, looking down slightly and looking at Akashi’s eyes that had widened unconsciously. “Use me as much as you want.”

“Oh, and this guy too.” Kokonoe Taka tilted his head, squinting at Haizaki. “Although he’s annoying, he doesn’t want to lose either. Everyone’s the same in that regard.”

Haizaki Shōgo: “Tch.” He frowned irritably, but didn’t object after all.

…This feeling is new.

Akashi thought, staring into Kokonoe Taka’s eyes for a while, not concealing the directness and sharpness of his gaze. But the latter just accepted it all as if he had expected it, and his eyes even held a faint smile.

“What, you’re not going to bump fists with me?”

Akashi Seijūrō stared at him with an inscrutable gaze for a while before extending his hand. The two men’s fists touched and then separated.

The second ball was Kokonoe’s team’s possession.

Haizaki Shōgo seemed to be holding his breath, determined to argue with Nijimura Shūzō to the end. Without the initial lazy unwillingness, the pressure he brought to Nijimura Shūzō also made the latter serious.

Haizaki Shōgo’s playing style was not exactly upright. This had been forcibly corrected by the latter after he and Kokonoe Taka first tried. Until now, the conversations from that time would still appear in his mind.

“If you commit a foul, I’ll punch you once.”

Their first match, of course, had also been provoked by Haizaki, who used reasonable collision in the match as a pretext for physical contact, quickly angering the tall small forward. Kokonoe Taka slammed the basketball relentlessly into Haizaki’s head, almost sending him directly to the hospital room to receive the ICU package for the rest of his life.

Haizaki Shōgo was dazed on the ground, his head throbbing. And the perpetrator walked over and half-squatted on the ground, grabbing him and lifting him up, his hands clamping around him like iron locks. ‘Someone else used to play with this style when they played with me,’ he said. ‘I blew him out, and at least he restrained himself a bit afterwards. But your situation is different from that guy Tono. You’re just asking for a beating.’

Haizaki couldn’t speak. He really wanted to curse, preferably verbally taking care of his whole family. But the other party seemed to have anticipated this too, and one hand pinched his mouth into a comical duck shape. “You’re a talented guy, why do you always like to make people angry?”

What did Haizaki Shōgo say at that time? —Oh, he struggled desperately and said, “Screw you.”

He maliciously showed a twisted smile, but it quickly died down. For no other reason than that, compared to Haizaki, who had a villainous look, Kokonoe looked even more terrifying at that time.

Haizaki Shōgo shivered, pulling himself out of his memories. The movement he originally wanted to do but not willingly restrained and disappeared. Nijimura Shūzō didn’t know what this guy was thinking, but only saw that Haizaki’s legs, which had been trying to do something, retracted, and was a little surprised, wondering what was going on.

Haizaki said in a nasty voice: “What?”

Nijimura Shūzō thought for a moment: “I originally thought you were a guy who needed to be fixed up a bit, but I didn’t expect you to be so obedient?”

Haizaki Shōgo: “…”

Kokonoe Taka saw Haizaki’s even more violent expression, “Shūzō’s skill in provoking people hasn’t diminished at all…”

Haizaki Shōgo was indeed provoked again. After being physically corrected for his stinky ball-playing habits, his skills were no less inferior to those of other excellent players.

He didn’t think slowly. He was one of those people who would at least use half their brains to play ball, rather than being among the wild animals of the black-skinned variety. And compared to his excellent skills, his rhythm shifting might be his most outstanding feature. Sudden stops,Fierce, alternating hands, and quick, accurate, and ruthless at the crucial moment.

At least Nijimura Shūzō was tricked by his fake feints. In a few seconds, it was enough for Haizaki Shōgo to break through. “Not bad!” He muttered.

Yabuki on the sidelines leisurely revealed him. “Don’t try to save face.”

“Hey!”

Nijimura Shūzō’s popularity wasn’t bad. At this time, his mistake was welcomed by boos from his familiar friends. Nijimura Shūzō angrily called out the names of the few who had booed the loudest, adjusting his movements and going back to block Haizaki, determined to wipe away the shame.

But as soon as he rushed into the paint, he was blocked by Kokonoe Taka: “You’re still far away, Captain Nijimura.”

Nijimura Shūzō gritted his teeth. “Ko-kun!”

Kokonoe Taka laughed. “I’m here!”

Nijimura Shūzō saw that he couldn’t catch up with Haizaki, so he simply turned around and blocked Kokonoe as well, creating an opportunity for Aomine. “Hey! Aomine, block him!”

Aomine Daiki suddenly darted past when Kokonoe Taka’s path back on defense was blocked, aiming straight for Haizaki, who was about to shoot! In the blink of an eye, he rushed to Haizaki’s side and reached out to hook the ball that was being raised halfway! Haizaki Shōgo clicked his tongue impatiently and steadied his actions. Although he withdrew his hand quickly and didn’t let Aomine steal the ball, he was unable to find the perfect moment to shoot.

Haizaki Shōgo suddenly made several fake moves backward. Aomine suddenly lost his balance due to the continuous rhythm changes. But he reacted quickly, immediately adjusted his posture and chased after him again.

“So annoying!” Haizaki Shōgo cursed inwardly, and took advantage of the blind spot in his vision when his body rotated, throwing the basketball to the side——it landed in Akashi Seijūrō’s hands. The latter was slightly surprised, but he knew that this position was not bad, so he tried to shoot the ball.

Neither Nijimura Shūzō nor Kokonoe Taka had any intention of interfering with this ball. Mainly, Nijimura muttered in a low voice, “Ko-kun, what’s with that expression?”

Kokonoe Taka’s expression was kind——too gentle, even to the point of being more creepy——”You don’t know how much effort I put into getting that kid to change his bad habits last year.”

“Ah, could it be that you often disappeared because of him at that time?” Nijimura Shūzō asked.

They often couldn’t find Kokonoe Taka during the holidays last year, and Yabuki had complained about it for a long time.

“That was when that kid was at his most rebellious…” Kokonoe Taka twitched his lips. “Smoking, drinking, fighting, not learning the good things, but learning all the bad things.” Haizaki Daisuke had some minor health problems during that time, and Mrs. Haizaki was also unable to discipline a ‘runaway’ who couldn’t be found all day long, so Kokonoe Taka consciously took on the task of getting Haizaki Shōgo onto the right path.

He stopped talking and said, “Haizaki is a bit like you. Weren’t you also claiming to be the boss of a delinquent group before?”

Nijimura Shūzō: “…Can’t we just let the past be the past?”

At least now, Kokonoe Taka’s physical persuasion methods were very effective.

Just as he thought this, Haizaki Shōgo shouted at Akashi, “Hey! I’ll beat you up if you don’t score!”

Kokonoe Taka: …No, I take back what I said. This guy still needs to be educated properly.

Akashi Seijūrō frowned. He calmly looked at Midorima Shintarō, who was chasing after him. The latter was taller than him and could easily block the shot. The outstretched arm cast a dark shadow, blocking his path to the goal—was it really like that?

Midorima Shintarō realized this trap after jumping up.

—It was a fake move!

When Midorima Shintarō rushed over, Akashi had already set up the perfect posture. So he jumped up without seeing the other party’s full movement clearly. But in reality, Akashi ‘just’ set up the movement, he didn’t jump!

Sure enough, Akashi jumped up after he started to fall and easily shot the ball.

“Nice shot!”

“Not bad, freshman!”

Haizaki Shōgo cut off a sound in frustration. Kokonoe Taka patted him on the back that was bent over. “You did well.”

He looked ahead at Nijimura Shūzō and continued to say, “Keep scoring, no problem, right?”

Haizaki Shōgo: “…Do I need you to tell me that?”

Kokonoe Taka turned his head again to look at Akashi and winked at him playfully. “The fake move was very pretty, I was completely fooled.”

Akashi blinked and couldn’t help but smile. “Haizaki’s pass was also very good.”

Haizaki: “…You’re so annoying!”