JSWGAS Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Chapter 68

68.

Teiko Middle School’s successful defense of the national championship in the beginning-of-year junior high league caused a huge sensation in the sports world. Three years of perfect consecutive championships, plus the team’s ace who was guaranteed to play in every game—perhaps he should now be called the ‘former ace’. After all, as early as a week ago, the basketball club’s change of leadership had been completely handed over, and the third-year seniors had all retired from the club.

But the heat of this event had not diminished in the slightest.

The junior high national tournament could at least be considered a nationwide event. From the semi-finals onwards, it occupied the basketball section of sports channels. The final even squeezed a bunch of internationally broadcast international events behind it, firmly dominating the prime time slot of the day.

After the national tournament, relevant awards would be given to players who showed outstanding performance. The names of Teiko Middle School alone accounted for half of the award list. But the name at the very top, who had continuously won the Best Small Forward award for three years, was absent from the award ceremony after the game for no reason—the last photo that could prove his appearance was him just coming down from the national championship podium, after which he seemed to evaporate from the world, and no one could find him.

And the other members of Teiko Middle School uniformly remained silent about the whereabouts of the missing ace player. Captain Akashi Seijuro skillfully took over the leadership and began to engage in bureaucratic platitudes with the reporters regarding the game’s performance. This kind of cover-up behavior instead made the reporters like wild dogs smelling meat. If at first it was just to complete the KPI, now they believed that this person definitely had some explosive material that could attract attention.

So, after a friendly exchange of repetitive words, they returned to the newspaper office and wrote furiously. In the newspapers and magazines that night, Teiko Middle School’s championship win became a mere foil. The screenshot of that last self-pass, self-dunk alley-oop became the most eye-catching cover.

The headline was printed in the most prominent part.

An Ace Who Can Bring Absolute Victory!

What is the Reason for the Ace Player’s Absence from the Best Small Forward Podium…?!

How Did the Ace Player Who Led the Team to Win Three Years of Championship Reach This Point?!

Chaotic Team Relations?! Is the Best Small Forward Worthy of the Name?!

And so on.

Putting aside the exaggeration and fabrication of these headlines, they were indeed eye-catching enough. People always love to watch such scenes, especially since the boy in the photo had a handsome face comparable to an idol.

The truly authoritative sports magazines waited until after the game to hand over interview name cards, hoping to do a special interview issue. It was said that the page allocation for Kokonoe Taka was as much as six color pages. This was a great opportunity to promote the school, and the chairman immediately approved it, giving the basketball club an entire afternoon off to receive the newspaper’s interview.

But on that day, the reporters who were fully prepared and had prepared a large number of questions looked around at the team members who appeared in the basketball club, and asked with a puzzled tone: “Excuse me, is Kokonoe-kun not here…?”

The red-haired boy at the head gave an answer that could not be faulted in the slightest: “The third-year seniors no longer come to training after the game and are focusing on their studies, preparing for further education.”

Behind him, Midorima pushed up his glasses, thinking: But Kokonoe-senpai has directly taken leave and hasn’t even come to school.

Behind Midorima, Murasakibara stared at his backpack on the sidelines, fidgeting, wanting to take the snacks inside. He was glanced at unobtrusively by Akashi before he honestly stood in place, yearningly thinking: …Kokonoe-senpai posted food photos on social media last night, I really want to eat, I really want to eat, I really want to eat… When will this end…

Behind Murasakibara, Kise revealed a perfect business smile to the photographer, thinking: Wow, so mobilizing… Speaking of which, I’m really curious about what it was like for the seniors to be interviewed last year.

Behind Kise, Aomine held a basketball, fidgeting uncomfortably after a while, thinking: …How boring.

Kuroko Tetsuya, relying on his low presence, had already quietly slipped away. Haizaki Shōgo, relying on the fact that no one was catching him, ran outside to play streetball after coming to the basketball club.

Failing to find the popular figure, the reporters who returned empty-handed turned their attention to his past—and, surprisingly, they really found some clues.

Pushing the name Kokonoe Taka back a few years, and then replacing the word “basketball” that was bound to him at this time, the top entries pointed to him being a frequent visitor to various tennis competitions a few years ago. From prefectural tournaments to junior tennis point races, his figure had appeared—clicking into the details page at the time, the boy with a cold face carrying a tennis bag was undoubtedly the Kokonoe Taka of the past.

And digging deeper, the identity of his father, who had never appeared, also surfaced: retired tennis player Kokonoe Hikohito, who had participated in world-class tennis events. This person was accused of inflicting long-term domestic violence on his wife when Kokonoe Taka was in elementary school, and then disappeared without a trace.

This was like poking a hornet’s nest. But before the magazine could sell this issue, which was guaranteed to be a hot topic, all the news was unanimously suppressed by people from different fields.

–

“—You owe me a big favor.” Echizen Nanjirō stretched his leg, hooked the rope, and rang the bell, while flipping through the photo magazine supplied by Takeuchi. Takeuchi turned the key, and replied with a smile: “Don’t say that, Echizen-sensei, aren’t you also worried about Kokonoe?”

Echizen Nanjirō didn’t even raise his head: “What’s there to worry about about that kid?”

Takeuchi smiled, not bothering to expose Echizen Nanjirō, who had directly used his previous connections to suppress the current magazine without saying a word at the time. “Then, Echizen-sensei, how do you plan to have me repay this favor?”

Echizen Nanjirō impatiently raised his head and glared at him: “Buy me a month’s worth of alcohol—Rinko has started to limit my allowance again…” He muttered a few words, “Also, weren’t you playing tennis before? Play two games with me.”

Takeuchi spread his hands: “Although I was that child’s previous tennis coach, my tennis level is not very good—”

He laughed: “Just don’t dislike my poor level.”

“It’s not like I’m short of one more stinky ball bucket.”

–

“Young master, the reports from several small magazines have been suppressed by us.” The meek butler hesitated for a moment. “However, not only us, but there are also others who are putting pressure on them…”

Inside the closed high-end car, Akashi Seijuro subconsciously tapped the armrest of the seat: “Is that so.” He lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment. “Then you don’t need to interfere in this matter anymore after this.”

“Yes.”

The butler paused and said again: “What about the master’s side…”

“I will explain to my father.”

Akashi Seijuro closed his eyes.

The butler couldn’t help but secretly look at the young master who had suppressed most of the negative news, but he still didn’t dare to ask why the young master suddenly wanted to use the power of the Akashi family to do such a thing.

Perhaps only he himself knew the answer.

…Victory, isn’t that everything?

…

…………

“Ah, Aomine. I was thinking you’d be here.”

“…Kokonoe-senpai?”

Aomine Daiki, who had climbed up from the rooftop, looked at Kokonoe Taka with a leisurely face and blinked hesitantly: “Are you looking for me?”

Today was the day for the third-year students to receive graduation guidance. Kokonoe Taka should also be sitting in the office with the others, listening to the teacher’s advice and choosing his high school, instead of appearing in front of him.

Kokonoe Taka seemed to hear the doubts in his heart: “As for school, don’t worry, I’ve almost decided.”

Aomine Daiki remembered the other party’s outstanding achievements: “…That’s right.” He was not in a good mood and wanted to continue to fall to the ground after saying a few words.

The other person’s voice interrupted his action: “I heard that you haven’t been coming to training much lately?”

“…”

Aomine rubbed his hair in frustration. “Did Tetsuya… no, did Akashi tell you?”

“Hmm—neither.” Kokonoe Taka unexpectedly denied him, and then said another name that he was very familiar with, “It was Momoi.”

Aomine was stunned: “…Satsuki?”

Momoi Satsuki was his childhood sweetheart and is currently serving as the manager in the basketball club. Usually, she and Kokonoe Taka were just upper and lowerclassmen who could say a few words to each other and were not considered too familiar—how could she tell Kokonoe Taka this? And Kokonoe was no longer a member of the team, so what was the point of telling him this?

Various confused thoughts made him couldn’t help but tsuk: “No matter who it is—are you here to be a lobbyist?”

“Not really.” Kokonoe Taka looked at him, remembering the girl who had stopped him with a worried face not long ago. At this time, he also understood what the other party was worried about. “You can understand it as me being a little curious.” He paused, “After all, you used to practice with Kuroko at the fourth gym, you should be the one who would never skip training.”

Aomine: “…Why do you even know this?”

“I happened to run into Kuroko on the road and chatted with him a bit.”

“…” Who would believe you?! With Tetsuya’s presence, how could you “accidentally” run into him? And even “casually” chatted for a few words? Aomine Daiki was choked by this obvious lie and couldn’t help but say: “Do I look like an idiot?”

“More like an idiot than an idiot.” Unsparingly.

Aomine: “…What do you know.”

He no longer cared and fell backward with a trace of decadence. In the end, he lay on the ground: “…No one will…”

“—No one will understand you.” Kokonoe Taka neatly climbed up the ladder, stood next to Aomine Daiki, blocked all the sunlight, and even interrupted him with coldness.

Aomine Daiki suddenly opened his eyes and glared at the senior whose expression he couldn’t see against the light. He gritted his teeth, and before he could say the sharp words, he heard the uninvited senior continue to say: “I’m not here to be a lobbyist.”

The other party stared straight at him, thoughtfully: “I heard from Kuroko—what did you say to him? ‘The only one who can beat me is myself’?”

Although he did feel that way at the time, being said by the respected senior was indeed—very embarrassing.

“…Huh?!” How much did Tetsuya even say!

—Aomine Daiki became as uncomfortable as a young son caught reading a pornographic book by his mother, and his face slowly turned red. Fortunately, his skin was dark and it couldn’t be seen too well.

Kokonoe Taka didn’t notice his embarrassment either. “Then do you want to try,” his eyebrows pressed down, and the pressure that came out instantly made Aomine Daiki’s nerves numb, “—can you beat me?”

……

…………

When Kokonoe Taka came out of the gymnasium, Kuroko Tetsuya and Momoi Satsuki had been waiting anxiously outside for almost an hour.

Momoi had sharp eyes: “Kokonoe-senpai!” She called out and cautiously poked her head into the half-closed door of the gymnasium. “Um… the result, how was it?”

Kokonoe Taka was lowering his head and putting down the rolled-up shirt sleeves. His suit jacket was randomly draped on the side of his shoulder, and his eyebrows carried an edge that had not yet faded. When he raised his eyes to answer, his expression was so handsome that it could almost make people’s hearts stop beating—Momoi was distracted for a moment, thinking that I understand why Kokonoe-senpai’s support group in school is usually silent but surprisingly large in reality…

“Not dead.”

She heard Kokonoe-senpai say calmly.

Momoi: “?”

Momoi: “???”

Not, not dead? Is that what she understood it to mean?

Kuroko Tetsuya pushed open the door, saw the scene inside the gymnasium, and was silent for a moment.

“…Um,” he turned his head, “Kokonoe-senpai, is this already to the extent of ‘one step away from going to heaven’?”

—On the court inside, there was a dying human-shaped creature lying, and his right hand pointing straight at the door carried a strangely funny tragic and unyielding. Even that dark skin that blends into the darkness at night was vaguely pale.

Kokonoe Taka grabbed his school uniform tie and gave up trying to button up his collar. As if nothing had happened, he looked in the direction of his gaze: “What are you talking about?” Spouting venom, “This guy will only go to hell even if he goes. Have you ever seen an angel who is this kind of dark skin?”

Momoi Satsuki: “…” Revealed an expression of being persuaded!

Kuroko Tetsuya: “…That makes sense.”

That’s not right, aren’t you going to refute that Aomine-kun is about to leave this world because you trained him?!

Kokonoe Taka quickly let go of this topic and recovered his previous reliability as a senior: “Well, we played five games, ten balls to determine the winner.” He deliberately chuckled. “This guy didn’t win a single game.”

The two lowerclassmen who obediently looked up at him were stunned: “Eh? Aomine-kun… didn’t win a single game?”

“Yeah, not a single game.”

Kokonoe Taka looked at the two fluffy heads in front of him and felt like he was looking at two cute little animals—he couldn’t help but reach out and pat each of their heads. “This guy is still in his chuunibyou phase, so be tolerant of him like an incompetent son.”

Aomine Daiki raised his head and shouted with gritted teeth: “…I’m still here! I’m listening! I’m not dead yet! Can you not say this kind of thing in front of me?!—And I’m not in my chuunibyou phase!”

Kokonoe Taka didn’t even raise his head and continued to pat his head: “Come on.” He said, “I think your brain has been completely eaten by goldfish to have those kinds of thoughts.”

He turned his head to Kuroko Tetsuya and Momoi Satsuki and resumed his usual kindness, as if he wasn’t the one who had just insulted someone: “See, he’s alive again.”

The two: “…Pfft.”

Aomine Daiki: “Hey!!!”

Aomine Daiki’s level was indeed very high, but when Kokonoe Taka confronted him, he noticed something he was once very familiar with: something that had gradually peeled away from him in the distant past.

—A desire to lose.

—Wanting an opponent who could beat himself.

But now Kokonoe Taka would no longer have this kind of thought. He had taken many detours to get rid of the shadows of the past. But it was undeniable that when his father had not left, he had failed to wait for a loss. —He had forced himself out of it.

For a few seconds, he glimpsed the shadow of his past self in Aomine Daiki.

So, he obeyed the voice in the other party’s heart and sent him a defeat that was suppressed from beginning to end.

Aomine Daiki glared at him angrily, but undeniably, his expression was much more vivid than it was at first. Kokonoe Taka turned around and walked to him, squatted down, “So, you’re not as great as you think you are after all.” He said leisurely, “You didn’t win many games when we hadn’t retired from the club before, right? What, did you think you were number one in the world as soon as the seniors left?” Aomine Daiki turned his head and refused to look at him: “What I said is the truth.” He said stubbornly, but his voice gradually became smaller. “Otherwise, why would those guys think they couldn’t do it without even trying.”

…Without even trying, they think they can’t beat me.

Kokonoe Taka read his subtext, and couldn’t help but laugh, but his gaze slowly became softer.

Just like when Haizaki Daisuke went to the trouble of taking him home, Takeuchi constantly cared about his situation as an elder, Echizen Nanjirō’s indulgence and guidance, Kiyose Haiji’s encouragement, his grandparents’ silent support… When so many people had helped him in the past, did they feel the same way he did now when he looked at Aomine Daiki?

This me, has finally become like them.

“Aomine.” He said slowly and firmly, “Just because it’s not there now, doesn’t mean it won’t be there in the future. Don’t isolate yourself—the person you’re looking for who can beat yourself will definitely appear in the future.”

These words were most appropriate coming from Kokonoe Taka.

“And… aren’t the best teammates also the best opponents?” He said, “Your teammates will one day become your best opponents—of course, if the seven of you plan to continue to go to the same school, just pretend I didn’t say that.”

Kuroko Tetsuya interjected: “Midorima-kun said last time that he already has a school he likes, and Akashi-kun should have decided as well.”

“After all, Akashi and Midorima are very reliable.” Kokonoe Taka smiled and ruffled the head underneath his hand. “It’s definitely different from a fool like this who hasn’t thought about anything.”

Aomine: “…I’m enduring it.”

Kokonoe Taka let out an ah as if remembering something and said with concern, “But Aomine, with those grades of yours, I think no school might want you in the end…”

Aomine Daiki couldn’t help but retort: “Isn’t there that special recommendation—”

Kokonoe Taka turned his head and asked Momoi: “Is that so?”

Momoi Satsuki received his look and said with a suppressed smile: “If Aomine-kun continues to be unmotivated like this, it’s very likely that no school will want him.”

Kuroko Tetsuya held up his book: “What should we do then, Aomine-kun?”

Kokonoe Taka: “Ah, why don’t I introduce you to work in a store of an acquaintance I know, and enter society from there?”

Aomine Daiki was on the verge of exploding from their back-and-forth singing and harmony. Kokonoe Taka added the final straw: “‘I can’t say that you will definitely be able to do something as long as you don’t give up, but once you give up, you’ll have nothing’—”

Kuroko Tetsuya: “Ah—” The words Aomine had once said to him.

Aomine Daiki’s fur exploded: “How did you know about that sentence again!! Tetsu! Did you tell him!”

Kokonoe Taka clarified for Kuroko: “No, Platinum Coach told me this sentence.” He paused for a moment, remembering the worried gaze of the old man in the hospital room. “So, even if it’s very painful, don’t give up.”

After all, you like basketball so much.

Aomine Daiki awkwardly avoided his gaze and muttered, “I know already…”

“You can’t trust idiots.” Kokonoe Taka left these words with a smile, ignoring Aomine Daiki’s roar, and turned around to instruct, “If this guy acts foolish again, remember to tell me. Then, no matter where I am, I will rush over as soon as possible to beat this guy up severely.”!