Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 236 Old Friend
"Coach Domoto, you've said this many times..." Nijimura Shuzo shook his head helplessly, "I am very confident in the combination of Haizaki and Zebei..."

"I hope so..." Domoto Koichiro sighed, frowned and looked at the field, "But there shouldn't be much suspense in this game..."

Just as Koichiro Domoto predicted, as Kise Ryouta completely entered the zone, Haizaki Shogo was completely suppressed on both offense and defense. Although Haizaki Shogo kept fighting back, Kaicho High School still managed to wipe out the score difference and successfully overtook the score.

As Kise Ryota dunked over Haizaki Shogo again, the whistle for the end of the third quarter blew. The red scoreboard on the sidelines clearly showed that Kaijo High School led Fukuda General by 96 points with a score of 78 to 18.

"Haisaki-san, you should get off the court and rest in a while."

After the third quarter, Fukuda Soso's coach, Takashi Natsume, suppressed his dissatisfaction and spoke coldly to Haizaki Shogo.

"Ah? Are you teaching me how to do things? You tell me to leave and I'll leave? I haven't had enough fun yet!" Haizaki Shogo took a sip of water, raised his eyebrows and looked at Natsume Takashi and said, "Whether I should leave or not, this kind of thing doesn't need you to decide."

"Why are you still pretending, Haizaki Shogo?" Seeing Haizaki Shogo's defiant expression, Nakazato Takashi finally couldn't help but sarcastically said, "I don't know who made such a boast before the game that he would be the one to solve the game if the ball was given to him, but it turned out like this?"

"Sand shelter from the wind?" Ishida Eiki looked at Nakazato Takashi with his eyes wide open and thought, "Why did you go and mess with that bastard Haizaki Shogo at this time?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean?" Hearing Nakazato Takashi's sarcastic tone, Haizaki Shogo threw the water cup in his hand to the ground in annoyance, walked up to Nakazato Takashi, grabbed his collar and shouted angrily, "Without me, you can't even make it to the national competition!"

"We've put up with you for a long time, Haizaki!" Perhaps seeing that the game was hopeless, Nakazato Takashi no longer suppressed his inner anger. He pushed Haizaki Shogo away, pointed at his nose and said, "The captain has always told us that we must cooperate with you, otherwise, we won't be able to defeat the Generation of Miracles... But you are just as vulnerable in front of the Generation of Miracles! We're going to lose anyway, why should I put up with your anger?"

"..." Haizaki Shogo narrowed his eyes as he listened to Nakazato Takashi's roar, and suddenly, when everyone was caught off guard, he punched Nakazato Takashi in the face.

"what are you doing!"

"Don't do that, Haizaki!"

Seeing Haizaki Shogo suddenly attack someone, the other players of Fukuda Soso hurried forward to separate them.

“Beep beep beep beep!!!!!”

Seeing the sudden conflict on the field at Futian Comprehensive, the referee on the sidelines hurriedly ran over blew the whistle.

"Let me go, all of you!" Haizaki Shogo roared and twisted his body, shaking off his teammates who were hugging him, and straightened his jersey.

"Red Number Six! Please stop what you are doing immediately and leave the court!" After stopping the situation from getting worse, the referee made two T gestures to Haizaki Shogo and said.

“Tsk…” Haizaki Shogo wiped the corner of his mouth that was hit by Nakazato Takashi’s punch with his thumb, pointed at the people from Fukuda High School and said, “You guys can fight, I won’t accompany you anymore!”

"Just go, it doesn't make any difference whether you're here or not!" Nakazato Takashi shouted in the crowd.

"Hmph!" Haizaki Shogo grabbed the backpack on the bench and walked towards the player tunnel without looking back.

"Let's go, Coach Domoto." Nijimura Shuzo looked at Haizaki Shogo's back, stood up, patted the non-existent dust, and said to Domoto Koichiro beside him, "Now... maybe it's the best time to recruit Haizaki."

"Yeah." Domoto Koichiro nodded without comment, stood up, and followed Nijimura Shuzo to the player tunnel.

"It seems like there was an internal conflict on Haizaki Shogo's side..." Kagami Taiga looked at Fukuda Soso's bench with a confused look on his face and said, "Haisaki Shogo was sent off. Are you still going to watch this game?"

"I won't watch it anymore." Kuroko Tetsuya shook his head gently, stood up and said, "You go back first, Kagami-san."

"Eh?" Kagami Daiga looked at Kuroko Tetsuya with some surprise and said, "Aren't you going back with me?"

"No, I have other things to do." Kuroko Tetsuya looked at the field thoughtfully and said, "You go back first, Kagami-san, I will meet up with you in the team."

"Okay..." Seeing that Kuroko Tetsuya had made up his mind, Kagami Daigo stopped trying to persuade him and walked out of the arena on his own.

……

"Damn it, this is so unlucky..." After leaving the court, Haizaki Shogo kicked open the door of the locker room and rummaged through the medicine box. Finally, he took out a Band-Aid and silently put it on himself in front of the mirror. When his finger accidentally touched the wound, Haizaki Shogo gasped in pain, "Hiss... Damn it, you hit him hard..."

"Hello, is there anyone inside?" Nijimura Shuzo asked after knocking on the glass door twice.

"Why are you here again, Captain Nijimura?" Haizaki Shogo was slightly startled when he heard the familiar voice coming from behind him. Then he pretended to pack up the medicine box casually and said to Nijimura Shuzo behind him, "Why, are you here to laugh at me?"

"Why do you think so? I'm not here to laugh at you, Haizaki." Nijimura Shuzo said with a laugh, "But I do want to ask, why did you suddenly start a fight with your teammates?"

"Those bastards look down on us!" Haizaki Shogo recalled Nakazato Takashi's disgusted expression and said viciously, "How can I play basketball well with these bugs?"

"That's true, but as far as I know, your attitude towards your teammates is just average~" Nijimura Shuzo put his hands in his pockets and said to Haizaki Shogo with a slightly teasing look.

"Tsk..." Haizaki Shogo sneered without comment, and turned to look at Nijimura Shuzo, "Old Captain, you didn't come here just to criticize the way I get along with my teammates, did you?"

"Bingo~" Nijimura Shuzo snapped his fingers and said, "This time I came here to criticize the way you get along with your teammates is secondary. The most important purpose is to introduce someone to you~"

"Can you introduce me to someone?" Haizaki Shogo raised his eyebrows in confusion. "You're not going to be a bad guy again, are you, captain?"

"Asshole, what are you thinking about? I want to introduce you to our Fenghuang High School coach!" Nijimura Shuzo was somewhat speechless by Haizaki Shogo's train of thought. After a scolding, he shouted towards the door, "You can come in, Coach Domoto."

"Hello, Haizaki-san. It's our first meeting. Please take care of me." Domoto Koichiro walked in under Haizaki Shogo's gaze, came in front of Haizaki Shogo, stretched out his hand, and said with a smile.

"It seems that you are here to poach people today, Captain Nijimura." Haizaki Shogo looked at Domoto Koichiro in front of him, looked at Nijimura Shuzo meaningfully and said.

"Yes." Nijimura Shuzo admitted frankly, "You also know that after IH, my body can no longer play high-intensity games. Fukatsu, Ohkawada and other key players also retired after the winter cup. It just so happens that I am not very happy to see you playing in Fukuda General..."

As he said that, Nijimura Shuzo smiled slyly, took a step forward, put his arm on Haizaki Shogo's shoulder, looked at Haizaki Shogo and said word by word: "So, are you interested in coming to Fenghuang High School?"

"..." After listening to Nijimura Shuzo's invitation, Haizaki Shogo seemed to be moved. He pursed his lips, and finally raised his hand to take Nijimura Shuzo's arm away.

"Huh?" Nijimura Shuzo looked at Haizaki Shogo with some surprise and said, "Really? The old captain won't even give me this little bit of face?"

"It's not that I don't give you face, Captain Nijimura." Haizaki Shogo curled his lips and said, "It's just that I don't want to play basketball anymore."

After saying that, Haizaki Shogo ignored Nijimura Shuzo and Domoto Koichiro, sat down on the bench and took off his shoes.

"Don't want to play basketball?" Nijimura Shuzo didn't give up. He sat next to Haizaki Shogo and asked, "Why do you suddenly have this idea?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly felt that playing basketball was boring, so I didn't want to play anymore." Haizaki Shogo said, his hands paused, then he returned to normal again, grinning, "Come to think of it, you and Kuroko Tetsuya are exactly the same. When I quit the club, Kuroko Tetsuya also came to ask me the same question... Now I'm going to tell you the answer, old captain."

"I'm all ears." Nijimura Shuzo said to Haizaki Shogo with a calm expression.

"People like us who don't have enough talent can't compete with a genius like Kaneki." Haizaki Shogo said as if he didn't care. "Compared to people like me who chose to quit, those who still choose to continue playing basketball may be more tragic."

After saying that, Haizaki Shogo picked up his backpack without looking back and walked out of the locker room.

"It seems that your recruitment has failed, Nijimura." Domoto Koichiro said without surprise as he looked at Shogo Haizaki's leaving back.

"Although this guy has a sharp tongue, there are some things I firmly believe he will not make mistakes." Nijimura Shuzo shook his head at Domoto Koichiro and said, "He is just like Midorima, a tsundere with a bad personality. Didn't you notice that there is still reluctance to lose in his eyes?"

……

"What the hell... You come to recruit me at this time, are you pitying me?" Haizaki Shogo walked in the dark corridor, muttering to himself with an unhappy look on his face, "What a crap basketball, I really don't want to play this time!"

As he spoke, Haizaki Shogo walked to a trash can outside the gym, took off his sneakers tied around his neck, and reached towards the trash can.

"Haizaki-san!"

Just when Haizaki Shogo was still hesitating whether to throw away his sneakers, a familiar voice sounded again from behind Haizaki Shogo.

"Hey, Kuroko, it's been a long time." Haizaki Shogo turned around and said to Kuroko Tetsuya expressionlessly, "Speaking of which, this scene is a bit familiar... Every time I'm about to throw my sneakers, you appear..."

"Haizaki-san, are you not going to play basketball?" Kuroko Tetsu ignored what Haizaki Shogo said and looked at Haizaki Shogo seriously and asked. "What does it have to do with you?" Haizaki Shogo put his sneakers behind him with an impatient look on his face. "And I don't remember that I have a good relationship with you. I'm in a bad mood right now, so don't bother me."

"Well, Haizaki-san..." Kuroko Tetsuya sighed, "Actually, I wanted to say that Haizaki-san played very well today..."

After saying that, Kuroko Tetsuya shook his head, turned around and left the Osaka Gymnasium.

"Tsk... one by one, everyone wants to teach me a lesson..." Haizaki Shogo looked at Kuroko Tetsuya's back, put his hand holding his sneakers on the trash can and muttered to himself with an unhappy look on his face, "Who wants to play this kind of crappy game..."

"Well, a pair of shoes is quite expensive, so don't throw them away if you don't want to."

At this moment, a big hand grabbed Haizaki Shogo's wrist and said in a light tone.

"Captain Nijimura..." Haizaki Shogo looked at Nijimura Shuzo beside him, and for some reason, his tone suddenly became a little sour.

"I heard about... your situation at Fukuda General." Nijimura Shuzo slowly took the basketball from Haizaki Shogo and said in a gentle voice, "Your attitude is certainly problematic, but if your teammates only see you as a tool to deal with the Generation of Miracles, I wouldn't be happy if it were me."

"Nijimura-san is right. I think so too, Haizaki-san." Domoto Koichiro also stood up from behind Nijimura Shuzo, "So, come to our Fenghuang High School, Haizaki-san. As a basketball powerhouse in the high school world, although we are also crazy about winning, we also pay great attention to the ideas of each player. Such behavior of disrespecting players will never happen in our Fenghuang High School."

"..." As Haizaki Shogo looked at the two people in front of him who were full of sincerity, his eyes gradually turned red and his nose began to feel a little sore.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you kidding, Haizaki?" Nijimura Shuzo joked after seeing Haizaki Shogo's reaction, "You didn't even cry when I wrote about you being beaten up by Kaneki, so why are you crying in such a small scene?"

"Who's crying? I'm not crying." Haizaki Shogo rubbed his eyes unconvinced, "It's just a little sandstorm..."

"So, Haizaki-san," Domoto Koichiro stared at Haizaki Shogo with a burning gaze and asked, "Can you tell me your choice?"

"...I suddenly feel that playing behind the old captain is also a good choice." Haizaki Shogo was silent for a while, pretending to be casual and said, "But you have to help me with the transfer."

"Leave this matter to us, Haizaki-san." Domoto Koichiro smiled with satisfaction and said, "Welcome to Fenghuang High School."

……

"Luckily we got into the East District..." On the bus back to Shonan High School, Miyagi Ryouta put his hands behind his head and said to Mitsui Shou beside him, "There are many masters in the West District this year. Not to mention Toou and Rakuzan, Kaijo High School has also suddenly risen, and there is also Seirin's elusive light and shadow combination..."

"So what?" Mitsui Shou shrugged and said, "We have Kaneki Ken. Do you know what it means to be the strongest high school student?"

"If you don't know, you'd think you were the strongest high school student..." Miyagi Ryouta teased Mitsui Shou as he looked at his smug expression, "But I have to say, every time this happens I feel extremely lucky... Fortunately, Kaneki is our teammate!"

"Yeah..." Mitsui looked at Kaneki Ken who was sitting in the last row with some emotion and said, "Having Kaneki Ken as a teammate really makes me feel at ease..."

"Ken-kun, what are you thinking about?" Momoi Satsuki, who was sitting next to Kaneki Ken, looked at Kaneki Ken who was staring out the window in a daze, and asked prettily.

"I was thinking..." Kaneki Ken kept playing with the phone in his hand and answered nonchalantly, "Do you want to send a sympathy text message to that guy Midorima or something?"

"If you want to send it, just send it~ I think you are too cold, Ken-kun." Momoi Satsuki smiled and held Kaneki Ken's hand and said, "Although it is true that we are rivals, we are still friends, right? As a way of caring for each other between friends, it is normal to send a text message~"

"Hmm..." Kaneki Ken listened to Momoi Satsuki's persuasion and nodded, not knowing whether to agree or not. When he was about to pick up his phone to send a text message, a text message came before him.

"Kaneki, we've advanced to the second round! This time, I'll see you in the finals no matter what! \^O^/"

"What a childish guy..." Kaneki Ken said with a chuckle as he looked at the emoticon at the end of Kise Ryouta's name.

"What's wrong? Who sent it?" Momoi Satsuki asked curiously, looking at Kaneki Ken's relaxed expression.

"Kise...old friend." Kaneki Ken smiled as his fingers kept editing and replying text messages on the screen.

"Buzz~"

In the locker room of Kaijo High School at the Osaka Gymnasium, Ryota Kise, who was celebrating his victory with his teammates, suddenly felt his phone vibrate. Confusedly, he took out his phone and looked at it.

[Sasaki, the white-haired devil: "Then I'll wait for you. We're all here to compete for the second place anyway, so it doesn't matter who comes." ()]

"Haha, you're really Kaneki." Kise Ryota looked at the reply on his phone and said with a chuckle.

"Who is it, Kise?" Kasamatsu Yukio looked at Kise Ryota's happy expression, approached Kise Ryota with some curiosity and asked.

"Haha, nothing." Huang Lailiangta turned off the screen of his phone, put it in his pocket, looked at Kasamatsu Yukio and said with a smile, "He is just a guy who is both a teacher and a friend."

……

"The doctor said it was just a fatigue injury. As long as you rest well, it won't be a big deal." In the luxurious ward of a private hospital in Tokyo, Akashi Seijuro sat next to Midorima Shintaro and smiled with concern, "If you need anything, tell the attending doctor. If the attending doctor can't do it, call me."

"Thank you very much, Akashi-san." Nakatani Hitoshi said to Akashi Seijuro with a grateful look on his face.

"Nothing, Shintaro and I are old friends." Akashi Seijuro smiled and waved his hand, "Besides, this hospital is also the property of our Akashi family, it's just a piece of cake."

Hearing Akashi Seijuro's unintentional Versailles, all the Shutoku High School players present fell silent.

"Okay, all of you go out." Midorima Shintaro on the side suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Zhen?" Takao Kazunari looked at Midorima Shintaro with a puzzled look, as if asking himself whether he needed to go out.

"You go out too, Takao." Midorima Shintaro nodded, signaling Takao and Cheng Cheng to go out as well, "Akagi and I have something to talk about alone."

"Okay, remember to call me if you need anything." Gaowei Kazunari curled his lips, was the last one to walk out of the ward, and closed the door behind him.

"Kise's side also won, you should know that, right?"

After everyone left the ward, Midorima Shintaro looked at Akashi Seijuro who was sitting next to him and asked.

"Of course I know." Akashi Seijuro picked up an apple from the table and took out a knife to peel it. "You know, Leshan High School is now equipped with a basketball video analysis system. How could I not care about the game of my old friend?"

"Although I hate your second personality, I have to admit that his vision is indeed very sharp..." Midorima Shintaro adjusted the frame of his glasses and said solemnly, "I watched the second half of his duel with Haizaki..."

"It's my first time peeling an apple for someone, so just eat it." Akashi Seishirou handed the peeled apple to Midorima Shintaro, wiped his hands with a towel, and continued, "You watched the duel between Kise and Haizaki, and then what? How did you feel?"

"I can only say..." Midorima Shintaro took the apple in his hand and said after thinking for a moment, "It gives me the same feeling...although the degree is different, it is exactly the same as Kaneki Ken's style!"

"Thank you for your reminder. We will be careful." Akashi Seijuro adjusted his sitting position and said with a smile, "It seems that the Western Conference competition this year is really difficult..."

"..." Midorima Shintaro looked at the smile on Akashi Seijuro's face, took a bite of the apple silently, and said after a long silence, "It's nice to see you again, Akashi."

"Haha, this is not your style, Shintaro." Akashi Seijuro looked at Midorima Shintaro's tangled expression and chuckled, saying, "Come back next year. I'm looking forward to the match between you and me."

"Yeah." Midorima Shintaro nodded and was about to say something when the cell phone in his coat pocket suddenly rang.

[White-haired devil Sasaki: "Remember to take a good rest. You played very well in today's game."]

"Hmph..." Midorima Shintaro looked at the letter from Kaneki Ken, snorted coldly, turned off the phone, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Was it from Kaneki?" Akashi Seijuro keenly noticed the change in Midorima Shintaro's expression and asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, that's him." Midorima Shintaro nodded slightly and sighed softly, "That lonely and invincible old friend with a bad temper."

"Yes, old friend." Akashi Seijuro said meaningfully after listening to Midorima Shintaro's words.

(End of this chapter)