Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 260 After the game
"Hello kid, I'm Jerry West, the general manager of the Lakers. Nice to meet you." In the locker room of Shonan High School, Jerry West came to Kaneki Ken with a kind smile on his face and said, "Excuse me, can you talk to me when you have time?"

"Hey, Xiaosan, why are you all silent? Who is this old man? Is he a powerful person?" Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was standing aside, looked at the silent locker room, poked Mitsui Hisamita's waist with some curiosity and asked.

"Do you know NBA? Sakuragi?" Mitsui Shou suppressed his excitement and whispered in Sakuragi Hanamichi's ear.

"Of course I know, Xiaosan." Sakuragi Hanamichi curled his lips and said, "After all, I have played ball with Gilgamesh for such a long time..."

"The prototype of the NBA logo is the old man you mentioned." Mitsui Shou smacked his lips and said with emotion, "The only player who won the FMVP as a bystander..."

"It seems that you know me very well, kid. But that fmvp trophy has been smashed to pieces by me." Jerry West turned his head and looked at Mitsui Shou and said with a smile.

"I'm... sorry!" Seeing Jerry West turning his head to look at him, Mitsui Shou was so nervous that he trembled as he spoke.

"Haha, don't be nervous, kid." Jerry West smiled and waved his hand, "You performed very well. Your shots were decisive and confident. You have the style I had back then."

"Thank...thank you for the compliment!" Mitsui Shou, who was praised by Jerry West, felt as if he had won the first prize in the lottery. He suddenly became dizzy and could not say anything except thank you.

"Okay, Mr. Jerry." Kaneki Ken looked at his teammates who were feeling uncomfortable in the locker room, and he quickened his pace in getting dressed. He turned to look at Jerry West and said, "Let's talk about it outside."

"Why not?" Jerry West shrugged with a smile, turned around and left the locker room with Kaneki Ken.

"Oh, it's really frustrating to compare yourself to others..." Mitsui said with a complicated expression, "I'm still trying hard to get an admission letter from Tokyo Sports University, and Kaneki Ken has already made connections with the NBA..."

"NBA..." Rukawa looked at Kaneki Ken's departing back, and an ambition that he had buried deep in his heart began to grow again.

"Hello, is this the locker room of Shonan High School?"

As soon as Kaneki Ken left, Chris Bain and Jerry Bob walked into the locker room of Shonan High School and spoke in poor Japanese.

"Are you two here to see Kaneki Ken as well?" Mitsuyoshi Anton stepped forward and asked in English.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chris Bain's eyes lit up, and he took out a work badge from his briefcase, excitedly held it in front of Anton Mitsuyoshi and said, "Excuse me, Kaneki-san, do you have time now? We are scouts from North Carolina State University, and here are our credentials."

"You two came at an unfortunate time." Anton Mitsuyoshi shrugged and said, "Kaneki-san just went out with Mr. Jerry West."

"Fuck, this old guy is so fast." Chris Bain cursed helplessly.

"What would you like to drink?" In a cafe near Tokyo Gymnasium, Jerry West looked at Kaneki Ken with a menu and asked for his opinion.

"I don't really like coffee, I prefer tea." Kaneki Ken shrugged and said, "Mr. West, I have to go back to school with the team bus in a while, so please tell me as soon as possible if you have anything to say."

"OK." Jerry West raised his eyebrows at Kaneki Ken who was being straightforward, then put the menu aside and looked at Kaneki Ken and said sincerely, "I think Kaneki Ken should know without me saying anything that Michael introduced you to me. The main reason I came here today is to know what plans Kaneki Ken has for his future after the game with his old friend. Do you have any plans to land in the United States or even the NBA?"

"Why not?" Kaneki Ken shrugged and said, "For every kid who plays basketball, entering the NBA is their first wish."

"In that case, please allow me to extend my most sincere invitation to you on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers." Jerry West looked into Kaneki Ken's eyes and stretched out his hand.

"Isn't it too early?" Facing the olive branch thrown by Jerry West, Kaneki Ken did not choose to respond immediately. Instead, he frowned and looked at Jerry West and asked, "I'm not even 17 years old this year, and Michael has arranged all the procedures for me to go to Oak Hill High School. I can't participate in the NBA draft before I graduate from high school, right?"

"As long as you are willing to participate in the draft, these are all negotiable, kid." Jerry West looked at Kaneki Ken and smiled mysteriously, "In America, anything is possible."

"Okay, Mr. West..." Kaneki Ken shrugged indifferently and said, "I still think it's too early to say this now, but if one day I really decide to bring my talent to the NBA ahead of time, I will definitely let my agent contact you."

"Agent?" Jerry West was slightly stunned, and asked in a playful tone, "Do you already have an agent, kid?"

"No, but I will." Kaneki Ken said with a smile, "Like you said, anything can happen."

"Well, you learn really fast." Jerry West smiled and shook his head and said, "I know even without you telling me. Michael has mentioned to me more than once that David Falk is very optimistic about your future."

"Who knows?" Kaneki Ken shrugged and said, "Maybe it's not just David Falk. Who would not be optimistic about a genius?"

"Yeah, who wouldn't be optimistic about a genius?" Jerry West picked up the coffee, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

……

Just when Kaneki Ken was having a long conversation with Jerry West, an uninvited guest, Ye, suddenly visited the locker room of Yangquan High School.

"Are you... the master of the ice room?" Mike Okita, who answered the door after hearing the knock, looked at Alex Garcia with a puzzled look and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Don't ask such stupid questions. As Chen Ye's master, isn't it normal for you to come and offer comfort to your apprentice after he loses the game?" Alex Garcia rolled his eyes speechlessly, pushed Mike Okita away, and looked inside.

"Don't be in such a hurry to come in. We haven't even put on our clothes yet!" Mike Okita, who was pushed away, said anxiously while changing his clothes in a hurry.

"What's so good about the bodies of a bunch of little brats?" Alex Garcia waved his hand in disdain and said, "Where's Chen Yeren? Why can't I see him?"

"Muro was called out by Huo." Murasakibara Atsushi obviously hadn't recovered from the depression of losing the game, and muttered in a low voice.

"Oh, you've grown up, Kagami." After hearing what Murasakibara Atsushi said, Alex Garcia smiled meaningfully and left the locker room of Yangquan High School without looking back.

"Aren't you waiting for Himuro?" Mike Okita asked Alex Garcia after he finished putting on his clothes. "No need, I know where he is." Alex Garcia said with a wave of his hand.

"What is she talking about?" Kensuke Fukui came up curiously, stood next to Mike Okita, looked at Alex Garcia's departing back, and asked curiously.

"I don't know, this master in Bingshiro is always a little neurotic..." Mike Okita said, shaking his head helplessly.

"But she has a great figure, right?" Fukui Kensuke said with a lewd smile, "Much better than our coach's figure~~"

"Whose figure is much better than mine?" Masako Araki appeared behind the two of them at some point and said with a gloomy face.

"That was all said by Fukui. It has nothing to do with me." Mike Okita decisively betrayed Kensuke Fukui.

……

"Tell me, what do you want to see me about?" Himuro Tatsuya let Kagami Daiga pull him to a nearby open-air stadium, then he shook off Kagami Daiga's hand impatiently and asked, "I'm in a bad mood right now, and I'm not in the mood to play brotherly games with you."

"I'm not here to play games with you." Kagami Daiwo said seriously, "I came to you today to settle the matter between us once and for all..."

As he spoke, Kagami Daigo took out a basketball from his backpack, looked at Himuro Tatsuya with burning eyes and continued, "Before, you challenged me to a game right after my match, and now I challenge you to a game too. Regardless of the outcome of this match, we are no longer brothers."

"In that case, then just consider it your win." Himuro Tatsuya's eyes darkened slightly when he heard what Kagami Daigo said, and then he said expressionlessly, "Yangquan High School doesn't allow us to play outside the school anyway. If we can't meet in the official competition, what's the point of a private match?"

"He's really a typical teenage boy~" Just when the conversation between the two of them was awkward, a teasing voice suddenly came from outside the court.

"Alex, why are you everywhere?" Himuro Tatsuya turned around speechlessly and looked at Alex Garcia and said, "Are you planning to live in Neon permanently?"

"Who knows?" Alex Garcia said with a smile, "Recently, a guy named Asaba Nanaya came to the gigolo club near my home. He's very handsome. Maybe I won't go back."

"I don't understand." Himuro Tatsuya turned around and walked out of the court with a cold face, "You can do whatever you want, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

"Is it really okay to say one thing and mean another?" Alex Garcia stood there without moving, looking at Bing Shichenye's back, and said with a smile, "If you really let it go, with your personality, you wouldn't even come out to compete with the God of Fire."

"I'm really impressed by you..." Listening to Alex Garcia's teasing, Himuro Tatsuya stopped helplessly and turned around and said, "What do you want from me, Alex?"

"Simple." Alex Garcia said with a smile, "I will be competing with Akashi Seijuro in a few days. As a senior brother, you should at least say a few words of blessing, right?"

"..." Himuro Tatsuya listened to Alex Garcia's teasing, and after a long silence, he looked at Kagami Taiga and said, "I wish you good luck in the next game, Taiga."

After saying that, Himuro Tatsuya gave Alex Garcia a look that said "Are you satisfied?" and left the court without looking back.

"Wait, Tatsuya!" Kagami Daiga looked at Himuro Tatsuya's back as he left and was about to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by Alex Garcia.

"Why are you stopping me, Alex!" Kagami said unhappily, "I want to end this guy today!"

"Come on, what are you trying to do? You're saying he's not talking about you, right?" Alex Garcia rolled his eyes speechlessly and said, "Since he can say it, it means there's still hope. Perform well in the match with Akashi. You two are brothers, and this is a fact that will never change!"

"..."After hearing what Alex Garcia said, Kagami Daiwo was stunned for a while, then he sighed deeply and turned away from the court.

"Really? Neither of these two guys is worry-free." Alex Garcia looked at the backs of the two men as they left, shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly, "But this is good, this is the feeling of youth."

……

After the thrilling battle between Kaneki Ken and Murasaki Atsushi came to an end, the entire Neon High School basketball world suddenly fell into a strange silence, and everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Western Conference Finals.

"Is it because the finals are coming soon? Everyone seems to be working very hard recently..." Taoi Satsuki muttered while looking at the Shonan High School players who were training on the field, "But why do I always feel an inexplicable sense of disharmony? Everyone is so energetic on the field, but becomes lifeless off the field..."

"It's like a storm is brewing..." Inoue Ayako sighed, "Everyone is waiting for the result of the Western Conference Finals. I guess the players of Seirin and Rakuzan are under more psychological pressure than us right now, right?"

"Take a break." At this time, the players of Rakusan High School, who were under great pressure as mentioned by Inoue Ayako, had just finished a round of tactical training. Akashi Seijuro looked at the players who were sweating profusely on the field, thought for a moment, and then stopped the training.

"What's wrong, Xiao Zheng?" Mibuchi Reio asked in confusion while wiping the sweat off his face, "Is there something wrong with the training?"

"No, everyone has practiced very well." Akashi Seijuro said with a smile, "So in order to reward everyone, I have decided that from today until the game, in addition to an hour of physical training, tactical training will only be reserved for half an hour. The rest of the time, everyone can move freely, go shopping, go back to the room to watch anime, or relax in any way you want."

"Ah, why?" Yeshan Kotaro shouted in confusion, "It's time to train harder, right? If we lose the game because of a lack of tactical coordination..."

"Listen to me, Hayama." Akashi Seijuro said with a smile, "We have already completed enough real training on weekdays. For the time being, we don't have any new tactics to run in. In this case, instead of repeating some old tactics, it is better to give everyone some time to relax. This will also allow everyone to perform better on the court."

"That's true..." Mibuchi Reo advised, "But if everyone relaxes too much, there might not be a sense of urgency when the time comes to go on stage."

"You know what, Reo?" Akashi Juro looked at Mibuchi Reo with a smile and said, "During this period of time, I have been reflecting on what the difference between Kaneki and I is. But until I watched Murasakihara's game, I realized that overcoming difficulties and allowing you to play the basketball you love without any worries is what I, the ace, should do. Your daily efforts have been enough, and now it's my turn as the ace to shoulder the heavy responsibility."

"Xiao Zheng..." Mibuchi Reo stared blankly at Akashi Seijuro for a long while, then lowered her head and smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Ace!"

(End of this chapter)