Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 261 The Tenderness of a Sporty Boy

"Mom, I'm back."

After a day of team training, Shinji Koganei returned home exhausted.

"Hey, you're back?" In the kitchen at the end of the entrance, Koganei Shinji's mother, a middle-aged woman who looked somewhat similar to Koganei Shinji, poked her head out of the kitchen, glanced at Koganei Shinji and said with a smile, "The food will be ready soon, hurry up and wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"Okay, Mom." Shinji Koganei put down his schoolbag listlessly, walked to the dining table with a bored look on his face, and slumped down on the chair.

"What's wrong? You look listless?" Koganei Shinji's sister asked curiously while applying a facial mask, looking at Koganei Shinji's bored expression, "Are you not interested in basketball again? Do you want to change clubs?"

"How come, sister?" Shinji Koganei looked at his sister with some confusion and said, "I'm very happy in the club, why do you think so?"

"Ah, yes, yes, you're very happy..." Koganei Shinji's sister smoothed out the wrinkles of the mask on her face, rolled her eyes and pouted, "You said the same thing when you joined the basketball club in junior high school, but you quit after less than a week. I said, at least find a hobby that you stick to forever... 'Jack of all trades, broke as a jack of all trades', that's you."

"I understand, sis." Koganei Shinji said helplessly, "I'm just a little tired from training... the training volume these two days is too heavy."

"Have you increased the amount of training?" Koganei Shinji's sister asked curiously, "It seems that your coach is very ambitious."

"Of course, sister, can you at least pay attention to your brother?" Koganei Zenji rolled his eyes helplessly and said, "We have already made it to the Western Conference Finals!"

"Yes, yes, the Western Conference Finals. How amazing." Koganei Shinji's sister rolled her eyes speechlessly and said, "It's all thanks to Kagami-san and Kuroko-san~"

"How can you say that, sister? I also work very hard!" Shinji Koganei said unconvinced.

"Oh, good, you've worked hard." Koganei Shinji's sister slowly screwed on the cap of the skin care water bottle, then put her hands on the table, straightened her body, looked at Koganei Shinji with a hint of ridicule and asked, "So, my stupid Oudoudou, may I ask what you have done to work so hard until today?"

"You!" Koganei Shinji was speechless, then turned his head angrily to the kitchen and shouted, "Mom, my sister bullied me again!"

"What are you two doing again?" Koganei Zenji's mother held the soup and looked helplessly at the siblings sitting opposite each other and said, "Stop making trouble, wash your hands and get ready for dinner!"

"Yes, Mom." The brother and sister rolled their eyes at each other and turned to the sink.

"Really? They are so grown up, but they still act like children who have never grown up." Xiao Jinjin Shen'er's mother looked at the backs of the siblings as they left, shook her head and complained unhappily.

Soon, the brother and sister washed their hands and sat back at the dining table, and the family started to eat happily.

"Shinji, the Western Conference Finals will start in a few days, right?" Shinji Koganei's father put down the newspaper in his hand, looked at Shinji curiously and asked, "I heard that your opponent this time is very strong, it seems to be a top team in the high school league."

"Yes, Dad." Koganei Shinji shrugged his shoulders, picked up some food with chopsticks and said, "This is why the coach has been crazy increasing the amount of training these days... After every day of training, I feel like I'm about to fall apart."

"Haha, it's good for young people to be tired. You are so young, you won't die from exhaustion." Koganei Zenji's father smiled and said, "When I was your age, I didn't even have the chance to participate in such a competition."

"Did Dad also join the basketball club?" Shinji Koganei asked curiously, looking at his father who was sitting in the first seat.

"No, I participated in the Koshien at that time..." Koganei Shinji's father said with a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes, "I really miss that time, when my blood was boiling."

"Okay, okay, don't reminisce about the past while eating!" Koganei's beloved mother smiled and said after she picked up a piece of food for each of the father and son with her chopsticks, "No matter how important it is, let's talk about it after we finish eating."

"I got it, Mom." Shinji Koganei curled his lips and buried his head in his meal.

"Anyway, come on!" Little Jin Jin Shen'er's father tapped his chopsticks on the table and said expectantly, "Your mother and I will go to watch your game."

"Really?" Koganei Shinji said in surprise, "Didn't Dad and Mom always say that they were busy with work and didn't have time to watch my game?"

"No matter how busy you are at work, you have to watch the games at this time. We will also watch the finals." Shinji Koganei's father looked at his son kindly and said, "Anyway, remember, no matter how you play, you are the pride of me and your mother."

"Dad...Mom..." Shinji Koganei looked at his parents in front of him with sour eyes. Suddenly, he felt that the heat from the food was too strong, and it almost made him cry.

……

"Little Muji, would you like some soup later?" At this time in Muji Tieping's home, an octogenarian old man asked with a smile while looking at Muji Tieping who was eating at the table.

"No need, grandpa, I can hardly eat anymore." Muji Tieping said to his grandfather with a wry smile.

"How come you have such a small appetite at such a young age?" Muji Tieping's grandmother looked at Muji Tieping with some concern and said, "Is there anything bothering you recently?"

"No, grandma." Muji Teppei said with a smile, "Everyone in the basketball team has performed very well recently, and even made it to the semi-finals. I can't express my happiness enough."

"Just be happy, just be happy." My grandpa Ji Tieping kept saying, "I still remember when you were little, you came back from a game and looked exhausted. Your grandma and I were shocked..."

"Withered?" Muji Tieping asked with a puzzled look, "Have I ever been like that?"

"Of course!" Muji Tieping's grandfather nodded seriously and recounted the details, "That day when you came back from the game, you kept muttering something like, I have nothing to protect, and so on, and you didn't eat for the whole day..."

"Oh, you mean that match, Grandpa..." Muji Tieping said with a complicated look in his eyes, "That match really hit me hard..."

"Yeah, I was wondering what was so good about this crappy game. If you win, you win, if you lose, you lose, and there's no money to be made..." Muji Tieping's grandfather kept chattering like an ordinary old man, "Not to mention that you got injured later, so I didn't want you to play basketball anymore."

"Okay, old man, just eat, there's no need to talk so much." Muji Tieping's grandmother rolled her eyes at her grandfather and said, "Since little Muji has made his choice, we should respect him! Isn't it normal for children to have some hobbies?"

"Look at what you're saying. Am I not worried about little Muji, too?" Muji Tieping's grandfather looked at his grandmother's glaring eyes, shrank his neck timidly and said, "Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, okay? Eat, eat!"

"Grandpa and grandma, take your time eating." Muji Tieping pushed away the bowl in front of him and said, "I'm full."

"Where are you going so late?" Looking at Mu Ji Tieping's back as he turned and left, grandpa asked somewhat worriedly.

"The team will have a game in two days, and I have to find Hinata as soon as possible to familiarize him with the team's new tactics." Kiyoshi Teppei waved his hand behind him, opened the door and walked out.

"Old man..." Grandma looked at Muji Tieping's departing back and said after a moment of silence, "Let's go watch the children's game. There are only two games left anyway."

"I don't have any problem..." Muji Teppei's grandfather looked at his wife with some confusion and said, "But don't you always dislike Muji playing basketball? Why do you suddenly want to watch the game?"

"It's one thing that I don't like it, but I can see that little Muji really values ​​basketball." Muji Tieping's grandmother slowly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and said, "But since the child likes it so much, we, as elders, must support him." "That's great." Muji Tieping's grandfather said with a smile, "If little Muji knew, he would definitely be very happy."

"How can we let the children know about this kind of thing in advance?" Muji Tieping's grandmother glared at her grandfather and said, "Of course, we have to show up suddenly on the sidelines without the children knowing, so that it can be a surprise!"

"You always come up with new ideas..." Mu Ji Tieping's grandfather looked at his wife's expectant expression and laughed.

……

"Can you please not come up with new ideas for me, Teppei..." On the streets of Tokyo, Hinata Junpei, who was suddenly pulled out by Kiyoshi Teppei, looked at Kiyoshi Teppei speechlessly and said, "I just made an appointment with Reiko to discuss tactics, and you came to find me... Did you really not mean it?"

"I'm sorry, I really didn't know you had an appointment with Reiko..." Muji Teppei said with a silly smile, scratching the back of his head, "I was just a little too nervous, I couldn't eat or sleep, and I didn't know who to talk to. After thinking about it, you're the only one... But since you're busy, forget it."

"It's my blessing to have you..." Hinata Junpei gave Kiyoshi Teppei a helpless look, went to the vending machine on the street and bought two bottles of drinks, then took out a tissue, put it on the curb and sat down, and patted the empty seat next to him.

"Ah?" Kiyoshi Teppei stared blankly at Hinata Junpei's actions, not knowing what his intention was.

"Ah, you big-headed ghost, come and sit down!" Hinata Junpei said unhappily, "You came here so anxious to ask me to leave, I have already turned down Reiko's call. Didn't you say you had something to talk to me about? Let's talk!"

"Oh, thank you!" Kiyoshi Teppei finally reacted and sat down next to Hinata Junpei with a smile. He raised his head blankly, looked at the night sky and stopped talking.

"Are you out here to see the night view?" Hinata Junpei poked Kiyoshi Teppei's waist and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it now!"

"Well, Hinata..." Kiyoshi Teppei looked at the stars in the sky and spoke slowly, "Hinata... do you still remember our goal when we first established the basketball club last year?"

"I'm really out of my mind to accompany you to talk about all this nonsense..." Hinata Junpei rolled his eyes and said, "How could I not remember such a thing? Didn't we agree to dominate the country together? And we even asked Kuriko to help us set a punishment of naked confession..."

"Yeah..." Muji Teppei smacked his lips and said, "We were really ambitious at the time, and we dared to set any goal... We didn't even think about what we would do if the Miracle Generation entered high school..."

"Yeah..." Hinata Junpei seemed to have remembered something at this moment. He looked up at the night sky along Kiyoshi Teppei's line of sight and sighed, "At the beginning of last year, we actually played quite well. Thinking about it carefully, we were also thinking about winning the championship before the Generation of Miracles joined the high school and fulfilling the unfulfilled dream in junior high school..."

"Yeah..." Muji Teppei took a sip of his drink with a complicated expression and said, "I still remember that last year's newspapers were very optimistic about us. After all, we were the first high school team in Neon Country's history to enter the round-robin tournament right after its establishment... It's a pity that I got injured later..."

"Yeah, then you got injured." Hinata Junpei's eyes revealed a trace of unwillingness as he recalled the past, and he gritted his teeth and said, "That guy Hanamiya Makoto is really a piece of shit. After you got injured, we were beaten three times by the three champions of the Tokyo district... At that time, the newspapers were all mocking us for being fakes, a tryout team..."

"I remember what you said, the Tokyo Sports Daily." Muji Teppei said bitterly, "When I saw the media's sarcasm, I was really discouraged. I even doubted whether I was suitable for playing basketball..."

"Tetshin actually doubts whether he is suitable for playing basketball?" Hinata Junpei glanced at Kiyoshi Teppei speechlessly and said, "Did you learn some new cold joke from Itsuki? A warrior without a championship, a genius among mortals, such a person is not suitable for playing basketball, then how can a common player like me survive?"

"I'm not here to show off, Junpei..." Before Kiyoshi Teppei could finish his words, he was interrupted by Hinata Junpei.

"I know what you mean, Muji." Hinata Junping pushed his glasses up with a serious face and said, "The opponent in the next game is very strong. Maybe we can never reach the level of Akashi Seijuro in our lifetime, but as long as we stand on the court, we should not be afraid, but how to defeat the opponent."

"But... can we really win?" Kiyoshi Teppei said hesitantly, "Now that I'm dragging an injured leg, will I really not hinder Kagami when facing the inside combination of Neya Takenagakichi and Nango Kouichiro?"

"You always like to think about things that are not your concern." Hinata Junpei chuckled and stood up, pushed his glasses, looked down at Kiyoshi Teppei and said, "Remember Kiyoshi, I am the captain of Seirin High School, and the trump card of Seirin High School is Kagami. Not to mention that Kagami is not necessarily worse than Akashi Seijuro after growing up, even if Kagami is really weaker than Akashi, you don't have to doubt yourself. We trust you as much as anyone else. We lost the game in the end, and we share the consequences. Let me put it more bluntly, the Seirin High School basketball team can be maintained until now, precisely because you have such a strong heart on the court!"

"Hinata..." Kiyoshi Teppei stared blankly at Hinata Junpei who had a serious face, and a long-lost feeling of blood suddenly surged in his heart.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hinata Junpei looked at Kiyoshi Teppei's fiery eyes, twisted his neck unnaturally and said, "I feel so disgusting!"

"Haha, sorry, sorry!" Muji Teppei waved his hand and said, "I just didn't expect Hinata to say such passionate words."

"It's you who dragged me out here for no reason and said a bunch of nonsense!" Hinata Junpei shouted angrily at Kiyoshi Teppei.

"It's my fault, it's my fault." Muji Tieping stood up, patted his butt, turned around and walked in the direction he came from.

"Hey, where are you going?" Hinata Junpei shouted loudly at Kiyoshi Teppei's back.

"I'm going back to sleep. If I don't go back so late, my grandparents will be worried." Mu Ji Tieping waved his hand behind him and said.

"Really? You just walked away without saying anything, treating me like a spiritual home..." Hinata Junpei muttered as he looked at Kiyoshi Teppei's back, "If you can't perform well on the court, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"

After saying that, Hinata Junpei turned around and walked towards home.

……

"Master, it's time to go to bed."

Time flies, and it is the night before the competition. At this time, Akashi Seijuro is standing in front of his mother's spirit tablet, staring at the figure in the photo silently for a long time. Seeing that it is past bedtime, Akashi Seijuro is still standing in front of his mother's spirit tablet in silence. The housekeeper beside him is a little worried and reminds him.

"I understand, Uncle Fu." Akashi Seijuro smiled, nodded to the butler beside him and said, "I just have something else to say to my mother. I will go to bed in a while."

"Then please pay attention to the time." The old butler nodded with an embarrassed look on his face, and then slowly left the room where the spirit tablet was placed.

"I'm here to see you again, Mom." Akashi Seijuro lit three incense sticks skillfully, bowed three times, and then gently inserted them into the incense burner in front of him.

"Mom, to be honest, I am very grateful to you." After burning incense, Akashi Seijuro gently came to the corner of the room and sat down. Looking at the still smiling figure in the photo, he said softly, "The gift you gave me was not just a basketball, but also friends who could accompany me for a lifetime. In order to maintain the existence of these friends, I pushed them away with my own hands. If it wasn't for Kaneki Ken to wake me up, maybe I would never realize it..."

As he spoke, Akashi Seijuro adjusted his sitting position, and continued with a sour look in his eyes: "To be honest, since I lost to Kaneki last time, I am really no longer afraid of losing, but I don't know why, maybe my opponent is Kuroko, I really don't want to lose. I still want to enter the finals again and pay back Kaneki for the summer... Mom, you were so considerate when you were here, I'm sure you can understand this boring desire to win among teenagers, right?"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Just as Akashi Seijuro was talking to himself in front of his mother's portrait, the clock in the living room downstairs suddenly rang twelve times. The housekeeper outside the door knocked gently, indicating that Akashi Seijuro should go back to bed.

"Ah, Uncle Fu is urging me again..." Akashi Seijuro stared blankly at his mother in the photo, sighed and said, "After you left, I felt so much pressure. Father asked me to compete for the first place in everything. I am so tired of competing for the first place... Anyway, to make a long story short, please bless me to successfully enter the finals... And, love you, mom."

After saying that, Akashi Seijuro stood up, walked to the photo of his mother, kissed it gently, and then turned and left the room. As the night deepened, when Akashi Seijuro lay on the bed and fell asleep, the soft moonlight outside the window sprinkled in, as if Akashi Seijuro's mother was caressing his face. The cold north wind in winter also became much softer when it blew through the window. The sound of snowflakes hitting the window was like a mother's whisper, telling Akashi Seijuro: "Go, child."

(End of this chapter)