Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 262 Opening Day
"Where are you going, Xiaozhen?" At the entrance of Shutoku High School, Takao Kazunari asked as he looked at the tall figure who was quietly preparing to leave.

"Don't pay attention to him, Midorima Shintaro, he is just trying to trick you. Your disguise today was perfect..." Midorima Shintaro pretended not to hear him and continued walking towards the school gate without looking back.

"I'm talking about you, Xiaozhen. Apart from you, who else would hold a gossip plate in school?" Takao Kazunari looked at Midorima Shintaro who was playing dumb, and said helplessly with his hands on his hips.

"Okay, you recognized me again." Midorima Shintaro pouted unhappily, took off his hat and mask and said, "The Western Conference Finals will start tonight. If I don't leave for Osaka now, I will miss it."

"Really? If you want to watch the game, just watch it. Why do you always dress like a thief? I think your old teammates would welcome you to watch the game..." Takao Kazunari shook his head helplessly and said, "Besides, your disguise can't fool anyone, right?"

"Who cares whether they welcome us or not?" Midorima Shintaro rolled his eyes at Takao Kazunari and said in a pretentious manner, "I just went to observe how far their evolution has progressed. It's impossible that Murasakibara has evolved, everyone else has evolved, but I haven't..."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say is right." Gao Wei and Cheng Cheng teased with a smile, "But if you want to leave, there is no need to rush now, you can wait first."

"What's wrong?" Midorima Shintaro asked in confusion.

"Didn't you see the message the coach sent in the group this morning?" Takao Kazunari looked at Midorima Shintaro in confusion and asked, "Akagi-san arranged a chartered car to pick us up. Not only us, but also Kise's Kaijo High School, Aomine's Toou High School, and Kaneki Ken's Shonan High School are included."

"Akaashi is a guy who likes to show off his wealth no matter what." Midorima Shintaro said in a complicated tone.

"It's okay... After all, his family is really rich. If it were me, I would show off more than him." Takao Kazunari smiled and shook his head. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he turned his head to look at Midorima Shotaro and asked, "By the way, you haven't told me yet, why didn't you see the message in the group?"

"...I find your talking in the group too annoying, so I'm leaving." Midorima Shintaro answered truthfully after a moment's silence.

"You're really going too far!" Takao Kazunari said with a hurt expression, "I'm never going to pass the ball to you again!"

"I suddenly remembered that the coach seemed to ask me to recommend a vice-captain..." Midorima Shintaro pushed the frame of his glasses with his right hand and said indifferently, "After all, for a team as big as Shutoku, it is definitely not enough to have only one vice-captain. Takao, who do you think I should recommend?"

"Of course it's me, Xiaozhen." Gaowei and Cheng Cheng said seriously, "After all, the two of us are close friends and brothers!"

"But I always feel that you may have some disagreements with the direction of the team's development..." Midorima Shintaro said coldly, "I'd better think about it again. I think it's not bad to wait for Teiko's junior next year."

Having said that, Midorima Shintaro walked towards the gym without looking back.

"Where are you going, Xiaozhen?" Takao Kazunari said behind Midorima Shintaro, "I think it's a good idea that you recommended me. I support any idea of ​​yours unconditionally... In addition, if you want to take Akashi's bus, you can just wait here, because other buses are not allowed to drive in the school..."

"That's another bus." Midorima Shintaro said confidently, "If that guy Akashi arranged a car to pick us up, he would definitely drive in..."

"Impossible, Xiaozhen. You don't understand how stubborn our school leaders are..." Gaowei Kazunari smiled and shook his head and said, "Then you should go to the basketball hall and wait..."

"Crack~" Before Takao Kazunari could finish his words, he heard a loud brake sound coming from the entrance of the stadium not far away.

"I don't really know the school leaders, but I know the Akashi family." Midorima Shintaro looked at Takao Kazunari with a hint of pride in his eyes and said, "Hurry up and get on the bus. The Akashi family's business bus is very well furnished."

“…So damn rich.” Takao Kazunari complained bitterly as he looked at the four luxury business buses lined up in a row in front of the basketball stadium.

……

"Master, it's time to set off."

At this time, Akashi Seijuro, who was described by Takao and Cheng Cheng as being really rich, had just finished warming up with the basketball court specially set up for him at home. Seeing that the game time was approaching, the housekeeper of the Akashi family came to the door of the court with a respectful look on his face to remind him.

"Okay, Uncle Fu, I'll go take a shower and come back in a while." Akashi Seijuro said with a gentle smile on his face, turning his head to look at the butler.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

As Akashi Seijuro came to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, warm steam instantly filled the entire bathroom. Akashi Seijuro enjoyed the feeling of water droplets hitting his face, as if the tension he had not experienced in many years was also carried into the sewer with the flow of water.

"It's getting late..." After a simple wash, Akashi Seijuro reached out to wipe the misty mirror, looked at the pair of crimson pupils in the mirror and said softly, "Long time no see, Akashi, and Tetsuya."

After saying that, Akashi Seijuro wrapped himself in a bath towel and walked towards the locker room without looking back. Not long after, a stretched Lincoln slowly drove out of the Akashi family's manor and drove steadily and steadily towards the direction of the Osaka Gymnasium.

"Master, you made the right decision to live in the manor in Osaka." The driver in the driving seat looked at the traffic jam on the road and said with a smile, "If we were still in Kyoto now, we probably wouldn't be able to catch the game."

"There is an old saying in the Dragon Kingdom, 'Everything is established if it is not planned, and it will be abandoned if it is not planned.'" Akashi Seijuro gently flipped through the "Art of War" in his hand and said, "This is one of my life mottos, Akashi... Akashi Seijuro."

"Haha, the young master and the old master really have similar personalities." The driver, who had served two generations of the Akashi family, looked at Akashi Seijuro's thoughtful expression through the rearview mirror and said, "I'm just a servant, and I don't know what to say. Anyway, I wish you a smooth race today and a victorious return."

"Thanks for your good wishes, Uncle Takagi." Akashi Seijuro chuckled and said, "Kaneki Ken and I have an appointment in advance. People from the Akashi family... never break their promises."

……

"Drinks, towels, bandages..." At this moment, in the hotel where Seirin High School was staying, Reiko Aida was counting the emergency items in her first aid kit over and over again.

"Let's go, Reiko." Hinata Junpei knocked on the door outside the hotel and said, "The bus driver just sent me a message. He will be here in five minutes."

"What? So fast?" Aida Reiko finally realized what was happening. After opening the door, she looked at Hinata Junpei in disbelief and asked, "How long have I been in the room?"

"It must have been at least two hours, right?" Hinata Junpei said after checking the time on his phone. "When I said I was going to check out, you asked me to check if I had everything I brought... and it's been like this until now."

"Okay..." Mukaida Lizi sighed, lowered her head and returned to the bedroom, lying on the bed and muttering, "I really don't want to play the game..."

"It would be bad if the team members heard what you said." Hinata Junpei came to the table and sat down with a smile, looking at Aida Reiko lying on the bed and said, "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"

"How could that be? I'm the coach of Seirin High School, I won't be nervous." Reiko Aida said hypocritically.

"It's normal to be nervous. In fact, I was nervous too." Hinata Junpei pushed the frame of his glasses on his nose and said, "But I've come this far. No matter what, I'm going to try to go one step further. The good thing about basketball is that whether it brings you glory or destruction, you'll have to wait until you step on the court to decide."

"I haven't seen you for a few days. You have become a poet, Hinata." Aida Reiko looked at Hinata Junpei with some surprise and said, "It seems that you not only like Date Masamune, but also Matsuo Basho~"

"I was trying to comfort you with good intentions, but you actually mocked me..." Hinata Junpei said with a curled lip.

"Okay, sorry, sorry." Aida Reiko looked at Hinata Junpei, smiled and said, "You're right Hinata, no matter what the outcome is, we'll know after we fight."

"Reiko..." Hinata Junpei looked at Aida Reiko's face, and his cheeks couldn't help but turn red.

"Buzz!" Just when the atmosphere in the room became a little strange, Hinata Junpei's cell phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, what's up? Furuhata?" Hinata Junpei looked at Furuhata Mitsuki on the caller ID with an unhappy face. After answering the phone, his tone was a little unfriendly, "What's the matter?"

"Um... Captain, the driver has arrived and has been waiting for almost ten minutes..." Furuhata Mitsuki said timidly, "Is everything going on between you and the coach?"

"Nothing, we'll be down right away." Hinata Junpei hung up the phone, turned to look at Aida Reiko and said, "Reiko, we should go."

"Hi!" Aida Reiko's face was filled with vigorous fighting spirit. She put the box on her back and said seriously, "Let's go and win the game!"

"Yes, coach!" Hinata Junpei said with a doting look on his face, looking at Aida Reiko's back.

……

"There are so many people, old man..." In the Osaka Gymnasium, Teppei Kiyoshi's grandmother was looking at the people in the audience seats around her with curiosity and said to her husband beside her.

"Is it strange?" Muji Teppei's grandfather said, "After all, Osaka is also a big city, and it's the Western Conference finals."

"I heard that little Muji's opponent today is very strong. I don't know if he can win..." Muji Tieping's grandmother muttered.

"It doesn't matter whether we win or not, as long as little Muji has fun playing." Muji Tieping's grandfather was very cheerful.

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!"

While the old couple was talking, the audience around them suddenly stood up and cheered excitedly. The sudden abnormality made the old couple curious, and they quickly pulled a young man beside them and asked, "Young man, what's wrong?"

"The players are entering the field!" the young fans said excitedly, "Akagi-san is leading the Rakusan High School team, and Kagami-san is leading the Seirin High School team!"

"The players are entering the field?" Seeing this, Muji Tieping's grandmother also stood up curiously and kept looking at the field, "Where are they?"

"Over there in the player tunnel, sir!" the young fan kindly pointed towards the player tunnel.

"Thank you, young man..." Teppei Kiyoshi's grandmother put on a pair of reading glasses tremblingly, and saw that at this moment, on the field, one white and one black, the two teams were facing each other across the narrow center line like two giant dragons about to fight. Standing in the middle of the black team was Teppei Kiyoshi, who was wearing the Seirin High School uniform.

"Little Muji!!!!" After seeing her darling grandson, Muji Teppei's grandmother burst into an excited roar that was inconsistent with her age.

"Old men are still strong despite their old age! I can't lose to them!" The young fans looked at Muji Tieping's grandmother with admiration, and then their voices became louder towards the center of the field.

"Long time no see, Kuroko." Akashi Seijuro walked out first, came to the front of the Seirin High School team and said with a smile, "And Kagami-san."

"Well, hello." Kagami Daiga, who was almost stabbed by Akashi Seijuro with a pair of scissors, nodded with a somewhat grim expression, which was considered a greeting from Akashi Seijuro.

"I'm sorry for what happened in the past, Kagami-san." Akashi Seijuro looked at Kagami Daiga and said sincerely, "But I must win this game today!"

"What a coincidence, we thought so too." Kagami Daiga said to Akashi Seijuro with a serious look on his face.

"Then we'll see the truth after we go on stage." Akashi Seijuro nodded with a smile, then turned around and returned to the Rakusan High School team.

"I really don't know the point of you coming to watch this game, Jerry..." Chris Bane said with a sleepy yawn, "I admit that those two guys were beyond my expectations, but the remaining people... I'm afraid they are not physically strong enough to withstand the intensity of the NCAA, right?"

"Would you like to bet another 2000 dollars?" Jerry Bob glanced at Chris Bain and said, "I don't believe that a guy who is as famous as those two kids would not have enough talent..."

"Let's bet." Chris Bain said confidently, "Not every basketball teenager under 1.8 meters tall can become Thomas or Bergs."

"Oh? Then we'll wait and see." Jerry Bob smiled slightly, looking at the field with a hint of anticipation.

"Hinata, did you see that?" Katsume Ichiro, who was warming up, suddenly stopped what he was doing, looked towards the Rakusan High School half with a serious expression and said.

"Ah, I saw it." Hinata Junpei let out a breath, threw the basketball in his hand, turned his head and looked at the half court of Rakusan High School, and said, "So far, those guys haven't missed a single shot in their warm-up training."

“Not only that…” Izuki Shun also added, “I don’t know why Akashi Seijuro has changed so much, but since Akashi Seijuro changed his style, the players of Rakusan High School have become more and more fluent and bold in their movements…”

"That's natural..." Ebina Ka said with a complicated expression, "From being Akashi Seijuro's tool to Akashi Seijuro's teammate, everyone's subjective initiative has been stimulated to the greatest extent..."

"What are you guys talking about?" Kagami Daiga walked over and said curiously, "Hasn't it been known for a long time that Akashi Seijuro is powerful? In fact, the more powerful the opponent, the more interesting it is!"

"Haha, you're right." Muji Teppei smiled and rubbed Kagami Daigo's head and said, "The competition will all depend on you, Kagami."

"Yes, leave it to me, Senior Muji." Kagami Daigo said, clenching his fists.

"Ah, I finally caught up..." In the media work area on the sidelines, Nakamura sat down on the ground with a camera on his shoulder, breathing heavily.

"Don't you check the condition of the car before you drive?" Aida Yako complained while wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Luckily you didn't break down on the highway, otherwise this day next year would be the anniversary of our death!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Aida!" Nakamura listened to Aida Yako's complaints on the way and bowed repeatedly to apologize.

"Forget it, forget it. Now is not the time to talk about this." Aida Miko stood up and looked at the field with a burning gaze. "Hurry up and adjust the camera. Today's game is of great importance. No matter what, there can be no mistakes."

"The Winter Cup Basketball League Western Division Finals, the match between Seirin High School and Rakusan High School is about to begin. All irrelevant players from both sides are requested to leave the field as soon as possible."

As Nakamura was setting up the camera, the broadcast above the stadium began. Soon, only the starting players of the two teams were left on the field.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Winter Cup Basketball League Western Conference Finals. I am the commentator of this game, your old friend Heihachi Tashiro."

As the atmosphere of the game gradually became thicker, the long-lost Heihachi Tashiro also appeared in the commentary booth on the sidelines and began to warm up for the game.

"Today's match is undoubtedly very interesting. One of them is the captain of Teikou Junior High School, Akagi Seijuro, who succeeded Kaneki Ken as the captain..." Tashiro Heihachi explained enthusiastically, "The other is the once unknown but now world-famous phantom sixth man, Kuroko Tetsuya, and his destined light, Kagami Taiga. What kind of sparks will the collision between the two produce?"

"Sparks?" Midorima Shintaro on the sidelines said with a barely perceptible smile, "If nothing unexpected happens, when they encounter Akashi now, Kuroko and Kagami will be annihilated without a sound."

(End of this chapter)