Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 293 The First Miracle
"What an amazing dunk! Kagami-san received the pass from Muji-san and pushed Kabaji-san aside to score a dunk!"

"Izawa-san's three-pointer!!! It didn't go in... Wait, Sakuragi-san got the rebound! Bang! Nice tip-in!"

"It appears! Kuroko-san's long pass across the entire court! Katsume Ichiro-san catches the ball! A beautiful three-pointer!"

"Mitsui Hisashi-san retreats... three-pointer... goes in!"

As the game entered a tug-of-war, Shonan High School and Seirin High School fought back and forth, and neither could defend the other. After you score a goal, I will definitely fight back. A wave of offensive climax made Tashiro Heihachi's voice hoarse.

"It looks like they're playing well..." Takao Kazunari said in surprise as he looked at the Seirin High School players on the field, "It seems like this tactic of center playing as point guard will be a common one in the future..."

"It's a pity that the score difference between the two sides was too big..." Konyoshi Xiangyi looked at the score of 106 to 72 on the sidelines with some regret and slowly said, "Otherwise, maybe Seirin High School really could have turned the tables..."

"That's not necessarily true... Didn't you notice that during the offensive climax just now... Seirin High School's error rate was much lower than Shonan High School's?" Midorima Shintaro pushed the frame of his glasses on his nose, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and he said in an inexplicable tone, "And when Kaneki Ken just left the court, Shonan High School was leading by more than 40 points, wasn't it?"

"Xiao Zhen, what are you saying?" Takao Kazunari's spirits suddenly lifted, he turned his head to look at Midorima Shintaro, and said in disbelief, "Is there still a possibility for Seirin High School to turn the tables?"

"If Kaneki Ken doesn't play, this is really possible." Midorima Shintaro looked at the bench, only to see Kaneki Ken leisurely crossing his arms, watching the game with a comfortable expression, as if this game had nothing to do with him.

"Buzz!"

As the red light on the basket lit up, the buzzing sound of the timer on the sidelines resounded throughout the stadium, and the third quarter of the game came to an end.

"Huh..." Sakuragi Hanamichi, who came off the court, sat down on the bench panting, which was rare for him. He drank water in big gulps with an unhappy look on his face.

"Well done, Sakuragi." Kaneki Ken patted Sakuragi Hanamichi on the back and said with a smile, "Not only did you not get targeted by the opponent as a weakness, but you also became a pair with Kagami in a sense. It seems that you have really grown into an ace player who can stand on your own."

"Golden Knight..." Sakuragi Hanamichi couldn't help but flash a gleam in his eyes when he heard Kaneki Ken's almost farewell laughter.

"You are already an ace player, so stop crying." Kaneki Ken placed his big hand firmly on top of Sakuragi Hanamichi's head, and said expectantly, "It's not like I'm not going to play basketball anymore. I just want to go to a bigger stage to display my talent. You should be happy for me, Sakuragi."

"Hmm..." Sakuragi Hanamichi sobbed softly, lowering his head so that no one could see his tearful expression.

"It's really eye-opening..." As the players of both teams sat on the benches to recover their strength, the fans in the stands whispered. A middle-aged fan wearing a baseball cap looked at the score on the sidelines and sighed, "Isn't Shonan High School a little too strong? It seems that in the next three years, Shonan High School will become a miracle era for high schools..."

"Three years? We are lucky enough to see Kaneki-san's performance in this Winter Cup..." Next to the middle-aged fan, a young fan who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old snorted with some disapproval.

"What's wrong, young man? Do you have any special information channels?" asked the middle-aged fan curiously.

"You should at least expand your news horizons, uncle..." The young fan glanced at the middle-aged fan speechlessly and said, "If Kaneki-san wanted, his performance in the World High School All-Star Game held at the Golden Arch Bridge could have allowed him to stay in the United States a long time ago... If it weren't for the agreement between him and his old friend, I think Kaneki-san would be displaying his talents on a bigger stage now..."

"So, does that mean Kaneki-san is going to leave Japanese basketball?" asked the middle-aged fan with an unwilling expression.

“So, enjoy the game as much as you can, uncle… Although I really want to see Kaneki-san play, looking at the score difference, I think it’s impossible,” said the young fan, looking towards the field with some reluctance.

"..." After hearing the introduction of the young fans, the middle-aged fans were silent for a moment, then stood up suddenly, picked up the plastic speaker beside him and shouted loudly, "We want Kaneki! Let Kaneki-san play!"

"We want Kaneki! Let Kaneki-san play!" The young fans looked at the middle-aged fans' selfless figures, and suddenly, a surge of blood rushed to their hearts, and they also shouted loudly behind the middle-aged fans.

"We want Kaneki! Let Kaneki-san take the stage!"

"We want Kaneki! Let Kaneki-san take the stage!"

"We want Kaneki! Let Kaneki-san take the stage!"

As the short and powerful slogans swept through the entire stadium like a plague, all the fans in the stadium could no longer contain their excitement and stood up and shouted loudly.

"Golden Gilgamesh, everyone is calling you to play..." Sakuragi Hanamichi looked at the flags and banners flying around with envy, and said with a hint of longing in his eyes, "I wish I could have such fan support someday..."

"Kaneki-san, what do you think?" Anton Mitsuyoshi looked at the crazy expressions of the audience on the sidelines, turned his head and looked at Kaneki Ken thoughtfully and asked, "If you are willing to play, I can replace you at any time. If you are not willing to play, we are basically going to win this game."

"It's not like we're sure to win... there's still some work to do." Kaneki Ken looked around at the excited spectators on the sidelines, gently lifted the towel covering his head, and said with a meaningful smile, "I've been fishing for so long, if I don't beat them thoroughly, people will think I'm on the same level as them."

"Since you have made your decision, the fourth quarter of the game is up to you." Anton Mitsuyoshi gently stroked the frame of his glasses and said in a kind tone.

"Ah, don't worry, coach." Kaneki Ken nodded and said with a smile, "Two minutes, I will be back in two minutes."

“Ohh ...

"Kaneki!", "Kaneki!", "Kaneki!"

As the cheers of the audience resounded throughout the stadium, the momentum that the players of Chengling High School had finally built up was suppressed again.

"These guys from Seirin High School... it really is raining cats and dogs..." Midorima Shintaro sighed helplessly, "The score difference was huge to begin with, and they finally found a chance to turn the tables, but now it's all gone..."

"Kagami-san, what are you looking at?" When everyone on the sidelines turned to Shonan High School, Kagami Daiga was standing with his hands on his hips, staring blankly in the direction of Shonan High School, wondering what he was thinking. "Ah, it's Kuroko..." Kagami Daiga frowned and looked at Kuroko Tetsuya and said, "I'm not looking at anything. I'm just thinking, when can I be like Kaneki Ken... Every move on the court can cause a huge sensation among the fans..."

"It will be fine when you are as strong as Kaneki Ken, brat." Hinata Junpei seemed to have let go of his obsession with winning the game. He walked to Kagami Taiga with a calm face, looked at Kaneki Ken's back and said, "But before we become that strong, at least make sure we play basketball seriously every minute we are on the court."

"Ah, I understand." Kagami Daigo nodded heavily, took a deep breath, and sat back down on the sidelines, his eyes filled with unknown thoughts.

In the strange atmosphere of bustle and silence, the buzzing sound of the timer on the sidelines sounded again, and the fourth quarter of the game officially arrived.

"Senior Muji! Ball!" Kuroko Tetsuya stood at the baseline, took a few deep breaths, and then kicked the baseline ball to Muji Teppei.

“Bang!”, “Bang!”, “Bang!”

“What… Why are my hands shaking at this moment…” Teppei Kiyoshi muttered to himself as he slowly advanced with the ball, staring at Kaneki Ken who was standing at the top of the three-point arc and quietly waiting for him.

"Don't just stand there! Get moving!"

Feeling the terrifying aura of Kaneki Ken that dominated the entire audience, Hinata Junpei gritted his teeth, turned his head to look at his teammates behind him and shouted loudly.

"Yes! Captain!" The Seirin High School players present tried their best to cheer themselves up and shouted loudly.

"Everyone seems to be working very hard..." Muji Teppei felt his nose sore and his dribbling hand became even more shaky. "So at this time... how could I fail?"

As Kiyoshi Teppei roared out his heart's desire, the Seirin High School players present seemed to have heard the starting gun, and they all began to move into their positions like precision-operated machines.

"Whoosh!"

Just when Teppei Kiyoshi thought he had found a perfect open position in the interior and passed the ball with a slight shake of his right hand, Kaneki Ken, who was originally standing on the top of the field, suddenly jumped up, and the whole person appeared on the passing line of Teppei Kiyoshi like a golden lightning across the night sky.

"Shimata..." Kagami Taiga looked at Kaneki Ken who had completed the steal and thought to himself that something was wrong, so he quickly ran towards Kaneki Ken's direction.

Just when everyone's eyes on and off the court were focused on Kaneki Ken, Kaneki Ken seemed to have transcended the court, and his mind gradually recalled the way he looked when he first came into this world.

"Are you awake? My name is Tao Jing Satsuki, and the person next to me is Aomine Daiki..."

"Yanzi, this is my favorite comic, do you want to read it with me?"

"Kaneki-san, please teach me how to play my role on the field..."

"I'm going to make you a role model, Kaneki..."

"Long time no see, Kaneki..."

"Long time no see, Kaneki Ken." As the scene of his long-awaited reunion with Akashi Seijuro reappeared in his mind, Kaneki Ken muttered to himself, jumped up with his knees slightly bent, raised his hand and threw the ball into the basket.

"Ughhhhhhhhh!!!" Kagami Daigo gritted his teeth as he watched Kaneki Ken's stretched figure in the air, and jumped up from beside Kaneki Ken with all his might, but in the end he could only look at the basketball helplessly as it brushed past his fingertips, drew a high arc in the air, and flew accurately towards the basket.

"Shh!"

As the sound of a basketball hitting the net was heard, the already excited fans on the sidelines became excited again.

"The game is over..." Aomine Daiki sighed as he looked at the dejected players of Seirin High School, "It seems like we can only come back next year... after Kaneki Ken leaves."

The subsequent game was just as Aomine Daiki had expected. Seirin High School, which had originally formed a fragile balance with Shonan High School on the court, had no power to fight back after Kaneki Ken returned to the court. The number one position, which had originally had a slight advantage, became the biggest loophole on the court. As if to give back to the fans on the court, Kaneki Ken only made three assists in the entire fourth quarter, while he made 12 of 12 shots in a single quarter, scoring 32 points + 5 rebounds + 3 assists + 4 blocks + 4 steals, leading Shonan High School to win the game with a huge advantage of 144 to 80.

"Buzz!"

"boom!"

As Hinata Junpei's last desperate three-pointer bounced out of the basket, the entire Winter Cup game came to an end.

"This time... I really have no regrets~" Maki Shinichi, who had already received a college admission letter in advance, sat in the corner of the audience. With a complicated expression, he looked at Kaneki Ken standing on the workbench and receiving the worship from the fans on the sidelines and muttered to himself, "Keep going, Kaneki Ken, and create a basketball path that Japan...even Asians have never walked before!"

"Wow, wow, wow..." Looking at the bright red numbers on the scoreboard on the sidelines, the substitute players of Seirin High School all burst into tears.

"Even so...even though we have tried so hard..." Shinji Koganei knelt on the ground with an unwilling look on his face and clenched his fists, his tears falling drop by drop on the floor in front of him.

"Remember this heart-wrenching feeling..." Reiko Aida held back tears, looked at the players on the field and said with a sob, "After we go back, we have to train harder... We have to provide greater support to the players on the field! Next year, even if we become the No. 1 team in Neon without Kaneki Ken... we must win!"

"Kaneki-san, say something..." A staff member beside him came to Kaneki Ken with a microphone and said respectfully, "Before you go to the United States, leave some of your life insights to the Japanese basketball boys..."

"I..." Kaneki Ken took the microphone and looked at the crowded audience with a complicated expression. After a long silence, he forced a smile and slowly said, "What can I say? The first miracle... Up!"

(End of this chapter)