Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 9 What kind of monster are you (I)

The afternoon sun shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows and paving the way home from school with a warm golden color. Kaneki Ken and Aomine Daiki walked side by side on the way to the basketball hall, their faces filled with relaxed and happy smiles, and their conversations were full of laughter. As they talked, they talked about the embarrassing things that happened to the two big guys in the afternoon.

"Kaneki-san, I heard that you were caught by the teacher reading comics in class this afternoon?" Momoi Satsuki spoke first, her voice clear and pleasant, with a hint of coquettishness.

Kaneki Ken glanced at Murasakibara Atsushi in annoyance and shook his head with a helpless look, "Did you find out all this? Don't listen to other people's nonsense. I just wanted to attend the class properly. It was Murasakibara who dragged me to watch it." His eyes were full of helplessness.

Aomine Daiki interrupted at this time and said, "Kaneki, you are always so sinister. Murasakihara looks very honest, how could he do such a thing? You must have led him astray." He patted Kaneki Ken's shoulder and laughed evilly, with a hint of ridicule in his tone.

Murasakibara Atsushi walked on the outermost side. He was tall and walked steadily. He occasionally lowered his head to look at the road under his feet, but he was mostly listening to his friends' conversation. When the topic turned to the afternoon incident, he couldn't help but join the discussion: "That's right, Aomine-chan is right, Aomine-chan you are a good person." His voice was full of resentment towards Kaneki Ken.

"He is a good guy? What about me? I even bought you potato chips! And you are so disloyal to cheat me!" Kaneki Ken said angrily.

"Well... I was a little scared at the time..." Murasakibara Atsushi, who felt guilty, suddenly became unjustified and his voice became much softer, "Then you can't hand my comics to the teacher..."

"I'm so M, if you're afraid, then I won't be afraid too?" Kaneki Ken was instantly shocked by Murasakihara Atsushi's incredible logic.

As the one who created the atmosphere among the four, Momoi Satsuki used humorous words to adjust the situation at the right time: "Okay, don't think about it. After all, the comics were not taken away. Murasakihara-kun, just think of Kaneki-kun as a coward, but your behavior is indeed more like a coward than Kaneki-kun." She smiled and looked at Murasakihara Atsushi. There was a hint of sly ridicule in her eyes, which made Murasakihara Atsushi lower his head shyly.

In this way, the four of them chatted and laughed all the way, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of the basketball hall. They looked at each other, their eyes full of anticipation and excitement for the first day of the basketball club's collective training.

Pushing open the door, one is greeted by the familiar atmosphere of basketball and the unique echo of the basketball court. At this moment, only some senior students are doing warm-up exercises in the stadium. Kaneki Ken and his group are the first newcomers of the basketball team to arrive at the stadium.

"Hey, you're here?" At this time, Nijimura Shuzo's voice came from behind the four people, "You're here. Why are you standing at the door instead of going in for training?"

"Captain, we..." Kaneki Ken was about to step forward to explain that they had just arrived when a kind elderly man's voice sounded beside him.

"Xiuzao, don't scare the newcomer. As the captain, you should be more friendly." Who else could the person coming be other than Bai Jin Gengzao?
"Hello, coach!" The senior students and Nijimura Shuzo present immediately bowed and saluted.

"Hello, coach!" Kaneki Ken and others also quickly saluted Nijimura Shuzo in front of them.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to worry about an old man like me. Just warm up and train as usual." Shirogane Kozo said with a smile as he came to the sidelines.

"This coach seems like a nice person...he should be easy to get along with!" Taoi Satsuki muttered softly as she looked at the figure of Shirogane Kozo standing on the sidelines.

But who would have thought that these words would sound like the devil's whisper, causing the face of Nijimura Shuzo next to him to change drastically, with a distorted expression on his face, as if he had seen Cthulhu: "Don't think like that, thinking like that will cause you great harm!"

"Ah?" Except for Kaneki Ken, everyone else was confused by what Nijimura Shuzo said. "Haha, you will know after you experience it yourself." Nijimura Shuzo smiled bitterly, and his 14-year-old face actually showed the vicissitudes of life of a 40-year-old.

Sure enough, not long after, when the members of the basketball club arrived one after another, Shirogane Kozo looked at the new batch of leeks in front of him, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

"Hahaha, hello everyone, I'm the coach of the basketball team, Shirokane Kozo! It seems that all of you are here. Without further ado, let's warm up first! Run 30 laps around the gym!" Shirokane Kozo laughed, still with half-closed eyes.

"30... laps?" The newcomers were stunned. If it weren't for this amiable-looking squinty-eyed man, how could he say such cold words with a temperature of 37 degrees? Are all squinty-eyed people monsters?
Just as the newcomers were still whispering in disbelief, an even more terrifying voice came over, like the whisper of an evil god: "If I don't see anyone starting to run within ten seconds, everyone will add ten laps. If there are five more seconds, add another ten laps. Talking also counts."

Well, they were blocked. Under the smiling intimidation of Platinum Farming, the newcomers present had to take a long step and run.

On the sidelines, Shirogane Kozo, accompanied by Nijimura Shuzo, happily watched the newcomers running laps. He looked like a farmer next to a cotton field.

"Haha, look at these guys, they run so well. Young people, just run more, it's okay." Shirogane Kozo joked to Nijimura Shuzo beside him, "By the way, who are those unprecedented newcomers you mentioned?"

"Reporting to the coach, these are the ones who are currently running at the front of the team...they are guys with strong personalities." Nijimura Shuzo didn't know how to describe those natural-born killers for a moment.

"Oh~ those little guys?" Shirogane Kozou looked at the bright figures with interest and joked, "They have already run ten laps, and they can still occupy the first place. Well, very good, very energetic. We must work hard to maintain this state of vitality and competition."

"They are in bad luck." Nijimura Shuzo muttered.

"What did you say? You want to play basketball with such a low voice? You might as well say it more clearly." Shirogane Kozo seemed not to hear clearly and asked Nijimura Shuzo to say it again.

"I think the coach has a good idea." Nijimura Shuzo flattered him rationally, but still could not escape the tragic fate.

"Why are you always following me? Your teammates are all running, why are you standing here? Come on, go run laps. Remember to run 30 laps like them." Shirogane Kozo waved his hand, and Nijimura Shuzo unfortunately joined the ranks of victims.

As the number of laps increased, Shirogane Kozo focused his attention on the team leader, Ken Kaneki.

There was no other way. After running to this point, the newcomers who had not received systematic training had already begun to deform their movements and had difficulty breathing. Some even had to walk for a while after running a few steps. Even the geniuses at the head of the team, except Kaneki Ken, slowed down their pace.

But Kaneki Ken seemed to never get tired, and still maintained a fixed rhythm, without blushing or panting, and maintained the first place steadily, as if he just started running laps. His style was completely different from others.

"The evaluation is indeed correct. Where on earth did this monster Kaneki Ken come from?" Shirogane Kozo thought secretly.

(End of this chapter)