Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

"It's alright. Juniors are supposed to cause trouble for their seniors, that's how they should behave."

Xiangyang chuckled. Seeing Yuki's remarkable progress, which had even reached the point where she could subtly threaten him, Xiangyang felt a sense of urgency mixed with happiness.

However, I will absolutely not give up the starting point guard position to you. Even if you are my lovely junior, you will have to wait patiently for me to graduate and step down before handing over the reins.

Thinking of this, Xiangyang got up.

He gave Yuki a meaningful smile, then slowly walked towards the stadium door.

Behind him, Yuuki clenched his fists, watching Xiangyang's departing figure, and shouted loudly, "Xiangyang-senpai! Just wait! I will surpass you, I will become Kaijo's strongest point guard!"

This kid…

Xiangyang paused slightly, then waved his hand with his back to Yuki.

"I'm waiting for you, you self-righteous little genius."

……

……

As time went by, Xiangyang's life gradually became more regular, with his daily routine consisting of going back and forth between three points.

Home — Seaside — Gym.

After participating in club activities at school and mentoring Yuki, he has to go back to Shark Gym to instruct Himuro on "zone" training. Every day, Masako drags him to do a set of strength training exercises.

The daily schedule is packed full.

But there's a crucial question...

Shark Gym

Um--

After a muffled groan, a loud mechanical collision rang out.

Xiangyang lay half-reclined on the leg press machine, feeling the rush of blood to his legs, and breathing heavily.

Beside him, Masako held a notebook and was recording the changes in Xiangyang's physical condition.

Just like when they first met, the two trained in the sun while Masako took notes.

"How about it, Ms. Masako? How much have I improved?"

Xiangyang wiped the sweat from his face and turned to ask Yazi.

Upon hearing Xiangyang's words, Yako glanced down at her notebook but remained silent.

"Let me guess... if nothing unexpected happens, my progress should be negligible."

Masako fell silent.

Seeing this, Xiang Yang let out a self-deprecating laugh and said, "You always lie to me and say that your physical fitness has improved significantly recently, but do you think I don't know my own body?"

Xiangyang stepped on the pedal machine, a look of melancholy on his face.

The equipment doesn't lie; he hasn't improved his strength in over two months.

This situation is normal for Xiangyang as his body gradually enters a plateau phase.

Yako pursed her lips, unsure how to comfort Xiangyang; she had never been good at this kind of thing.

He pulled out his katana and held it to Xiangyang's neck, hoping to rouse him.

The moment the idea came to mind, Masako decisively rejected it.

Even from her less-than-normal perspective, this is undoubtedly a foolish approach.

On the basketball court next door, Bing Shi was still trying to get into the "zone" state, one ball at a time. The sound of the basketball hitting the ground attracted Xiang Yang's attention.

Watching Himuro dribble and leap into the air, Xiangyang narrowed his eyes slightly.

Himuro Tatsuya truly deserves to be called "the number one person below miracles".

If I remove the system, I probably wouldn't even be as good as Himuro.

Xiangyang opened the system panel, his face expressionless.

This damn system hasn't changed in over six months.

The main quest section prominently displays: New Quest - Join the National Youth Team.

I'm so stupid.

Xiang Yang cursed inwardly. Ever since the end of last year's winter tournament, when the Basketball Association asked him to participate in a trial and then offered him a place on the national youth team, he had already mentally blacklisted this damn place.

However, the main quest did not.

Keeping up with the times remains a "painful" task for him.

To make matters worse, perhaps due to a change in the main storyline, after Xiangyang defeated Generation Miracles at the end of the Summer Season, he was no longer able to obtain the "new talent".

Unlike those abnormal people who seem to be fed by God, Xiangyang's physique is ultimately within the realm of ordinary people.

To put it bluntly, Himuro's talent might even be better than Hikaru's. Hikaru can't match the aerial balance and hang time required for the "super jump shot."

"Honestly, watching these two guys improve their strength every day makes me so jealous."

Xiangyang rubbed his hair and made a comment that was half sincere and half joking.

He puts in so much effort every day, honing his physical strength to seek even the slightest improvement. But in the blink of an eye, others can easily leave him miles behind.

This sense of disparity is despairing.

Xiangyang slowly got up, took the towel handed to him by Yako, and walked alone to the changing room.

For some reason, Masako seemed to read this message from Xiangyang's silhouette.

He needs to be alone.

Looking down at her phone, Yako frowned slightly as a new idea came to mind.

……

……

"Moshi moshi, Miss Masako?"

"Miss Reiko, it's me. I have a player I can recommend to you."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone, as if surprised by Masako's directness. Reiko quickly composed herself and asked, "Who is it?"

This time, Masako didn't answer directly. Instead, she asked the person on the other end of the phone, "Did you watch the Winter Cup?"

"I see, there are many good players. Ms. Masako, would you like to introduce one of them to me?"

Reiko's tone was somewhat indifferent; clearly, she didn't think Masako could introduce her to any good players.

"Do you know Haichang's starting point guard, Xiang Yang?"

"Of course, that player's playing style is really seasoned, not at all like a high school student... Wait, Ms. Masako, what do you mean?"

Reiko's voice was filled with disbelief. She subconsciously thought that Masako was joking with her, although given Masako's personality, the possibility of that was extremely slim.

"Yes."

As expected, Masako proved with her actions that she is not someone who likes to joke.

However, upon hearing Masako's answer, there was no immediate response from the other end of the phone. Instead, a burst of noise erupted. Then, for some reason, Reiko's voice became clearer than before, as if she had just sat up in bed, and she said, "Um, Ms. Masako, could I first find out why the Japanese Basketball Association doesn't recruit Mr. Hikaru?"

In her opinion, the Japanese Basketball Association had no reason not to try to recruit a player of Xiangyang's caliber, so why should it be Masako's turn to introduce him to her?

This problem…

Masako frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and decided she should tell the truth: "No."

"Oh, it's okay... Huh??"

Reiko initially responded in a formulaic manner, but then she realized what Masako meant. She froze, and the words and questions she had prepared in her mind were swallowed back down.

"hehe…

Ms. Masako is truly... a woman of strong emotions, hahaha.

With a dry laugh, Lingzi quickly regained her composure and asked, "Then... could I schedule a time to meet with Mr. Xiangyang?"

"Also, could you please tell me his attitude towards us, Ms. Masako? After all, many people still harbor resentment towards other countries."

"...We'll see. I haven't told him yet, but it should be fine."

"Oh, okay, thank you, Ms. Masako."

As Lingzi heard the phone call end, she looked down at her phone and then pinched her thigh.

"Hi~"

Reiko gasped, still feeling a sense of unreality.

"Could it be... that guy is a troublemaker? Oh well, whatever, I'm finally going to open for business!"

After a brief moment of thought, Lingzi immediately let loose. As a reporter from China stationed in Japan, in addition to her daily interviews and writing, she had another task!

That is to discover basketball talent for China!

As for why I would do this kind of scout work in Japan, it's because the level of basketball in this world is simply not good enough.

So much so that even basketball association reporters like Lingzi, who are based abroad, have taken up this kind of shady "side job."

It sounds nice to say that they are discovering talent abroad, but in essence, it's just poaching talent from other countries!

To put it more seriously, she could even be considered a "spy"!

However, despite the high risk and thanklessness of this job, Lingzi's earnings were equally meager.

Talented and skilled players will naturally be recruited directly by the local basketball association. Even if the association can discover some good players in advance through observation, let alone whether they want to pursue a professional basketball career, why would they go to another country to play basketball?

As for those with slightly weaker skills, many will harbor resentment because of Lingzi's foreign nationality. For most people, basketball is just a hobby, at most a distant basketball dream, something to fantasize about occasionally. Going to another country to pursue a dream? More than 90% of people wouldn't have that kind of courage.

This has resulted in Reiko discovering zero players since arriving in Japan!

Now that they've finally managed to acquire a high-quality player who seems attainable, Reiko is overjoyed despite some doubts.

"Should I dress a little revealing on the day we meet? I'm a high school student, no problem, no problem!"

the other side

Unlike Reiko, Masako was in a very conflicted state of mind.