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

The moment the Haichang team appeared, it was as if a switch had been flipped in the stadium.

The slightly noisy stadium environment suddenly became neat and uniform!

—These are all cheers and shouts for Haichang.

The optimistic young man was stunned. He turned around and looked around the audience, realizing that his previous worries seemed to have been unnecessary.

The cheers of Tianhua High School fans won't be drowned out by Haichang fans just because there are fewer of them, because the entire basketball arena is full of Haichang fans!

At this moment, the teammate who had previously come up to comfort him walked over again and patted him on the shoulder.

He said earnestly, "It's okay. Every team in the West that faces Haichang will encounter this situation. We're not an exception. Since we can't fight back, let's just enjoy it. Playing against such a high-level opponent isn't a bad thing."

Although Haichang is the top team in the West Division, the teams they encounter often curse them as unlucky. However, compared to the miracle teams in other divisions, Haichang's reputation is still quite good!

Unlike other miracle teams that often go for a three-fold lead when they get excited, Kaijo, when facing average opponents, will usually take off all their starters once they have a ten-point lead, leaving only a few quality substitutes and benchwarmers to outwit and outmaneuver them.

Therefore, many teams felt like they had "played a thoroughly enjoyable game!" after playing against Haichang. Add to that Haichang's consecutive Summer and Winter Cup championships, and considering the relatively small point difference in their matches against them, they could confidently tell uninformed people: "We can go toe-to-toe with the national champions, we're just slightly inferior!"

In this situation, for many teams that lack the ability and confidence to advance from the round-robin stage, encountering Haichang is not necessarily a bad thing.

The optimistic boy nodded as if he understood, seemingly accepting his teammate's explanation. When he turned to look at Haichang High School, who had already started warming up, a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.

"That's great... national champion."

……

……

beep—

The referee blew his whistle, signaling for the starting players from both sides to assemble.

"Please advise!"

As was the familiar pre-match greeting, Kise bowed slightly, then looked up again, his face expressionless.

No matter how enthusiastic the audience was, he had little interest in cultivating his idol persona at that moment.

Beside him, Yuki looked at Kise with concern.

Ryota-senpai… It’s been like this ever since Hikaru-senpai left… Should I do something about it…?

Yuki frowned slightly and bit her right thumb. During Xiangyang's absence, our little genius took over the position of "main point guard" for Kaijo without hesitation. However, after he actually became Kaijo's point guard, he found that this position was not so easy to hold!

At least he can't solve the problem Kise is currently facing!

So, it turns out that a point guard's job involves more than just playing basketball on the court...

Yuki sighed softly, but her inner turmoil did not lessen in the slightest.

If Hikari-senpai were here... what would he do?

Hey!

As luck would have it, Kise and Yuki sighed simultaneously, one on each side of him. The sight made Takeuchi, sitting on the bench, twitch.

Do you two have any issues with the team, or with me as the coach?

What does it mean to shake your head and sigh before the match even starts?

Takeuchi shrank back indignantly, but he also knew very well that the root cause of the bad atmosphere at Kaijo was that Xiangyang was not there.

Xiangyang... he's truly a man of grave sins...

Thinking of this, even Takeuchi couldn't help but sigh.

beep—

Regardless of how low the overall morale was at Haichang, the referee kicked off as scheduled.

And so it arrived.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

If we're talking about who has the best mindset and the highest morale right now, it's definitely Kobori Hiroshi!

"Jump ball! I'll do my best!!"

With a roar and a powerful clenched fist, the passionate Kobori-senpai was met with a round of applause from the audience.

Among Kaijo's fans, there are many who really like this passionate big guy. Unlike Kise's elegance and Hikaru's calmness, Hori is often the true leader in terms of Kaijo's momentum!

Hearing the deafening cheers from inside the stadium, the center of Tianhua High School couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling intimidated even before the game had started.

It felt like I was on Kaijo's home turf...

The match officially began as the referee tossed the ball off the field.

As expected, Hori got possession of the ball on the first possession of the game, passed it to Yuki, and then drove into the opponent's paint alone, excitedly reaching out for the ball.

Although the pass might not always reach Kobo, this passionate young man is always ready to go!

Yuki did not disappoint Hori, making a simple breakthrough and passing the ball to Hori, scoring Kaijo's first goal of the game!

"Good pitch, Kogoro!!"

"Fight like this! Wuhu!!"

Unlike the silence of most people on the court, the audience off the court was the first to erupt in cheers. Listening to the familiar cheers in the stadium, Kise stretched his neck.

[This is a bit boring. Let's focus on the first period and then head home...]

"I'm here."

With a soft shout, Kise, standing at a 45-degree angle, immediately received a pass from his teammate. After a quick scan of the situation on the field, Kise passed the ball and broke through. The Tenka High School's defense was nothing but paper in front of him!

With a loud crash!

The sound of a basketball slamming through the net rang out, and the audience erupted in cheers.

At that moment, two figures slowly stepped into the audience area.

"Huh? Such a loud noise, I don't even need to look to know it's Ryota, right?"

Xiangyang touched his nose, listened to the cheers in the stadium, and closed his eyes.

I really miss those days; it hasn't even been that long.

Beside him, Masako nudged his waist with her elbow and asked, "Aren't you going to the team to report to Takeuchi?"

"Hey, let's not do it today. They seem to be playing very easily. It wouldn't be good if I went up and disrupted the team's rhythm."

Xiang Yang chuckled. He had just gotten off the plane and didn't want to go into the game so soon.

Faced with Xiangyang's nonsense, Yako remained silent. Instead, she pulled Xiangyang to a suitable spot to stand and watch the game. Perhaps because she had watched so many Kaijo games, Yako, who often couldn't find a seat, was already experienced in this regard.

"Actually, you can sit on the Kaijo bench and watch the game next time. Coach Takeuchi will be very happy."

Xiangyang leaned against the wall, laughing and teasing Yazi.

Fortunately, this was a stadium. Having been ejected before, Masako glared fiercely at Xiangyang, but ultimately did not draw her greatsword.

After that, the two stopped chatting and quietly watched the game.

On the court, Kise and Yuuki combined to complete another difficult alley-oop dunk, earning a round of applause and cheers.

Then, he waved to Takeuchi.

beep—

Haichang applied for suspension

At this moment, the point difference between the two teams has reached 15 points.

With the score at 21-6, Kaijo had already established a lead with only half the first quarter remaining. If Kise didn't leave the court, the game would have been over before the first quarter even ended.

Takeuchi glanced at the scoreboard, gestured towards the bench, and the meaning was self-evident.

The benchwarmers, who had been eagerly waiting on the sidelines, immediately stood up upon seeing this scene; they couldn't wait any longer!

After all, in the later official matches, unless they employ a fouling strategy, most of them won't even get five minutes of playing time and will only be good for creating excitement. Since the opponents are relatively weak now, we should definitely make the most of their playing time!

As a result, within the first five minutes of the game, all five starters were substituted or replaced, effectively ending their starting lineup.

In the stands, the Haichang fans, who were already used to this, weren't angry. After all, they were happy to win by a large margin, but a game is more interesting when the teams are evenly matched!

After everyone applauded the five starting players who were about to leave the field, the timeout ended and the game continued.

Waving to the stands, a bored Kise turned to look at the players' tunnel.

[How about... we just go home?]

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Kise had already gotten up.

"Coach, I need to use the restroom."

Kise nodded casually to Takeuchi, then ignored the game on the field and turned to walk directly into the players' tunnel.

Takeuchi crossed his arms, glanced at Kise, but did not stop him.

After all, it was just an insignificant qualifier; the outcome was decided the moment they stepped into the stadium.

If your ace in the family needs to use the restroom, there's absolutely no reason to stop him.

In the stands, Xiang Yang keenly noticed the figure stepping into the players' tunnel. He pondered for a moment and then said, "Ms. Yako, I'm going to the restroom."

After saying that, Xiang Yang turned around and unzipped his coat as he walked.

Under the lamplight, Yako watched Xiangyang's departing figure with great interest. She seemed to see a glimmer of blue light beneath Xiangyang's clothes.

"Seriously, they said they came to watch the game, but they ended up wearing team jerseys."

Masako shook her head with amusement, her gaze towards the arena now filled with anticipation.

It feels like it's been ages since I've seen him play in person.

……

……

Inside the players' tunnel, at a corner, Kise walked forward with his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky, pondering whether he should do something else before going home.

Sasha seems to have asked me out for dinner? But Nini wants me to hang out with her after my match… Or maybe I should go see Xiaoyi today? She mentioned last week that her parents are away on a business trip.

Suddenly, Kise seemed to bump into something. He subconsciously looked down, but there was no one there. He looked around again, but still saw nothing.

"Ah????"