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

Kise rested his chin on his hand, quietly gazing at Xiangyang's profile. Don't misunderstand, he wasn't gay. It was just that the thought of the future, of Xiangyang changing his nationality and moving to another country, and even of the two of them standing on opposite sides in international competitions, fighting for different camps, filled him with a touch of sadness.

Inside the bus, not only Xiang Yang, but many members of the Haichang team were fast asleep, their snores filling the carriage.

As a regular participant in national competitions, or

As the reigning champion, it's impossible for Hai Chang to experience pre-competition nervousness.

Meanwhile, Xiude arrived at the stadium early.

Swish!

The sound of a hollow object entering the net.

Midorima adjusted his glasses and slowly lowered his shooting hand. Behind the thick glass lenses was his calm yet sharp gaze.

"Oh my, the competition hasn't even started yet, and Xiao Zhen is already in the zone."

Takao raised his right hand to his forehead as if looking around, watching Midorima warm up from the sidelines.

"Kaijo... what a formidable opponent. I hope we don't end up like Shiro Rin, getting blown out in two rounds."

Despite his pessimistic remarks, Takao's face showed a high level of fighting spirit.

Xiude's team also has a long history. As one of the three former champions of the North Division, it is also very difficult for them to perform poorly on the field.

Since there was still some time before the start of the match, there were only a few scattered figures in the stands.

However, even from a distance, Takao could tell that they were all Kaijo fans, because they were all wearing Kaijo fan jerseys.

Despite being considered "miracle" teams and championship favorites, there are still differences in popularity among the various teams.

Looking at the Kaijo fans in the stands, Takao narrowed his eyes slightly, and silently slapped the basketball tucked under his arm to the ground.

"Alright, I should warm up too."

……

……

"Hello everyone, welcome to the program exclusively sponsored by the Akashi family conglomerate—Basketball Rendezvous!"

"Today, Basketball Talk is bringing a special treat for fans. Considering that many viewers are unable to attend the games in person for various reasons, we have specially communicated with the organizers to create a live broadcast! Basketball Talk's special program will provide live coverage of today's two semi-final games for our audience!"

"At the same time, we have also invited the famous basketball blogger, Teacher Pop, to provide commentary for the game!"

After a round of applause, Popovich waved to the audience. Unlike online bloggers who hype up topics to attract attention, to get on television programs, you need a basketball blogger like Popovich who is good at balancing things and has a good public image.

"Mr. Bobo, which side do you think will win the first match between Xiude and Haichang?"

Before the competition even started, Sasha, as one of the program's hosts, naturally began to steer the conversation to prevent the program from going cold.

"Um…"

However, Sasha didn't expect that her unintentional question would stump Bobo. After all, he's someone who upholds impartiality as a core principle in his work; asking him to definitively say which team is better was asking too much.

Fortunately, Popovich was no pushover. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly recovered and looked at the camera seriously, saying, "Haishang's strength has already been proven in two rounds of the national tournament. They are an excellent team, and their consecutive championships are the best proof!"

"However, this year's Shude team is no pushover either. Whether it was advancing from the North Division as the top team in their group during the round-robin stage, or consistently delivering outstanding performances in the official tournament, they are not an easy opponent for Kaijo!"

"And according to the numbers"

Data shows that among all teams participating in this year's national tournament, these two teams rank first and second in three-point shooting percentage! I have a feeling today's game will be a high-scoring affair. Haha, we fans are in for a treat!

After saying that, Bobo raised an eyebrow at the camera and made an expectant expression.

Sasha, who was standing to the side, twitched her lips almost imperceptibly as she listened to Bobo's answer. Bobo hadn't answered her question at all.

However, Popovich's long speech was not without value; at least the audience did not find it offensive, and he successfully filled the gap before the game started.

"Hai Chang has entered the scene; the scene is about to transition."

The three people sitting in front of the camera (Bobo, Sasha, and Nini) all had their headphones turn on at the same time, and the director also gestured to them to switch scenes.

The experienced Sasha spoke first: "Alright, now both teams' players have arrived! It's time for Haichang players to enter the field."

The camera then shifts to the tunnel of Haichang Stadium, where players are entering the court one after another.

Unlike the solemn atmosphere within the team last year, the atmosphere at this year's Kaisho team was much more lively.

At the front of the team, the substitutes from Haichang jogged onto the field, and a few quirky players even made faces at the camera.

In the live broadcast room, Bobo chuckled at the right moment and began to explain to the camera: "The Kaijo players look very confident today. It may be because the captain has changed. When Kasamatsu was the captain of Kaijo, Kaijo's entrance ceremony was always very formal."

A leader plays a crucial role in shaping the style and culture of a team. This is evident in Hai Chang's case.

Compared to Kasamatsu, Hikaru's personality is much more "silly," and he unknowingly changes the Kaijo team's playing style and persona.

The camera zooms in, and the three people in the middle are the first-year group of the five starting players from Kaijo, as well as the very reliable senior Kobori!

The shy Yuki and the seemingly aloof Hiroshi Ohara both made their entrances in basically the same way, entering the court in a proper manner. The only difference was that Yuki's expression was slightly unnatural; she was not yet used to playing under the watchful eyes of so many people.

As for Koji Kobori, his style was completely different from theirs. He clenched his fists and struck a bodybuilder pose, while two visible wisps of mist shot out of his nostrils, making him look like a human-shaped steam train!

The set of moves looks very strange, but for some reason, many fans of the Haichang International Airport like it.

"Little Hori, Little Hori!!"

"You'd better try your best to grab rebounds today!"

Hearing the cheers from the audience, Kogoro's eyes lit up with excitement, and he exhaled two more streams of steam.

Following suit, Takeuchi Gentou also entered the field through the players' tunnel today.

With his familiar slicked-back hair and gleaming chin, Takeuchi's appearance was, unsurprisingly, a cheer from the audience as the builder of Kaijo's foundation and the champion coach.

It seems that at some point, the team's star player made a grand entrance as the final player, which has become a custom and cultural practice.

"Of course, the best will definitely be..."

"They're coming on at the last minute!"

Xiangyang unzipped his jacket, revealing his Kaijo jersey underneath. A slight smile played on his lips. The moment he stepped out of the tunnel, Xiangyang immediately raised his hands and swung his arms from bottom to top. Half a step behind him, Kise, with his hands behind his head and a faint smile on his face, followed Xiangyang out.

In an instant, cheers erupted in the stadium. It was unclear which fan had started it, but the name "Haichang Twins" resounded throughout the stadium.

In the live broadcast room, many fans and viewers from Haichang who were unable to attend the game also typed "Haichang Twins" in the barrage.

Bobo, who had been watching the live chat closely, seized the opportunity and said, "Since the Kaijo Twins joined the team together last year, their combined average score is 66.5 points per game! At the same time, their win rate in official games when they are both on the court is 100%!"

Upon hearing this, the chat in the live stream went even more crazy.

Meanwhile, Hikaru and Kise, who were interacting with fans on the field, naturally didn't hear such interesting "little-known facts." They greeted the audience while whispering to each other with their heads down.

"Xiao Xiangyang, did you see what the coach is wearing today? This guy is here again. Honestly, he's clearly a middle-aged man, but he insists on dressing like a young man."

"Shh, keep your voice down. If he hears this, we'll have to double our training tomorrow. But honestly, it's kind of funny, hahaha."

With a calm and collected expression, and only a slight twitch of their lips, the Gemini team completed a round of slander against their own coach.

Meanwhile, Takeuchi was completely unaware of this, and kept adjusting his position, nodding and smiling at the cameras in different directions.

Beep beep beep—

The sharp whistle signaled the start of the pre-match greeting, a routine occurrence once per game.

Xiangyang stretched his neck, looked at Takao who was extending his right hand towards him, and said in surprise, "You're the captain of Shutoku this year?"

Takao:?

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just feel that, given your personality, you're not really suited to be a team leader."

Realizing that Takao had misunderstood, Xiangyang smiled and waved his hand. As two of the top point guards in Tokyo Prefecture, he and Takao had a good relationship.

"Hey…"

Xiangyang's words, spoken by chance, struck a chord with Gaowei. How could Gaowei not know that he was not suited to be the captain?

There's nothing I can do! Looking back at the team, the youngest is the worst, the weakest is the worst, and the only one who seems promising is the "arrogant, bespectacled guy"...

Looking at it this way, it seems that none of the people in Xiude except him are normal!

"It's all tears when I talk about it!"

Takao let out a wail, and unconsciously tightened his grip when shaking hands with Xiangyang.

"Please advise!"

After bowing to each other, and exchanging a passionate, lightning-fast eye contact, the jump ball game officially began between Kise and Midoriya!

Kaijo still chose Kohori as the jumper, while Shutoku was placed with this year's freshman, Taisuke Kimura.

The referee, holding the ball with both hands, walks into the center circle and signals to both teams to prepare for the jump ball.

Kise smoothed his bangs, his aura becoming even more restrained; he still hadn't managed to catch him.

The "trigger" technique prevents you from freely entering "zone" mode, but "perfect imitation" is still a killer move!

Midorima pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected light under the lamp.

With his hands on his hips and whistling, Xiang Yang's unconventional behavior only drew cheers from the audience.

After a brief adjustment, another whistle blew, and the game began!

"Ouch!"

Kobo's shouts during the jump ball have become an instinct, but this time, he didn't get the basketball.

Kimura, who has outstanding athletic ability, is not inferior to Kohori in jumping ability, and is even better in terms of strength!

In mid-air, the two faced off for a second before the basketball finally flew towards Xiude's half of the court.

"Smith Marseille!"

"Don't mind it."

After quickly reassuring his teammates, Xiangyang immediately took his defensive position, his eyes lowered, quietly waiting for Takao to approach.

Even without having officially faced each other, Takao's nickname as "Kuroko's Basketball's second-best point guard" alone makes him worthy of serious attention from Hikaru.

After all, Akashi aside, Xiangyang couldn't accept that someone could ride on his head when they were on equal footing.

"Take it slow, get the first point in..."

Takao raised his right hand, his eyes scanning the weak side. There, Shutoku's players simultaneously started their run down the court, drawing the attention of Kaijo's interior defense.

"Don't panic!"

With a sharp shout, Xiang Yang immediately interrupted his teammate's inside movement. His eyes were fixed on Gao Wei, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.