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

Xiangyang: I was just keeping a low profile. What do you all know? Back when I beat up Huiqi, I held back a lot!

Huiqi (suddenly pops up): ...

Xiangyang: ? ? ? What are you doing in this group?

Peach: I did it! We're all classmates, so we can all get along well!

Akashi: That's right, Haizaki has turned over a new leaf. I had a good talk with him a while ago.

Xiangyang: You said you'd have a proper chat, so it shouldn't be about torture or forced confession, right?

Hater: Secretly observing.JPG.

Kise: Hikaru! I heard Nash challenged you to a 5-on-5 match! So, should we use Kaijo team or the Dragon Slayer team?

Qingfeng (excitedly): What?! That Nash kid dares to come back?! This time I'll beat the shit out of him!

Xiangyang: Ahem, quiet down, this time I plan to... use my own team to play against him.

Everyone: ? ? ?

Looking at the screen full of question marks in the group chat on his phone, Xiangyang turned off the screen, hummed a little tune, and looked out the window with his hands behind his head.

The neon lights at night are just like daytime, and the signs of various commercial streets and izakayas are very bright, without any sense of loneliness in the dead of night.

Xiangyang watched for a while, then took out an eye mask from his pocket, put it on his face, and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 202: Single-core leadership next year

Eagles Basketball Association Center

Nash crossed his legs and looked at the several gray-haired old men in front of him with a somewhat impatient expression.

"As I said, Japan is very strong this year, and not only that, their strength will not be weak for the next ten years or so."

"The Dragons lost to them not because they underestimated them or because it was an accident, but because they were outmatched in terms of raw strength."

Nash shrugged and spoke very magnanimously to the basketball association's top officials.

One of the executives flipped through the various documents Nash had submitted, pulled out one of them, and asked Nash, "Besides Japan... you also applied to the Basketball Association to play a practice game against China... is that right, Nash? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Nash nodded and said, "Yes, I met a very interesting guy in Japan. If nothing unexpected happens... they won't be weak in the next World Championship either."

"The only problem is, that guy told me that if we want to play practice matches, we'll have to wait until after this winter...that is, early spring next year..."

……

"Hey old man, are you still alive?"

Nash, who had just walked out of the Basketball Association Center, had one hand in his pocket and was on the phone with the other, laughing and cursing.

On the other end of the phone, a hoarse old man's voice rang out: "You brat, are you hoping I'll die all the time? Tell me, what do you want this time?"

Nash scratched his cheek: "Look at you, can't I talk to you for no reason?"

The old man chuckled: "Oh ho, you called just to see if I'm dead or not? I really appreciate it. If you have nothing else to say, you can hang up now. I'm very busy. Those little brats on the national team are waiting for me to train them."

"I'm not going to mess with you anymore. I have something important to discuss with you."

Nash smacked his lips a few times and said, "I was playing one-on-one in Japan and I found someone whose defense felt... a lot like yours."

"Just as disgusting and difficult to deal with, and he also had a foul stench."

As he spoke, Nash shivered, as if recalling the scene of his one-on-one fight with Xiang Yang.

Hearing this, the old man got excited: "You look just like me? Does that mean you're a defensive expert? Did you never beat him in a one-on-one fight, hahaha?"

Nash rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, the old man continued to tease him: "Neon? I heard your streetball team got thrashed by a bunch of underage kids overseas. Tsk tsk tsk, streetball is indeed a bunch of lowlifes."

Upon hearing this, Nash couldn't hold back any longer. His face was filled with anger as he said, "While the Dragons may not be the top team in the world, they are definitely at the national team level! With me here, do you believe that the bunch of kids you're leading can't beat us at all!"

The old man chuckled and said, "Oh dear, don't be angry. I meant that the Neck Dragons team is a rabble, and you and Thibo are definitely not included in that. I'm counting on you two to help me win the next World Championship and soar to new heights!"

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Tell me about that kid who looks a lot like me. He's from Japan? Does that mean this year's Japanese cohort is really strong?"

"No, that person isn't from Japan, no..."

Even without him, Japan's current strength... is still worth paying attention to.

Nash recalled the game against the Dragon Slayer team, where every player surprised him.

If the UK national team were to go, the result would be...

Nash frowned, put the question aside for the moment, and continued, "That guy's name is Xiang Yang, he's a player from China. To be honest, I'm starting to wonder if he's your illegitimate son. The two of you on the defensive end are practically cut from the same cloth!"

The old man was somewhat surprised: "Really? Do you know how much effort I've put into this defensive technique?"

"That's defensive experience that I, an old man, have honed over fifty or sixty years! How could you kids possibly reach my level?"

Seeing that the old man didn't believe him, Nash simply said, "At the beginning of next year, we'll be going to play a practice match against China. You'll see then."

"To be honest, I have a lot of doubts about what you've figured out over the past fifty or sixty years! A kid who's not even twenty years old is doing what you've done over fifty or sixty years, right?"

"hehe…"

The old man calmly said, "Then I'll be waiting to see."

After saying that, the old man hung up the phone. Looking at the notification on his phone that the call had ended, Nash shook his head, feeling a little amused.

"Why is this old man saying he's angry?"

……

……

At this point, a week had passed since Nash left Japan.

Major basketball schools are also preparing for this year's Winter Cup.

Haichang High School Basketball Gymnasium

Kise and Mukayo are doing one-on-one bullfighting training.

Kise dribbles the ball and attacks. Facing Xiangyang's defense, his aura changes repeatedly. He occasionally uses the "Emperor's Eye" move, and then imitates Aomine to show the "Unpredictable Shot".

However... no matter how much his rhythm changed, Xiangyang's defense remained consistent, as steady and frightening as a mountain.

Finally, after failing to find an opportunity on his third attempt to break through, Kise lost his patience and forced a step-back jump shot.

With quick reflexes, Xiangyang intercepted the ball just as Kise was about to collect it, slamming it firmly into the basketball and nipping Kise's attack in the bud.

"Wow... Xiao Xiangyang, are you on drugs? How come your defense is so fierce now?"

Kise looked at Xiangyang in surprise. When the two of them first arrived at Kaijo, let alone defending against Kise, even in the team's one-on-one training, Xiangyang had difficulty dealing with Kasamatsu's attacks.

"Recently, I feel that I've discovered my talent in defense."

Xiangyang pointed one finger to the sky, looking unfathomable.

He wasn't exaggerating. One night a week ago, Xiang Yang, who was bored and couldn't sleep, opened the system panel.

Suddenly, I noticed that the suffix for "Death Coil (Harassment Version)" in the talent bar had disappeared! It had become the real "Death Coil"!

Xiang Yang's defensive style also quietly changed after receiving the "experience package from professional basketball players".

Now, he can not only make the right decisions on the court, but also on defense...

His ability to judge the attacker's intentions has also improved by leaps and bounds.

The side effect of this is that Xiangyang's stealing skills have improved by several levels compared to before!

Let alone Kise, even Nash could only score against Xiangyang by relying on his absolute advantage in static talent. It is conceivable that Xiangyang has now completely transformed into a "defensive dam"!

"From now on, that defensive black hole facing the sun is gone forever!"

Xiang Yang turned his head with a flourish, his face radiating confidence.

Kise looked at him speechlessly, and while passing the ball to him, he said, "By the way, Xiangyang, the Basketball Association sent me a notice to join the national youth team yesterday."

Xiang Yang was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "That's great, join us! Once you're in, if you want to, getting into the national team is just a matter of minutes."

Kise opened his mouth, a hesitant expression on his face.

Xiangyang stopped his attack and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted to join the national team, crush me in the world championships, and make me regret joining China?"

Xiangyang brought up the bold words he had made in a moment of impulse, and Huangse said awkwardly, "That was just a joke... I hesitated because... the Basketball Association told me that after joining the national youth team, we'll be in closed training for the first half of next year, and then everything, including my studies, will have to be suspended..."

Xiang Yang frowned and said, "You don't mean...?"

"Are you the type who really enjoys going to school?"

"what?"

Kise was stunned. Before he could even speak, Xiangyang patted him on the shoulder with a "stop pretending" look on his face and said, "Come on, genius, this is a legitimate opportunity to skip class! You can learn everything the teachers teach just by looking at it. Isn't this what you've always dreamed of?"

"Well... you're not wrong, but when that time comes, I definitely won't be able to participate in school or club activities either."

After much hesitation, Kise finally told the truth.

If he joins the national youth team and participates in closed training, he will not be able to compete with his teammates from Haichang in next year's summer tournament.

After graduating from high school and leaving Japan, he would have very few opportunities to see Xiangyang, let alone play ball together.

Now they want to take away more than half a year from him out of thin air, how can he stand that!

Kise's thoughts were written all over his face, and Xiangyang could tell what he was thinking at a glance.

"What's wrong? You really want to play ball with me?"

Xiangyang put his arm around Kise's shoulder and said with a teasing look, but Kise turned his head away and said stubbornly, "No, I'm just afraid that if I'm not here, what will you do if you lose the championship?"

"After all, I had already won three consecutive championships at Teiko before I came to Kaijo! Don't let me leave and you lead Kaijo to lose to Akashi and the others!"

Hearing Kise's "Green's Theory" statement, even though it was clear that he wasn't being honest, Xiangyang's face still darkened.

With a snap.

Xiang Yang chopped Kise on the head and said irritably, "You don't need to worry about that. Just go to the national youth team training camp and don't let me see you sitting on the bench and not playing during the World Championship."

"One more thing, buddy, I'm already a national team player for China~ Unlike someone else, who's still stuck in the national youth team~"

Xiang Yang spoke in a drawn-out tone, with a sarcastic and unsettling air.

Kise pursed his lips, ignoring his words, and simply extended his right fist, presenting it to Xiangyang.

"Even if I'm not there after you win the Winter Cup this year, you still have to win the championship!"