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

Not only Xiangyang, and not only Yuki, but at this moment, Kaijo's ace Kise Ryota also entered "zone" mode.

On the sidelines, Shirogane Eiji watched this scene and closed his eyes in despair.

As the coach of Los Angeles, he knew that taking a timeout was the best solution at this moment. However, given how the situation had developed, even he couldn't help but consider giving up.

There are 1 minutes left in the third quarter.

With Kise's steal and fast break, Kaijo's lead reached 76-56, extending their advantage to 20 points.

Just as Shirogane Eiji was about to make the painful decision to call it a day, Akashi, standing on the field, raised his hands and said calmly, "Rakuzan, request a timeout."

……

……

On the bench of Los Angeles

Akashi leaned back on the bench, his eyes closed and silent, while the other four starters also had their heads down, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.

Shirogane Eiji looked ashamed and tried to speak several times, but ultimately gave up.

What am I doing? The game isn't over yet! A timeout is absolutely necessary at a time like this.

Shirogane Eiji clenched his fists, secretly regretting his cowardly reaction just now.

It's not terrible for a team to fall behind, and it's not the worst thing if the players are demoralized and think the game is over.

The most terrifying thing is the team coach. As a key leader of a team, the coach is the first to lose the desire to win. That is the most terrifying thing!

"Akashi...I..."

Shirogane Eiji's lips twitched, as if he was about to say something, but Akashi waved him off.

"It's okay, Coach, I don't blame you."

Akashi slowly opened his eyes, but the young and wealthy heir to a conglomerate looked utterly exhausted.

"To be honest, for a split second just now, I also thought that Luoshan had already lost..."

Upon hearing this, the already deathly still air in Luoshan became even quieter.

Hayama and Nebu instinctively gripped their water bottles, while Reo touched her hair. Hirakawa sat quietly, waiting for Akashi to continue.

Seeing his teammates' various reactions, Akashi suddenly laughed. He subconsciously touched his nose and said, "Someone once told me that failure is also an important part of one's life experience."

"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but before I entered high school, I had never tasted failure. However, in the past two years... I have experienced more failures than I have in my entire life."

Akashi paused at this point, then slowly stood up, his deep eyes looking towards the half of the Kaijo Stadium, where Xiangyang was smiling and waving to him.

whispering sound…

Akashi spat inwardly, then declared loudly, "They defeated us fair and square, and we tasted defeat honorably. There's nothing shameful about it..."

"With one quarter left in the game and a 20-point deficit, it's safe to say we've already lost the game."

"What we need to do next is play well in this last quarter, give them a round of applause after the game, and then! We'll be back for revenge next year!"

Chapter 217 The Second Year (End)

"The game is over, 121:109. Congratulations to Haichang for winning the championship!!"

Inside the live stream, Bobo held the microphone and spoke to the audience in a high-spirited tone.

“本场比赛海常方的黄濑球员36分3助8篮板2抢断，优纪32分5助4篮板1抢断，向阳30分12助攻3篮板4抢断。”

"The three combined for 98 points! This is the highest score ever achieved by a trio in an official match!"

"At the same time, Haichang has become the first team in history to win the national championship in four consecutive national tournaments over two years! Congratulations to them!"

The camera then cuts to the starting players of Haichang and Luoshan, who have already exchanged greetings.

Although everyone in Rakuzan looked unwilling, Akashi led the way, and they still gave Kaijo a heartfelt round of applause.

Xiangyang and Akashi looked at each other for a few seconds, then smiled knowingly and winked at each other.

Akashi nodded knowingly, then turned and led the entire Rakuzan team into the player tunnel, leaving the stage for celebration to Kaijo.

As Luo Shan left the stage, the cheers and applause from the audience reached a new level.

Xiangyang whistled loudly, then leaped onto Kise, who was caught off guard and lost his balance, swaying and falling towards the sidelines.

Time has passed, and Xiangyang's weight has increased from 70KG when he first came to the world of Kuroko's Basketball to 80KG. Now, Kise can no longer easily catch his sudden hug.

Unsurprisingly, the two of them fell to the ground together.

Kise rubbed his buttocks and complained, "Hey, Xiangyang! Do you know how much you weigh? Still playing this trick on me? Do you want me to die here?"

Xiangyang rolled his eyes and looked at Kise with disdain, saying, "Are you any good, you little rascal?"

Kise: $%T#!

While Xiangyang and Kise were playing around, Coach Takeuchi, a key figure at Kaijo, was also busy.

As early as halftime, Takeuchi went to the Kaijo locker room to change into a sharp suit. His face was still shiny with oil, and his hair, styled with hair wax, looked meticulous and very neat under the lights.

"Yes, yes, I often tell them that every team's success is never accidental! It requires the tempering of time and extraordinary effort. Fortunately, they did it... no! We did it! We are the champions!"

In an interview with reporters on the sidelines, Takeuchi delivered an emotional and powerful speech, earning him the title of "excellent coach".

During the subsequent tactical discussion, Takeuchi openly stated that all the tactics Kaijo used in the match were developed by him and Xiangyang together, and that he even sacrificed his time for dating for this...

Xiangyang, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, was speechless upon hearing this. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Wu Nei's radiant expression, but ultimately swallowed his complaints.

It's undeniable that during the first summer tournament, Takeuchi offered excellent suggestions for every tactic proposed by Xiangyang. In this respect, it could be said that Kaijo's tactics were developed jointly by the two of them.

The product came out without any major problems.

But the second half of Takeuchi's sentence...

I'm sorry, Coach, but even without me, you and Ms. Masako probably wouldn't have gotten together anyway.

As Xiangyang thought about it, he pulled Yuki, who was hiding in the back, to the front.

While he certainly helped Yuki out of her way, it must be said that Yuki played a significant role in Kaijo's ability to finish the finals in just three quarters this year.

"Come on, come on, don't be shy, you played really well today!"

Xiangyang pushed and pulled Yuki, leading him to a spot very close to the audience. Before Yuki could turn around and run away, cheers erupted from the audience.

"Well done, Yuuki!"

"There's a reason why the Best Newcomer Award was given to you, hahaha."

Keep up the good work next year! The future of Kaijo is in your hands!

Perhaps it is the excellent team atmosphere that brings excellent fans. Even the shy Yuki received a round of applause from the Kaijo fans when he stood on the sidelines, and they congratulated him.

The overwhelming praise made Yuki's ears turn red. He shrank his neck and waved stiffly at the audience.

Seeing this, Xiang Yang shook his head and chuckled, "Really, this little guy still needs to work on his mindset."

"He's so clever when he's playing, but how come he's like a completely different person after the game?"

Xiangyang clicked his tongue, stepped forward and put his arm around Yuki's shoulder, made a peace sign towards the audience, and joined Yuki in receiving the cheers.

Just then, a staff member at the technical table suddenly walked up to Takeuchi and whispered, "Coach Takeuchi, it's like this: after each finals, we have to select the MVP player based on each player's statistics. But the statistics of these three players from Kaijo... are too close, and they are all very popular. You see..."

Takeuchi blinked, about to say something, when he was interrupted by a sudden voice.

"Let's award the MVP to Ryota."

Xiangyang put one arm around Yuki, while pointing with the other hand at Kise on the sidelines.

He was still excitedly interacting with the audience on the sidelines, completely unaware of the commotion.

The technician hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Takeuchi. After all, as a coach, Takeuchi naturally had more say in the selection of the team's MVP than as a player, Xiangyang.

However, Takeuchi pretended not to see it, straightened his clothes, and chased after the camera again.

Technicians: ...

Left with no other choice, the technicians turned their attention to Xiangyang again and asked, "Are you sure, Mr. Xiangyang? According to the data, you, Kise, and Yuki are almost neck and neck. Objectively speaking, any one of you is qualified to be the MVP."

Xiang Yang shrugged and said, "I'm sure."

After saying that, he patted Yuki's head and added, "And this kid is also confirmed, so the MVP award should just be given to Ryota."

The technician looked at Yuki again, and after confirming that he had no objections, returned to the technical station.

Yuki glanced at Xiangyang and couldn't help but ask, "Senior Xiangyang, are you having trouble..."

"Don't you want to win the Finals MVP?"

Xiang Yang was taken aback. Looking at the curious expression on Yuki's face, he smiled and asked, "Do you want it?"

Yuki hesitated for a moment, then admitted, "I want to."

Xiangyang wasn't surprised by Yuki's answer. He stretched and said, "If you want it, of course I want it too."

"However, this situation is special, so I'll give it to you, Ryota-senpai."

Xiangyang patted Yuki's head and whispered in his ear, "Next summer, your Ryota-senpai won't be in the Kaijo team anymore."

“Nani???”

Upon hearing this, Yuki's pupils dilated instantly. He hurriedly grabbed Xiangyang's arm, even forgetting to add honorifics.

"Why...why? Has Ryota-senpai been expelled from school?"

Yuki was so anxious that he was sweating. He looked hopefully at Xiangyang's lips, hoping to hear Xiangyang say, "It was just a joke."

Unfortunately, Xiangyang doesn't like making this kind of joke.

"Pfft, what are you thinking?"

Xiang Yang shook his head with amusement and said, "Your senior Liang Tai has made something of himself. He's going to participate in the national team's training camp. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll come back next winter as a national team player."

"Don't worry, he'll just be away next summer. It'll be easy for you to see him. The training camp isn't some kind of closed training. You can easily make a phone call now and then."

Hearing this, Yuuki nodded in sudden understanding and subconsciously said, "So, that means next summer's tournament..."

"Next summer season, it will be up to the two of us to lead Haichang to victory."

Xiangyang casually picked up where Yuki left off, a hint of anticipation on his face.

[Single-core leadership... After being second-in-command for so long, I've gotten used to it.]