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

Takao frowned, thinking to himself: Is this really how it's supposed to be spread?

Hyuga smiled slightly. It was the first time he'd seen Kuroko pass the ball like that; it was a real surprise. But thanks to this surprise, the outcome of this match—had only just begun!

Midorima received another pass from his teammate, and Kagami immediately pressed forward. Unfortunately, Midorima's shooting range was simply too exaggerated. Even when he came to cover, the distance was still a bit too far, and Midorima had a perfect opportunity to shoot.

Midorima raised his hand as if to shoot, but suddenly he spotted Kuroko's position. Kuroko was already waiting under his own basket. Midorima spat and passed the ball back to Takao.

Kise, watching from the stands, exclaimed in surprise, "Midori's been restrained? He clearly had a chance to make a move!"

Momoi explained, "They're probably afraid of being countered by Tetsuya's full-court passing game."

Xiangyang narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully, "Even if Kuroko can cooperate with Kagami to launch a counterattack, three points are always one point more than two points. If they continue to play at this pace, it's only a matter of time before Shiro Rin collapses."

Momoi smiled gently: "Who knows? Maybe Midorima has his own ideas."

Seeing Momoi's knowing look, Xiangyang knew perfectly well that she had seen through Midorima's intentions.

“…Miss Peach, do you know that riddle tellers usually don’t have a good ending?”

Momoi shook her head, smiled at Xiangyang, and didn't say anything.

Xiang Yang sighed and raised his hands in surrender, saying, "I'll treat you to dinner, okay? Hurry up and explain, I really want to know."

Momoi gave a sly smile and explained, "It's probably because of men's damn competitive spirit."

Xiangyang was speechless. "I even treated you to dinner, and you still ended up telling riddles, huh?"

Before Xiangyang could speak, Kise suddenly realized and said, "I see, I think I understand what Midorima was thinking."

Kise turned to look at Xiangyang and couldn't help but laugh when he saw Xiangyang's bewildered expression.

"They probably felt the same way I did back then, really wanting to compete with Kagami. That's why they didn't intend to win in this way."

"...What kind of strange logic is this? Victory is victory, why are there different kinds?"

Xiangyang expressed his confusion, and he could not accept the explanation given to him by Huangse.

But Kise's guess was right; that was exactly what Midorima was thinking at that moment.

I acknowledge your skill, haters, but I don't acknowledge your teammates, especially... your newfound brilliance.

Midorima looked at Kagami with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Are you kidding me? Having someone like this as your partner is really annoying. I'll beat him myself; you'd better take a break until then.

"Takao, go and guard against Kuroko."

"receive."

Looking at Midorima's expression, Takao understood his ace's thoughts.

"Yo."

Takao walked up to Kuroko and greeted him.

Kuroko glanced at him and politely replied, "Hello."

On the bench of Shiro Rin

Reiko looked

Seeing this, he frowned: Why switch defenders? Shouldn't it all be the same who defends against Kuroko? What is Xiude up to?

"Actually, I had a feeling the first time I saw you that we both make a living by passing the ball, and we're both freshmen, so we're bound to face off someday."

"How should I put it? It's probably like...like repels like! That's why I really want to defeat you, the Sixth Man of Miracles."

On the basketball court, Takao looked at Kuroko with a serious expression.

Kuroko tilted his head slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.

"I'm sorry, this is the first time someone has said something like this to me, it makes me a little flustered."

Takao smiled when he heard Kuroko's answer, and was about to say something when he suddenly realized that Kuroko had disappeared.

"Hey, hey? Disappearing halfway through a conversation is so rude!"

Ignoring Takao's provocation, Kuroko immediately rushed to the front after a clever maneuver.

Hinata, who had just been double-teamed by Shutoku, saw his savior and immediately passed the ball to Kuroko.

Kuroko glanced at his teammates' positions and noticed that Kagami had already run into the penalty area. He dribbled the ball with one hand, about to pass it to Kagami.

A figure suddenly appeared and swatted Kuroko's pass away.

Kuroko's face showed a moment of surprise. Even in the previous training match against Kaijo against Xiangyang, he had only seen it. This was the first time he had his pass stolen.

The members of Shiro Rin were so shocked that their jaws almost dropped. Hinata couldn't help but say, "The misdirection failed? How is that possible? This is only the first section."

Izuki glanced at Takao and picked up the thread, replying, "It's not that we failed, it's that guy, he really does have eyes like mine... no, his eyes are probably a level higher than mine."

Itsuki, who possesses the Eagle Eye, can spot Kuroko's movement immediately, but that's all he can do; he can't discern Kuroko's passing intentions. However, Takao can.

"This guy... has Hawkeye."

.

After hitting the ball out of bounds, Takao turned around, looked at Kuroko with a smile, and said, "Sorry, you can't do whatever you want on the court like before, because I'll be watching you closely. My abilities are perfect for countering you."

Kuroko frowned slightly as he looked at Takao, but remained silent.

Oops!

Reiko sat on the sidelines, feeling anxious. Had Kuroko's usually ineffective disappearing pass been effectively shut down?

What should I do... call a timeout?

Reiko bit her finger and glanced at the score.

Xiude leads 13-8.

Based on the score, there's no need to rush to call a timeout, but if Kuroko becomes ineffective on the field, Seirin will have an increasingly difficult time.

Just as Reiko was weighing the pros and cons in her mind, she suddenly saw Kuroko shake her head at her.

Reiko ultimately did not stop; she chose to believe Kuroko.

The situation on the field gradually shifted in Xiude's favor.

With Kuroko losing her effectiveness on the field, Seirin's offense began to falter. The inability to pass and attack freely made it very uncomfortable for everyone on Seirin.

In contrast, Midorima, after Kuroko was entangled by Takao, began firing from just two steps beyond the three-point line. His terrifying range and 100% accuracy undoubtedly put immense pressure on Seirin. Takao wasn't just limiting Kuroko; while stopping him, he also had the ability to assist his teammates. For a time, Seirin crumbled.

Hinata now even feels a sense of despair. Every time he sees Midorima get the ball, it means that Seirin will lose another three points.

Kagami repeatedly jumped to try and block Midorima's shot, but even with his superhuman jumping ability, he was still a little short of Midorima's height when he was shooting from the center of the court.

You might lose…

This idea loomed over everyone in Shiro Rin.

With Midorima making another move, Kagami still couldn't defend against it.

Damn it, just how good is this guy at throwing?

Vulcan braced himself on his knees, feeling a bit irritated. He was always just a hair's breadth away from making a save, but he always missed.

Midorima pushed up his glasses, looked at Kagami who was bent over and panting in front of him, and a sneer appeared on his lips: "That's all you're capable of. Without Kuroko, you can't do anything."

Xiude leads 25-13 with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Chapter 37 The Horn of Counterattack

Shiorin applies for suspension

Is this Midorima? He's terrifyingly strong.

After hearing Midorima's taunts, Kagami did not get angry; instead, he couldn't help but laugh.

Kuroko blinked and looked at Kagami.

"What's wrong, Hei Zi?"

"It's nothing, I'm just worried that Kagami might be discouraged."

"Huh? Are you kidding me? How could I possibly be beaten down?"

Kagami ruffled Kuroko's hair with displeasure.

"As for you, what are you planning to do? You're not just going to let yourself get beaten like this, are you?"

"To be honest, I have a headache."

Kuroko's tone remained calm, as if it were Takao, not him, who was being suppressed.

Upon hearing Kuroko's words, Reiko's lips twitched as she said, "What's going on?? You had no choice? Then why were you nodding at me?"

Kuroko's voice hadn't changed, but for some reason, they could all detect a hint of helplessness in it.

"When I nodded, I meant to say, let's pause."

"…What???"

Reiko angrily pinched Kuroko's face, her mind racing with worry: "It's over, Kagami can't defend against Midorima, and Kuroko is being overwhelmed..."

"Coach! Please, just play like this for now. I'll find a way, and so will Kuroko."

Vulcan said firmly, while Kuroko glanced at him as if to say: Why are you dragging me into your bragging?

Reiko released Kuroko, rubbed her forehead, and sighed. There was nothing she could do but continue to trust them. If Kagami couldn't stop Midorima, then the rest of the Shiro Rin team would be even less capable.

.

At this moment, the substitute bench of the neighboring Xiude

"They must be thinking about what to do, hahaha."

Takao wiped the sweat from his face and laughed, "That guy is practically useless now that he's lost his ability to disappear. I think Shiro Rin will give up soon too."

Midorima glanced at Takao and said calmly, "Takao, do you know why I care about Kuroko?"

"Because I admire him. He doesn't have outstanding physical talent, but he can wear the same team uniform as us, like God Light Middle School. His strength is extraordinary. But now, the man I admire has chosen such a weak team and is willing to let himself be buried... Shiro Rin can't bring out Kuroko's full strength at all."

Takao's smile faded; he understood the unspoken meaning in Midorima's words.

Coach Xiude, seeing this, tried to smooth things over, saying, "Well, the rhythm is in our hands, just keep playing like this."