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

Qingfeng nodded slowly and replied in a stiff tone, "You played quite well too."

Xiang Yang smiled but didn't say anything. He did like to trash talk, but once he was off the court and away from the game, he was still a gentle and refined person... at least that's what he thought.

"Xiao Xiangyang!! That shot was so cool! We beat Xiao Qingfeng!"

While Hikaru could remain calm after winning, Kise was absolutely ecstatic.

At this moment, he excitedly lay on Xiangyang's body, constantly tugging at his clothes with both hands to vent his excitement.

This overly enthusiastic celebration annoyed Xiangyang.

"Get out of my way! You little brat, you've got your saliva all over me!"

Kasamatsu stood to the side watching the two of them playfully bickering and couldn't help but laugh.

Oh well, now that we've won the game, let them do whatever they want.

"Coach Takeuchi said he's treating everyone to a meal!"

"I want to eat hot pot!"

"Hey, winning the game means we have to go eat barbecue, right?"

……

"Moshi moshi, ah... I lost. Kaijo is very strong this year, and Kise has improved a lot too. Be careful, Akashi, if you don't do something right, you guys will capsize too."

Qingfeng stood alone outside the stadium, hung up the phone, felt the evening breeze, and thought back to today's game. He thought again of Xiangyang's game-winning three-pointer from beyond the arc.

Seriously, what other tricks is that guy hiding?

Aomine scratched his head, feeling a little annoyed, but mostly excited. After losing to Kaijo twice in a row, his competitive spirit in basketball was fueled by the frustration. Finally, he had a worthy opponent.

"Ah Da!"

Momoi jogged after him, instinctively knowing that Aomine might be there.

Aomine looked back at Momoi and laughed. When he was alone, Momoi always managed to find him.

Seeing Momoi's worried look, Aomine touched his nose and said, "So you really can't do without teammates?"

huh?

Momoi was taken aback for a moment, then a surprised smile appeared on her face.

Looking at Momoi's smile, Aomine grinned and said self-deprecatingly, "After all this time, I didn't get taught by A-Zhe, but instead got taught a lesson by that kid."

"What does it matter! It doesn't matter who teaches you, as long as you can understand, Dad."

"Ah, you're right... I want to eat a hamburger."

"Ok!"

……

Xiangyang, who had just finished a post-match dinner, returned home and checked the rewards he had earned in today's competition while changing his shoes.

Congratulations, host, on acquiring a new talent:

Danger warning

When faced with a steal, their reaction speed increases.

(Sometimes seeing more isn't necessarily a good thing!)

Mind Chicken Soup

When you encourage your teammates, it greatly boosts their confidence.

(Public speaking is a required course for every leader.)

Xiangyang stroked his chin, examining his newly acquired talent.

Chicken soup for the soul is rather abstract, but danger warnings are easy to understand. However, why is this annotation so strange?

Never mind, Xiangyang shrugs.

He stopped thinking about it and just considered it the system's quirky humor. He still liked this talent because he really hated being dispossessed.

They've made it to the semifinals! The remaining teams are Luoshan, Yangquan... and some other noob.

Yangquan is relatively easy to handle; against teams with strong inside presence, three-point shooting can be surprisingly effective. But Luoshan…

Xiangyang felt a headache coming on. He wasn't ready to face the top point guard of Kuroko's Basketball. Akashi's imposing presence in the original work was something that no other member of the Generation of Miracles could match.

Just as Xiangyang was deep in thought, the phone rang.

"Moshi Moshi, Xiao Xiangyang, come out for dinner! It's on me!"

Xiang Yang's lips twitched; this scene seemed so familiar.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say. We just had dinner together ten minutes ago, during a get-together."

"Ah... I forgot! Oh dear, come quick, it's Xiao Heizi looking for you."

After being seen through by Xiangyang, Kise sounded a little guilty, but his words surprised Xiangyang.

Kuroko? Looking for me? You've got the wrong person. It wasn't me who carried Shiro Rin away. Shouldn't he be looking for Aomine?

With doubts in his mind, Xiangyang hung up the phone, looked at the address sent by Kise, and then changed his shoes again before going out.

Upon arriving at their destination, Xiangyang looked around and spotted Kise across the street, dealing with girls who were trying to pick him up. Without hesitation, Xiangyang ran over and pulled him away.

"Hey? What are you doing, Xiao Xiangyang? The pretty girl is going to call me later."

Kise turned around and made a phone call gesture towards the girl, then turned back to Xiangyang and muttered, "That's so rude! I don't even know her name."

Xiang Yang rubbed his forehead and said irritably, "Where's Hei Zi? What does he want from me?"

"I'm here."

As soon as Xiang Yang finished speaking, a petite figure appeared beside him, and the sudden sound startled him.

Damn, this lack of presence is really scary.

Xiang Yang calmed himself down and looked at the black mole that had suddenly appeared.

Seeing that Xiangyang was startled, Heizi first apologized, then bowed slightly and greeted him politely: "Hello, Xiangyang."

Seeing Kuroko's polite manner, Xiangyang couldn't help but lower his stance as well: "Hello, Ryota said you wanted to see me?"

Hei Zi nodded slightly and said in a clear voice, "I would like to ask Xiang Yang for advice on how to guide teammates."

...Silence fell over the air. Xiangyang turned to Kise and asked with his eyes: You called me here just to teach your opponent how to get stronger?

Kise made an innocent expression and blinked in response: "Because Kuroko asked me so many times, I couldn't help it. I'm the kind of person who's very soft-hearted."

Sensing Xiangyang's displeasure, Kuroko bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle and said sincerely, "Please! After losing to Aomine, I realized that I am not capable of helping Kagami fight against the Generation of Miracles. Please give me some pointers, and I will treat you to a lot of meals."

Why does everyone think I like to eat? Where did this rumor come from?

Xiangyang glared at Kise next to him, who was standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky, whistling as if it were none of his business.

Hei Zi was still bowing, waiting for Xiang Yang's reply.

"Okay, okay, get up now."

Xiang Yang rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. He would never normally do something like helping his opponent.

However, considering that Kuroko will eventually understand on his own, it doesn't really matter whether he gives guidance or not; it would even do him a favor.

"Let me think... Your talent is low visibility, so how about making your dribbling so that your opponents don't notice it?"

Hearing this, Kuroko was taken aback and explained, "When the basketball is in my hands, people will notice me because the basketball has a high presence."

Xiang Yang nodded and continued, "What about a momentary misdirection? For example, using Vulcan's high presence to attract the opponent's attention, thus completing a breakthrough by disappearing in an instant..."

As Xiangyang spoke more and more, Heizi's perpetually expressionless face gradually became blank...

So, my abilities can be used in this way?

Chapter 51 Atsushi Murasakihara disappears?

On the day of the match between Haichang and Yangquan

During the warm-up, Kise made a three-pointer and glanced at Xiangyang next to him. At this moment, Xiangyang was casually doing basic dribbling moves. You couldn't even be sure if he was really warming up or just killing time.

Kise couldn't hold back any longer and leaned close to Xiangyang, asking in a low voice, "Xiangyang, how did you know that Kuroko's ability could be used like that?"

Last time when Xiangyang was instructing Kuroko, he talked about a lot of advanced uses of visual misdirection, which left Kise and Kuroko speechless. Are you the miracle sixth man or is Kuroko the one?

Xiangyang glanced at Kise but didn't say anything. He couldn't very well tell Kise that these were all Kuroko's future moves, but that Kise knew about them in advance, could he? He would be seen as a freak... even though there were already a lot of freaks in Kuroko's Basketball.

But Kise wasn't going to let him off the hook, and continued to press on, asking, "Hey, tell me, tell me, this is your ace's request."

Xiang Yang sighed, then raised his head and said arrogantly, "Isn't that kind of thing very simple? You can know everything just by looking at it. It would be strange if you didn't know."

Ha ha

Kise didn't believe it at all.

Looking at him like this, Xiang Yang said seriously, "Stop pretending. Actually, I'm a genius. My brain is far more evolved than the average person! I can see the potential of each of you, and your future strength!"

ha?

It has to be said that these words really stunned Kise. He turned his head and thought about it. Xiangyang's physical talent was not strong, and could even be described as weak, but he could still perform very well on the court. If he didn't rely on athletic ability, it seemed that he really relied on his brain.

Kise was gripped by self-doubt. If Hikaru was truly a genius, then he could see through Kuroko's method of advancement, but I couldn't. Could it be that... I, Kise, am just an ordinary person?!

Xiang Yang looked at Kise's pensive and withdrawn appearance speechlessly, and secretly shook his head. He really doubted how Kise got into Haichang High School. How could he believe such nonsense? What? He was recruited through a basketball special program? Well, never mind then.

Xiangyang looked around the court, patted Kise on the shoulder to interrupt his reverie, and asked, "Where's your old teammate? I don't see him. I heard he's a big guy."

Kise snapped out of his daze and replied, "Oh, you mean Komurasaki? That guy's pretty lazy, he's probably late. But you're right, Koharu! He's definitely a big guy. He was really strong back in middle school, stronger than me."

Xiangyang looked at Kise in surprise. This kid actually took the initiative to show weakness? He didn't see him like this when facing Aomine. Could it be that Murasakibara is stronger than Aomine when he's in Zone?

Noticing Xiangyang's strange gaze, Kise quickly explained, "I meant middle school! In middle school, he was the fastest to awaken his talent, just like Aomine. At that time, I hadn't found a way to realize my own abilities yet."

Then, Kise confidently patted his chest and said, "But things are different now! I don't think I'm weaker than him now."

After battling Aomine in Zone mode for two matches, Kise no longer feels that anyone can stop him, Kagami?

Murasakibara? Just a nobody who sells his head for a pittance. Akashi is nothing more than... well, never mind that, it's not a big deal, anyway, we have Hikaru!

With Xiangyang backing him up, Kise is incredibly confident now. All he has to do is obediently run around on the field and occasionally have one-on-one matches with others to win. Which ace can win so easily?