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

All eyes in the room fell on Xiang Yang, and the air seemed to fall silent.

Xiangyang felt somewhat uncomfortable; he didn't like the current atmosphere.

Teammates, opponents, and spectators all wore solemn expressions, awaiting the final result.

Why are you so serious? Why don't you smile?

Xiangyang caught the ball thrown by the referee and made a funny face at the audience.

Upon hearing Xiangyang's words, Kise was the first to laugh. He was probably the most relaxed person on the field right now, since he trusted Xiangyang even more than Xiangyang trusted him.

"Idiot, there's a time limit for free throws, don't go over the time limit."

Without even looking, Xiangyang knew it must have been Kasamatsu who said that.

He shrugged. Three free throws, two made out of three would win the game. Although shooting free throws in front of so many people put some pressure on him, he was still relaxed.

The first free throw went in cleanly, and the cheers from the crowd grew even louder. Everyone was chanting Haichang's name loudly; they were ready to welcome this year's championship.

The situation inside the stadium was in stark contrast to that outside. On the field, all ten pairs of eyes were fixed on Xiang Yang, including the referee, who was also waiting for the final moment to arrive.

Second penalty

After adjusting his breathing, Xiangyang raised his hand as if to shoot. The hearts of everyone in the arena skipped a beat with Xiangyang's movement. However, halfway through his shooting motion, Xiangyang suddenly lowered his hand and made a mischievous expression, as if to say, "Hey~ I haven't shot yet."

The atmosphere froze for a moment, and Kise burst out laughing; his partner was hilarious. Kasamatsu rubbed his face, determined to give him a good beating after the free throws.

Takeuchi collapsed to the ground, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack. Seeing Xiangyang's expression only fueled his anger. He took off the shiny leather shoes Xiangyang was wearing and raised his hand to throw them at Xiangyang's damn face.

Xiang Yang quickly straightened his expression, got into position, and struck with his elbow.

The second free throw was also made without hesitation. There was no dramatic twist of losing both free throws and forcing overtime.

The entire arena erupted in cheers, with everyone chanting Hai Chang's name. The outcome was already decided before the third free throw was even taken.

Haichang won the championship with a score of 128-127.

The Haichang team members all relaxed; the intense competition had been incredibly draining.

Takeuchi slowly put on his leather shoes, pondering how to present himself in the upcoming interview.

Kasamatsu looked up at the ceiling, fighting back tears. He had finally fulfilled the wishes of his seniors.

Kise, smiling, urged Xiangyang, "Hurry up, there's still a third penalty left, time to collect the prize!"

Although the game was over, the third free throw still had to be completed, and the referee tossed the ball to Xiang Yang.

Xiang Yang blinked, glanced at the Luo Shan group, then stood at the free-throw line and took a fadeaway jump shot. The ball bounced out after circling inside the rim.

Two cannons fired in response, and instantly, colorful ribbons fluttered throughout the stadium.

A magnetic male voice broadcasted simultaneously: "Congratulations to Haichang High School basketball team on winning the championship! In the final moments, Haichang's number 2, Xiang Yang, made two out of three crucial free throws, securing the championship for his team. Congratulations to them!"

While the victors cheer, the losers can only lick their wounds in secret.

Dai Qianxun could no longer hold back, and two lines of tears streamed down her cheeks. If he hadn't committed the foul, Xiang Yang's shot might have gone in. They were fully qualified to win the championship.

Akashi walked to Chihiro's side and said softly, "Senior Chihiro, it's time to line up and pay our respects."

Hearing Akashi's unfamiliar address, Dai opened her eyes wide and turned to look at her teammates. Her face showed resentment, but there was no blame in her eyes when she looked at him.

"During the competition, I was the captain; after the competition, I am still your junior. Thank you for your hard work, Senior Dai."

Akashi smiled slightly.

Then he turned to the five generals and said, "They won against us fair and square, so there's nothing shameful about it! Now, let's do the last thing we do tonight: give them a round of applause. And then, when winter comes... let's give them all back the emotions we have now!"

After saying these words, Akashi felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders and felt much more relaxed.

"Well played, Ryota... You too, Hikaru."

He lost. He was no longer the invincible, undefeated captain of the Teiko basketball team, one of the Generation of Miracles. Now, he was just the captain of the Rakuzan High School basketball team, Seijuro Akashi.

They lost the victory, but they also lost the dictatorial self they once were.

Luoshan will go even further, just wait and see, Haechang.

After greeting everyone at Kaijo, Akashi took one last deep look at Xiangyang, then led the Rakuzan team into the players' tunnel and left the stadium.

On the court, the organizers brought out the trophy and gave each member of Haichang a medal: National Championship.

Xiangyang gave Kise a friendly nudge, gesturing for him to lift the trophy. Kise readily complied, raising the trophy high above his head with both hands. The cameras on the sidelines kept snapping photos of them. Xiangyang pulled Kasamatsu close to Kise, making a peace sign. Hori and Hayakawa stood behind the three of them, their faces also beaming with excitement. The Kaijo atmosphere team circled the court, emitting ape-like noises. The referee's lips twitched at the sight, but unfortunately, the game was already over, and even if they went too far, they wouldn't be ejected.

Takeuchi stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the camera with a smug expression.

The photo captured this scene, and later, it became a popular topic of conversation for many people.

Because this was the first year since the establishment of the Haichang Champion Dynasty.

(The National Tournament Summer Season arc is over!! The next arc will be the Winter Cup. But the Winter Cup arc will probably be faster-paced.)

Chapter 68 Reflections and Outlook

As of now, Volume 1 of Kuroko's Basketball: I'm Not the Boss After All? has officially ended!

I have seen all the questions raised about Volume 1 and have made revisions to the best of my ability. I think the final version of Volume 1 is okay.

At least the senior writers in the group think my first book is pretty good. Please forgive any typos or errors! I'll correct them as soon as I find them.

I won't go into the female lead issue; I've already mentioned it in previous chapters. Anyway, I'm not planning on having one…

Then some readers felt that I weakened everyone in Kuroko's Basketball, and that it didn't have that feeling of the eldest brother taking on all five opponents with the ball, like in the anime.

Since my writing is primarily basketball-themed, only borrowing the world view from Kuroko's Basketball, my creations of the Generation of Miracles or the Five Captains will be more realistic! Also, please don't criticize the protagonist's poor physical abilities! High school games don't require that much physical skill.

The original plan for Volume 2 was to cover the Winter Cup, followed by my original storyline. However, since we won the championship in Volume 1, according to the original story, Kaijo is automatically guaranteed a spot in the Winter Cup official tournament! Given this, I don't have many matches to write about, and I can't just add more training matches for no reason. Also, having the protagonist watch other teams play would feel like filler. Therefore, the match content in Volume 2 will likely be significantly less than in Volume 1. I'll include more slice-of-life scenes and the Japanese national team's storyline!

The coaches of the three teams, Kaijo, Tooh, and Shutoku, are all former Japanese national team players, which many readers may not know because it is not mentioned much in the original work. This includes Aida Kagetora, the father of Aida Riko, the coach of Seirin.

In short, Volume 2 is roughly a combination of the Winter Cup, everyday life, and the national team.

That's all for now. Brothers, feel free to give me any suggestions or point out any inconsistencies in my writing! I'll read them all.

Finally, thank you all for your support. I will treat this book well!

(Regarding the extra chapters I owe... I might not be able to make up for them all this month. I'll post any extra words I write each week at midnight on Monday. The rules for extra chapters will be revised later. Right now, it's 10000 words per chapter simply because I owe too many. I really can't afford to pay any more. I hope you guys understand!)

Chapter 69 The Gathering of Miracles

"Japanese national team player Kagetora Aida, wearing jersey number 27, successfully sank a three-pointer! A game-winning shot..."

A week has passed since the national tournament ended, and Xiangyang's life is gradually returning to normal. Although basketball is more important than other sports in this world, even if you win the national championship, it is still just a high school level competition. After club activities end, you still have to go to school.

He was at home at the time, watching videos of Japanese national team matches from decades ago.

Suddenly, a telephone rang.

"Moses, Moses?"

"Hello! Little Xiangyang, come out and play! I'll treat you to dinner!"

Beep beep beep

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiangyang hung up the phone.

He had heard Kise's opening line twice before, and for some reason, this time it wasn't going to be anything good.

However, Hikaru underestimated Kise.

20 minutes later...

"Little Xiangyang~"

Kise arrived at Xiangyang's house and immediately tried to touch him, but Xiangyang slapped him across the face and pushed him away, coldly saying, "I refuse." At that moment, the game recording was still playing on the TV.

"Huh? Why? Wait a minute, I haven't said what it is yet!"

"Anyway, you're never coming to me with good news."

Xiangyang's attitude was very firm.

Kise sighed helplessly, "Alright, then I guess I'll have to go see Akane and the others by myself..."

Wait, Akashi?

Xiangyang stopped Kise and asked, "Why are you going to find Akashi? And who are they?"

Kise explained, "It was Akane who invited us out for a get-together! We made a promise back in Teiko that we'd get together again after the competition was over."

"Why did you bring me along to your gathering of the miraculous generation?"

"Because Xiao Chi said that you can come if you want, I wanted to ask you to come with me, Xiao Xiangyang~"

This is a plot point that wasn't in the original story.

Xiangyang rubbed his chin. After all, in the original work, the Winter Cup ended after it was over, and Aomine was injured during the Summer Cup, so they didn't decide a winner.

Wait! The sun-facing element has been detected.

Talent: Overthinking has been activated.

It is known that Akashi is the heir to the Akashi family, one of Japan's three major zaibatsu (financial conglomerates).

Getting together is essentially just chatting and having a meal.

Equivalent substitution: Akashi inviting someone to a get-together = a rich kid treating someone to dinner...

So the answer is... a high-end restaurant? ???

Xiang Yang's eyes lit up. Although his adoptive parents had left him a considerable inheritance, as a modern-day wage slave, the virtue of diligence and thrift was ingrained in his bones. He had never been to any high-end places in the world, including foot massage parlors.

"go!"

Really fragrant

……

"We're here! This is it!"

Kise pointed to the familiar hamburger shop and turned to Xiangyang.

ha?

Are you sure you haven't gone to the wrong place?