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

"Don't worry, we won't lose this year."

99:98, Shiorin wins!

In the third round of the quarterfinals, Shiro Rin advanced!

……

"I'm so tired~ I want a hamburger~"

Murasakibara staggered off the court, and his teammates quickly called out to him, "Murasakibara! Murasakibara! Shake hands!"

"Huh? This is so complicated..."

Murasakibara scratched his head and reluctantly walked to the center of the field, shaking hands with each of the opposing team members.

"So, is everything alright now? I'm going home."

"Wait!"

Murasakibara turned around impatiently when he was called again, but when he saw that it was Masako calling him this time, he suppressed his anger.

"If you dare to miss the next game, I'll chop you up."

Masako's expression remained calm, but her right hand had somehow found its way onto the katana.

"Hey hey~ Little Red said it's up to me this time, I won't be absent."

Murasakibara waved and swayed as he walked into the players' tunnel and left the field.

Yangquan won 87-23.

In the fourth round of the 8-to-4 competition, Yangquan advanced.

……

The four teams that will advance have been determined.

They are: Haichang, Yangquan, Luoshan, and Chenglin.

According to the tournament schedule, in the first semi-final match, Shirorin will face Rakuzan, and in the second semi-final match, Yosen will face Kaijo.

……

Shark Gym

"We're having a match the day after tomorrow, wow...maybe it's fate, our two teams also met in the semifinals back in the summer."

As Xiangyang lay there receiving a massage from Yako, he talked, occasionally gasping for breath. Three months had passed, and he still couldn't stand the "stretching" session.

Yako gave a soft "hmm," and Xiangyang didn't seem to mind. Most of the time they spent together, it was Xiangyang doing all the talking, and she'd just respond with a few "hmms." Except when Yako scolded him, like when he told him to wash his hands before meals or wipe his mouth afterward.

"This time, your big guy isn't going to run away again, is he? Damn it! Go easy on him! Are you doing this on purpose?"

Xiangyang's teasing remark was cut short by Yazi; that woman's grip was really strong.

“This time it won’t be like that. He’ll go to the hospital after every game. I believe he can tell the difference between what’s important and what’s not.”

Masako spoke calmly, a calmness that made Xiangyang feel ashamed.

What kind of gangster talk is this? Oh right, Masako used to be a delinquent, and with such a privileged family background, she might actually have attacked someone...

"This competition format is pretty good. We can even watch a show before our final battle."

After finishing his massage, Xiangyang stretched his body, feeling much less tired, and said with a radiant expression, "Rakuzan versus Shirorin..."

"This is quite an interesting matchup. So, who will be our opponent in the finals...?"

Snapped!

What the hell are you doing?

"You think you've already made it to the finals before even playing against us?"

Xiangyang: ...

It seems like this happened in the summer too, but back then it was Coach Takeuchi who got beaten up.

Are you free tomorrow?

"If there's nothing else, would I have the honor of watching the game with you, Ms. Masako?"

Chapter 98 The Second Los Angeles

"Is that Haichang's point guard?"

"Even the champion comes to watch other teams play?"

"Isn't that the coach from Yangquan next to him? Has he colluded with the enemy?"

On the day of the match between Shiro Rin and Rakuzan, Mukai and Masako agreed to come and watch together.

Kise originally wanted to come along, but Xiangyang politely refused: "Get lost."

"You're a celebrity now."

A smile appeared on Masako's face as she teased Xiangyang.

From the very beginning, people kept recognizing Xiang Yang, and even die-hard fans of Hai Chang came up to ask for autographs.

"There's nothing we can do about it; becoming a celebrity is unavoidable."

Xiangyang sighed dramatically, a smug expression on his face, which unsurprisingly earned him a disdainful glare from Yako.

"Oh? Not just us, everyone else is here too."

Apart from Rakuzan and Shiorin, who were about to compete, the other four Miracle teams were all present. Xiangyang had just seen Kise, who was sitting in the opposite audience, give him the middle finger.

"I'm going to the restroom."

Xiangyang smiled and waved to Kise, then got up and left his seat after saying a few words.

Since today's matches only consist of Rakuzan vs. Seirin, and Kaijo's match won't be until tomorrow, Xiangyang's overall mindset is very relaxed.

Other people's games are always so much more exciting!

With a sigh in his heart, Xiangyang walked into the bathroom. As soon as he entered, he saw a short man with red hair standing in front of the sink washing his hands.

What's going on? Such a young child dyed... Huh? Akashi?

Halfway through his rant, Xiangyang suddenly turned around and unexpectedly bumped into Captain Akashi in the restroom once again.

"What a coincidence."

Akashi didn't look up, still focused on washing his hands, as if something was attracting his attention.

"Do you have an eye in the back of your head?"

Xiang Yang laughed and scolded, while his thoughts wandered.

He ran into Akashi here in the summer, and Akashi almost poked his head off.

Today, he's actually able to sit and chat peacefully with Akashi. It's truly ironic how fate works.

As Xiangyang sighed, Akashi finally finished washing his hands. He tidied his hair, turned around to look at Xiangyang, and smiled: "I heard you were cut from the national youth team?"

Xiangyang: ...

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. It's not shameful to lose to me, because I'm the absolute best."

Akashi said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and what was clearly an extremely narcissistic statement came out of his mouth sounded perfectly natural.

"...Has anyone ever told you that you're a real show-off?"

Xiangyang was speechless, but he had no way to refute it. In a way, he had indeed lost to Akashi.

Akashi took out a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the water stains from his hands, and said slowly, "It's okay, I won't join the national youth team. There's no one there who can compare to you. You will become a national player."

Is it because they are a conglomerate that they look down on the national youth team or even the national team?

Xiangyang pursed her lips. Although she had guessed it in her heart, she still felt a different way when she actually heard Akashi say it.

"The competition is about to begin, so see you in the finals."

Akashi smiled at Xiangyang, then turned and left the restroom. Just as he reached the door...

Just as he was about to speak, Xiangyang called out to him.

"Akashi!"

"If you were to name it, who is Tokyo's best point guard?"

Akashi didn't stop at all; his walking speed remained unchanged.

"Akaashi Seijuro."

……

"You've been gone for quite a while."

Masako glanced at Xiangyang, who had just sat down, and asked, half-questioningly.

I ran into someone I knew...you could call them a friend.

Masako gave a soft "oh" without asking any further questions, and Xiangyang also remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, a voice broke the silence.

"Xiangyang-kun? It really is you! And the person next to you... is that your girlfriend?"

Turning around, Momoi looked at Xiangyang with a surprised expression, while secretly glancing at Masako out of the corner of her eye, her eyes revealing a hint of curiosity.

Standing next to her was Qingfeng, who was touching his nose with a somewhat unnatural expression. It was obvious from his expression that he was afraid of being mocked by Xiangyang for losing to Chenglin.

Xiang Yang didn't let his embarrassment go to waste, and said with a playful smile, "Isn't this the ace of the Touou? Haven't seen you for a few months, and you've gotten so weak? Even Cheng Lin can beat you guys now."

Damn it! Qingfeng broke through the defenses.

……

After a few minutes of introductions, Xiangyang finally managed to introduce the identities of both sides one by one. The atmosphere was relatively friendly, since Yako belonged to Yangquan and Momoi Aomine belonged to Touou, and the two teams had not met before.

"Tell me, Mr. Ace of Touou, how did you get knocked out by Shiro Rin?"

Xiangyang put his hands behind his head and grinned mischievously.

Aomine's forehead creased with a "well" sign, but he didn't say anything. Momoi chimed in, "Kagami has improved a lot! He can even be compared to Ootengu. Touou's teamwork... is indeed not as good as Shiro Rin's."