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"Assemble..."
A loud, serious shout drew everyone's attention.
The assistant coach, wearing glasses and a solemn expression, stood before the crowd and said:
"There are less than two months until the National Preliminary Rounds, so the head coach will be in charge from now on."
The assistant coach's words had barely finished when the entire room erupted in commotion.
"Hell is coming."
"My God, is the head coach coming?"
"I feel like I can already see the devil beckoning to me."
Kuroko and Kise, hearing the whispers around them, were curious.
Kuroko asked Aomine Daiki beside him:
"Excuse me, what kind of person is the head coach?"
"Oh, right! Tetsuya hasn't met the head coach yet!"
Midorima adjusted his glasses and said:
"Kise too."
"Yes!"
A sudden voice sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Then everyone saw Coach Shirogane, with a kind smile on his face, walk in from behind.
He walked up to Kuroko, patted him on the shoulder, and said:
"Well… let's say hello first! I'm head coach Kozo Shirogane. Kuroko and Kise, nice to meet you."
"How do you know my name?"
Kuroko blinked his big blue eyes, asking curiously.
Hehehe…
Kozo Shirogane chuckled.
"Of course, I remember all the players' names."
With that, Kozo Shirogane stepped forward.
"Good morning, Head Coach!"
Everyone shouted in unison.
Kozo Shirogane held an unshakeable position in everyone's hearts and was widely respected.
Kozo Shirogane waved his hand and smiled.
"Alright, you guys don't need to be so formal."
Kise Ryota looked at Kozo Shirogane and suddenly remarked:
"The head coach looks so kind."
This one sentence made everyone around him twitch their lips, unable to suppress their laughter.
Aomine Daiki said helplessly to Kise Ryota:
"You're mistaken; that's not true."
Kuroko also asked with bewildered eyes:
"Huh? The coach seems very kind!"
Everyone looked at him like he was an idiot.
Midorima adjusted his glasses and said:
"Ignorance is bliss."
"Kuroko's probably going to faint soon!"
Murasakibara Atsushi continued Midorima's words.
Ryu chimed in at this moment:
"Appearances are often deceiving first impressions. Anyway, no matter what setbacks you encounter, as long as you persevere, you will win."
Their words left Kuroko and Kise somewhat confused.
However, Shirogane Kozo's next sentence made them understand what it meant to be terrified.
"Everyone's been having a pretty relaxed time lately. Now it's time for real practice. The difficulty will increase a lot, but don't worry—young people won't die no matter how much they're pushed."
Everyone shuddered at these words.
Kozo Shirogane continued:
"There's one more thing I need to tell everyone. Akashi."
"Yes..."
Akashi stepped forward from the group and stood before everyone.
Kozo Shirogane spoke:
"Starting today, the captain of the Teiko basketball team will change from Nijimura to Akashi."
These words were like a massive boulder dropped into a calm lake, shocking everyone.
Only Ryu remained calm.
"Really? Akashi became captain?"
Aomine Daiki exclaimed in surprise.
Midorima Shintaro adjusted his glasses and said:
"While I don't object, and Akashi is qualified to be captain, it's still a bit unexpected that he became captain so quickly."
Murasakibara Atsushi said lazily:
"The captain is Akashi! That's not surprising!"
He glanced at Ryu at the other end.
He said it wasn't surprising. However, he was still somewhat puzzled.
Logically speaking, even if it were a selection for captain, Ryu's chances of becoming captain were higher.
But he, who was usually reluctant to think, didn't dwell on it too much.
At that moment, Shirogane Kozo's voice rang out again:
"The third-year students might have some objections, but this is a decision made for victory, so accept it!"
He then looked at Nijimura Shuzo.
"Nijimura has always done a great job."
"Thank you, Head Coach."
Nijimura Shuzo bowed in gratitude.
And so, the matter was settled.
However, Ryu could still hear some third-year players expressing dissatisfaction.
He didn't care.
From then on, these players were merely figureheads, not even substitutes.
Another day of training ended.
Kise Ryota was almost collapsing.
Although he persevered, he was completely exhausted.
He lay on the ground, panting heavily.
As for Kuroko, well… he was still unconscious!
Ryu's house was in a different direction from everyone else's, so he left with Karupin.
The others were headed in the same direction, so they formed a group.
Murasakibara Atsushi said while eating potato chips:
"Speaking of which, Akashi becoming captain really surprised me."
Aomine Daiki also sighed:
"I know he's amazing, but I didn't expect him to become captain so quickly."
"But he's only a second-year student; is this really okay?"
Kuroko said with some concern.
Midorima replied:
"I don't think you need to worry about that. Akashi comes from one of Japan's most prestigious families. To inherit the family business, he received a rigorous elite education from a young age, so I have no objection to him being captain."
"Really?"
Kise Ryota was shocked by Midorima's words.
He hadn't expected Akashi's family to be so extraordinary.
Midorima seemed to have thought of something and suddenly frowned.
"But..."
"What's wrong, Midorima?"
Hearing Aomine's question, Midorima adjusted his glasses, then shook off the image of Ryu's face from his mind and said:
"No, nothing. Let's part ways here."
With that, Midorima walked towards another street.
Watching Midorima's retreating figure, Murasakibara Atsushi swallowed the potato chips in his mouth and said:
"Mido-chin probably meant Yu-chin!"
"Ah, maybe!"
Aomine chimed in.
"Yu-chin? Does mean Ryu?"
Kuroko asked, puzzled.
Kise also listened intently, his ears perked up with curiosity.
"Ah, I was actually thinking Ryu would become the captain!"
Aomine's words surprised both Kuroko and Kise.
Kuroko was alright; he knew a little about Ryu.
But Kise couldn't help asking:
"Ryu? Him as captain? Is he strong?"
Hearing Kise's question, Aomine and Murasakibara both stared at him like he was an idiot.
Aomine thought for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"I see. You haven't seen Ryu play yet, have you?"
Kise nodded.
Murasakibara spoke up:
"Yu-chin is probably the strongest on the team!"
Kise's pupils contracted, looking at Murasakibara in disbelief.
"You said Ryu is the strongest on the team? Stronger than Aomine? No way."
Aomine's lips twitched, then he said to Murasakibara:
"When did he become the strongest? That was before. I might not necessarily lose to him now."
"You've never beaten Yu-chin, have you?"
Murasakibara's words completely silenced Aomine, leaving him speechless.
There was no way around it; it was simply the truth.
Seeing Aomine's tacit agreement, Kise became uneasy.
He had never sensed the aura of a powerful figure from Ryu.
He had always assumed the other's strength was merely average.
But Aomine and Murasakibara's words today had stirred up a storm within him.
Aomine was the goal he had been pursuing.
He had witnessed Aomine's strength firsthand.
But to say that Ryu was even stronger than Aomine?
This was something he couldn't accept.
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