Could you subscribe on patreon? I want to reach 20 subscribers this month.
+ I publish 3 chapters daily on Patreon, in addition to the other advanced chapters, which are 30+ chapters.
That's about 90 chapters a month.
patreon.com/ayan41x
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Teiko Middle School.
Inside the cafeteria.
Momoi Satsuki sat alone in a corner, lost in thought.
Her pink eyes were filled with sadness and helplessness.
The team had become so strange. Everyone was doing their own thing, acting like strangers.
'Ryu, what should I do?'
Drip... drip...
Tears slid down her flawless face, but Momoi Satsuki was unaware.
'Momoi-san.'
A sudden voice pulled Momoi Satsuki back from her reverie.
Only then did she realize that her face was streaked with tears.
She quickly turned her head to wipe away her tears, then looked in the direction of the voice.
There, she saw Kuroko Tetsuya, who had also changed a lot.
'Kuroko-san.'
Kuroko Tetsuya sat down opposite Momoi Satsuki.
'Momoi-san, are you alright?'
Momoi Satsuki nodded, forcing herself to remain calm.
"I'm fine."
"Really…?!"
The two exchanged a question and answer, then fell silent.
After a long while, Momoi Satsuki finally spoke.
"Kuroko, everyone… everyone should be able to go back to how things were before, right?"
Kuroko Tetsuya stared blankly at his plate for a long time before replying.
"Ah, definitely."
"Really?"
Momoi Satsuki felt like she had seen a ray of hope in the darkness.
She didn't care whether Kuroko Tetsuya was lying to her.
She just wanted some comfort, even if it was fake.
Kuroko Tetsuya nodded.
"Yes… I believe Ryu-san thinks the same way."
Momoi Satsuki smiled, though the smile was somewhat stiff.
Ryu was probably her last line of defense.
She wondered how Ryu was doing now, and what he was doing.
"Kuroko, thank you. I really miss him! If Ryu were still here, maybe things could have changed!"
Kuroko forced a smile.
"Yeah! If Ryu were still here, maybe..."
...
Hokkaido.
Ryu finally returned to his hotel.
As soon as he entered, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Last night's events had left him feeling utterly listless and drained.
He went straight to the bathroom, intending to take a long bath to wash away the gloom and misfortune.
Ryu closed his eyes and lay in the steaming bathtub.
His mind drifted back to his parting conversation with Kazama Kouki.
"Kid, if you really don't know which high school to go to, you could check out this one. It's not a basketball powerhouse, but it might be the best fit for you."
"Uncle, are you kidding me? Does a school like this really exist? I've never heard of it before. Does Japan even have schools like this?"
"This school is a bit special in Japan. The curriculum is different from other schools, but the educational focus is the same, so it won't affect your university entrance exams."
"Speaking of which, uncle, why are you recommending this school to me? Does it have anything to do with you?"
"It's just a suggestion. Whether you go or not is your choice."
After taking his bath, Ryu emerged from the bathtub and entered the living room, where he saw a business card on the table.
It bore only four characters: "Toho Kotei Gakuen".
Several months later.
Inside a basketball gym.
Two teams were battling it out on the court.
However, everyone in the gym looked at the opposing team with pity.
The reason was that their opponent was Teiko Middle School.
Since the start of this year's basketball league, Teiko had been constantly in the spotlight.
The reason was simple: Teiko was simply too strong.
The five players known as the "Generation of Miracles" had completely surpassed the level of middle school students.
The basketball coaches from various prestigious high schools had all set their sights on the "Generation of Miracles."
From the very beginning of the competition, these coaches had attended every Teiko game to select an ace player suitable for their team.
That's right, an ace player.
Everyone in the "Generation of Miracles" possessed ace-level talent; this was universally acknowledged.
The question lay in whether they fit the team, or rather, whether the team could unleash their full potential.
Teiko's rest area.
Momoi Satsuki turned her gaze away from the match.
The game was already won; she didn't need to worry about anything anymore.
In fact, from the very beginning of the league, she hadn't needed to worry about anything.
She smiled bitterly to herself, then picked up her phone.
A face flashed through her mind—his slightly stiff, delicate features—and a slight smile appeared on her face.
Her slender fingers tapped repeatedly on the phone, finally pressing the green button.
Meanwhile, in a villa district, in front of the gate of one of the villas.
Ryu finished his long journey and finally returned to his long-missed home.
Standing in front of his own door, he felt an unparalleled sense of security.
"Finally back! This whole time feels like a dream."
Who knew how he had spent all that time away from home?.
Ryu suddenly felt like he had traveled a long and arduous journey.
Meow…
Karubin playfully smacked Ryu's cheek with its tail.
"Stop reminiscing, open the door!"
"Okay, okay! I know, really."
Ryu sighed helplessly, took out his keys, and opened the door.
After entering the villa, Ryu collapsed onto the sofa.
Phew…
"Home is best! No wonder the ancients always said, 'There's no place like home!'"
Ring…
Suddenly, his phone rang.
With the phone vibrating, Ryu opened it.
It was a text message, signed "Satsuki."
'It's Momoi, why is this girl texting me now?'
Ryu opened the text message and saw the message:
[The finals are the day after tomorrow. Our opponent is Meiko Middle School. If you come back, please come and meet everyone.]
Ryu stared at the message on his phone in silence for a while.
'The finals? Time flies so fast. Meiko Middle School? That sounds familiar... where did I hear that name before?'
Ryu frowned, thinking for a long time.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise.
'Holy crap, no way? Really?'
He remembered where he'd heard of Meiko Middle School.
At the sports arena, the time he and Shigehiro Ogiwara formed a five-person team.
They were in the finals, which meant…
Ryu's lips twitched, unsure how to even begin to comprehend it.
'So, Shigehiro Ogiwara is Kuroko's childhood friend.'
Wait a minute.
Ryu suddenly realized something.
His expression instantly became much more serious.
'That Akashi guy isn't going to do that again, is he? Should I stop him?'
Ryu shook his head with a wry smile.
Could he stop it?
He was no longer a member of the Teiko basketball team.
Even if he asked Shigehiro Ogiwara to give up the game now, it would be impossible!
After pondering for a long time, Ryu could only sigh softly and silently mourn for Shigehiro Ogiwara's fate.
---
Could you subscribe on patreon? I want to reach 20 subscribers this month.
+ I publish 3 chapters daily on Patreon, in addition to the other advanced chapters, which are 30+ chapters.
That's about 90 chapters a month.
patreon.com/ayan41x