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"Even though you're a Gemini, which is supposed to be the unluckiest sign today, I didn't expect you to lose the game."
Kise Ryota paused for a moment after seeing Midorima Shintaro, then said, "You came to watch the game, Midorimacchi?"
"Yeah! No matter which side won, it was an unpleasant game. Returning a slam dunk that even a monkey could do isn't something fate would choose."
Hearing Midorima Shintaro's righteous indignation, Kise Ryota's lips twitched.
'This guy is still the same as always! Always talking about fate and stuff. I really don't know what's going on in his head.'
Kise Ryota changed the subject.
"First time meeting since graduation! How did you know we had a practice match with Seirin?"
Midorima Shintaro adjusted his glasses.
"Momoi is very concerned about our situation; she sent messages to all of us."
Kise Ryota was stunned, then said somewhat dejectedly, "Really? But why didn't I receive it?"
Midorima Shintaro scoffed.
"It's not like you were going to watch someone else's game, so why would she notify you?"
"Uh, you're right."
Kise Ryota was momentarily speechless, then stopped thinking about it and said to Midorima Shintaro, "Speaking of which, your bandage is still the same! But I think whether it's dunking or shooting, it doesn't matter! As long as you score!"
"That's why you're no good!" Midorima Shintaro retorted. "Scoring from close range is of course important, but scoring from long range is even more valuable. There's a saying, 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate,' haven't you learned that?"
He paused, then continued, "You have to put in your best effort to earn the right to be chosen by fate. I've already done my best, and I have a lucky charm by my side. By the way, today's lucky charm is a frog plushie, so my shot is guaranteed to go in."
Kise Ryota stared blankly as Midorima Shintaro finished his long-winded explanation, completely bewildered.
'What is this guy even talking about? It's always been like this; I have absolutely no idea what he's saying.'
Kise Ryota sighed and changed the subject again.
"By the way, aren't you going to talk to Kurokocchi?"
"There's no need. Being a type B like me and type A like him makes us the most incompatible types. I really admire his playing style, and even respect him, but I can't accept him going to a nobody school like Seirin High School."
Midorima Shintaro's voice became noticeably lower at this point.
"I came to check it out because we'll be playing in the regional preliminaries. To be honest, they're no match for me."
"Um..." Kise Ryota felt the conversation was going nowhere. He thought for a moment, then said, "But didn't Ryucchi also go to some obscure school?"
At the mention of Ryu, Midorima Shintaro's eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses.
"Ryu is different from Kuroko. Kuroko needs light; without teammates capable of carrying that light, he'll be forever buried. Ryu, on the other hand, is the brightest light himself; he'll elevate the team's overall strength."
"Um... You're right!"
No one doubted that. They had all witnessed Ryu's strength.
If you were to ask who among the Generation of Miracles was most likely to stand at the top, everyone would undoubtedly think of Ryu, not anyone else first.
The reason was simple: Ryu dominated everyone for two whole years during middle school. Now, a year had passed, and Ryu had certainly grown as much as they had.
Kise Ryota spoke up, "I'm a little curious, what kind of school is Toho Kotei Gakuen exactly? I've looked at the records, and there's no record of this school participating in any major competitions before."
Midorima Shintaro explained, "I don't know much either. I only know that this school's basketball club was established last year, and that's all I know."
"Last year? Really?" Kise Ryota was somewhat surprised.
Just as the two were chatting, a ringing sound reached their ears. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw Takao Kazunari panting as he rode up on his bicycle trailer.
"Midorima, you bastard! You left me behind in the traffic, making me look so embarrassed!"
Hearing his words, Midorima Shintaro showed no remorse whatsoever.
Takao Kazunari stopped his trailer in front of Kise Ryota and Midorima Shintaro, then said to Midorima Shintaro in an annoyed tone, "Midorima, did you hear me? Do you know how helpless I feel? I even saw a weirdo with a cat perched on his shoulder, and he was talking to the cat! It scared me to death!"
Upon hearing this, both Kise Ryota and Midorima Shintaro's expressions changed.
Kise Ryota took two steps forward, anxiously pressing for an answer, "Wait a minute, you just said there was someone with a cat?"
Taking a question like this, Takao Kazunari paused slightly, then nodded. "Yeah! It's weird, isn't it? Someone talking to a cat like that, he must be mentally unstable."
As soon as Takao Kazunari finished speaking, Midorima Shintaro looked at him and asked, "What does that person look like? And what does that cat look like?"
"Huh?" Takao Kazunari was dumbfounded by Midorima Shintaro's questions.
How could he possibly know what they looked like? He only glanced at them, and finding it too eerie, immediately moved away without looking closely.
"I don't remember what he looked like, but I do remember the cat. Its face, limbs, and tail were brown, and the rest of its body was white."
Upon hearing this, Kise Ryota and Midorima Shintaro completely lost their composure.
Kise Ryota asked, "Where is that person now?"
Midorima Shintaro asked, "Where did you see him?"
Hearing the two's sudden urgency, Takao Kazunari was also startled. "Huh? It's the one I saw on campus before! But he should be far away by now! What's wrong? Do you guys know that person?"
Kise Ryota and Midorima Shintaro exchanged a glance.
Kise Ryota spoke first, "Midorimacchi, that person should be Ryucchi, right? Did he come to watch the match too? Oh no, he saw me make a fool of myself."
"Looks like that feeling we had earlier was definitely him," Midorima Shintaro suddenly said out of the blue.
"Feeling?" Kise Ryota was initially a little confused, but he quickly realized. He remembered that Kagami Taiga had also been looking towards the second floor, just like him. "Midorimacchi, did you notice it too?"
Midorima Shintaro nodded. "People at our level have an extraordinary intuition for powerful opponents."
Takao Kazunari, standing to the side, looked at the two of them with a bewildered expression. 'What's going on? Have they both gone mad?'
'Ryu...' Takao Kazunari muttered to himself. He felt like he'd heard that name somewhere before! It seemed like he'd heard it somewhere before.
...
On the other side.
After leaving Kaijo High School, Ryu went straight to the Kanagawa coast.
Kanagawa is a coastal city, so seafood is one of its local specialties. He had a particular fondness for seafood. Since he was here today, it would be a shame not to try the local seafood.
"Meow..."
Just then, Karupin suddenly transmitted a message to Ryu. "I sensed that energy."
"Really? That's great! Looks like that hour-long subway ride wasn't for nothing. Where is it?" Ryu asked excitedly.
Karupin pointed in a direction and transmitted again, "It's just ahead, a bit far."
Ryu looked straight ahead. Beyond that was the sea.
Could it be that this time, the energy was at sea?
He stopped thinking about it. No matter where it was, he wouldn't give up the search.
So the man and the cat walked further and further away towards the sea.
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