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Day and night passed.
A month went by in the blink of an eye.
In a green area on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Outdoor basketball courts stood here.
Judging from the condition of the courts, they were all recently built.
The place was bustling with activity, a constant stream of people coming and going.
A group of five walked along the road, chatting and laughing.
If Ryu were here, he would definitely recognize them.
They were the members of Seirin High School's basketball team.
Kagami Taiga, Kuroko Tetsuya, Kiyoshi Teppei, Fukuda Hiroshi, and Furuhata Mitsuki.
The five of them had arranged to relax at this newly opened basketball court.
Kagami was captivated by the scenery.
He sighed nostalgically.
"This place is no different from America!"
"Hmm?"
"I didn't expect Kagami to come back from America so soon. Are the basketball courts there like this too?"
Fukuda Hiroshi asked curiously.
Kagami nodded.
"Ah! If it's just an outdoor basketball court, then that's true."
Kiyoshi Teppei looked at Kagami and asked.
"I heard you went back to the US to see your master. Looks like you've finished your special training."
"Ah..."
Kagami nodded.
"I think I've finished this stage of special training. The Winter Selection Tournament is starting soon, and I don't want to miss this opportunity."
"This stage...?"
The Seirin members were a little confused, but didn't ask further.
Kagami paused, then said.
"With my current strength, I'm probably still a bit lacking against those guys, so I need further special training to catch up with those bastards."
Hearing Kagami's words, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
Kuroko also looked up at Kagami for a long time.
Kagami hadn't shown his strength since returning.
So no one knew how strong Kagami was now.
However, since Kagami said he was still a little short, it meant he already had the strength to compete with the Generation of Miracles, but wasn't quite there yet to win.
He didn't ask further and changed the subject.
"There are more people here than I expected. Looks like there aren't any empty courts left! It seems we need to register!"
"There's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to go and register first."
Kiyoshi Teppei finished speaking.
Everyone walked towards the registration area together.
...
Registration Area.
"Idiot, that word is wrong."
Hearing the voice, the Seirin members all turned to look.
Then the Seirin members saw familiar faces.
The other people also sensed the Seirin members' gaze.
They also turned to look.
An eerie silence fell between them.
Soon, the people on both sides pointed at each other and exclaimed in unison.
"Seirin..."
"Seiho..."
That's right.
The Seirin members encountered Seiho's group.
"Why are you here?"
Tsugawa Tomoki asked, pointing at Kagami.
Kagami retorted irritably.
"I should be asking you why you're here!"
The two stared at each other, silent for a long time.
Finally, it was Kiyoshi Teppei and Seiho's captain, Iwamura Tsutomu, who intervened to ease the situation.
The two sides eventually huddled together and found an open space to rest.
Iwamura Tsutomu, of course, recognized Kiyoshi Teppei.
"Judging from your appearance, have you returned to the team? Is your injury alright?"
Iwamura Tsutomu knew something about the reason for Kiyoshi Teppei's injury.
Kiyoshi Teppei replied with a smile.
"Yes! The doctor said it's nothing serious."
"I see!"
Iwamura Tsutomu thought to himself.
'Seirin's strength is now incomparable to what it used to be. Now that Kiyoshi Teppei has returned to the team, Seirin's strength will definitely reach a new level.'
Sigh…
He sighed inwardly.
It's a pity he will never have the chance to face him on the field again.
Seiho has lost its qualification for the Winter Selection Tournament.
On the other side.
Seiho's Kasuga Ryuhei also spoke to Kuroko and Kagami.
"What a coincidence! By the way, aren't you guys practicing?"
"We're resting today. We're here to relax."
Kuroko replied.
Kagami said while eating two chicken legs.
"You guys are the ones who need to practice at all"
Tsugawa Tomoki immediately bristled upon hearing Kagami's words.
He yelled angrily.
"Ah... what do you mean by that! Are you being sarcastic...?"
"Huh...?"
Kagami was somewhat confused, not understanding what the other meant.
Kiyoshi Teppei said helplessly.
"Kagami, he's talking to you!"
Iwamura Tsutomu explained somewhat sadly.
"Tsugawa, forget about it. We third-year students are retiring."
Upon hearing this, Kagami looked surprised.
"Retiring? Why? Aren't you participating in the Winter Selection Tournament?"
Kasuga Ryuhei took a sip of water, looking at Kagami as if he were an idiot.
"Really! Don't you know? Only the top eight from the National Tournament preliminaries can participate in the Winter Selection Tournament preliminaries."
Sigh...
Iwamura Tsutomu sighed.
"So, the first and second place finishers in the Summer League preliminaries, in our A district, are Seirin and Shutoku."
"So... because we lost to you guys, we third-year students have automatically retired."
Hearing Kasuga Ryuhei and Iwamura Tsutomu's words, the Seirin members were momentarily speechless.
Sympathy? Perhaps!
But that's reality.
They wanted to win, wanted to enter the national tournament, and participate in the Winter Selection Tournament.
Then they had to defeat all the opponents standing in their way.
Just then, Kuroko suddenly spoke up.
"Actually, it's not absolute."
Kuroko's words attracted everyone's attention.
Furuhata Mitsuki asked.
"Kuroko, what do you mean?"
Kagami interjected.
"You don't mean Seiho still has a chance to participate in the Winter Selection Tournament, do you?"
Kuroko nodded.
"Yes, that's true. I heard Satsuki mention that the summer league underwent some adjustments, so the winter qualifiers might also be adjusted, with the number of slots for each region potentially increasing."
"Really?"
The eyes of the Seiho group all turned to Kuroko.
Their eyes gleamed.
Iwamura Tsutomu couldn't help but ask.
"Where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"
Kuroko took a sip of his juice and nodded.
"It was Satsuki who told me. Her intelligence has never been wrong."
"The manager of the Generation of Miracles, huh..."
Kagami muttered to himself, as if he'd just thought of something.
The members of the Seiho team also heard Kuroko's words.
The manager of the Generation of Miracles.
If the information really came from the manager of the Generation of Miracles, then its veracity is definitely worth investigating.
...
Just then. A voice came over the loudspeaker.
"The first match is about to begin. Seiho team, please assemble on the field."
Hearing the announcement, Iwamura Tsutomu spoke up.
"It's our turn."
He stood up, walked behind Tsugawa Tomoki, and lifted him up.
"Tsugawa, we're leaving. Don't eat anymore."
Then he looked at Kiyoshi Teppei and said.
"If we could meet today, we could settle what we couldn't decide last year."
Kiyoshi Teppei also smiled.
"Then please go easy on us!"
Kasuga Ryuhei chuckled.
"Although the result is a bit unsatisfactory without Hyuga, let's get our revenge first!"
With that, Seiho and his group left.
Watching the departing Seiho group, the Seirin members' eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
...
Some time passed.
The Seirin members had almost finished eating.
Kagami finished his last bite and spoke.
"Since we have nothing to do now, why don't we go watch Seiho's match?"
Hearing Kagami's suggestion, the Seirin members didn't object.
They had rested enough here, and watching the match wouldn't be bad.
So they got up and headed towards the match venue.
When they arrived at the match venue, the Seirin members were shocked.
The Seiho members were all in a disheveled state.
They were covered in sweat.
Everyone was panting heavily, arms bent over their knees.
The scoreboard showed 51 to 32.
"Ah... how could this be..."
Furuhata Mitsuki stared at the scoreboard in disbelief.
"Seiho actually lost?"
Fukuda Hiroshi also looked surprised.
Kagami's gaze wasn't on the Seiho players or the score.
His eyes were fixed on a figure standing on the court.
Handsome and refined, with flowing black hair and a mole at the corner of his right eye.
"Himuro... Tatsuya..."
During the Summer League, Kagami had watched the match between Seioh and Yosen.
So he naturally knew that Himuro Tatsuya had also come to Japan.
It's just that the two were too far apart to have a chance to meet.
But the fact that the other person was actually in Tokyo still surprised him somewhat.
If he remembered correctly, Himuro Tatsuya should be in Akita.
Hearing Kagami's mutterings, Himuro Tatsuya turned around.
Upon seeing it was Kagami, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Oh... Taiga. What a surprise to see you here. Come to think of it, this is our first meeting in Japan!"
Kagami also replied in English.
"You don't look surprised at all, you keep your poker face."
Himuro Tatsuya continued in English.
"I'm not show my feelings like you."
Listening to the two of them speaking English like this,
the Seirin members were completely dumbfounded.
Do these two know each other?
And judging from the tone of their conversation, they seem quite familiar with each other.
Kiyoshi Teppei then asked in broken English.
"Your name is... Himuro, right? Are you Kagami's friend?"
Hearing Kiyoshi Teppei's halting English, Himuro Tatsuya smiled slightly and then replied in Japanese.
"Speaking Japanese is fine too, because Taiga and I have always communicated in foreign languages abroad, so it's a bit strange at first."
Hearing Himuro Tatsuya say this, Kiyoshi Teppei breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's great, that makes communication easier."
Himuro Tatsuya then looked at Kagami.
"Taiga and I aren't friends! If I had to say... I'd say he's like an older brother!"
Afterwards, Himuro Tatsuya recounted to everyone how he met Kagami, their competition, and their promise.
"It was a real shame back then, but I'm back in Japan now. I'm attending Yosen High School, and you probably saw it in the Summer League. Even though we lost, it doesn't change the promise between us!"
"Tatsuya..."
Kagami began, his voice strained.
"I… don't want to continue with you…"
Before he could finish, a furry paw shoved against his cheek.
Kagami jumped in fright.
Himuro Tatsuya also froze.
When Kagami came to his senses, he realized it was Kuroko holding a dog, deliberately poking him in the face.
This dog was the one Kuroko had found on the street and taken home to adopt.
It eventually became the mascot pet of the Seirin basketball team, named "Tetsuya No. 2."
It's often shortened to "Number 2."
Kagami wanted to get angry.
But seeing "Number 2" in Kuroko's hand, he lost his temper.
A fear of dogs is one of Kagami's few weaknesses.
After Kuroko's intervention, Kagami finally abandoned his somewhat childish thoughts.
Himuro Tatsuya had been observing Kuroko since earlier.
He became interested in this kid who had suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
He spoke with interest.
"You must be Kuroko Tetsuya, right? You've found a very interesting partner, Taiga."
His words puzzled the Seirin members.
This person actually knew Kuroko.
Kagami also asked.
"You know Kuroko?"
Himuro Tatsuya nodded.
"Ah... I know a little. Atsushi told me about him."
"Atsushi...?"
The Seirin members were very confused, not knowing who Atsushi was referring to.
However, Kuroko understood as soon as he heard the name.
He explained to everyone.
"It's the center from the Generation of Miracles, Murasakibara Atsushi."
Upon hearing this, the Seirin members became more solemn.
A person's reputation precedes them.
Anything related to the Generation of Miracles would likely resonate with most basketball players.
"Is that guy here too?"
Kagami immediately perked up, his face radiating fighting spirit.
Himuro Tatsuya said helplessly.
"I don't know where he went either. He's a real headache!"
Kuroko expressed his complete understanding.
Himuro Tatsuya looked at Kagami and said.
"Anyway, it's not easy for us to meet this time, so let's have a match! It'll fulfill our promise."
Hearing this, Kagami remained silent, his expression becoming more serious.
Just as the match was about to begin, the tournament organizers released some exciting news.
Due to the large number of participating schools this year, to address the shortage of slots, the organizers have specially expanded the number of participants in each region.
Originally, only the top eight teams from the Summer League could participate in the Winter Selection.
Now the competition has expanded to the top ten.
That means...
each region has gained two more spots in the winter qualifiers.
Toho Kotei Gakuen, Rakuzan, Shutoku, Too, Kaijo, Yosen, and the others... wait, These schools have naturally qualified.
They don't need to participate in the preliminary rounds; they can directly advance to the tournament.
So this is good news for those schools that haven't yet qualified.
It also gives a huge boost to schools that haven't made it to the national tournament but have the potential to.
At this moment...
the entire high school basketball world is in an uproar.
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