At one of the tables, four people sat facing each other.
Kagami Taiga.
Kuroko Tetsuya.
Kise Ryouta.
Midorima Shintaro.
Three mbers of the Generation of Miracles, plus one player whose talent rivaled theirs.
No one spoke a word, yet an invisible pressure filled the air, an atmosphere so heavy that those nearby could barely breathe.
"Th-That table's terrifying…"
"Yeah, what's going on over there?! That's way too intense!"
"Wait, wait, wait, doesn't this feel kind of exciting though?"
Aida Riko's eyes sparkled with childlike excitent, her face glowing as if she were witnessing sothing legendary.
The silence continued for several long seconds, until Kuroko, as usual, broke it in the most casual way possible.
"Anyway, let's order sothing first. I'm hungry." He picked up the nu calmly.
"Ah, I'm good," Kise said, waving a hand. "I already ate earlier."
Then he turned toward Midorima. "What about you, Midorimacchi? Want anything?"
Midorima shot him a glare sharp enough to pierce glass. "How could I possibly have the appetite to eat right now?"
"I get it, losing sucks," Kise said with an easy smile. "But hey, there's an old saying, yesterday's enemy is today's friend, right?"
"There was no 'yesterday.' I literally just lost today," Midorima snapped, irritation rising again. "And besides, shouldn't you be the one feeling weird? They beat you before too, so why are you sitting here chatting with them like old buddies?"
"Ah, that!" Kise grinned mischievously, twirling his spoon and pointing it at Kuroko and Kagami. "Of course I'm planning to get revenge! On the national stage, no less…"
He flashed them a confident smile. "Next ti, I won't lose."
"Good," Kagami replied, grinning back.
"We'll be waiting," Kuroko added quietly, his calm eyes burning with the sa fighting spirit.
As the tension between the three began to heat up again, Midorima gave a sharp snort.
"Revenge, huh? Maybe worry about reaching the finals first."
He adjusted his glasses, his tone cold but firm. "Tokyo may have three slots for nationals, but this year's finalists won't be pushovers. Consider this so free advice, there are two extrely dangerous players among them."
He paused for effect, then continued. "One is another Generation of Miracles mber besides , a man nad Aomine Daiki. And Kagami," Midorima added, glancing at him pointedly, "he's the sa type of player as you."
Kagami raised an eyebrow, intrigued, while Midorima's voice took on a trace of lingering frustration.
To be fair, Kagami was still a step away from the Generation of Miracles' true level. But today's match had been pure bad luck, his explosive jumping ability happened to be the perfect counter to Midorima's shooting style.
After a brief pause, Midorima went on.
"The other one is a man nad Akashi Asuka. Kise, you've probably already forgotten him, though that's not surprising for an idiot like you. But Kuroko… I doubt you've forgotten, have you?"
Kise's face twisted. Seriously? Was that insult really necessary?
anwhile, Kuroko nodded solemnly. For loud, free-spirited players like Kise and Aomine, it wouldn't be shocking if they'd completely forgotten Asuka's na.
But for Kuroko, the mory remained vivid.
"That man's dangerous," Kuroko said quietly. "His ability now might already rival the Generation of Miracles themselves. Shutoku actually had a practice ga with Seiho before this, and, well… let's just say it didn't end well for Shutoku."
He rose from his seat. "That's all I wanted to say. Takao, let's go."
"Eh? Already? Wait for ee!"
The two Shutoku players left the restaurant, disappearing into the rain outside.
============
Watching them go, Kagami took another bite of his food, frowning. "What a weird guy. Hey, Kuroko, are those two he ntioned really that strong?"
"They are," Kuroko answered without hesitation. "Aomine-kun used to be the ace of the Generation of Miracles… but I don't like his style of basketball. As for Asuka-kun… honestly, I don't know him that well. He wasn't a Teiko student."
He set down his chopsticks, eyes distant. "But… he once stood alone against the entire Generation of Miracles, and didn't lose."
"Wait, seriously? Was there soone that strong back in middle school? How co I've never heard of him before?" Hyuga Junpei blurted out, unable to contain his shock.
"Ah, now that you ntion it!"
Kise suddenly clapped his hands, mory clicking into place. "Yeah, there really was soone like that! The guy was weird as hell. He had no record, no fa, nothing, then suddenly exploded onto the scene in the final national tournant of middle school!"
He leaned forward, excitent returning. "It was only for one quarter, but he actually suppressed all of us! Oh, and I totally saw him earlier in the stands! No wonder he looked so familiar. He's changed a ton though, completely different from how he was back in middle school."
"No way… there really was soone like that?" Hyuga murmured.
Kise nodded firmly. "No doubt about it. I don't know how strong he is now, but if he managed to beat Midorima, then he must've grown a lot stronger. No wonder Midorima started passing today, it ans he already lost once before this match."
"Wait, if that's true…" Kise's eyes widened. "Doesn't that an Midorima's on a two-ga losing streak?"
As the blond spoke, even he seed stunned by his own realization.
Seirin's players, listening intently, shared the sa reaction.
They knew exactly how powerful Shutoku was.
And yet another team had already defeated them before today, one they themselves would soon face in the tournant.
Just imagining it sent chills down their spines.
"By the way, Kuroko," Hyuga asked suddenly, "what did you say that guy's na was again?"
"Akashi Asuka."
"Akashi Asu, wait… why does that na sound so familiar?"
Hyuga frowned, thinking hard, then a flash of realization hit him. His eyes widened as he turned toward Aida Riko.
"Riko! That guy we t at your dad's training gym…"
"Yeah." Riko's expression hardened as she nodded, voice serious. "There's no mistake. That man was Akashi Asuka."
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