Shirogane Kozo had carefully chosen this practice game opponent.
He wanted to see how much of their talent those first-years could actually translate into real game performance, and then decide how to develop them.
If they could contribute right away, then he wouldn’t overthink it—he’d just use games as training and ride that all the way to the national tournament.
But if these kids still couldn’t handle the intensity of big games, then they’d start from the bench.
Let Nijimura Shuzo and the upperclassmen carry the load for a year before handing over the reins.
After all, geniuses came in many different forms.
Wouldn’t you agree, Aizen?
Aizen: ???
…
One week later.
Kanagawa Prefecture, Kainan University Affiliated Junior High School.
Some youth sports media reporters were watching Kainan’s number 4, Maki Shinichi, warming up on the court.
Unlike most young players who tried to show off their athleticism through flashy dunks, he calmly caught the ball, dribbled past his teammates as if they were defenders with quick crossovers, and drove to the paint to score.
His entire demeanor was incredibly serious, his eyes burning with determination, as if the upcoming game wasn’t just a practice match but a battle for survival.
That was exactly right—for Maki Shinichi, this was an extremely important game.
He would never forget the sight of losing to Teiko last year.
He also understood clearly that if they wanted to win the national championship, Teiko was likely the biggest mountain they’d have to climb.
This year, Maki Shinichi was in his third and final year of junior high.
If he didn’t want to end up empty-handed and enter high school with regrets, this was his last chance—his last national tournament.
The main reason these reporters were here was to cover two key players, and Maki Shinichi was one of them.
At just a third-year junior high student, he already stood 177 cm tall and weighed 70 kg.
Even by global standards, for his age, he was considered exceptionally strong among perimeter players.
And on top of that, he possessed national-level athletic ability.
All these factors combined to make him one of the best point guards in the country.
The other target was naturally Teiko’s core player, Nijimura Shuzo.
Nijimura Shuzo was a second-year student this year, a year younger than Maki, but he was already the best small forward in the nation—bar none.
It was precisely because of his excellence that Teiko had managed to reach the national semifinals last year before falling to Kirisaki Daiichi Junior High.
Just then, the doors to Kainan’s basketball club opened, and under Shirogane Kozo’s leadership, the Teiko squad filed in.
Instantly, the temperature in the gymnasium dropped several degrees.
As the team that had personally eliminated them, Kainan’s players held an indescribable hostility toward Teiko.
Both were powerhouses, and neither would easily concede to the other.
‘This is pretty good. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
It’s starting to feel like real basketball atmosphere to me.’
This kind of tension perfectly embodied the fierce competition of the sport.
“They’re here!
Last year’s national semifinalists, the powerhouse Teiko!”
“You’d expect nothing less from last year’s formidable rivals—this atmosphere doesn’t feel like a practice game at all.”
“This is the number one seed from Tokyo against the number one seed from Kanagawa.
How could there not be some bad blood?”
The reporters whispered among themselves.
This was exactly why they’d come here.
Compared to junior high basketball, high school basketball was clearly more appealing to the youth audience.
Only a matchup between national powerhouses like Teiko and Kainan could draw this kind of attention.
“Still, isn’t Teiko’s roster full of a lot of new faces this year?” Someone pointed out Aizen and the others among Teiko’s lineup.
All unfamiliar faces—probably first-year newcomers to Teiko.
A strong basketball club needed fresh blood to thrive.
Even Kainan had two or three first-years on their bench this year.
Teiko had a full six rookies, each with a different hair color—like they’d dyed them on purpose—so they were hard to miss.
But first-years weren’t the main attraction of this trip.
Their targets were Nijimura Shuzo and Maki Shinichi.
Just as they were talking, Maki Shinichi walked up to Nijimura Shuzo and said, “Long time no see, Nijimura.”
“It has been a while.
Not since last year’s national tournament ended.”
“You don’t need to remind me on purpose.
I remember perfectly well that Kainan lost to Teiko last year.”
There was no anger in Maki’s voice—he was calm and composed—but his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
The two stood about 20 cm apart, staring each other down.
The intensity between them was palpable.
Aizen leaned close to Momoi and whispered, “Hey, Satsuki, are these Kainan guys sore losers or what?”
‘You finally got my name right!’
Momoi whispered back, “Why do you ask?”
“Look at that guy talking to the captain—he’s clearly not a junior high student.
He looks like a middle-aged man.
I swear he could be your father.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Pfft!”
Momoi couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
When everyone turned to look at her, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands, then explained to Aizen.
“No, you idiot!
Maki-senpai is only a third-year in junior high—one year older than the captain.
He’s not middle-aged at all.
At most, he just…
looks a little mature.”
‘A little mature?’
‘That face looks like it has a whole life story behind it!’
Aizen didn’t buy it.
Aomine felt the same way—that ‘middle-aged’ guy definitely looked older than fifteen.
Double that would be more accurate.
It was cheating!
Midorima’s mouth twitched on the sidelines.
‘Coming to someone else’s territory and badmouthing their captain—you two clearly sure found amusing ways to die!’
Akashi maintained his usual elegant smile, but his shoulders were trembling slightly, as if he was barely holding something back.
“Stop talking nonsense here and go warm up!” Shirogane Kozo scolded them.
He’d just been greeting the opposing coach and came back to hear Aizen’s brilliant deduction.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Aizen’s ‘liveliness’ was well-known—he had a habit of dragging Teiko’s serious atmosphere into a completely different direction.
For example, a perfectly normal junior high student like Maki Shinichi got described by him as a middle-aged man.
That was bad enough!
Then again, Maki did look unusually mature for his age.
Maki Shinichi: ???
“Your new players this year seem very energetic.”
“Yeah, they’re not just energetic—they’re also great at causing trouble.
You’ll find that out soon enough.” Nijimura Shuzo replied with an ambiguous tone.
Before long, they’d have the same expressions that everyone had when they first saw those monsters.
‘Don’t be too shocked, Maki!’
“If you can do it, then show me.
Kainan is not afraid of anyone!”