"The evaluation for Kuroko Tetsuya ends here,"
"What do you think, Coach Shirogane?"
Inside the office, Shirogane Kozo flipped through Kuroko Tetsuya's player file. After a brief silence, his brows lifted ever so slightly, and he nodded with a rare look of approval.
"I agree to promote him to First String. No objections."
Hearing this, Sanada Naoto couldn't hide his surprise.
"Seriously? Is that alright?"
"Kuroko's unique skill is eye-catching, yes, but when it comes to fundamentals, his abilities are still below average across the board…"
"If the only thing he can really rely on is passing, then in an actual First-Team game, against players like Aomine, or even Haizaki and Shigure—how useful can he really be?"
Standing before him, Shirogane's figure loomed tall, the dim light of the office casting deep shadows across his profile.
"Well then…"
"Why don't we see it in action?"
He paused, then continued calmly:
"What cannot be denied is that Kuroko Tetsuya possesses something our team has never had."
"So… if that talent can contribute to winning, then he stays."
"If it cannot, then we discard it."
On the shelf behind him, the trophy case gleamed. Among the rows of victories, the two recent Nationals championship trophies stood out the most, shining like silent proof that everything Shirogane said was tied directly to victory.
The Second Team coach spoke, his tone grave, "everyone else has failed to pass the elimination match for First String."
"And one more thing…"
He let his voice linger before announcing:
"Kuroko Tetsuya."
"As a specially appointed candidate for promotion, from this day forward, you are a member of the First String."
The words exploded like a shockwave inside the Second Team's gym.
"Kuroko Tetsuya?"
"First String?"
"The others didn't make it, and this guy… who is he?"
"He's that one, right? The kid who only got promoted to Second String less than a month ago."
"…Yeah, I still have no idea who he is."
The coach listened to their chatter for a while before cutting them off.
"Kuroko's promotion was personally approved by Coach Shirogane himself. After watching his evaluation, not a single First String member raised an objection."
"So there's nothing more to discuss. That's final."
After the meeting, the Second Team coach called Kuroko over. He hadn't trained him for long, so it wasn't sentimentality, but rather the weight of farewell—something coaches at Teiko had to do often.
He had seen many players leave. Some after years, some after only a short while—like Haizaki Shogo.
But Kuroko Tetsuya was undoubtedly the most unique of them all.
Clap.
He patted Kuroko gently on the shoulder.
"Coach Shirogane told me about your hard work. And I've seen it with my own eyes too. So…"
"You've seized this chance. From here on, you'll have to work even harder."
"Yes," Kuroko nodded firmly, his expression steady.
At that moment
"Excuse me, is Kuroko-kun here?"
Turning toward the voice, Kuroko saw a familiar face—it was Teiko's team manager, Momoi Satsuki.
"That's me."
"Eh!?"
Momoi froze in place, taken completely off guard.
The coach couldn't help but chuckle. As expected, meeting Kuroko for the first time always had this effect.
So he's the one Shigure-senpai mentioned… Momoi thought.
The so-called 'ghost of the Third Team.'
But he felt so different compared to the other First String players…
In fact, he didn't even look like he belonged to Teiko's basketball club at all.
Had there been a mistake?
Suppressing her doubts, Momoi quickly straightened herself and said, "Starting today, Kuroko-kun is officially a First String player. I'll take you to the First String gym."
Then she hesitated for a moment, squinting at him carefully.
"Just to confirm… you really are Kuroko Tetsuya, right?"
"…Yes, that's him," the Second Team coach cut in with a nod.
"From today onward, First String's very own Kuroko Tetsuya."
Inside the First String gym.
Shigure Akihito was in the middle of solo training when he turned his head and spotted Momoi walking in with Kuroko by her side.
"Senpai," Momoi called, "I've brought Kuroko Tetsuya."
"Ahh, thanks," Shigure grinned.
"Looks like he startled you, didn't he?"
Before Momoi could reply, Haizaki Shogo swaggered over, spinning a ball lazily on his fingertip. With a crooked smirk, he said:
"Took you long enough, Second String."
"We've been waiting forever."
Fukaya Reiji, who had occasionally trained with Kuroko back in the Third Team, gave him a faint smile of recognition. The rest of the First String simply studied him in silence, sizing him up.
With mischief in his eyes, Haizaki stepped aside, clearing Kuroko's line of sight so he could take in the full view of the gym.
"Welcome to the First String, Kuroko Tetsuya," Haizaki sneered.
The moment he spoke, Kuroko felt the weight of countless gazes fall upon him. Even if they were "just looks," the pressure was crushing.
And then, walking toward him like a lion, fresh off defeating both Murasakibara and Midorima at once, came Teiko's captain—Nijimura Shuzo.
Under the towering banner that proclaimed "Teiko: Undefeated", Nijimura's voice rang out with authority:
"Now that you're here, remember this—"
"From the moment you step into this gym, you have only one duty."
"To win."
From the sideline, Murasakibara Atsushi leaned lazily against the hoop.
"So you really made it, Kuroko… Tetsuya?"
Nearby, Midorima Shintarō pushed up his glasses, his sharp gaze narrowing. For some reason, his instincts told him that Kuroko was the kind of opponent he would never be good at dealing with.
But before he could dwell on that
"Murasakibara!" he snapped.
"Why didn't you pass just now!?"
"Eh? But Shintarō, you were the one who joined in all of a sudden. I was working on that 'dream shake' with the captain, remember?"
"Idiot, go practice properly with Kiyoshi-senpai first! Getting stripped of the ball every time—what a joke! And stop bringing snacks onto the court!"
"Ehhh, you're so annoying~ Even the captain doesn't nag me that much~"
"…And besides," Murasakibara muttered under his breath, "I thought I was doing it right… but it just doesn't work. Weird~."
END OF CHAPTER
🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead
🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead + 6 bonus chapters!
Huge thanks to everyone already on Patreon—you're the real MVPs! 🙌Bonus chapters, early access, and all the good stuff are live. 👀✨
And for the rest—it's not too late to be part of the team. 🚀
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer