Chapter 002
"Number two, Nobuki Saito; number four, Kazuto Nakazawa; number twelve, Takao Jukyo; number thirty-one, Tetsuya Kuroko. The students I just called, please report to the third-string coach."
A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the gymnasium as roughly a dozen first-years shuffled over to join the third-string group. Among them, a pale boy with light blue hair moved so quietly that he seemed to fade into the background—most people didn't even notice him walking across the polished court.
The senior with the clipboard cleared his throat and continued. "Next, I'll announce the second-string roster."
This sparked a wave of nervous excitement among the remaining students. "Please let me make second-string at least," one boy muttered under his breath. "Maybe I've got a shot at first-string!" whispered another, his eyes bright with hope.
"Number fourteen, Kuroki Daiki; number twenty-five, Masao Yagi; number twenty-eight, Ranki Yun. These students, please move to the second-string area."
Another group of students moved across the gym, some looking relieved to have made second-string while others appeared slightly disappointed at not making the top tier.
"Finally, the first-string roster."
The entire gymnasium seemed to hold its breath. Even the upperclassmen looked curious—it was extremely rare for first-years to make the elite squad right off the bat. The whispers started immediately: "No way, are there actually first-years good enough for first-string?" "That almost never happens here at Teiko..."
"Number eight, Aomine Daiki; number eleven, Midorima Shintaro; number twenty-three, Atsushi Murasakibara; number twenty-nine, Seijuro Akashi. That completes our team assignments."
The announcement hit the gymnasium like a thunderbolt. Four first-years making first-string was absolutely unprecedented in Teiko's basketball history.
Aomine's face split into a brilliant grin as he turned to his three fellow first-string rookies. "Look at that! We all made first-string together! This is going to be awesome—I'm looking forward to working with you guys."
Akashi responded with perfect politeness, adjusting his position slightly to face the group. "Indeed. I look forward to learning from everyone's skills."
Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose with characteristic precision. "Hmph. This is merely the expected outcome based on our test results."
Murasakibara just yawned. "Eh, whatever... as long as I don't have to do extra work..."
The four first-years followed their new teammates toward the first-string practice area, located in the premium section of Teiko's athletic complex. The facility was even more impressive up close—brand new equipment, perfectly maintained courts, and an atmosphere of serious competitive focus.
A second-year student with an authoritative presence stepped forward to greet them. His build was solid and athletic, with the confident posture of someone accustomed to leadership. "Welcome to Teiko's first-string basketball team. I'm the team captain and club president, Shuzo Nijimura. From now on, we'll all be partners on the court, so let's work well together—Akashi, Murasakibara, Aomine, and Midorima."
"Please take care of us," all four first-years replied in unison, though their tones varied considerably—from Akashi's respectful formality to Murasakibara's lazy drawl.
Behind Nijimura, a middle-aged man in his fifties emerged from the coaching office, carrying a whistle and clipboard. His weathered face suggested years of basketball experience, and his sharp eyes seemed to evaluate each player instantly. "Greetings, everyone. I'm Coach Shirogane, and I'll be overseeing your first-string training regimen. The workload here is intense—anyone who can't keep up will be demoted back to second-string immediately. I expect nothing less than your absolute best effort."
Several days later, the first-string practice facility buzzed with the sounds of serious athletic training—sneakers squeaking against polished hardwood, basketballs bouncing in steady rhythms, and the occasional sharp blast of Coach Shirogane's whistle. The four first-year rookies had been thrown directly into the team's rigorous training schedule alongside the upperclassmen, and the intensity was unlike anything they'd experienced before.
Despite the demanding nature of first-string training, all four newcomers had adapted remarkably quickly. Their natural athletic abilities and competitive instincts allowed them to keep pace with players who had been developing their skills for years.
From the sideline, Captain Nijimura watched the first-years with growing amazement. 'Incredible... they've already adjusted to first-string intensity in just a few days. When I first made the team, it took me over a month to get comfortable with this level of training.' He'd seen plenty of second-string players get promoted to first-string, only to wash out within a week because they couldn't handle the dramatically increased workload—first-string training was easily three times more demanding than anything the lower teams experienced.
But these four rookies were different. They moved with natural confidence and seemed to thrive under pressure. 'We might have some real monsters on our hands here,' Nijimura thought with equal parts excitement and concern. 'I should test their actual game skills soon.'
"Alright, that's enough for today!" Coach Shirogane's voice boomed across the gymnasium. "Good work, everyone. Rest up and be ready for tomorrow."
The moment practice officially ended, Murasakibara collapsed directly onto the court floor like his legs had given out completely. "Ugh... I'm absolutely exhausted..." he groaned dramatically, sprawling across the polished wood without any regard for appearances. "I've never had to train this intensely before. This is seriously way too much work..."
Aomine grabbed a water bottle and took a long drink before settling down near his fellow first-years. Since they were the only rookies on the team, the four had naturally gravitated toward each other during breaks. "Hey Murasakibara, you mentioned you'd never trained like this before—when did you actually start playing basketball?"
Murasakibara stared up at the gymnasium's high ceiling, looking like he was trying to access some deeply buried memory. "Hmm... let me think... I guess it was probably fourth grade? Yeah, I went to watch some mini-basketball tournament thing, and it looked kind of interesting, so I just started playing after that. Nothing too serious, though."
"What about you guys—Akashi, Midorima—when did you get into basketball?" Murasakibara asked, rolling onto his side to look at his teammates with mild curiosity.
Akashi's expression softened slightly with what might have been nostalgia. "I was nine years old when my mother bought me my first basketball. I've been playing consistently for about four years now." There was something in his tone that suggested basketball held deeper significance for him than just a casual hobby.
Midorima adjusted his glasses with his typical methodical precision. "I've been involved with basketball somewhat longer than the rest of you, actually." His matter-of-fact delivery made it sound like he was stating a simple mathematical equation.
"Wait, hold on," Murasakibara interjected, pointing lazily at Aomine. "Mine-chin's probably been playing longer than any of us. He mentioned he can't even remember when he started—it's just always been part of his life."
Murasakibara's attention shifted to Captain Nijimura, who was reviewing practice notes nearby. He lowered his voice to what he probably thought was a whisper but was still perfectly audible. "Captain Nijimura is really incredible, don't you think? Even though I'm way taller than him, I get the feeling he could totally demolish me in an actual game..."
Midorima looked genuinely puzzled by this statement. "Why would being taller automatically mean you could beat someone? That's not how basketball works."
"Eh? Isn't that totally obvious?" Murasakibara blinked in confusion, as if Midorima had just questioned whether water was wet. "Taller players are always better at basketball! Just look at all the professional stars—they're all super tall, right? Height is basically everything in this sport."
Akashi's expression darkened slightly at these words. Among their group of four, he was noticeably the shortest, and Murasakibara's casual statement felt uncomfortably pointed. If he hadn't spent the past few days getting to know Murasakibara's genuinely innocent personality, he might have taken serious offense.
"While height certainly provides advantages in basketball," Akashi said carefully, his voice maintaining its usual composed tone, "the sport requires much more than physical stature alone."
Murasakibara's eyes widened as he realized how his comment might have sounded. "Oh! Akashi-chin, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean anything bad about your height at all!" The panic in his voice made it clear he was genuinely distressed about the misunderstanding.
Akashi offered a small, genuine smile. "Don't worry about it, Murasakibara. You're absolutely correct that height provides significant advantages in basketball. I didn't take any offense."
At that moment, Captain Nijimura approached their small group. The first-years immediately scrambled to their feet—well, except for Murasakibara, who took his time getting up—and waited respectfully for whatever their captain had to say.
Nijimura's expression was serious but not unfriendly. "Akashi, Murasakibara, Aomine, Midorima—I've got something to discuss with you four. This is somewhat last-minute, but we have a practice game scheduled for tomorrow. Originally, Coach Shirogane planned to use only second and third-year players in the starting lineup, but he's decided to give you rookies a chance to prove yourselves on the court. The upperclassmen will still be playing as well, but this is your opportunity to show what you can really do."
Aomine's eyes lit up with competitive fire. "Seriously? A real game already? That's awesome—I can't wait to see what we can do!"
Murasakibara shrugged with his typical lack of enthusiasm, though there was a flicker of interest in his purple eyes. "I guess that's fine... whatever you guys want to do is okay with me." Despite his casual tone, the prospect of actual competition seemed to spark something in him.
Akashi straightened his posture and spoke with formal respect. "Yes, Captain Nijimura. We won't disappoint you or Coach Shirogane. Thank you for this opportunity."
The four first-years exchanged glances, each processing this unexpected development in their own way. Tomorrow would be their first real test as Teiko first-string players.
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