The next day, Kagami was practically vibrating with excitement as he strode into school, eager to play some real basketball. The thought of facing strong opponents, dominating the court, and dunking on fools was enough to put a permanent smirk on his face.
That smirk, however, was swiftly wiped away when Seirin's captain, Hyuuga Junpei, cut him down with a single sentence.
"You're still a trial member. You need a permit from the coach before you can even think about playing."
"What?!" Kagami's booming voice echoed down the hallway. "That's ridiculous! Why do I need a permit just to—?"
"Rules are rules." Hyuuga shrugged, adjusting his glasses. "Coach's orders."
Grumbling under his breath, Kagami made his way to Riko's homeroom. His frustration reached a peak when he spotted the coach cheerfully chatting with some classmates. He wasted no time, sliding the door open and stepping inside.
"Coach." His deep voice interrupted the chatter.
Riko nearly jumped out of her seat. "Gah! Don't sneak up on me like that, you giant tiger!"
Kagami blinked. "I literally walked through the front door."
"Yeah, well—! Ugh, never mind. What do you want?"
"The permit."
Riko sighed, pulling a form from her bag and handing it to him. "You, Naruto, and Kuroko need these signed. But I'll only accept them on Monday. 8:40 AM. Sharp. Rooftop."
"Why the rooftop?"
"You'll see." She smirked, and Kagami got the feeling he wasn't going to like whatever she had planned.
The morning sun cast long shadows over the rooftop as Seirin's basketball club gathered. The atmosphere was normal… until an eerie voice echoed through the air.
"Fufufu… I have waited for you to come."
A dark aura settled over the rooftop. Some of the first-years gulped, looking around nervously.
Kuroko, standing next to Naruto, added in a whispery monotone, "We have watched from the darkness, awaiting this fateful moment."
Naruto, playing along, nodded solemnly. "Indeed. And now, the trials begin."
The sheer theatricality of their act sent shivers down the spines of some of the newbies. Even Hyuuga looked concerned.
That was, until Kagami's annoyed voice cut through the moment.
"Oi! We've got five minutes until assembly! Coach, hurry up already!"
Riko sighed, dropping the act instantly. "Way to ruin the mood."
Turning to face the group, she got serious. "Alright, listen up. Before I accept your forms, you need to declare your ambitions in front of the whole school."
Murmurs broke out among the club members.
"What kind of rule is that?"
"Is this really necessary?"
Riko's smirk turned downright evil. "Failure to achieve your goal means one thing—stripping naked and confessing to your crush in front of everyone."
"WHAT?!"
Naruto chuckled. "Coach, you're brutal."
"Seirin's about commitment," she said proudly. "We don't half-ass things here. If you can't even say your goal with confidence, you're not serious enough for this team."
One by one, the club members declared their ambitions. Kagami, of course, boldly declared, "I'll be the best player in Japan!"
A few other members made their own declarations. Eventually, only Naruto and Kuroko remained.
Just as Kuroko was about to speak—
"Oi! What do you think you're all doing up here?!"
A teacher had spotted them, leading to a hasty retreat. The lecture that followed was more comedic than anything else, but at least nobody had to strip that day.
The next day, the team gathered in the changing room before practice.
"You guys hear?" One of the seniors grinned. "We've got a practice match coming up."
"That's not the concerning part," another chimed in. "Coach has been skipping through the halls. You know what that means."
"She's way too happy about something," Hyuuga muttered, rubbing his temples.
As if on cue, Riko burst in, an extra skip in her step. "Alright, everyone! Our opponent for the practice match has been decided!"
The gym fell silent as she grinned.
"It's Kaijou High."
The reaction was instant.
"Wait, Kaijou?!"
"They've got one of the Generation of Miracles!"
The news didn't seem to faze Naruto or Kuroko, though. In fact, they were… giggling?
Kagami raised a brow. "What's so funny?"
Before they could answer, a voice called out from the entrance.
"Yo~! It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Kise Ryouta strode in with his signature model-worthy smile. His golden hair caught the light just right, making some of the girls passing by swoon. He paid no mind, eyes focused on two people in particular.
"Ahh, Naruto-cchi! Kuroko-cchi! It's been ages!"
"You saw us last month," Naruto pointed out.
"Still, it feels like forever!" Kise pouted before flashing a grin at the rest of the team. "I wanted to greet two old friends from middle school… and drop a little warning."
"Warning?" Kagami frowned.
Kise chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "It's about Naruto-cchi. You guys know he played with us in Teiko, right?"
"Yeah, we heard," Hyuuga nodded. "He wasn't one of the Miracles, but—"
"He was stronger than us," Kise interrupted, voice serious. "Even when we played as a full team, we could never beat him when he was serious."
Silence fell over the room.
Kagami scoffed. "Tch, that's some big talk."
Kise shrugged. "Just saying the truth."
Naruto grinned. "Don't tell me you're still salty about all those losses, Kise."
"Pfft, as if!" Kise huffed. "I've totally gotten over it."
Kuroko, ever deadpan, tilted his head. "Didn't you sulk for three days after losing to Naruto-senpai for the twelfth time?"
"T-That was a different situation, okay?!"
Naruto laughed, patting Kise's back. "Relax, Kise. I know you've improved."
Kise sighed dramatically. "You guys are so mean, ganging up on me like this…" Then, his playful smirk returned. "But let's see how your team stacks up against Kaijou!"
Kagami, getting fired up, grabbed a basketball and chucked it toward Kise. The blond effortlessly caught it.
"You talk big, but can you back it up?" Kagami challenged.
Kise's smile widened. "You wanna find out, Kagami-cchi?"
The challenge was set.
One-on-one. The first to score once, wins.
The match was brief but intense. Kagami thought he had the edge—until Kise perfectly copied his move and scored.
Naruto chuckled. "Still a copycat, huh?"
Kise grinned. "It works, doesn't it?"
With that, the day ended. The real battle would come soon.