Aomine Daiki still had very clear eyes at this moment, eyes so pure they seemed to contain nothing but basketball. This extreme passion for basketball had made him incredibly strong, though it would later make him fearful when his strength surpassed everyone else's and he lost the joy of competition.
Yesterday, Aomine had been fully immersed in his own match, completely unaware of events on other courts. It was his childhood friend, Momoi Satsuki, who informed him about an outstanding defensive player who had joined the basketball club. Intrigued, Aomine instantly became excited, eager to have a one-on-one duel with Tendou Kageyasu.
"I still prefer you when you're arrogant and unruly," Tendou remarked.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's have a match sometime. I'm pretty interested in playing against you," Tendou said, observing the dark-skinned boy who would eventually become Teiko's ace. He wanted to see how he measured up against this world's natural talent.
"It's a deal!" Aomine grinned happily, revealing white teeth. His pure, innocent smile was so bright that it nearly blinded Tendou, whose adult soul had long been stained by society.
"No talking during warm-ups," came a strict voice.
"Tendou, Aomine—five extra laps!"
"Huh?"
Aomine's smile vanished instantly. Tendou silently pursed his lips and obediently ran the five extra laps.
"Captain Nijimura is way too strict. I only said a few words, and his eyes are so scary!" Aomine complained, sweating heavily after finishing the extra laps.
"Well, that's because Nijimura-senpai used to be a delinquent," a girl with pink hair whispered as she quietly approached them.
"Satsuki!?"
"Was Captain Nijimura really a delinquent? Are you serious?" Aomine's eyes lit up with curiosity. He knew his childhood friend well—Momoi always seemed to know everything, like a walking encyclopedia.
"Of course! His most notorious act was riding around on a stolen motorcycle."
"No way! I never would've imagined someone as strict as Nijimura-senpai could've been a delinquent!"
Aomine's mind wandered, picturing Nijimura with a classic pompadour hairstyle, causing him to burst into laughter uncontrollably.
Tendou, who already knew something about Nijimura's past, was not surprised. As he was about to speak, he sensed something fleeting past him.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong, Tendou?"
"Didn't something just float past us?"
"What are you talking about? You're imagining things. You're not so tired from those five extra laps that you're hallucinating already, are you? That's pretty lame," Aomine teased.
Tendou ignored him, convinced he wasn't mistaken, especially since he saw live comments appear before his eyes.
『Hahaha!』
『Kuroko's presence is so faint that even Tendou didn't notice him!』
『Their expressions are hilarious, so adorable!』
『You're right, kitty. You weren't seeing things. Kuroko really did just run past you.』
『Neither Aomine nor Satsuki noticed—only Tendou did. Does Tendou love Kuroko that much?』
『Fujoshi, please stop shipping everyone you see. It's unhealthy!』
『It's probably due to his exceptional vision. Tendou's specialty is stealing after all—if you can't see clearly, you can't steal properly!』
『You'd better mean stealing basketballs!』
It really was you, Kuroko.
Tendou turned his head slightly and, indeed, saw Kuroko running around the court alone, exhausted but determined.
Unlike Tendou and the others, Kuroko had been immediately classified by Coach Shirogane as having no basketball talent. Without a second thought, Kuroko was assigned to the third string.
What was the third string?
It was essentially a reserve of reserves. Players who did well in the second string might have a chance to join the main team, but the third string players had no opportunities to play at all.
Coach Shirogane saw no redeeming qualities in Kuroko—stamina, endurance, speed, explosive power, jumping ability, and strength were all at the bottom tier. In simple terms, basketball was not for him. Players like him wouldn't even get a chance in casual exhibition matches.
This year, the new students worth looking forward to were just Tendou and a few others.
But where were those two troublemakers, Tendou and Aomine?
Coach Shirogane glanced around the gym, realizing the pair were chatting away. Aomine, in particular, was laughing like an idiot.
"Tendou! Aomine! Rejoin practice immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tendou quickly returned to his drills. These daily training sessions provided little opportunity to gain popularity points, and acting as a helpful big brother to run alongside Kuroko didn't suit his persona.
Even without intentionally creating scenes, comments occasionally floated across his vision. Tendou knew Kuroko's eyes kept drifting his way.
...
After club activities ended, Tendou changed clothes and walked out of the locker room, only to find Riko Amanai standing there, hands on her hips.
"Keeping a beautiful girl waiting this long—do you have no gentlemanly manners at all?" she huffed.
"Expecting someone determined to conquer nationals to skip club activities—are you stupid?"
Amanai glared at him. Tendou rolled his eyes.
Their simple exchange of banter caused comments to float by again.
Wait, why were there comments now?
Tendou looked around to see if Kuroko was secretly watching. As he turned, he jumped in fright—Kuroko was standing right beside them.
"A ghost!"
Both Tendou and Amanai jumped away in synchronized shock.
"Kuroko!!!"
"Hello, Tendou-kun and..." Kuroko glanced at Amanai, unsure of her name. "Nice to meet you."
"What's 'nice' about it? Don't just casually say hello after nearly scaring us to death!"
"But I've been here all along," Kuroko said innocently.
『Kuroko isn't lying, I can confirm.』
『Yes, he was just here to walk home with Tendou.』
『Haha, no matter how many times I see this reaction, it's hilarious!』
『Tendou's heart rate: accelerated by 10086%!』
"If I don't live to be a hundred, it's definitely your fault, Kuroko!" Tendou snapped. "With your level of presence, you're basically invisible! Don't tell me you're friends with Harry Potter!"
"Idiot! Harry Potter needs an invisibility cloak. Kuroko clearly has Invisible Woman's bloodline!"
Both Tendou and Amanai stared wide-eyed at Kuroko, genuinely frightened. Kuroko's lips curled slightly as he remarked, "You two have a good relationship. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
A good relationship? Are you blind?
Amanai glared at Kuroko, only then realizing she had unconsciously clung tightly to Tendou during their fright. Embarrassed, she immediately pushed away.
"Get away from me, you jerk!"
"Stupid woman! Don't just randomly hug me!"