Chapter 53

The first game of the Final League featured Seirin High against Too Academy. Most people didn't expect it to be a close match, as Too Academy had dominated their block. Although Seirin had also performed well in their block, it wasn't as dominant as Too or Shutoku.

While many anticipated Seirin High putting up a fight, they didn't expect them to win. It wouldn't be surprising if Too Academy dominated the game, just as they had in their previous matches.

A large crowd gathered at the gymnasium, hoping to witness an exciting game. Among them were groups of students, their friends, and families of the players, eagerly awaiting the start of the Final League.

Inside the locker rooms, both teams had a similar atmosphere but different energy. Seirin High's locker room exuded a solemn vibe. The players knew that the upcoming game would be their toughest challenge in the tournament so far.

They understood that this game wouldn't be like their previous ones, where they easily defeated their opponents. This time, they were up against a player from the Generation of Miracles, particularly the ace of the group.

Although they were familiar with the skill level of the Generation of Miracles, having played against one of them before, they still remembered their defeat at the hands of Kise in the last two minutes of the game.

Based on what Kuroko had told them, Aomine Daiki was an even better player than Ryota Kise. Kuroko even considered Aomine the best player among the Generation of Miracles. Considering Kise's improvement in the past few months, which Kuroko hadn't anticipated, they expected Aomine to be an even tougher opponent.

Despite making some improvements since their loss to Kise, most of the players weren't sure if it would be enough to defeat Aomine and Too Academy. Even their coach, Aida Riko, had doubts about their chances, despite brainstorming strategies to counter Aomine and Too in the past few days.

In contrast, Too Academy's locker room had a relaxed atmosphere as they awaited the game. Unlike in the anime where Aomine Daiki was often late and lazy, this time he was already present in the locker room, but he was napping on one of the benches.

Although Aomine wasn't as careless as his anime counterpart, he still didn't take Seirin High seriously. Even with Kuroko, Kagami, and Ogiwara, a player from Meiko Junior High who had defeated him and his team in the middle school national championship, Aomine remained confident in his ability to beat them.

While he looked forward to playing against Kuroko, he believed that even if Kuroko and his team had improved significantly, he was still confident in his own abilities to defeat them. The only game he was truly excited about was their match against Shutoku High, which he had been anticipating all year.

The Interhigh Tournament was not on Aomine's mind at the moment. His sole focus was on playing against Ichigo. Although he didn't care that Ichigo had beaten his team, he still wanted to seek revenge and prove to himself that he was the best. To do that, he needed to defeat Ichigo and his team.

Even though the rest of Too Academy was also in a relaxed mood, unlike Aomine, they were still preparing for their game against Seirin. Especially their coach, Harasawa Katsunori. He didn't want his players to be caught off guard by their opponents.

That's why he had the team's manager/analyst, Momoi Satsuki, read out her scouting report for each of Seirin's players. They had already done this a couple of times before the Final League, but Coach Harasawa didn't let his players lower their guard just because they had a counter to Seirin's plays.

After a few more moments, and seeing that his players were ready, Coach Harasawa wasted no more time and began his pregame speech. Most of it was reminding his players about what they had discussed, and then he ushered his players towards the court for their game. Aomine also got up from his nap after Coach Harasawa finished his speech.

In Seirin High's locker room, the players were also preparing for the game. They stood around and waited for their coach to give her pregame speech. Seeing her players looking serious, she asked them with a serious face, "It's almost time. Are you guys ready?"

Seeing them nod, she continued, "Only three of the four teams in the Final League will be able to qualify for Interhigh."

She crossed her arms in front of her and added, "Just like Koganei said, it doesn't seem difficult at first glance. However..."

After saying that, Mitobe Rinnosuke and Izuki Shun sandwiched Koganei Shinji between themselves, holding onto both his arms. Koganei was perplexed and panicking, wondering why his two friends were doing this. He turned to the two of them with a questioning look, but they only shook their heads in pity for him.

His panic increased when he saw Riko standing in front of him with her paper fan. Seeing Koganei in place, without mercy, Aida Riko slapped him hard with the paper fan in her hand. Koganei could only sulk on the side, feeling wronged. "Why me?" he cried while holding his cheek.

Putting down her fan, Riko continued, "If you think we can lose one game because of that, we are all finished," she declared.

"If you think it's okay for us to lose this game since we have two more to go, then you are wrong," she said with seriousness in her words.

"That's not how we do things, are we? We go into games expecting to win. So I want all of you to go out there and win, do you understand?" she asked her players.

Seeing her players nod with determination etched on their faces, she didn't waste more time as she gather them for a huddle as she said, "On three. One, two, three..."

"SEIRIN, FIGHT!" they all shouted at the same time with conviction and determination.

After Aida Riko's pregame speech, they all left the locker room and made their way towards the court. As they walked, you could feel the seriousness in the atmosphere surrounding the whole Seirin High team. Their determination to win was palpable.

They arrived at the court shortly after, but they saw their opponents already doing their warm-ups. However, not all of them were present. Aomine was on the sidelines, lying down on their designated bench with a towel covering his face, still deeply engrossed in his interrupted nap from the locker room.

Beside him were their coach, Harasawa Katsunori, and their manager, Momoi Satsuki. When Momoi spotted Kuroko with the players from Seirin High, she immediately waved at him enthusiastically.

Kuroko didn't bother to wave back or acknowledge her, as he walked towards their side of the court to warm up. Momoi, feeling a bit irritated, pouted but didn't make a big deal out of it, understanding that they were now on opposing teams.

Seeing this, some players from Seirin couldn't help but feel jealous. It wasn't the first time they had seen Kuroko's self-proclaimed "girlfriend." They had already seen her during their pool training at Aida Sports Gym. Just by looking at her, some of the players immediately fell for her beauty and charm.

They were even more surprised when she declared herself as Kuroko's girlfriend. Kuroko, who appeared frail and short, had someone like Momoi Satsuki as his girlfriend, a stunning and alluring girl. The mere thought of it made the players from Seirin envious to the core. What made it worse was Kuroko denying their relationship.

To add salt to the wound, Momoi would sometimes hug Kuroko, drawing him close to her ample bosom, right after he denied their relationship. It nearly drove the Seirin players to explode on the spot that day.

So, when Momoi waved at Kuroko and he didn't reciprocate her advances, the Seirin players could only sigh in lamentation. "How can the world be so unfair?" they thought, feeling a tinge of sadness.

While his teammates were still lamenting about life's unfairness, Kuroko and Kagami, on the other hand, were focused on preparing for the toughest game of their lives. They went through their warm-up routines with serious expressions, especially Kagami, who had already faced Aomine before.

Kagami had experienced playing against Aomine one-on-one, and it wasn't a pleasant matchup for him. Aomine had shown him the vast gap between their skills that day. Although it didn't dampen Kagami's spirits for their game today, it made him realize what he needed to achieve in order to at least compete against the Generation of Miracles.

Kagami also wanted to prove Aomine that he wrong about Kuroko's judgment to be Kagami's shadow. In this game, he would show Aomine that Kuroko's choice was not a mistake and that he was the perfect partner for him.

With that thought, Kagami's determination to win this game grew even stronger. It wasn't just about proving that he could compete against the Generation of Miracles; it was about showing that Kuroko's judgment had always been correct. Kuroko made the right choice by joining a team like Seirin High instead of opting for one of the top teams like Shutoku, Kaijo, Too, or other powerhouse teams. This game was an opportunity to validate that decision.