Akashi Asuka got completely blown away.
The moment Kuroko Tetsuya stepped onto the court, it was as if the final straw had broken the camel's back for Kaijo Junior High.
Unlike the other one-on-one monsters of the "Generation of Miracles," Kuroko's true strength lay in his ability to connect the entire team.
The stronger the light, the deeper the shadow.
Even without his near-invisible presence, just by serving as the sixth man alongside the "Generation of Miracles," Kuroko could still unleash terrifying power.
120 to 65.
As the final buzzer echoed through the gym, the game, and the qualifiers, came to a close.
Kaijo didn't lose by double the points, but the score still left no room for doubt. The gap was overwhelming.
Perhaps it was because they had mentally prepared for this outcome that the players of Kaijo Junior High didn't seem all that bitter. In silence, they left the court through the player's tunnel.
Over on Teiko's side, a few players glanced briefly at Akashi Asuka as he left.
But in no time, they had already forgotten him.
Give it a few more days, and any impression he left would probably vanish completely. Perhaps if they met again in the future, they might recall a vague memory, but by then, the two sides would no longer be on the same level.
It wasn't arrogance. It was history.
Three years of Junior High had proven it time and time again: anyone defeated by the Generation of Miracles would only fall further behind as time went on…
============
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The high school entrance exams are over. This time, Akashi Asuka hadn't taken the national standardized test but instead opted for an entrance exam at a prestigious private school.
Unlike mainland practices, most elite academic high schools in Japan are private institutions. Coincidentally, this was the second world in which Akashi had ended up attending a private high school.
This time, however, his background was better, his father was a doctor, so Akashi didn't need to rely on scholarships.
He had applied to just one school.
Firstly, while his academic scores weren't guaranteed to get him in, his odds were practically 99.99%. Not perfect, but close enough.
Secondly, this particular school had been the original body's biggest dream.
And since he was borrowing someone else's life, helping fulfill that person's dream was the least he could do. Akashi Asuka had a strong sense of principle in that regard.
============
"Yo, Tsugawa! Welcome back! Did you pass?" On the basketball court, Akashi was practicing basic ball control and dribbling when someone burst in energetically.
Tsugawa Tomoki gave him a thumbs-up and flashed a bright smile. "Got lucky, just barely made it!"
"Nice! Congrats. Looks like we'll be spending the next three years together," Akashi replied with a grin.
That's right, Akashi had chosen Seiho High School, a prestigious academic school in Tokyo that also boasted one of the top basketball programs in the region, known as one of the "Three Kings of Tokyo."
Akashi himself wasn't too picky about schools. His choice was entirely guided by the original body's dream.
Tsugawa Tomoki, on the other hand, had one reason: Seiho's powerhouse basketball team.
============
"You really are something. You didn't even check the results sheet. Were you that confident about your exam?" Tsugawa leaned closer, eyeing Akashi curiously.
Akashi didn't even look up. "Aside from the final math problem, which was mildly interesting, the whole test was too easy. I can't think of any reason I'd fail."
Tsugawa shook his head but didn't argue. "Well, congrats anyway. I don't know when your grades got so good, but your name was at the very top of the list, first row, first spot."
"All right then! Now that the hardest part's behind us, it's time to start training seriously. Once high school starts, I'm gonna make sure we take our revenge on those guys."
There was still a little over a month before graduation.
But since both Tsugawa and Akashi had already been accepted into high school, they were practically done with Junior High.
For the remaining month or so, as long as they didn't cause trouble or disturb other students, the teachers would mostly turn a blind eye to whatever they did, skipping classes, sleeping through lectures… even requesting extended leave up to graduation day was totally acceptable.
============
"By the way, I've been wondering, aren't you a center? Why are you practicing three-pointers?"
Tsugawa was baffled when he saw Akashi finish his dribbling drills and then start shooting from beyond the arc, pushing a cart full of basketballs toward the three-point line.
At first, he thought Akashi was just messing around, but as his three-point percentage skyrocketed, Tsugawa realized something was off.
It was absurd.
At this rate, Akashi Asuka, a center, would soon have a better three-point percentage than him, a shooting guard.
Or rather, he already did.
Because despite being a shooting guard, Tsugawa wasn't actually good at three-pointers. He specialized more in defense.
Akashi turned to look at him, puzzled. "Who told you I was a center?"
Tsugawa froze. "Huh?"
The original body had played center, but in his previous life, Akashi Asuka had been an exceptionally skilled shooting guard.
Sure, he wasn't on the same level as the freakish players from the Generation of Miracles, but in terms of experience and skill, he far surpassed the original body.
So even though the one he had reincarnated into had been a center, Akashi never planned on giving up his past life's knowledge.
In fact, thanks to his previous experience, his progress as a shooting guard had been so rapid, it almost felt like he had a cheat code.
Especially now that the "Grinding System" had unlocked new features.
His "grind points" were coming in way faster than they had in the last world.
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