"Yuuto!"
Himuro Tatsuya spotted him immediately.
Surprise flickered across his face—he clearly hadn't expected to encounter the so-called strongest high school player in Japan at a casual event like this.
"Where's Murasakibara?"
Yuuto scanned the surroundings but couldn't spot Murasakibara's towering figure.
He'd come here specifically for these two.
"Not sure. Atsushi and I agreed to meet here, but I haven't seen him yet." Himuro had also come because of the poster.
Like Kagami, he'd only returned to Japan this year.
Growing up in America, he was fascinated by his homeland's basketball culture—enough to travel all the way from Akita to Tokyo.
"I see. Want to play?" Yuuto had already shed his jacket.
He wasn't wearing athletic gear—just regular clothes.
"Our coach doesn't allow us to play unofficial matches."
Himuro had only joined this team because they were short a player. He'd planned to mess around a bit while waiting for his teammate.
But facing Seihō and Yuuto of all people? He immediately decided to back out.
This opponent was too monstrous.
Even his teammate Murasakibara was wary of him. Whenever Atsushi mentioned Yuuto, that usually blank face would grow serious.
The Murasakibara he knew was someone who found everything in the world tedious and boring.
Only when facing Yuuto and Akashi Seijuro did his expression change.
Because both of them had defeated him.
Himuro turned to leave, but at that moment, Kagami Taiga's voice rang out from the sidelines. "Is that... Tatsuya?!"
"Taiga!"
Himuro whipped around, his gaze immediately locking onto Kagami. He pushed through the crowd to find his brother standing there with a stunned expression.
"What are you doing here?"
The two stared at each other, calling out each other's names.
Why do these two look so... intense?
Kuroko and the others were curious about the relationship between them.
Kagami hesitated for a moment before explaining.
"We're brothers."
"Huh? Brothers?! Kagami, you have an older brother?"
"Not by blood. It's more like... sworn brothers."
Their relationship was complicated—and also not complicated at all.
It all came down to talent.
Kagami's thoughts drifted back to America.
The first time they met, they'd been just kids in elementary school.
Back then, Kagami had been bullied because of his ethnicity, with few friends to speak of.
Himuro Tatsuya had appeared and made his life less lonely.
Basketball itself was something Himuro had taught him.
Naturally, they became close friends who shared everything, eventually becoming sworn brothers.
Himuro was the older brother. Kagami was the younger.
This continued for years, until their third year of middle school, when Himuro—who had always been the better player—lost to Kagami for the first time.
At first, Himuro thought nothing of it. Wins and losses were normal, and he hadn't been taking it seriously anyway.
But as their record reached 49-49, Himuro finally recognized the problem.
His younger brother's talent was extraordinary. Through their matches, he could clearly feel the gap in their natural abilities widening.
He treasured their bond deeply—yet was stubbornly convinced that if his younger brother surpassed him, he no longer deserved to be called "big brother."
And so the drama unfolded.
Himuro challenged Kagami to a decisive match: if he lost, he would no longer be Kagami's brother.
Because the loser didn't deserve to be the older one.
And Kagami, desperate to preserve their relationship, deliberately threw the game.
He didn't understand Himuro well enough. His well-intentioned gesture inadvertently wounded Himuro's pride.
Himuro erupted after the match, even striking his brother for the first time.
But this needed a resolution. Kagami's intentional loss meant they still hadn't settled things.
They agreed to have a proper rematch to determine everything.
Except before that match could happen, Kagami moved back to Japan.
That was the gist of it.
"Tatsuya..."
"Taiga..."
They gazed at each other, calling out each other's names once more.
Why are these two acting so... dramatic?
Yuuto couldn't take it anymore and cut in. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt your reunion, but if you're not going to play, get off the court."
As he spoke, a fierce, primal aura radiated from him, making sure this pair of "brothers" didn't get too lost in their moment and forget about him.
Himuro's expression cooled, and he shot Yuuto a cold look.
"I've changed my mind. I'll play this match. If I remember correctly, you personally eliminated my Yōsen during the qualifiers."
"That's right. Here to avenge your dear Atsushi?"
Yuuto spun the ball on his finger.
This guy was Kuroko no Basket's master of fakes.
His fakes were so realistic they could fool almost anyone.
More importantly, he was a type of player Yuuto hadn't encountered before.
"No. Taiga has his own matches to fight."
But if I beat you, it'll prove that I still surpass Taiga in talent.
Himuro thought this but didn't say it aloud, only glancing at Kagami.
"Wait, Tatsuya—Yuuto, he's..."
"Taiga." Himuro cut him off with a cold look. "This is my game."
"..."
It was like watching a soap opera.
Yuuto had no interest in watching these two work through their emotional baggage. He walked straight to center court.
A moment later, the match finally began.
The organizers had even provided a referee—just one.
...
The whistle blew. The ball was tossed into the air.
Iwamura Tsutomu roared and easily tipped it to Kasuga Ryuhei.
First possession to Seihō.
Kasuga shook his defender effortlessly and drove to the basket for an easy layup.
"They're still so strong, Seihō."
"Of course. After all those tough battles, they're even sharper than during the qualifiers."
Even though their opponents were mostly amateurs with one Himuro Tatsuya mixed in, Seihō—tempered by their national tournament run—had clearly leveled up.
The change was evident in their team chemistry: refined, cohesive. Everyone could feel their strength.
But then—
"Actually, something's been bugging me since earlier."
"What is it, Kuroko?"
Kagami and the others turned to look at Kuroko's serious face.
"Kagami's brother... he gives me a feeling similar to the Generation of Miracles."
Huh?
The Seirin players were shocked. The Generation of Miracles?
Those four words now represented the absolute pinnacle—one level below only Yuuto himself.
Put simply, any player associated with the Generation of Miracles was terrifyingly good.
"He mentioned earlier that after returning to Japan, he's been at Yōsen, right?"
"Yeah."
"Which means..."
"That's right. He and Murasakibara are on the same team."
His brother is at Yosen?
Everyone was stunned.
One Generation of Miracles member was already overwhelming. A team with two players of that caliber—how absurd would that be?
As they talked, Himuro Tatsuya had already brought the ball up to face Yuuto directly.
...
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