At that moment, at the Akashi residence.
Seijuro Akashi was training on the private basketball court his father had built for him.
To be honest, Seijuro Akashi was a little confused. His father had always been extremely strict with him.
He demanded that Seijuro aim for first place in everything.
On top of that, his father had always strongly opposed Seijuro Akashi playing basketball.
Although he was against it, since Seijuro Akashi was also the best in his school when it came to basketball, his father had turned a blind eye.
But even then, there was no way his father should have built a basketball training court for Seijuro Akashi at home.
It would have been far more believable if he had built him a study so he could learn how to manage the family.
What confused Seijuro Akashi even more was that, not long ago, his father had suddenly changed his attitude completely.
First, he had a basketball training court installed for Seijuro Akashi.
Then he told Seijuro Akashi that he supported him playing basketball.
That left Seijuro Akashi feeling somewhat flattered and bewildered.
Tap, tap, tap...
While Seijuro Akashi was still training, the sound of footsteps slowly approached.
The footsteps stopped outside the court, and the person stood there quietly, watching Seijuro Akashi.
Once Seijuro Akashi stopped, the owner of the footsteps spoke.
"Seijuro."
Seijuro Akashi turned his head. After seeing who it was, he said, "Father."
That's right. This person was none other than Seijuro Akashi's father, Masaomi Akashi.
Masaomi Akashi smiled and said, "Seijuro, who is your opponent in the next match?"
Seijuro Akashi replied, "Seirin High School."
Masaomi Akashi thought for a moment, then muttered very quietly, "Seirin High School? I thought Miyamoto Tokima was at Kirisaki Daiichi."
Seijuro Akashi was a little puzzled. What was his father muttering about?
However, Seijuro Akashi did not ask. That was probably because of how he had been raised.
After muttering to himself for a while, Masaomi Akashi said to Seijuro Akashi, "Seirin, is it? Then do your best. Tell me if you need anything. I won't disturb your training."
Seijuro Akashi nodded and replied respectfully, "Yes, Father."
Although Seijuro Akashi had once said, in his chuunibyou way, that [even my parents will not be forgiven if they defy me],
that was only empty talk.
When he actually stood in front of his father, he was still very respectful.
Masaomi Akashi nodded, then turned and left.
As he walked away, Masaomi Akashi murmured quietly, "Seijuro, whether you can seize this chance will depend on you."
Then Masaomi Akashi sighed and said, "The Miyamoto Family really is terrifying."
...
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the final match of the National Tournament semifinals.
Rakuzan High School vs. Seirin High School.
This match was packed with things to watch.
On one side was Rakuzan High School, led by Seijuro Akashi, the captain of the [Generation of Miracles], along with three of the [Uncrowned Kings].
On the other side was Seirin High School, the biggest dark horse of this National Tournament.
The match was loaded with discussion from every angle.
Of course, opinions were split over which team would win.
In the previous match, because the opponent was not much of a threat, Seijuro Akashi had barely needed to exert himself.
Most of the time, he had simply directed passes to his teammates and had not shown anything particularly eye-catching.
That made him completely different from the other members of the [Generation of Miracles].
Because of that, many people could not get a clear read on Seijuro Akashi's true strength.
Some even felt that Seijuro Akashi was not all that impressive.
And it was not only the audience. Even some players from other teams thought the same.
After all, even when the members of the [Generation of Miracles] were not trying seriously, they would still reveal a glimpse of what made them special.
For example, Shintaro Midorima's high arc and accuracy.
Daiki Aomine's speed, Atsushi Murasakibara's power and defense, and Ryota Kise's [Copying].
Even if they were just playing casually, anyone could tell they were not ordinary players.
But Seijuro Akashi was different.
He looked like a completely ordinary point guard.
At that moment, on the court.
Seijuro Akashi was warming up with the rest of Rakuzan High School in a calm, routine manner.
Rakuzan's warm-up was very simple. They were just doing basic layups.
But what surprised people was that Rakuzan's layup success rate during warm-ups was one hundred percent.
The Seirin players noticed this too, and their expressions grew serious.
Shun Izuki looked grim and muttered, "They really are terrifying opponents."
Junpei Hyuga said, "Yeah. Layups might be the simplest way to score in basketball, but a shooting rate like that isn't something an ordinary team can pull off."
Teppei Kiyoshi spoke up then. "Let's warm up first. This is going to be a tough match."
The Seirin players all nodded and went to warm up.
At that moment, Kirisaki Daiichi was sitting in the stands, watching everything happening on the court.
Shogo Haizaki asked, "Tokima-san, who do you think will win this match?"
Miyamoto Tokima did not answer. Instead, he said, "Don't you already have an answer in mind?"
Shogo Haizaki scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I just wanted to hear what you thought, Tokima-san."
Makoto Hanamiya immediately cut in, "Tokima-san has his own thoughts. As for you, your brain capacity is too small. You can only think in a straight line."
Shogo Haizaki instantly shot back, "Fuck you, Hanamiya!"
Miyamoto Tokima helplessly rubbed his forehead.
These two really had put all their skill points in the wrong places.
One liked to run his mouth nonstop, and the other liked to curse at random.
All he could say was that these kids were something else.
For some reason, Miyamoto Tokima suddenly found himself missing the members of the Black Dragon Team.
...
On the court.
Warm-ups ended quickly, and both teams entered their final moments of preparation.
Seijuro Akashi looked at everyone and said coldly, "Let's go."
Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes!"
On Seirin's side.
Riko Aida encouraged the Seirin players. "Everyone, we've made it all the way to the semifinals. Let's give this everything we have and reach the top together!"
The Seirin players placed their hands together, raised them high, and shouted at the same time.
"Let's go!"
After that, both teams slowly stepped onto the court.
Rakuzan High School sent out center Eikichi Nebuya, power forward Chihiro Mayuzumi, small forward Kotaro Hayama, shooting guard Reo Mibuchi, and point guard Seijuro Akashi.
Seirin High School sent out center Teppei Kiyoshi, power forward Taiga Kagami, small forward Tatsuya Himuro, shooting guard Junpei Hyuga, and point guard Shun Izuki.
After a brief, friendly exchange, the match was about to begin.
Just as Teppei Kiyoshi was about to head to center court for the jump ball, Taiga Kagami walked up and said, "Kiyoshi-senpai, let me take the tip-off!"
Teppei Kiyoshi turned to look at Taiga Kagami. Seeing the determination in his eyes, he nodded with a smile.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you."
...
...
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