Seiho's draw luck could be said to be very good.
The lower bracket had three Generation of Miracles teams, while the upper bracket had two. This was the reason.
"Don't be careless. Kaijo has dominated Kanagawa for years and was the top seed for the championship last year." Yamashita Shio, as always, told them not to relax too much. He said, "Although their main lineup lost more than half due to graduation, they acquired Kise Ryota from the Generation of Miracles this year. Their strength will only be greater than last year."
Last year's Kaijo was hailed as the strongest in history, the biggest favorite for the championship in the eyes of the media, with a chance to shake Rakuzan's dominance.
But unexpectedly, they narrowly lost to their opponent in the Round of 16, regrettably exiting.
Yuuto also had some memory of this incident.
Through Yukio Kasamatsu, he learned that Kasamatsu made a fatal error at the last moment in the Round of 16 match last year, causing the team to collapse and eventually lose the game.
This became the biggest regret in the Kaijo captain's heart.
The reason Yuuto remembered this was because in the second Nationals of the original work...
Kaijo also encountered the No. 1 seeded team of the Tokyo district, Tōō Academy, in the Round of 16 match.
As a result, they fell in the Round of 16 again.
It was just that, unlike last year, the person who sent the fatal pass at the last moment this year was no longer Yukio Kasamatsu, but Kise Ryota.
Yamashita Shio's words reminded Yuuto of this matter.
"So that was the reason."
Yuuto thought of the simulation where all Kaijo members exploded in that match.
At first, he thought it was just luck, but now thinking about it, it was inevitable.
What about us who replaced Tōō's position?
Yuuto's gaze swept across the schedule.
Round of 16.
Like a curse, if everything goes smoothly for them this year, they will encounter Kaijo's sniping in the Round of 16.
"Round of 16 again."
In his second year of junior high, the Hozumi Academy he led was swept out by Teiko in the Round of 16.
In his third year, he completed his revenge, also giving Teiko a Round of 16 exit in the Nationals.
Result this year...
One can only say that sometimes fate really loves to play tricks on people.
"Of course, we are Seiho; we won't fear any enemy." Yamashita Shio continued speaking, contradicting his previous words—a typical case of left brain fighting right brain.
But this is normal in the high school basketball world.
On one hand, head coaches hope players can be cautious; on the other hand, they also hope they hold confidence.
So similar rhetoric appears frequently.
"Since Yuuto is back, let's begin."
The team soon disbanded, and everyone made final preparations for the Nationals.
...
Thus.
Ten days passed in a flash.
On this day.
Yuuto left home, came to school, and took the bus to Kyoto, the host city of this year's Nationals.
What comes to mind when mentioning Kyoto?
Perhaps many people will think of Kyoto Animation (KyoAni), the famous animation production company.
This company has always been known in the industry for high standards; K-On!, Violet Evergarden, Hyouka, Clannad, etc., all came from their hands.
Besides that, Kyoto is also known as the spiritual hometown of Japanese people, the origin of Japanese culture, retaining 17 World Cultural Heritage sites to this day.
After getting off the bus, Yuuto saw Kyoto for the first time and felt an unexpected sense of familiarity.
This is because Kyoto was initially built imitating the architectural style of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty.
Seiho arranged the hotel in advance. During the Nationals phase, they would stay here temporarily.
Just after putting down the luggage, the phone rang.
Not the smartphones of later times; flip phones had just come out in this era and were loved by Japanese people as soon as they went on sale. Most team members now used flip phones.
Yuuto flipped open this phone with a very retro feel and pressed the answer button.
"Yu..."
"I know, coming right away."
Yuuto greeted his teammates and went out.
Soon he met up with Momoi, and Aomine was with her.
They hung out together nearby.
Walking on the road with hands in his pockets, Aomine suddenly asked, "I heard from Satsuki that you went to find that guy Midorima and stayed there for a night."
"Yeah, it was a very wonderful night."
Momoi, walking in front, stiffened slightly, turned back to give Yuuto a charming eye roll, feeling a strange sensation in her chest.
Aomine didn't notice; he seemed to have thought of something.
"Did your ability evolve again?"
"No."
Indeed not. It was just that he finally threw enough attribute points to activate Weakness Revision normally.
It didn't sound like a lie, but would this guy really do such boring things? going over just for a game?
"Never mind my business; worry about yourself. Your bracket has those guys Murasakibara and Akashi."
"I'll handle them." Aomine's hoarse voice revealed thick confidence. "You, on the other hand—don't lose in the Round of 16. That would be too boring."
"That guy Kise has been running to Tokyo all the time recently."
He reminded Yuuto.
Kise hadn't hidden his whereabouts, so naturally, Aomine could discover this Golden Retriever.
He, Yuuto, and Midorima—three people—had made great progress in all aspects in less than three years.
He believed Kise would be no exception, perhaps improving even faster and more than them.
Because Kise only started playing in his second year of junior high; these recent years were his golden period of growth.
"No one knows exactly how powerful that guy is now."
"I know."
"You know?"
Of course, he had played several times in the simulation.
Aomine stared at him, waiting for the follow-up, but Yuuto said nothing.
"Tch, acting mysterious."
He stopped dwelling on such things.
After all, unknown matches are more exciting to play.
The three walked to a Takoyaki stand, ordered a few portions, and ate with gusto.
"Not bad."
"Indeed not bad."
Yuuto and Aomine finished quickly and even commented on it.
Then the two looked at each other. Momoi didn't know what they were doing at first, happily preparing to send the hot Takoyaki into her small mouth.
Until the boss asked actively, "Three guests, who is paying?"
They invariably turned their heads to Momoi.
The girl felt like she was struck by lightning; the Takoyaki almost in her mouth suddenly wasn't fragrant anymore.
Why is it always me paying at times like this?
She pitifully took out her wallet, taking out her pocket money to pay for her scumbag dream lover and idiot childhood friend.
Yuuto was a bit embarrassed; he forgot to bring his wallet when going out.
Compensate Satsuki tonight...
...
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