Meanwhile.
Miyamoto Tokima led the entire Kirisaki team out for a group dinner.
Shuzo Nijimura sat beside Shogo Haizaki with a faint smile on his face. He nudged Haizaki with his elbow and asked:
"Haizaki, how was it? Feel better now?"
Shogo Haizaki tilted his head away with a proud snort.
"Not really. If Senior Nijimura had passed me the ball a few more times in the second half, then I'd feel better."
Shuzo Nijimura spread his hands and laughed.
"Alright, I'll pass to you next time."
Then he added:
"By the way, who's our opponent in the next round again?"
Makoto Hanamiya thought for a moment before replying:
"Not confirmed yet. It'll be the winner of Seirin and Tōō."
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi were holding hands, chatting quietly to each other. Hearing the discussion, Miyamoto Tokima turned his head and said:
"It'll probably be Tōō."
Shuzo Nijimura raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested.
"Oh? Miyamoto, why Tōō?"
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
"Da's at Tōō. What, Senpai? Did you already forget the school he mentioned last time?"
Shuzo Nijimura froze for a second, then let out an awkward laugh.
"As if I'd forget. Haha…
But with Aomine at Tōō, Seirin probably doesn't stand a chance."
Miyamoto Tokima's lips twitched slightly.
That topic change couldn't have been more forced.
Ring… ring… ring…
Suddenly, Shuzo Nijimura's phone started vibrating in his pocket.
He pulled it out, saw the familiar name on the screen, and answered immediately.
"Hello? What? You're coming to Japan? That's great! When? …Tomorrow? Alright, I'll pick you up!"
"Mm-hmm. Bye."
He hung up, grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing how excited he was, Shogo Haizaki quickly asked:
"Shuzo Nijimura-senpai, who's coming? Why are you so pumped?"
Miyamoto Tokima also began thinking. There weren't many people who could make Shuzo Nijimura this happy.
And since the person was coming to Japan, that meant they were a foreigner.
The only foreigners Shuzo Nijimura knew were from the United States.
A member of the Black /Dragon Team? Impossible. If the Black Dragon Team were traveling anywhere, the first person they'd contact would be Miyamoto Tokima, not Shuzo Nijimura.
Besides, the Black Dragon Team didn't even know Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura were in Japan. Miyamoto Tokima had only told them he was leaving, not where he was headed.
So that ruled them out.
Which left only one possibility.
Dicky Anthony.
Just as Miyamoto Tokima had guessed, Shuzo Nijimura immediately turned to him.
"Tokima, Anthony's coming to Japan tomorrow."
Miyamoto Tokima waved his hand lightly and smiled.
"Oh? I haven't seen Anthony in a while either. Let's go meet him tomorrow."
Shuzo Nijimura nodded with a grin.
In truth, Miyamoto Tokima had another idea.
He wanted Dicky Anthony to play against the Kirisaki players.
Let them take a real hit.
Shuzo Nijimura's pressure worked, sure—but pressure from a familiar teammate could never compare to the impact of an overwhelming outsider.
...
The next day.
Miyamoto Tokima, Satsuki Momoi, and Shuzo Nijimura arrived at the airport to wait for Dicky Anthony.
Back in the United States, because of Shuzo Nijimura, Miyamoto Tokima had grown curious about Dicky Anthony.
He was someone… different.
The only person Miyamoto Tokima had ever seen who completely lost rationality upon entering the Animal Instinct state.
He could force himself to exit the Animal Instinct state.
But once he activated it, he couldn't control his body at all.
It was the first time Miyamoto Tokima had encountered something like that.
The plane landed quickly.
A tall white man wearing sunglasses, a lip piercing glinting at the corner of his mouth, stepped off the plane at an unhurried pace.
The moment he spotted the familiar figures, he waved enthusiastically and shouted:
"Nijimura! Miya! And Momoi!"
That's right—Dicky Anthony had also gotten used to calling Miyamoto Tokima "Miya."
The moment Shuzo Nijimura saw him, he burst out laughing and sprinted forward.
He rushed straight into Dicky Anthony and threw his arms around him in a bear hug.
But because of the height difference, it hardly looked like one.
Instead, Dicky Anthony casually wrapped his arms around Shuzo Nijimura and lifted him clean off the ground.
Dicky Anthony now stood at a towering 2.14 meters, with an astonishing 2.21-meter wingspan.
Honestly, his size was even more outrageous than Atsushi Murasakibara's current height.
Atsushi Murasakibara was only around 2.08 meters.
If Dicky Anthony hadn't already turned eighteen, Miyamoto Tokima would have seriously considered recruiting him into Kirisaki immediately.
That would've been a true shockwave of pressure for the Generation of Miracles.
Wait.
Eighteen.
Senior year.
Perfect.
Miyamoto Tokima suddenly realized—Dicky Anthony had just turned eighteen this year. That meant he was at the perfect age for a third-year high schooler.
In that case, why not recruit him directly?
If he joined, Kirisaki would truly become a battleship-level team.
The pressure on the Generation of Miracles would increase even further.
Was the current pressure enough?
Probably.
But Miyamoto Tokima believed it could still go higher.
Only by pushing them hard enough could he force them to reunite.
And only if they reunited would he be able to truly face them at full strength.
He already had plans for the future.
Everything he was doing now was part of that plan.
Of course… he seemed to have forgotten one small detail—
Atsushi Murasakibara… was already on his side…
...
Miyamoto Tokima brought Dicky Anthony to try the hotpot restaurant run by his family.
Within minutes, Dicky Anthony was sweating bullets.
The spice was so intense that drinking water did nothing.
He had to rush into the bathroom and splash tap water into his mouth just to survive.
After eating their fill, Shuzo Nijimura suggested a one-on-one.
Dicky Anthony didn't hesitate.
Back in the United States, the two of them had played countless one-on-ones.
It was no exaggeration to say that Dicky Anthony played a huge role in Shuzo Nijimura's current strength.
Without the pressure Dicky Anthony constantly applied, Shuzo Nijimura wouldn't have grown this fast.
Pressure makes people stronger.
They picked a random outdoor court and got ready.
Dicky Anthony tossed the ball to Shuzo Nijimura with a grin.
"Go on. You start."
Shuzo Nijimura caught it and smiled back.
"You bastard. Just so you know—I'm a lot stronger now."
Dicky Anthony smirked.
"Oh yeah? Then let me show you my Viper Wrap."
The two prepared to begin.
The other players on the court had already noticed the foreigner.
Especially one that tall.
Eyes naturally turned their way.
Seeing that the foreigner was about to go one-on-one with someone from their own country, people quickly gathered around to watch.
"That's a foreigner, right? He's insanely tall!"
"Yeah, he's gotta be over two meters. Wonder if the other guy can handle him."
"No idea. Let's watch. Feels like it might be tough."
A figure at the edge of the crowd looked over and muttered in confusion:
"What's going on over there?"
....
(Disclaimer: From this point onward, I will shorten the team name from Black Emperor Dragon Team to Black Dragon Team for simplicity and readability.)
...
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