Aomine. Haizaki. Midorima…
After them, the remaining members of the Generation of Miracles also received individualized guidance from Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo.
Some were taught techniques that perfectly suited their abilities.
Some were given direction and clarity on where to improve.
And some simply needed advice — a hint, a spark of inspiration.
But whatever it was, as seniors of Teiko, Shigure and Nijimura gave it their all. Before Hagioka Kasayuki was to depart with the U-20 coaching team, the two poured in every ounce of help they could give.
And on that same day
Unexpected visitors arrived at the seaside training facility.
The sound of waves blended with the echo of sneakers in the gym by the coast.
Ryōta Kise, who had been playing as a substitute, came running toward the court in a hurry. Just as Aida Riko was about to ask what was going on, the words that burst out of his mouth made everyone freeze on the spot.
"Captain Nijimura!"
"Senpai Shigure!"
"You guys—"
"You've been recruited!"
"...Huh?" Nijimura blinked.
Everyone on the court stopped moving.
Hagioka turned toward Shigure and Nijimura, then glanced at the U-20 coaches who had been observing his training these past few days, seeking confirmation.
The U-20 coach looked just as puzzled.
"Recruited? That's strange… the U-18 roster was finalized long ago. Unless…"
He paused, frowning slightly.
"Unless those idiots at U-18 finally decided to overlook the 'first-year' rule after the Interhigh and make an exception for these two monsters."
He gave a half-smile.
"Well… wouldn't be surprising."
Everyone crowded around Kise, who was clutching an unopened envelope.
"Senpai, I didn't peek inside, I swear! But I asked around… it's a summons from the National Basketball League!"
"Eh?"
A… summons?
Shigure blinked.
Wait—wasn't the next part of the storyline supposed to be the Winter Cup?
Sha—Sha—Sha
Nijimura opened the envelope, and instantly, all eyes — including those from Rakuzan, Seirin, and Teiko — turned toward the letter in his hands.
Mr. Nijimura Shuzo,
Congratulations. You have been selected for the National Basketball League's Intensive Training Program.
Below the bold header were rows of details — training period, location, and other notes.
The U-20 coach frowned again.
"An Intensive Training Program? Don't tell me this is the U-18 selection… But even the U-20 team has never issued such a formal invitation."
He double-checked the date, brows knitting deeper.
"And the timing is way too early. This training's scheduled for after next winter. That's more than a year away…"
He let out a long exhale.
"Well, whatever it is — a call-up from the National Basketball League is definitely a good thing!"
"Maybe through this training, Nijimura… next year—no, the year after next, you might be representing Japan on the world stage!"
At that, Aomine's eyes widened in astonishment.
The world.
How amazing was that?
After all, by next winter, Captain Nijimura would still only be in his second year of high school—seventeen years old!
"Do your best, you two. If it's U-18, you'll both ace it for sure. I'll probably fight the U-18 staff to bring you over to U-20 myself."
Around them—Rakuzan, Seirin, Teiko—everyone's faces were frozen in shock at the mention of "U" teams and "world tournaments." Even the ever-calm Akashi looked mildly stunned when his gaze fell on Shigure and Nijimura.
It felt as though
All the sweat and effort they had poured into their youth…
Had suddenly been carried by these two, straight into another world
A completely different level of basketball.
Their goal lines were no longer confined to Japan.
Shigure Akihito, however, was still trying to process it all.
So… the main storyline had shifted to after the Winter Cup?
No, not shifted—extended.
This wasn't a detour; it was the continuation of Kuroko's Basketball, unfolding through this new training arc.
Still suspicious, Shigure tore open his own envelope.
And
"!?"
He almost swore out loud.
The contents were the same… yet completely different.
Mr. Lin Shigure,
Congratulations. You have been selected for the National Basketball League's Intensive Training Program.
But the text
The location, the schedule—everything was written in a different language.
Even his name was written in Xiàguó (夏国) script—
The language of China.
"...Huh?"
"Lin… Shigure?"
That was definitely him.
But when did he get another national identity? Wasn't this supposed to be a standard "transmigrated orphan" setup?
Nijimura instantly noticed Shigure's confusion. He peered over at the unfamiliar characters on the letter. He could make out a few words, but not enough to make sense of it.
"Shigure…"
Before he could finish speaking—
Four figures appeared in the distance, approaching step by step like an even progression in height: the tallest close to two meters, the shortest around 185 cm.
"Mr. Sun, your side sure works fast. You've already sent out invitation letters before even meeting them in person, and even verified their identities."
"Heh~ well, players of this caliber are rare even for us. As for identity, we confirmed through family records and genealogy."
"So you're determined to get him?"
"No," the man smiled, "we fully respect personal choice."
Standing beside the towering Sun Fengwu, known as the Tyrant of the Court in Xiàguó's basketball scene, was none other than Tachibana Kōrō.
He eyed the man cautiously, then glanced at the two high schoolers Sun had brought with him.
Sun Fengwu—
That man saw through people frighteningly well.
While the two groups chatted fluently in Xiàguó's language, everyone else — Rakuzan, Seirin, Teiko — stayed silent, watching the strangers with wary curiosity.
Only Midorima Shintarō's eyes widened when he recognized one of them.
The U-20 coach, however, shouted outright.
"Ta—Tachibana?!"
"When did you return to Japan?!"
Tachibana blinked for a moment before recognizing the voice.
"Huh? Wait… you're… Emperor Kakuta— no, Kakuta?"
"Ah! That's me!" Kakuta laughed. "You still remember me, huh?"
"Of course, of course~" Tachibana chuckled. "How's everyone at Shōhoku these days?"
"All doing great! The two senpai retired, the rest are in the domestic pro league. Only Sakuragi and Rukawa are still overseas…"
"Right, but you—what's this all about?"
Snapping back to the present, Tachibana gestured toward the three beside him.
"Didn't recognize them? This is Mr. Sun Fengwu from Xiàguó, and these are two of Xiàguó's high school basketball prodigies—Zhu Yangyu and Gao Ge."
"Wait—"
"White… Platinum Theatre…?"
"Mr. Sun Fengwu?!"
Kakuta's eyes widened in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Shigure's gaze fell on the two Xiàguó prodigies.
The shorter one—about 185 cm, delicate features, smiling serenely—met his eyes with a gentle look.
The taller one—roughly Shigure's height, sharp-eyed, expression cold—was scanning the court as if searching for someone. Then his gaze snapped toward Shigure, flicked briefly to Nijimura, and landed squarely back on Shigure.
"Hey! I heard you've got a Yaksha here too? Is it that guy next to you?"
He smirked.
"Let me see what you're made of. Same nickname as me, right?"
END OF CHAPTER
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