1. First Question

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“You idiot, Oikawa! Where did you run off to?”

At the entrance of the volleyball stadium, Hajime Iwaizumi shouted into his phone, “The afternoon match is about to start! You were the one who wanted to come watch it, and now you’ve left Makki and me standing here?!”

“You have three minutes. I don’t care where you are—get in front of me right now.”

Takashi Hanamaki stood beside him, laughing as he watched Oikawa Tooru’s predicament unfold.

It was a shame Matsukawa wasn’t there. Otherwise, the three of them could have made fun of Oikawa together.

Whether Oikawa watched this match or not was actually irrelevant. The real problem was…

The tickets for all three of them were in Oikawa’s hands.

They couldn’t get inside.

There was a long silence on the other end of the call. Every now and then, they could hear cheering and shouting, as though Oikawa was in another stadium watching a match of his own.

“Where are you right now?” Iwaizumi asked suspiciously.

“Iwa-chan…” Oikawa’s voice finally came through.

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Oikawa stared at a certain figure on the court, his eyes sparkling.

“I found a diamond.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

As the whistle announcing the end of the match rang out, Oikawa straightened and prepared to sneak backstage to intercept someone.

“Wait for me a little. I’m going to pay a visit to my future underclassman.”

“Hey? Oikawa? Hey!”

Hearing only the dead tone from the phone, Iwaizumi’s face darkened until it looked like the bottom of a cooking pot.

“Bastard. Oikawa.”

“Don’t get so angry. Oikawa must have his reasons. Let’s find somewhere to sit for a while. You can beat him up when he gets back.” Hanamaki half-dragged and half-carried Iwaizumi away from the stadium entrance, cheerfully setting a trap for Oikawa in the process.

The three of them had taken advantage of their vacation to come to Tokyo and watch a professional league match with Oikawa. His idol had been performing in an exhibition match that morning, so they had bought all-day passes and planned to watch the afternoon game before heading home.

Who could have guessed that during the lunch break, Oikawa Tooru would vanish without a trace?

“When I catch him, I’m going to punch him as hard as I can!” Iwaizumi swore.

Meanwhile, Oikawa Tooru, now wanted by his childhood friend, had successfully slipped into the players’ passageway of the basketball stadium.

He had only just stopped in the shadows at the end of the corridor when a team of exceptionally tall players came toward him.

Oikawa stared for a long while at one particular purple-haired player.

He had wanted to say it earlier, when he was watching from above—the length of those arms and legs, that height…

The boy was clearly a promising volleyball player.

However…the target Oikawa had in mind was not one of these unfriendly-looking giants.

The players passed him one after another. The red-haired boy leading them cast him a sidelong glance, and a faint chill seemed to flow from his eyes. His arrogance and disdainful air made Oikawa’s heart tighten.

Oikawa returned his gaze with a smile, but in the end, neither of them spoke.

The others following behind did not spare Oikawa even a glance.

How arrogant…

Oikawa withdrew his gaze. In the distance, he saw two figures approaching.

They were here.

#

“Tetsu-kun?”

When had it begun?

Someone’s voice reached his ears, accompanied by waves of deafening cheers.

But to Tetsuya Kuroko, whose stamina had been thoroughly drained, none of that mattered. The only thing occupying his mind was…

The fist bump he had just been refused.

Kuroko lowered his head and looked at his hand. An immense sense of emptiness suddenly welled up inside him.

He…

“Tetsu-kun!”

A towel was tossed over his head. A pink-haired girl looked at him anxiously.

“Are you…all right?”

She seemed terribly upset, as though she wanted to say something but could not.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, Momoi-san.”

After briefly wiping away his sweat with the towel, Kuroko Tetsuya walked toward the rest area to gather his things.

Seeing that Kuroko appeared perfectly normal, Satsuki Momoi inexplicably felt a sense of panic.

“Tetsu-kun…”

She glanced toward the others, who had already left the court. As the team manager, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a helpless despair.

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Clearly…

Things had not been like this before.

“I’m really fine.” After packing his bag, Kuroko looked at Satsuki Momoi and spoke gently. “There’s another game starting here soon. Let’s go back first.”

He believed he was keeping his emotions under control reasonably well. After all, he did not want these matters to affect Momoi.

Momoi felt as though she could barely breathe.

The boy she cared for most was frowning slightly, forcing himself to smile at her.

“Ah…all right.” Holding her folder, Momoi hurried after Kuroko as he jogged into the passageway.

Before entering the corridor, Kuroko looked up and surveyed the stands.

There had been a large crowd cheering for Teiko. They were still shouting and celebrating the victory, yet not a single player who had taken part in the game showed any emotion at all.

To them…

This was merely a victory that nobody cared about.

A victory that had been inevitable.

A victory without any meaning.

And he…

He was equally unnecessary.

After all, no one here needed him anymore.

“Who is that?” Momoi’s voice came from beside him.

Kuroko, who had been lost in thought, finally came back to himself. Following Momoi’s gaze, he looked toward the shadows at the end of the passageway.

A tall figure emerged from the darkness step by step, finally stopping five meters away from Kuroko.

“Hello?”

Kuroko dutifully greeted the stranger. Compared to him, Satsuki Momoi appeared exceptionally wary.

“Hello~ Would you mind talking with me for a little while? I won’t keep you long.”

Oikawa Tooru’s gaze remained fixed solely on Kuroko Tetsuya, without the slightest hesitation.

Momoi looked suspicious, with a trace of confusion and bewilderment.

Very few people could identify Kuroko so sharply upon meeting him for the first time. Even Midorima, whose observational skills were remarkably keen, had occasionally overlooked Kuroko at the beginning.

Kuroko remained silent for a long time. He was not in the right state of mind, and for a moment he did not know how to respond.

“Hello… Did you need something from me?”

“Hmm. You don’t look very happy, so I thought I’d have a heart-to-heart with you?” There was a hint of uncertainty in Oikawa’s voice. In truth, he had only wanted to pick out a promising talent, but judging from the atmosphere, perhaps he had arrived at the wrong time.

No…

Perhaps he had arrived at exactly the right time.

He had only wandered into this basketball stadium by chance after lunch. When he arrived, the game had just begun.

He had heard that it was a middle school league match. Since no ticket was required, he had somehow found himself walking inside.

Oikawa had no particular interest in basketball. After watching one quarter of a completely one-sided game, he had been preparing to leave. But at that very moment, Teiko Middle School, which already held a massive lead, sent out Number 15.

And Oikawa Tooru had only needed one more look to become completely unable to tear his eyes away.

Number 15 was not especially tall, and his presence was strangely faint. Anyone who did not pay close attention would overlook him entirely.

But for a top-level high school volleyball setter, observing Number 15 was a simple matter.

For Teiko’s basketball team, which already possessed an overwhelming advantage, Number 15 might have been nothing more than an embellishment. No one paid any attention to the person making those passes among them.

Number 15’s hands were steady, and his movements contained not even the slightest hesitation—a clear sign of an exceptionally lucid mind.

His overall awareness was excellent. Every time he made a pass, he chose the best possible moment.

And that style of play, in which he barely held the ball at all…

It was a pleasure to watch.

Oikawa had never cared about the star players who gathered all the light on the court. In that instant, he had seen a genius.

An existence possessing absolute talent.

With that feel for the game and that style of play, he would undoubtedly become an outstanding hub for distributing the ball.

Setter or libero—either position would suit him perfectly.

Every movement on the court had fallen within Oikawa’s view, and the smile on his face gradually cooled.

Oikawa hated geniuses, but…

He hated arrogant people who looked down on everyone else even more.

He had discovered a diamond, only to see it trampled beneath someone’s feet.

When he saw Number 15 extend his hand toward the dark-skinned ace, only to be ignored, Oikawa could no longer sit still.

It did not matter.

He would cherish this diamond.

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And so…

“Hello~”

“Would you mind talking with me for a little while?”

The young boy not far away widened his round eyes, his face filled with confusion.

That was understandable. Oikawa had appeared so suddenly.

“Do you have some time?” Oikawa asked in the most casual tone he could manage. “I don’t mean you any harm.”

The boy glanced at the girl beside him. Finally, under the girl’s deeply disapproving gaze, he nodded at Oikawa.

“All right.”

Kuroko had no ulterior motive.

He simply did not want to go back. He did not want to see Daiki Aomine.

This was not the first time Aomine had ignored him, and it would not be the last.

Kuroko had merely reached out by force of habit, again and again, desperately hoping for that tiny possibility.

But…

There had never been any response.

Perhaps it was time to give up hope.

In any case, the Teiko basketball club was loosely managed, and there was no post-game review. Even if he left, it would not cause any trouble.

For now…he would allow himself to run away for a little while.

“Momoi-san, you should go back first. I’ll return to school by myself later.”

Behind Momoi, Oikawa flashed a victory sign. Then he cheerfully walked over to Kuroko Tetsuya’s side.

“My name is Oikawa Tooru. What’s yours?”

“Tetsuya Kuroko.”

Kuroko deftly avoided the arm Oikawa tried to sling around him and led him into another passageway.

Momoi’s hand remained frozen in midair. Tears swirled in her eyes, but in the end, none of them fell.

A heavy sigh echoed through the empty corridor. Satsuki Momoi patted her cheeks, finally forced a smile onto her face, and jogged after the Teiko players in the direction they had gone.

In front of Teiko’s bus, Seijuro Akashi was confirming the roster with the team leader.

When he saw Satsuki Momoi arrive late, Akashi frowned.

“Where is Tetsuya?”

The smile on Momoi’s face nearly collapsed, but she managed to answer, “He…had something urgent to take care of, so he won’t be coming back with us.”

“Little Kuroko isn’t coming back with us?” A blond head poked out of the bus window. “I’ll go look for him!”

Just as he was about to leap from the bus, he met Seijuro Akashi’s eyes.

“Ryota, sit down.”

The easy smile vanished from Ryota Kise’s face at once. He fell silent for a moment, then quietly sat back down.

After counting the players and handing the locker room over to the stadium staff, Teiko’s bus slowly pulled away.

The atmosphere inside was extremely oppressive, as though they had not won the game at all. There was none of the joy that victory should have brought.

Sitting in the first row, Satsuki Momoi turned her head to look out the window. In a daze, she caught sight of Tetsuya Kuroko and the unfamiliar young man inside a nearby fast-food restaurant.

She sat upright before she could stop herself.

Ah…

He was smiling.

“What are you smiling about?” Oikawa Tooru asked blankly, staring at Kuroko’s first truly genuine smile.

Kuroko had not felt this relaxed in a long time.

“No. I just find it absurd that you, Oikawa-senpai, would say I have talent.”

“How could that be? I’m serious.”

Kuroko had not taken him seriously at all.

After all, how could someone like him possibly have anything to do with the word talent?

“So, are you the captain of your school’s basketball team, Oikawa-senpai?”

Oikawa Tooru shook the vanilla milkshake in his hand and smiled at Kuroko.

“No.”

“I’m the next captain of the boys’ volleyball team at Aoba Johsai High School in Sendai.”

Kuroko’s round eyes widened.

“Ah?”