Chapter 5: The Fifth Question

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There was little pressure on Seirin to win the Tokyo preliminaries, and Kuroko’s cold completely cleared up by the day of the finals. Although Kuroko didn’t understand why Akashi still hadn’t put Kise on the court, seeing the Miracle Generation enthusiastically competing made it somewhat easier for him to accept.

After the Saturday morning final match, the award ceremony followed immediately in the afternoon. Various prizes flowed steadily toward Seirin, and there was no doubt the Most Valuable Player award went to Daiki Aomine.

“Again, it’s Aomine-kun…” Kise looked a bit disappointed as he glanced at the certificate Momoi was holding. “But I’ll get it someday.”

Aomine turned to Kise with a smirk. “Huh? Don’t forget we’re in the same class. As long as I’m around, forget it.”

“Ah—that’s so mean!” Kise, having missed out on any awards, poked Midorima Shintarou beside him. “Hey, Midorima, say something.”

Midorima sidestepped him. “I got an award.”

“Kuroko—” Kise turned to where Kuroko usually sat, only to find he was gone. “Huh? Where’s Kuroko?”

“He just finished talking with Akashi and left,” Murasakibara said as he unwrapped a snack, much to Momoi’s disapproval.

“Left?!” Kise felt hurt; without Kuroko around, he was the only one being teased by everyone else.

—Though no one really bullied Kuroko; Kise just wanted someone to vent to.

“Tetsuya has some personal business, but he’ll be back Monday,” Akashi returned at that moment, tossing Kuroko’s bag to a bewildered Aomine. “Let’s go.”

“Kuroko’s been really busy lately…” Kise scratched his head and decided to wait outside Kuroko’s place a bit longer.

Meanwhile, Kuroko had already taken a taxi to the Shinkansen station. Traveling alone, the bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai was the most convenient.

Having received advance notice, Tetsuro Oikawa had already brought Iwaizumi Hajime to wait at the Sendai station. When Kuroko’s train arrived, the crowd surged out of the exit.

“Where is he?” Iwaizumi squinted as he meticulously searched but found no sign.

Oikawa stood on tiptoe, scanning the crowd. His tall stature made him stand out, but he eventually spotted a small figure with pale hair.

“Kuroko! Over here!” Oikawa enthusiastically waved at Kuroko Tetsuya, having become familiar enough to call him by nickname.

He had been watching Seirin’s match records often lately and had honed his ability to spot Kuroko precisely.

Upon hearing the commotion, Kuroko approached directly. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Oikawa-senpai and Iwaizumi-senpai.”

Iwaizumi responded, “I heard Seirin successfully defended their preliminaries title? Congratulations.”

Unlike the solely volleyball-focused Oikawa, Iwaizumi was quite familiar with the neighboring basketball team. Plus, having previously asked Oikawa about Seirin’s news, Oikawa was quick to relay it to him.

The upcoming freshman class was highly anticipated throughout the high school basketball world.

After all, it was the famed era of the Miracle Generation, with many talented players beneath them.

Moreover, it was said those five had rejected all recommended admissions from various schools—no one knew what they were waiting for.

“Thank you. I’m happy too,” Kuroko said, feeling quite good with his dedicated basketball teammates and the district championship.

“Let’s go, I’m treating you to grilled beef tongue!” Oikawa threw his arm around Kuroko’s shoulder and led him out of the station.

Oikawa’s invitation to watch the first round of the junior high selection tournament was for tomorrow. Today was just a simple dinner and an overnight stay at Oikawa’s place.

Though these two days were Aoba Johsai’s training days, Oikawa had no intention of taking Kuroko to watch their practice.

Recruiting Kuroko was his personal endeavor, and since Kuroko had clearly rejected him multiple times, Oikawa wasn’t about to bring this unpromising matter to the coach.

Now, it was mostly Oikawa’s obsession driving him. He couldn’t bear to give up and believed that if Kuroko watched one beautiful volleyball match, it might subtly change something.

At worst, Kuroko’s gentle and polite nature made him quite likable.

Oikawa thought even just becoming friends would be nice.

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The Miyagi district had many junior high schools, so even after using numerous gymnasiums for the first round eliminations, the entire tournament still stretched over four rounds.

The match featuring Kitagawa Daiichi was in the afternoon’s second round, facing a school called “Yukino Hill.”

Oikawa remembered Yukino Hill’s girls’ volleyball team but was hearing about their boys’ team for the first time.

Still, the person Oikawa mainly wanted to introduce to Kuroko was Tobio Kageyama—

A player he disliked but undeniably considered a “prized underclassman.”

Behind that talent which annoyed him was an earnestness toward the game.

Actually, Oikawa most wanted to recommend himself, but the first round of the high school Inter-High preliminaries wouldn’t start until after Golden Week. By then, Seirin would be preparing for the main tournament, so he probably wouldn’t have time to come.

The next day, Oikawa took Kuroko to visit a few nearby sights alone, as Iwaizumi was still at school training. Oikawa had taken leave to come out.

After touring Aoba Johsai, they arrived just as the second round match was starting. Kitagawa Daiichi and Yukino Hill’s teams were already warming up inside the gym.

Oikawa pulled Kuroko up to the second floor. “Let’s find a more secluded spot so Kageyama doesn’t feel pressured.”

“Do you have a grudge against Kageyama?” Kuroko guessed, noticing Oikawa’s awkward expression. The way he mentioned that name was always strange—a mixture of love and hate.

Dislike, but admiration.

“No, no, no, don’t say that. I don’t stoop to arguing with kids,” Oikawa denied four times but felt uneasy.

Before coming, he had heard there were internal conflicts at Kitagawa Daiichi. But since Kageyama was someone Oikawa had watched grow, it should be... no big problem, right?

Because it was the first round preliminaries, not many people were watching from the second floor, making Oikawa and Kuroko’s arrival quite noticeable.

After all, those watching were all volleyball players, and among Miyagi’s volleyball community, two players were practically household names.

One was Wakatoshi Ushijima from Shiratorizawa, the other was Tetsuro Oikawa from Aoba Johsai.

The former was a highly regarded super sniper outside hitter, the latter a setter with exceptional leadership.

“Ah, Oikawa-san?” Just as Oikawa stepped onto the second floor, a voice softly called his name.

He looked up to see several peers in black tracksuits.

The jackets read “Karasuno High School Volleyball Team.”

Karasuno?

Ah, the neighboring town that produced the Little Giant... but they hadn’t had much success in recent years, so they faded from his memory.

“Hello?” Oikawa stopped and greeted the gray-haired youth who called him.

Surprised by the response, the young man introduced himself: “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Takashi Sugawara, a second-year at Karasuno, also a setter like you. I’ve watched many of your matches; your sets are very beautiful.”

Nothing was more gratifying than praise from a peer—

Oikawa felt the same.

Originally greeting out of politeness, Oikawa and Sugawara shook hands warmly.

“You’re a setter too? I’m Oikawa Tetsuro. Nice to meet you, please take care of me.”

“Likewise,” Sugawara said, then gestured to his companions. “These are my teammates. Oikawa-san, who’s this with you...?”

Kuroko, already used to being noticed, smiled and introduced himself: “Hello, seniors. I’m Kuroko, third year of junior high.”

He noticed these senior setters were surprisingly observant and keen, rarely overlooking his usual demeanor.

As for deliberately using gaze manipulation... he hadn’t tried that yet.

But if he were to incorporate gaze control into volleyball... it probably wouldn’t be easy.

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Considering the size of the volleyball court and viewing angles... it might even require some coordination with teammates.

Kuroko shook his head, amazed that he was seriously pondering such possibilities.

While Kuroko was lost in thought, Sugawara silently observed the two.

It wasn’t a secret that Oikawa came from Kitagawa Daiichi, so naturally Sugawara, who instinctively assumed Kuroko was from the same school, was puzzled.

Aren’t all Kitagawa Daiichi players downstairs?

He didn’t want to ask directly and instead changed the subject: “Oikawa-san, are you here to watch Kitagawa Daiichi’s match?”

“Yes, I came to see how the underclassmen perform.” Oikawa climbed onto the railing, quietly watching the players warm up below.

Only upon focusing did he notice the chaotic scene.

Yukino Hill was a complete mess—not in attitude but technically.

They were short on players, their setter was terrible, tossing the ball crookedly, and the attackers were even worse.

Except for the small orange-haired boy, the others barely touched the ball.

“These are all beginners, right...” Oikawa covered his face.

Their reception was awkward, as if their hands and feet were just getting acquainted, and during serving practice, the ball often hit the net.

Kuroko pointed inside at a pale-haired, fairly tall player. “That one probably comes from basketball.”

His ball-handling and posture were completely different from the others and, compared to Kitagawa Daiichi, more like Oikawa’s impression of the basketball team.

Another older-looking player kept instinctively kicking, likely a soccer player.

This was a complete makeshift team.

“Ah... even worse,” Oikawa, somewhat despairing, turned his gaze to Kitagawa Daiichi.

He saw Kageyama, the responsible setter, scowling, while the spiker Kindaichi also looked displeased. The team atmosphere was tense, almost like they were about to fight.

Kageyama was serious about setting, but others hit the ball carelessly.

Compared to Yukino Hill’s technical chaos, Kitagawa Daiichi’s problem seemed psychological.

The whole team gave Oikawa the impression that Kageyama was overexerting himself while others were slacking off.

When he was at Kitagawa Daiichi, this never happened—at worst, the mood sank after a loss.

Now, in the very first round, Kitagawa Daiichi was already playing haphazardly...

Oikawa clenched his fists, holding back the urge to go down and scold Kageyama and Kindaichi.

Was this... really the right choice, bringing Kuroko to watch this match—

Would Kuroko end up completely disappointed in volleyball—

Please don’t—