Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 51: Opening Day, Captain! (Patreon)

This time, the media coverage surrounding Kawari was comprehensive.

It was no longer focused solely on Masato.

Some articles expressed disbelief that Kawari had made it to the Nationals, while others tried to predict how far the team would go.

But among all the coverage, one thing excited the Basketball Club more than anything else.

Quite a few outlets had started calling them the “Kanagawa Youth Storm.”

The nickname sounded grand and energetic, while perfectly fitting Kawari's image as a dark horse.

It only made the players look forward to the National Tournament even more.

After everything they had been through under Masato's leadership, the team's spirit had already transformed completely.

Right now, all they wanted was to test themselves against the strongest teams from around the country.

And let those teams experience what it felt like to be swept up in a storm.

...

The players were excited, but big moments called for a calm head.

They still had training to finish.

That said, they had only just finished a game.

Everyone was somewhat tired, so practice was not especially intense.

After wrapping up early for the day, a few players were already preparing to leave.

Then Coach Nakamura called everyone together again.

The team immediately grew curious.

Lately, they had only been gathered like this when a new opponent was being announced.

But they had only just qualified for the Nationals. Could they already have an opponent?

That would be ridiculous. Surely things were not moving that fast.

“What's going on? We already have an opponent?” Ishida asked curiously, looking toward Masato and Kenji.

Kenji shook his head. “No idea.”

Masato, on the other hand, did not look confused at all. He set down the basketball and started toward the group.

“Let's go. The National Tournament isn't going to start that abruptly.”

Masato had never played in the Nationals himself, but he had spent plenty of time at Teiko.

He had picked up enough at Teiko to know how it worked.

Ishida and Kenji nodded and followed him over to the rest of the team.

...

Before long, all several dozen members of the Basketball Club had assembled.

Coach Nakamura stood in front of them, looking noticeably less stern than usual.

“I have two things to tell you today.” He smiled, his expression relaxed as he looked over the players.

“The first is the schedule for the National Tournament opening ceremony and the draw.”

“The organizers have already set the date. It'll be held two weeks from now, and every team that qualified from each region across the country will be there.”

The moment Coach Nakamura finished, the players lit up.

This was the first time any of them had qualified for the Nationals, so everything about the process felt new.

They immediately began whispering excitedly among themselves.

Ishida suddenly slapped his forehead. “Holy shit, the opening ceremony! I completely forgot about that!”

“Yeah. Whenever I watched other teams take part in one, I used to imagine being there myself.” Kenji looked just as excited.

Ishida nodded, then turned to Masato with curiosity.

“Masa, you've probably been to one before, right? Anything we need to watch out for?”

Masato shook his head. Ishida had asked the wrong person.

Teiko's Basketball Club had always been huge.

Before Masato recovered the memories of his previous life, he had been nothing more than a fringe player and had never qualified to attend an opening ceremony.

“I'm the same as you guys. This'll be my first time too.” Masato smiled.

It was obvious that Ishida and Kenji were not only excited. They were nervous as well.

“Don't overthink it. It's mostly a formality. Just don't freeze up when the time comes.” Masato's voice remained calm.

“Heh, Masa, you're underestimating me. There's no way I'd get nervous.” Ishida puffed himself up confidently.

“Kenji's the one you should worry about. Don't piss yourself when we get there! Hahaha!”

“What kind of bullshit are you talking about?!”

“...”

The two troublemakers immediately started bickering again, and Masato rolled his eyes.

He was seriously starting to wonder whether these two would embarrass the entire team at the opening ceremony.

...

The atmosphere around the team quickly turned cheerful.

Coach Nakamura did not stop them right away.

After another few dozen seconds, Masaki Nakamura clapped his hands and motioned for everyone to quiet down.

“All right, I know you're happy. Save the rest for after we're done here.”

“There's one more important matter.” Coach Nakamura looked toward a tall player in the lineup.

“Ryota, come up here.”

The player he called was Kawari's starting center and current captain.

Even so, Ryota had never had much presence as captain.

Most of the time, he simply helped Coach Nakamura handle minor team matters.

The players looked on curiously, wondering what this was about.

Ryota walked over and stopped beside the coach.

He took a deep breath, then looked seriously at everyone.

“Thank you all for everything over these three years of junior high.”

“My junior-high career is almost over, and I think it's time to hand the captaincy to someone better suited for it.”

With that, Ryota looked toward Masato at the back of the group.

“Masa, I don't think anyone is more suited for this than you.”

Only then did everyone understand. Ryota was stepping down to make way for someone else.

To be honest, every player on the team agreed with the decision.

If anything, it should have happened earlier.

Masato was not particularly surprised.

The moment Coach Nakamura called Ryota forward, he had already guessed what this was about.

In fact, Ryota had wanted to give him the captaincy before.

Masato had refused at the time because he was worried the extra responsibilities would interfere with his training.

But he also knew the position would eventually fall to him.

He simply had not expected it to happen now.

Before Masato could answer, Coach Nakamura smiled.

“Masa, don't hesitate. If anyone else took the role, the rest of the team wouldn't be convinced.”

Masato smiled and shook his head slightly. “Honestly, Captain Ryota could've stayed in the role until graduation.”

That was the only part Masato found a little strange.

Ryota had his own view.

“If we hadn't made the Nationals, sure, it wouldn't matter.”

“But now that we're going, the captain is the face of the team. How could I keep a position that should belong to you, Masa?”

The others nodded quietly in agreement.

Then someone in the group suddenly shouted, “Yeah!”

More voices followed almost immediately.

“No objections! Masato-senpai, accept it!”

“We should be calling him Captain Masato now!”

“Captain! Captain!”

“...”

Masato could tell Ryota had already made up his mind.

He could also feel the genuine support coming from the rest of the team.

Since that was the case, there was no point dragging it out. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

Masato stepped out of the group and walked to the front.

He nodded to Coach Nakamura and Ryota, then turned to face the entire team.

“Thanks for the support. Let's keep pushing forward together.”

His voice was calm and steady, his posture straight.

He did not need to say much. His presence alone seemed to fill the room.

Perhaps it was the influence of [Leader's Aura].

For some reason, everyone felt Masato had become even more dependable than before.

Coach Nakamura watched from the side and nodded in satisfaction.

“Masa, the captain normally wears number 4. Of course, if your current number means something special to you, you don't have to change it.”

Masato had been about to step back when the coach's words stopped him.

He thought about it briefly. He did not particularly care, but he glanced toward Ryota.

Ryota immediately spoke up. “Masa, don't worry about me. I've wanted to switch to number 34 for a while anyway.”

Masato nodded. “Then either one works for me.”

His current number was 11, and it held no special meaning.

It was not even the same number he had worn at Teiko.

There was only one jersey number that truly meant something to Masato.

But for now, he still felt some resistance toward putting it on.

Once everything was settled, the team was dismissed.

Plenty of players chose to leave.

Only a few stayed behind with Masato for extra practice.

That was normal.

After all, the road to success was never crowded.

...

The next few days were unusually relaxed.

Everyone was simply waiting for the National Tournament to officially begin.

Time passed quickly.

Before they knew it, the opening of the Nationals was right around the corner.