Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 54: The Draw Is In. Mission Time! (Patreon)

When Teiko stopped beside Kawari, the other teams in the hall were every bit as shocked as Kawari's players had been.

It could not be helped.

The image Teiko had built in everyone's minds was simply too powerful.

In recent years, nobody had seen Teiko show this much interest in another team.

Yet Kawari, a team that had only burst onto the scene this year, had actually made them stop.

It was hard to believe.

“Holy shit, what's going on? Teiko's talking to Kawari?”

“Yeah. Have you ever seen Teiko act like this before?”

“...”

Confused voices immediately began spreading through the venue.

Before long, someone remembered the reason.

“Oh, right. Kawari's captain has a connection to Teiko.”

“Yeah. I saw an article saying Masato used to play there.”

“So that's why!”

“Now I'm curious. Why did Masato leave? They seem to get along pretty well.”

“No idea. Why don't you go ask him?”

“...”

...

For a while, practically every conversation in the venue revolved around the two teams.

Quite a few teams from other regions had originally questioned how strong Kawari really was.

After seeing this, however, the way they looked at Kawari became noticeably more serious.

A single brief interaction with Teiko had been enough to cause this much attention.

That alone showed the influence Teiko carried.

Amid all the discussion, the thirty-two powerhouse teams from around the country finally arrived.

The draw ceremony officially began.

...

The host stepped onto the stage, and the hall gradually quieted.

Following the planned order, representatives from each team went up one by one to draw their lots.

Unlike previous years, the organizers had not made the bracket overly complicated.

This year, there were only two groups: A and B.

Each group contained sixteen teams, and they would play down until only the winner remained.

The format was simple enough to understand at a glance.

As the draw continued, some teams celebrated while others grew uneasy.

Then Teiko's turn arrived.

Akashi revealed their placement in Group A and their first opponent.

The venue immediately filled with groans and sharp intakes of breath.

“Fuck, what kind of luck is this?”

“Seriously. We actually ended up in the same group as Teiko.”

“What can you do? There are only two groups this year. It's way too easy to get stuck together.”

“I was just celebrating because we drew a weaker first opponent. Then a damn shark drops into Group A.”

“Don't think that far ahead yet. We might not even survive long enough to meet Teiko.”

“...”

With Akashi's draw setting off a wave of complaints, Kawari's players inevitably felt the tension in the room too.

Their own turn was next.

Everyone looked toward Masato, silently hoping their captain had a lucky hand.

Ishida, who could be surprisingly superstitious, actually clasped his hands together and started praying.

“Heaven above, I've been ridiculously disciplined all week. No bad habits at all. Please let Masa pull a good draw so we can start with a win.”

“Yeah. I'll trade ten years of my brother's life for a good matchup,” Kenji added with a completely serious expression.

“...”

Masato could not help laughing at the two of them.

He stood and prepared to head toward the stage.

“Relax. If you want to make it all the way to the end, you shouldn't be afraid of anyone.”

“If we're not strong enough, then we're not making it to the end anyway.”

“So don't waste energy worrying about things you can't control. Keep a level head.”

...

With that, Masato walked down the aisle toward the stage below.

His movement immediately drew attention.

Over on Teiko's side, several players only now realized something.

Masato had already become a team captain.

They had noticed how much he had changed during their brief meeting earlier.

Even so, seeing him walk onto the stage as Kawari's representative still hit differently.

Status and hierarchy carried plenty of weight in Japan, after all.

The other teams cared less about that and more about what he would draw.

Masato's rise had made a huge impression over the last several weeks.

Some teams from outside Kanagawa still questioned Kawari out loud.

But deep down, they were all paying close attention to the result.

Masato followed the host's instructions and stopped in front of the draw box.

He remained completely composed, showing no tension despite all the eyes on him.

He reached into the box and calmly pulled out the first slip he touched.

After unfolding it, Masato glanced down and raised an eyebrow.

Then he held the paper up toward the camera.

The result appeared on the large screen at the same time.

Group A. Opponent: Butai Junior High School, Tokyo Region.

The moment the matchup appeared, another wave of discussion swept through the hall.

Some people looked relieved. Others immediately turned grim.

The grim faces naturally belonged to teams also assigned to Group A.

“Shitty organizers. They really had to use only two groups this year.”

“Yeah. Teiko first, then Kawari, plus three schools led by Uncrowned Kings. This is a fucking group of death.”

“At least Kawari and Butai have to hit each other first. No matter what, one of them is getting eliminated.”

“Wait, weren't you doubting Kawari a minute ago?”

“That's different.”

“...”

Masato's draw only poured more fuel onto an already noisy hall.

Once his turn ended, he walked straight back to Kawari's section.

By then, his teammates had already relaxed.

Good draw or bad draw, the result was final.

They had been hoping for Group B, but there was no point complaining now.

All they could do was play.

And the only thing that mattered at the moment was their first opponent.

The second seed from Tokyo: Butai Junior High School.

A powerhouse led by Eikichi Nebuya, one of the Uncrowned Kings.

The players from both teams naturally began sizing each other up.

The first thing Kawari noticed about Butai was simple.

They were huge.

Almost every player had unusually well-developed muscles.

Their jackets stretched tight over their bodies.

Their physical strength was obvious at a glance.

That immediately reminded Kawari of their game against Kurosawa.

Another team led by an Uncrowned King.

Surely Butai did not play the same kind of basketball.

After what happened against Kurosawa, Kawari had developed a pretty negative impression of the Uncrowned Kings as a group.

...

Butai's players looked back at them.

Or rather, most of them looked directly at Masato.

Their expressions were serious, but not one showed any intention of backing down.

At the front stood Eikichi Nebuya, his entire body packed with bulging muscle.

He stared hard at Masato.

Nebuya and Kotaro Hayama had watched Kawari's game against Kurosawa in person.

Masato's performance had left a deep impression on him.

But that did nothing to weaken Nebuya's determination to crush him.

Eikichi Nebuya had always believed in one principle.

Strength mattered more than any technique.

In the end, the winner would always be the person with the biggest muscles.

He intended to use overwhelming physical power to crush Kawari on the court.

He wanted Masato to understand that even among the Uncrowned Kings, there were levels.

...

Masato paid no attention to the naked challenge in Nebuya's stare.

A system notification had just appeared before his eyes.

[Mission: Final reward will be determined by overall performance in the National Tournament.]