Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 75: Next Time, We'll Win! (Patreon)

Masato made his way from the players' tunnel to the arena rooftop. He had been there for more than ten minutes, and the weight he'd felt after the game had already lifted. The reason he hadn't returned to his team was that he'd become absorbed in the changes taking place within himself.

Once he'd cleared his mind of distractions, his body had begun to feel lighter. Even the effects of his physical exhaustion were easing. As he gradually came back to his senses, he noticed something unusual happening to him.

The faint radiance floating around him had initially taken him by surprise. Then his thoughts had turned, almost involuntarily, to the heightened states in The Prince of Tennis. The idea seemed absurd, but the system notifications that appeared before his eyes dispelled his doubts completely.

[Mission Complete: One Draw.]

[Animal Instinct Awakened: One Draw.]

[Pinnacle of Perfection Comprehended: One Draw.]

Those notifications confirmed his suspicions, but they also raised a question. Why had he awakened something from The Prince of Tennis rather than the ZONE when he was living in the world of Kuroko's Basketball?

His imagination ran wild. Could obtaining an ability from The Prince of Tennis have opened up that world's path of development to him as well?

Masato thought about it for a while, couldn't figure it out, and decided to leave it alone. Getting stronger was a good thing regardless. Whether it was the ZONE or Pinnacle of Perfection, both were ultimately states of mind.

"Still, what I was feeling earlier does fit the mindset for awakening Pinnacle of Perfection."

Masato smiled as he recalled the thoughts that had brought him here. Then he put the matter aside. Right now, he was much more interested in the three draws the system had awarded him.

Three draws!

Normally, he'd have needed to complete three separate missions to earn that many. And as he'd grown stronger, the system had been issuing fewer and fewer missions. At the usual rate, who knew how long it would have taken to save up three draws?

Now he'd received all three at once. Masato felt like his progress was about to skyrocket.

Then he remembered the condition the system had set for his original mission.

[Final rewards will be distributed based on overall performance in the National Tournament.]

That left him with a small regret. If he'd encountered Teikō later in the tournament, could he have squeezed a few more draws out of the system? With those extra rewards, he could have beaten Teikō next year without a doubt. Wouldn't that have been perfect?

He caught himself getting carried away, shook his head, and laughed at his own greed.

"Heh. I'm getting a little greedy."

The outcome was already decided, and his gains from this tournament went well beyond the three draws anyway. Masato could feel everything [Adaptation] had absorbed. Once he'd fully assimilated that unstable strength, he knew he'd undergo a dramatic transformation.

After sorting through his thoughts, Masato could barely contain his impatience. He wanted to make those draws right now.

But just then, he looked down from the rooftop and noticed spectators gradually leaving the arena. He realized he'd been away for quite some time, and his teammates were still waiting. He didn't want to give them any more reason to worry.

Masato suppressed the urge to make his draws and decided to head back. A little more waiting wouldn't hurt.

...

Just as he was about to leave, the rooftop's metal door slowly opened a crack. Masato turned to find a pink-haired head poking through, peering furtively around the rooftop.

He blinked in surprise, then couldn't help laughing.

The rooftop wasn't very large, so Satsuki spotted him almost immediately. Her eyes lit up. She squeezed through the gap and jogged toward him.

"Masa, what are you doing up here? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

There was unmistakable relief in Satsuki's voice, along with a note of worry. Masato had given everything he had during the game. Anyone could see how desperately he'd wanted to win, but in the end, even a fierce tiger couldn't overcome a pack of wolves.

His decision to walk off immediately afterward had only made her worry more. She'd wanted to follow him right away, but her responsibilities as team manager had held her up. It had taken a long search to finally find him.

Looking at the hair damp with sweat around Satsuki's face, Masato replied gently, "I just came up here to get some air after losing. Don't worry about me."

By now, he was completely back to normal. In fact, having shed some of his mental baggage, he felt better than before. Yet Satsuki still looked concerned.

Then Masato took another look around and remembered they were standing on a rooftop. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Satsuki, what exactly are you imagining?" he asked helplessly. "It's one basketball game. Do you really think I'm that mentally fragile?"

Seeing that he was acting just like his usual self, Satsuki finally relaxed.

"Hehe, I was worried about you." She sniffed. "You played out of your mind today, Masa. Don't let the loss get you down. You scored more than a hundred points against the Generation of Miracles! I bet the whole country's going crazy over it."

Hearing those numbers made even Masato feel a little incredulous. He'd known before the game that he would have to carry a heavy load, but he'd never imagined his teammates would be so thoroughly outmatched.

He'd had no choice but to push himself to the absolute limit. Looking back, scoring over a hundred points against the Generation of Miracles really was unbelievable. He could already imagine the reports the media would publish.

"We still fell short. Teikō really is strong." Masato shook his head, then put the match out of his mind. Smiling at Satsuki, he said, "Let's talk while we walk. We've been gone long enough. Don't make your teammates worry."

Satsuki paused, then nodded. "Sure, but it's your teammates we shouldn't make worry, Masa. Teikō's probably already left."

Her casual tone caught Masato off guard.

"Already? Shouldn't they be celebrating the win?"

"You left early, so you didn't see it. Daiki and Kise both left as soon as the game ended, and Akashi and the others didn't look particularly happy either."

"I see..."

After giving it a moment's thought, Masato understood. Aomine and Kise needed no explanation. As for the others, they'd won, but allowing a single opponent to score more than a hundred points against them wasn't exactly an impressive way to do it. Their reaction was understandable.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Now I'm curious what Akashi actually considers an 'absolute victory.'"

Satsuki found herself thinking about Akashi's philosophy too. She gave Masato a strange look.

"Masa, I'm starting to think you've got a mean streak yourself."

"..."

They continued chatting as they walked and soon reached a fork in the road.

"I'll get going, Satsuki. Talk to you later."

"Okay! Hurry back!"

...

More than half an hour had passed since the end of the game. After parting ways with Satsuki, Masato followed the familiar route to the locker room.

He didn't go in immediately. Standing outside the door, he couldn't hear a sound. He could already picture the atmosphere waiting for him.

He thought of all the times everyone had celebrated noisily in the locker room after a win. The silence felt unfamiliar, but he didn't dwell on it. He pushed the door open and went in.

Everyone looked up in surprise when he returned. One glance at their expressions told him everything.

Just as I thought.

He didn't speak right away. Instead, he deliberately acted as though he were still devastated by the loss. His teammates grew increasingly nervous, and just as the mood was about to become even more oppressive, Masato suddenly smiled.

That smile shattered the pin-drop silence and swept away the gloom everyone had been wallowing in. His teammates stared at him, taken aback.

"What's with all of you? We lost one game. Do you really need to look so miserable? Anyone who didn't know better would think we were never going to play basketball again!"

His infectious energy spread through the team once more. Everyone could tell he was completely different from when he'd walked off the court, but the change had been so sudden they hadn't adjusted to it yet.

Masato ignored their confusion and turned toward a corner of the room.

"Hey, Ishida, what's with that face? Did Aomine beat you so badly you got constipated? If you're constipated, ask your best buddy to give you a hand!"

The obvious teasing drew everyone's attention to Ishida. When they saw his features scrunched together, several players had to fight back laughter. The expression really was ridiculous.

Ishida, however, was still caught up in the game and paid no attention to anyone around him.

"Masa, we're the ones who let you down today..."

Masato cut him off before he could finish.

"Enough, Ishida. Stop saying things that don't matter. As far as I'm concerned, you all did everything you were supposed to do."

There wasn't a trace of blame in his voice, which only made Ishida feel guiltier. He tried several times to speak but couldn't get the words out.

As the game replayed in his mind, Ishida finally couldn't hold back any longer. His expression grew steadily more determined, and he shouted across the locker room.

"Next year, I won't be this useless again!"

His voice was firm, even as tears streamed down his face. The sudden outburst startled everyone, particularly the other starters who understood exactly how he felt. Gradually, the whole team grew serious.

Masato watched Ishida for a moment, then slowly looked around at the others. This time, he had no intention of delivering a long speech.

After a while, a smile spread across his calm face.

"Alright, then. We'll give it another shot next year."

His voice wasn't loud, but every teammate heard him clearly.

"Next time, we'll win!"

...