Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 80: A Natural-Born Powerhouse! (Patreon)

The following afternoon, Masato was getting ready to go out. As he gathered his things, he found himself thinking about what had happened the day before.

The world really was small. Who would have thought his cousin's friend would turn out to be the reporter who'd interviewed him before?

He could still picture Masami Ishihara's flustered expression after recognizing him. Once Reiko had learned the whole story, she'd been just as astonished. Masami had told her how much attention Masato had attracted recently, and Reiko had spent the rest of the visit marveling at his achievements.

They hadn't seen each other for only a few months, yet her little cousin had somehow become someone so impressive that he almost felt like a stranger. Masato could still remember the way she'd stared at him, as though he were a giant panda at the zoo.

The two women hadn't stayed long. Once Reiko had caught up on his life, they left. But before going, Masami had taken advantage of their connection through Reiko to ask him for an interview.

Masato didn't mind. He'd turned down the media before because he'd been in a bad mood after losing to Teikō. He also disliked unnecessary hassles, so refusing everyone had been the easiest option. By now, though, he'd recovered, and a single interview hardly sounded like trouble.

So here he was, getting ready to meet her.

...

At a neighborhood pickup basketball court near Masato's home, most of the regulars were office workers and local residents who played for exercise.

Masato was well known here. He'd made a habit of using the casual players as punching bags whenever he wanted to blow off steam.

Today, however, he was feeling merciful. He hadn't come to crush anyone. The court was simply where he'd agreed to meet Masami, and he'd arrived a little early.

With time to kill, he was wondering what to do when several of the regulars spotted him.

"Hey, it's Masato!"

"Damn, don't tell me he's here to take it out on us again!"

"Nobody stop me. I'm getting on Masato's team today!"

"..."

The greetings were enthusiastic, and Masato answered with a grin.

"Not playing today, guys. I'll destroy you some other time!"

"..."

An almost palpable sense of relief passed through the group. Thank goodness. The demon king wasn't going to run them into the ground today.

They'd originally come here to play a little easygoing basketball and stay in shape. Instead, for the past ten days or so, Masato had forced them into one exhausting game after another. Who could keep that up? By now, just seeing him walk onto the court was enough to make their hearts skip a beat.

Masato couldn't help laughing at their delighted faces. Maybe he really had been a little too ruthless lately.

But standing around doing nothing was boring. After a moment, he decided he might as well play after all, just with different rules.

"Hey, guys! How about we try something new today?"

They looked at him suspiciously.

"One-on-one. I have to score five baskets to win, but all you have to do is stop me once or score one basket yourselves. Either one counts as your win!"

That got under their skin.

Sure, Masato usually beat them senseless, but they were grown men. Did he really have to look down on them that much? What happened to their dignity?

"Damn it, Masato! You're underestimating us!"

"Those are your rules! If I can't win under those conditions, I'm quitting basketball!"

"I'm going to post you up, kid!"

"..."

Seeing that everyone had agreed, Masato broke into a broad grin.

...

And so the one-on-one gauntlet began. For Masato, it was just a way to pass the time. For everyone facing him, though, it was serious business.

They wanted to win. Under rules this generous, losing would be downright humiliating.

Unfortunately, humiliation turned out to be the order of the day.

Every man who challenged Masato trudged off the court in defeat. The one who'd boasted about posting him up got a lesson in the post himself. His confident "I'm going to post you up, kid!" had quickly become Masato's "I'm going to post you up, old man!"

The whole thing was ridiculous, and the crowd around the court kept growing.

Masato didn't notice that Masami had arrived during the games. She stood among the spectators, watching with shining eyes and recording the action with her camera.

After dispatching yet another opponent, Masato cheerfully called out to the crowd.

"Anybody else? Come on, hurry it up! I've got somewhere to be!"

He'd suddenly realized that beating up on weaker players could be surprisingly fun. Almost addictive, in fact. So this was the real joy of basketball! He was half tempted to activate Pinnacle of Perfection right there.

The veteran regulars could only laugh and curse at his arrogance. None of them had the strength left to challenge him, so they started urging others to try instead.

"Come on, get out there and beat him!"

"All you need is one basket! You'll be the hero of this court! Go on!"

"..."

Quite a few were encouraging newcomers with sly little grins. Their reasoning was simple: why should they be the only ones to suffer? Watching somebody else get beaten would make them feel a lot better.

A middle-aged man who'd just arrived looked tempted. But he could also tell that Masato was dangerous. Otherwise, why were all these men shouting from the sidelines instead of going out there themselves?

He was still hesitating when a little girl of five or six standing beside his leg looked up at him with wide, shining eyes.

"Daddy, go! Go on! You can do it!"

At the sound of his daughter's innocent encouragement, the man stopped overthinking it and walked onto the court.

The regulars exchanged knowing smiles.

"Heh, another sucker's taking the bait!"

"How many times do you think he'll get crossed up?"

"Twice. At least twice!"

"..."

Not a single person seemed to expect him to win. They were all waiting for the entertainment to begin.

And for a while, that was exactly what they got. Masato toyed with the man until he looked like a complete beginner. He didn't fall over, but he came dangerously close to losing his footing.

The man was on the verge of giving up when his daughter's clear voice rang out again.

"Go, Daddy! Go, Daddy!"

She might have been the only person there who believed in him.

Her voice stood out against the murmuring adults, so clear that for a moment it seemed to drown out every other sound.

The man's urge to quit vanished. His expression turned serious. He didn't want his little girl to watch him give up.

Of course, the difference in ability between him and Masato was enormous. All he could do was grit his teeth and chase Masato as hard as he could on defense.

But his daughter kept cheering, and something inside him seemed to surge with strength.

He jumped as high as he could and brought his hand down toward the basketball.

"Smack!"

The solid contact sent a jolt through his arm.

When he landed, the man stared at his hand in disbelief, then looked at Masato. The spectators who'd been whispering a moment earlier were stunned into silence.

Masato merely smiled and shook his head.

"Nice play, sir!"

He walked beneath the basket, picked up the shirt he'd taken off earlier, and draped it over his shoulder.

Then he approached the little girl, bent down slightly, and ruffled her hair. Her face was glowing with excitement.

"You two won. Your dad's really strong, you know."

"Uh-huh! He is! You're really strong too, big brother!"

"Haha, thanks. See you!"

"..."

Masato straightened up and walked away, paying no attention to the looks following him.

After a few steps, he glanced back in surprise.

"Hey, what are you standing around for? Hurry up!"

He'd actually noticed Masami in the crowd some time ago. Only when he called out to her did she finally snap back to herself and hurry after him.

The two of them disappeared from sight before the onlookers fully processed what had happened. Then somebody started clapping, and gradually the applause spread through the crowd.

...

Outside the pickup court, Masami followed a few steps behind Masato, still replaying the scene in her head. She was so overwhelmed by conflicting thoughts that she didn't know how to begin.

She looked at his back, ran a hand through her hair, and finally spoke.

"Um, Masato... why did you get blocked back there?"

"Huh? Because he blocked me."

Masami shook her head. She knew perfectly well that he'd allowed the man to block his shot. What she wanted to understand was why he'd made that choice.

"No, I mean, why did you..."

He answered before she could finish.

"I got blocked. That's all. There's no reason."

Masami stopped short. It wasn't that he hadn't understood her question. He had already given her his answer.

For a long time, she'd wondered what Masato was like away from the basketball court. His remarkable presence and sudden rise to fame had made him seem almost mysterious.

Yet after seeing only this small glimpse of his everyday life, she had the absurd feeling that she understood him.

He wasn't nearly as inscrutable as she'd imagined. If anything, he was disarmingly straightforward, as though he had nothing to hide. He simply acted as he pleased. Just like that moment on the court, he'd wanted to do something, so he'd done it.

Masato hadn't tried to attach any grand meaning to his actions. Masami, however, couldn't help thinking of a saying she'd heard during her time in the media.

A true champion knows when to win, and more importantly, when to lose.

The thought only left her more astonished. Watching his retreating figure, she couldn't understand how a boy so young could possess that kind of strength. It made no sense to her.

Eventually, she could only accept one explanation. Some people really were born to be great. How else could she explain the boy walking in front of her?

He was so extraordinary that Masami had completely forgotten what she'd come to do that afternoon.

She didn't care anymore. Even if their meeting ended right now, it would already have been worth it.

...