Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 86: Advancing to the Nationals Once Again! (Patreon)

The moment Nakamura said the name Enoura, the gym fell silent.

After a brief stunned pause, the players began exchanging looks of disbelief. An odd atmosphere settled over the group.

The first-year recruits had no idea what was so strange. For the veterans, though, the name was all too familiar. They'd run into Enoura in the National Tournament qualifiers several times in a row. At this point, calling it fate hardly seemed enough. The coincidence was getting downright bizarre.

It was like having something stuck to the bottom of your shoe that just wouldn't come off!

Once the initial shock passed, the players couldn't hold back their comments.

"Holy shit, what are the odds?"

"Enoura again? Seriously? How do we keep running into these guys?"

"Some debts just never get paid off. Guess that beating in the last qualifiers wasn't enough for them!"

"Man, I'd love to see their faces when they hear who they're playing!"

"Same here! I can't wait for the game. I want to see Captain lead us out there and crush them!"

"..."

Masato was surprised too. The qualifiers might only pit teams from the same region against one another, but Kanagawa was a major basketball area. There had to be at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, registered teams. Somehow drawing the same opponent over and over was remarkable.

What struck him even more, however, was how much the team had changed.

He remembered the last time Nakamura had announced that Enoura would be their opponent. The mood back then had plummeted instantly.

Now, after experiencing the National Tournament, the players were completely different. Faced with a team they'd once regarded as a terrifying obstacle, they could laugh it off without a second thought.

That was what greater strength had done for their confidence.

Sensing the cheerful mood around him, Masato smiled as well. But there was another reason for his good mood.

Just a moment earlier, a familiar system notification had appeared.

[Mission: Final rewards will be distributed based on overall performance in this National Tournament!]

After months of silence, the system had finally issued another mission. Masato couldn't help feeling excited, although he was a little disappointed to discover that it was the same kind of mission he'd received upon reaching Nationals before. The reward would depend on his overall tournament performance rather than the outcome of individual matches.

Still, anything that could make him stronger was welcome. He'd also expected this to happen sooner or later. As his abilities continued to improve, fewer and fewer teams were strong enough to trigger a separate system mission.

Masato put the matter aside. Over the next few days, Kawari kept training while waiting for the qualifiers to begin.

Outside the school, anticipation was already building. Some particularly enthusiastic reporters dug up Kawari and Enoura's history together, adding even more excitement to a match that was attracting plenty of attention as it was.

...

A week later, match day arrived.

Because this was a qualifying game, it would be held locally in Kanagawa. This time, though, the venue was different. The organizers had apparently taken Kawari's rising popularity into account and chosen a gymnasium with room for a larger audience.

After arriving, the Kawari players went straight to the locker room to change into their uniforms, then headed onto the court to warm up.

They'd expected a good turnout, but the cheers that greeted them still took them by surprise. Even before tip-off, thousands of spectators had filled the stands.

All this for a single qualifying game. It was proof of how far Kawari had come.

The sight reminded Masato of the qualifying match he'd played just before leaving Teikō. For a moment, he felt almost dazed. At this rate, Kawari might be attracting just as much attention as Teikō itself.

Some of the new recruits were understandably nervous. But when they looked toward the captain walking at the front of the team, their unease gradually faded.

Kaima Kakuzo felt the same way. He'd played basketball overseas, but nothing he'd experienced there had attracted attention on this scale.

Watching Masato's back, Kaima felt a growing sense of admiration. Over the past several weeks, he'd begun to understand that basketball skill was only one of Masato's strengths. His leadership and the sheer force of his presence were even more impressive.

Kaima sincerely believed he still had a great deal to learn from his captain.

...

Enoura had already taken the court to warm up before Kawari arrived. Once Masato and his teammates appeared, it was obvious that their opponents were uncomfortable.

Even during warm-ups, the sound of basketballs clanging against the rim seemed never to stop. Listening to miss after miss, some of the Kawari players were genuinely worried Enoura might end up breaking a basket.

Ishida and Kenji had been with Kawari throughout its long-running rivalry with Enoura, and they were particularly eager for this game.

Before tip-off, one of them turned to Masato.

"Masa, make sure you pass me the ball a few extra times today. I want to score right in their faces!"

"..."

Masato had no objection. In fact, since acquiring Four-Dimensional Hypervision, he'd come to enjoy passing even more than before. Not that he was passing merely for the sake of it. More importantly, he wanted to use these games to regain the state he'd reached against Teikō as quickly as possible.

With the fans looking on expectantly, warm-ups ended and the match began.

...

"Smack!"

Ishida had taken over as center for the new season, and he didn't disappoint. His jump ball was considerably better than the former captain's.

The moment Kawari gained possession, the whole team sprang into motion, every player racing into position. Enoura, by comparison, still looked half asleep.

By the time its defenders reacted, Masato had already released the ball.

An orange streak cut across the court. Ishida, who had sprinted past half court, caught the pass in stride, charged into the paint, and threw down a thunderous dunk!

The moment his feet touched the floor, he roared toward the stands.

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Then he pointed across the court at Masato, acknowledging the perfect pass.

Kawari had drawn first blood. The spectators hadn't expected the opening possession to end so quickly, and it took them a moment to react before applause broke out.

The Enoura players looked frustrated, especially with their coach already shouting from the sideline. If anything, his yelling only made them play worse.

The contrast between the two teams was unmistakable. Kawari looked energized and confident, while Enoura seemed completely dispirited. Anyone who understood basketball could make a pretty good guess at how the match would end just by looking at them.

And the rest of the game proved them right.

With Masato directing the offense, Kawari played at a blistering pace. His defensive instructions and imaginative passing left the crowd struggling to keep up.

Journalists who had followed the team through its previous tournament could see the difference. Kawari had become substantially stronger, and they couldn't wait to find out how far this team might go.

The crowd grew louder as Kawari's offense came in wave after wave. The scoreboard quickly began displaying some absurd numbers.

16–2. 28–6. 45–12...

Every basket brought another eruption from Kawari's bench, with players waving towels and jumping around in celebration.

On Enoura's side, it was a different story. The whole team seemed to have gone limp. From the bench to the players on the floor, everyone looked completely deflated. By the final stretch, they'd practically given up.

The match ended 105–28.

Staring at the outrageous score, everyone in the arena found themselves thinking of the same name.

Teikō Middle School.

Until now, Teikō had been the only team capable of inflicting that kind of crushing defeat.

Now Kawari belonged in the same conversation.

However reluctant they might have been, Enoura's players still forced themselves to exchange the customary greetings after the final whistle. The arrogance they'd once shown toward Kawari was nowhere to be seen.

Then the entire Enoura contingent, coach included, hurried out as though they were fleeing the scene. The sight sent the Kawari players into fits of laughter.

Because the match had attracted so much interest, a media interview session followed. Masato answered a few questions without much enthusiasm, then left with his teammates.

...

The days that followed settled into a steady rhythm of practice and qualifying matches.

Almost before anyone realized it, Kawari had become the undisputed giant of Kanagawa basketball. Nobody wanted to face them, and every team unfortunate enough to stand in their way was eliminated.

Each consecutive victory only strengthened Kawari's confidence.

Carrying that momentum into mid-July, Kawari stormed through the qualifiers and advanced to the National Tournament once again, this time with an even more commanding presence.

The media, which had been waiting for the right moment, immediately sprang into action. Attention poured in from every direction, and articles about Kawari flooded the news.

"The Kanagawa Monster, Averaging 50+30 Per Game..."

"Teikō vs. Kawari: A Preview!"

...