Kuroko: Mahoraga - Chapter 87: The Dome Draw! (Patreon)

Although familiar faces like the Uncrowned Kings were absent from this year's tournament, the excitement surrounding it was greater than ever.

After the previous Nationals, everyone had reached the same conclusion. Teikō Middle School was still a cut above every other team in the country, but now there was a challenger capable of standing against it.

Nothing killed the excitement of competitive sports faster than a lack of genuine rivals. Even an overwhelmingly strong team could become boring to watch if every outcome was a foregone conclusion.

With Kawari's rise, however, spectators finally had a showdown worth anticipating. Fans had been looking forward to it long before the tournament began.

...

This year's National Tournament would once again take place in Tokyo, but the venue had changed.

Perhaps hoping to distinguish their event from the competing tournament, the IM organizers hadn't chosen the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium used last time. Instead, they would hold the competition at the Tokyo Dome, with the pre-tournament draw taking place in one of its annexes.

When the day of the draw arrived, Masato led his teammates back to Tokyo.

They'd already attended one national tournament draw, but that did little to calm their nerves. The new recruits, in particular, looked as though they'd never seen anything on this scale. Even Kaima Kakuzo, who'd spent time playing basketball overseas, was no exception.

It was perfectly understandable. Reaching Nationals was every participating player's dream, and achieving it was exciting no matter how many times it happened.

The Tokyo Dome itself only added to that feeling.

The enormous structure had a distinctive rounded, egg-shaped roof and covered nearly 45,000 square meters. At maximum capacity, it could accommodate more than 50,000 spectators.

Normally, the Dome hosted major professional baseball games, along with events such as professional boxing matches and idol concerts. And now, an entire junior high basketball tournament was being staged there.

It said plenty about how seriously the IM organizers took this competition, not to mention the extraordinary passion for basketball in this world.

The Kawari players couldn't stop looking around as they made their way through the complex. Everything seemed new and exciting.

"Nationals really is a different world from the qualifiers!" Ishida exclaimed.

Just imagining himself playing inside the Dome made him feel like a professional athlete on television. It almost didn't seem real.

Kenji felt much the same way.

"Even the second time around, I still can't believe it."

Their teammates echoed the sentiment. Who would have imagined that an obscure, third-rate school could change so dramatically?

Players who had once been little more than benchwarmers, just going through the motions, now had a real chance of getting into better high schools because of their achievements.

And everyone knew who had made that possible.

Looking toward Masato as he led the way, they felt the same steady, powerful presence they'd come to rely on. Without anyone quite noticing, their nervousness gradually faded.

...

The Dome complex was enormous. After several minutes of walking, the team finally reached the annex where the draw would take place.

They'd already noticed how much attention the event was attracting, but the sight inside still startled them.

The arrangement resembled the previous ceremony, with rows of seats descending toward a stage at the center. This time, however, the hall was much larger.

It had to accommodate not only representatives of the thirty-six teams attending Nationals, but also members of the press.

Masato and his teammates weren't particularly early. More than half the teams were already seated, their uniforms filling different sections with patches of red, yellow, blue, and green. Nearly fifty journalists had arrived as well, cameras ready.

As soon as Kawari entered, the attention turned toward them.

Opposing players looked up, and the reporters reacted like sharks catching the scent of blood. Cameras came out almost immediately, accompanied by a rising buzz of conversation.

"Look! Kawari's here!"

"Quick, get some pictures!"

"They really do look different this year!"

"Masato too. The whole team's changed!"

"Yeah, I've got a feeling they're going to do something huge at this tournament!"

"How huge? Making the final is one thing, but you think they'll actually beat Teikō?"

"Hey, you never know!"

"Come on, don't talk bullshit. I don't buy it!"

"..."

Even Kawari's veterans had never walked into a reception like this, let alone the new players. How could they not be nervous?

They'd gotten used to some attention over the course of the qualifiers, but this was different. For a moment, the entire team seemed rooted to the entrance.

Then a familiar voice cut through their daze.

"Come on. Stop standing around."

The players looked up. Masato had already walked into the hall without hesitation. They hurried after him and made their way to Kawari's designated seats beneath the gaze of everyone in the room.

Even once they sat down, some of the more nervous players remained on edge. They could feel people glancing in their direction every so often. They knew most of those looks were meant for their captain, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier.

Kaima glanced at Masato and found him sitting there with an utterly calm expression, as though none of this had affected him in the slightest.

He turned toward the other three starters.

"Captain's nerves are seriously something else."

Ishida laughed and nodded.

"Wouldn't be our captain otherwise."

Kenji agreed, and Yamato, the newly promoted starter, couldn't resist teasing their younger teammate.

"Heh, naturally. You've still got a lot to learn, kid."

"..."

Kaima had grown close to the others over the past several weeks. They all liked the newcomer and were eager to help him improve. Of course, his own talent had gone a long way toward earning that welcome.

During the qualifiers, with Masato leading the team, Kaima had averaged an impressive 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. His performances were so good that the Kanagawa media had ranked him first among the region's most promising new players.

Masato was pleased with the result. Unless something unexpected happened, Kaima would become Kawari's new pillar after he left.

He didn't join the conversation. Instead, he closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and waited for the draw to begin.

...

Seeing that Masato wasn't reacting to their attention, the people around him gradually stopped staring. The hall settled down again.

The quiet didn't last.

Only a few minutes later, another wave of excited cries swept through the room, every bit as loud as the reaction to Kawari's entrance. Even some of Masato's own teammates joined in.

Masato slowly opened his eyes. There was only one school that could cause a commotion like that.

Teikō Middle School.

He turned to look.

As before, Akashi and Midorima were leading a group of around twenty players. Kise, who had accompanied them to the last draw, was absent this time, as were Aomine and Murasakibara.

Like Masato, Akashi paid no attention to the curious gazes around him. He simply led his teammates toward their assigned seats.

Unfortunately, their route took them directly past Kawari.

The moment the new recruits saw Teikō approaching, they instinctively looked away. They might have been new to middle school basketball, but they'd heard plenty about Teikō long before joining Kawari. The very name carried an oppressive sense of authority.

Then they noticed something unexpected.

Their older teammates weren't nervous at all.

These were the players of Teikō Middle School, and the Kawari veterans were watching them without the slightest sign of fear.

Were their seniors really that fearless?

The newcomers didn't know what had happened during Kawari's last encounter with Teikō. Masato had shattered the image of invincibility his teammates once held. He'd shown them that even Teikō could be challenged.

Ishida and the other starters stared straight at the approaching team, not a trace of hesitation in their eyes.

As the two groups drew closer, the noise in the hall began to fade.

Everyone knew that, sooner or later, these two teams would face each other again.

...