The next day.
Miyamoto Tokima first went to Tōō High School. After putting his personal charm to use, he easily persuaded them to join a joint training camp with Seirin High School and Kaijō High School.
After that, Miyamoto Tokima returned to Kirisaki Daiichi to prepare for his team's special training.
And the location of the training...
was in the United States.
Just as everything had been arranged, Tatsuya Himuro slowly walked over.
He looked hesitant, unsure whether he should say what was on his mind.
Miyamoto Tokima, however, did not seem surprised.
"You're leaving, right?"
Tatsuya Himuro looked at him in shock, clearly wondering how he knew.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
"You went to see Kagami, didn't you?"
Tatsuya Himuro paused, then nodded.
"Yes, I..."
Miyamoto Tokima patted his shoulder.
"Go on. Follow your heart."
Tatsuya Himuro hesitated for a moment, then gave a deep bow.
"Thank you for your guidance. If possible, I would like to work for you in the future."
A sly smile spread across Miyamoto Tokima's face.
Finally, he took the bait.
If you did not fall for it now, I would not be able to keep this act going much longer.
Did you really think Miyamoto Tokima was a good person?
Everything he had done was to get Tatsuya Himuro to sign a binding contract.
After investing so much in you, you think you can just walk away?
That would be a loss.
Sign it. You have to sign.
Soon, Miyamoto Tokima took out a contract, nearly identical to the ones signed by Shogo Haizaki and the others.
Every contract had one key clause.
Unconditional obedience to the Miyamoto Family's arrangements.
In other words, once signed, you would have to follow their orders.
Tatsuya Himuro did not hesitate.
He was deeply grateful to Miyamoto Tokima, and having heard about this from Makoto Hanamiya and the others before, he signed without a second thought.
After signing, he bowed again.
"Thank you."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, go find your brother. And remember, act like the older brother."
Tatsuya Himuro smiled, nodded firmly, and left Kirisaki Daiichi.
At that moment, both sides were satisfied.
...
The next day, Miyamoto Tokima took the Kirisaki Daiichi team to the United States.
On the plane.
Shuzo Nijimura looked at the clouds outside and sighed.
"I did not expect to be back so soon."
"I kind of miss those days on the team."
Makoto Hanamiya immediately caught onto that.
"Nijimura, you were on the same team as them before?"
Shuzo Nijimura smiled and nodded.
"Yeah."
Miyamoto Tokima added casually:
"Nijimura-senpai was the weakest among them."
Shuzo Nijimura immediately flushed red.
"Miyamoto!"
The others quietly laughed.
Only Atsushi Murasakibara kept eating snacks, looking a bit down.
Miyamoto Tokima noticed.
"Atsushi, what's wrong?"
Murasakibara took a bite of his snack.
"I still want to play against that guy."
Everyone understood who he meant.
Miyamoto Tokima waved it off.
"Alright. I will arrange a one on one match for you."
Murasakibara's mood visibly improved.
Miyamoto Tokima had his own reasons for this.
First, to gauge Murasakibara's current level.
Second, to push him toward entering the Second Zone.
After all, the Second Zone was the hardest to reach.
And it was not just Murasakibara. Shogo Haizaki's rematch also needed to be arranged.
As for his opponent, Miyamoto Tokima already had someone in mind.
...
The plane landed.
The Kirisaki Daiichi team got off with their belongings and followed Miyamoto Tokima.
Cars were already waiting outside.
They got in and headed to the arranged accommodations to adjust to the time difference.
After about two days of rest, Miyamoto Tokima gathered everyone.
They then took a bus to the Miyamoto Family's basketball gym.
The training ground of the Black Dragon Team.
As soon as they got off, they could hear noise coming from inside.
The Kirisaki Daiichi players exchanged looks, then followed Miyamoto Tokima inside.
The moment they entered, a furious shout rang out.
Miyamoto Tokima immediately recognized the voice.
Victor.
"What the hell are you doing, Jason? Why are you throwing elbows on a back down move?"
"You are about to take Allen out with that!"
Jason Silver protested loudly:
"Coach, it is Allen. That brat kept grabbing my butt and threw off my balance!"
Victor roared:
"Allen!"
The Kirisaki Daiichi team froze.
Are these guys... normal?
For a moment, doubt crept in.
Then, the next second, they were stunned again.
Nash Gold Jr. made a zero frame pass, sending the ball to Jason Silver mid air.
Jason Silver spun a full 360 degrees and slammed the ball into the hoop with overwhelming force.
Murasakibara's eyes locked onto him.
His fighting spirit surged.
After the dunk, the Black Dragon Team finally noticed Miyamoto Tokima and the others.
Jason Silver and the rest greeted him.
"Tokima."
Then they all walked over.
They had already received notice that they would be helping with Kirisaki Daiichi's summer training.
Standing face to face, the Kirisaki Daiichi players could truly feel the pressure radiating from them.
Before, in matches, only Jason Silver had shown his full strength.
The others had barely tried.
But now, fresh from training, their presence alone was overwhelming.
Shogo Haizaki swallowed unconsciously.
So strong.
Murasakibara stared at Jason Silver as if he wanted to devour him.
Jason Silver noticed and simply grinned in response.
Nash Gold Jr. watched Makoto Hanamiya with interest.
He found this trash talking kid quite amusing.
...