Shintaro Midorima stood off to the side, picked up a basketball, and shot it toward the hoop.
"It seems Kuroko disappeared after Mr. Aida left."
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
...
Meanwhile, the members of the Black Dragon Team were drinking, chatting, and laughing together at a bar in Roppongi.
The staff nearby watched the foreigners they had seen on television with curiosity.
"Are those the Black Dragon Team players? They look pretty intimidating."
"That's them. I heard they're playing another match against our team tomorrow, and there's some kind of wager involved. I wonder whether we can beat them."
"We should be able to. We have the [Magic Cube], after all!"
The staff were not the only ones watching them. Several other patrons in the bar were also eyeing the Black Dragon Team curiously.
Just then, Kagetora Aida walked in with his hands in his pockets and a cold expression on his face.
Nash Gold stopped laughing and looked over at him.
Now that Nash Gold knew the whole situation had been a misunderstanding, he no longer had any reason to mock Kagetora Aida.
"What brings you here today? You even brought a kid with you."
Kagetora Aida looked at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about, brat? What kid?"
"Hello."
Tetsuya Kuroko's voice suddenly came from Kagetora Aida's left, startling him badly.
"When did you start following me?!"
Kagetora Aida broke into a cold sweat. The bar was already noisy and crowded, and the Black Dragon Team stood out so much that he had never noticed Tetsuya Kuroko walking beside him.
Tetsuya Kuroko looked at the group with a determined gaze.
"My name is Tetsuya Kuroko."
Allen stared at him blankly.
"Are you a fan? Did you come for an autograph?"
Kagetora Aida was dumbfounded.
"Are you an idiot?!"
Even the usually composed Tetsuya Kuroko was caught off guard by Allen's train of thought.
Nash Gold rubbed his forehead and decided to ignore Allen.
He was worried that spending too much time around him might lower his own intelligence.
Tetsuya Kuroko paused briefly, then quickly regained his composure.
"No, I'm not a fan. I'm one of the players who will face you tomorrow."
Everyone present froze.
Nash Gold looked Tetsuya Kuroko up and down. Aside from his unusually weak presence, there was nothing about him that suggested he played basketball.
His physique alone was far below that of almost any properly trained basketball player.
Nash Gold turned to Kagetora Aida in disbelief.
"Is he telling the truth?"
Kagetora Aida nodded.
The air fell silent.
Then the entire Black Dragon Team burst into laughter.
They had been competing around the world for quite some time, but this was the first time someone with such a frail build had approached them the day before a match and announced that he was one of their opponents.
Was he trying to act tough in front of them?
Or was he simply there to hand them the money?
Jason Silver looked down at Tetsuya Kuroko and shouted.
"Hey, kid! With a body like that, can you really play basketball?!"
Jason Silver slowly rose to his feet, his enormous frame completely towering over Tetsuya Kuroko.
Tetsuya Kuroko's head barely reached Jason Silver's chest. The difference between them was striking.
Jason Silver first looked at Kagetora Aida.
"Are you planning to hand us the five hundred thousand dollars without even putting up a fight?"
Then he turned back toward Tetsuya Kuroko.
"Kid, are you sure you want to play against us?!"
"With a body like that, one collision might make you fall apart! I don't want you people trying to blame us afterward!"
"So go home, get some rest, and watch cartoons instead!"
Jason Silver's words were insulting, but Tetsuya Kuroko really did look that frail.
He looked so fragile that even Jason Silver worried a single collision might seriously injure him.
Allen glanced at Jason Silver.
"Hey, Silver, are you still trash-talking him? That's not very gentlemanly of you."
Jason Silver turned toward him and retorted.
"A gentleman? That's for dealing with ladies during the day!"
Trash talk was part of the game, so he saw no reason to hold back.
More importantly, Miyamoto Tokima was not there, and Jason Silver had no idea how close Tetsuya Kuroko was to him.
Had he known, he certainly would not have spoken to Tetsuya Kuroko that way.
Jason Silver looked down at him once more.
"Go home, kid. This isn't a place you should be."
He instinctively reached out to pat Tetsuya Kuroko on the head.
Then Tetsuya Kuroko spoke.
"Why?"
Jason Silver froze, his hand suspended in midair.
Tetsuya Kuroko continued.
"Why did you call them monkeys? And why did you tell them to get their heads examined?"
The bar instantly fell silent.
Nash Gold's expression turned cold.
They might have changed considerably compared to how they had once been, but that did not mean just anyone had the right to question them.
The only person allowed to do that was Miyamoto Tokima.
Nash Gold stared coldly at Tetsuya Kuroko and gave a low, questioning grunt.
"Huh?"
...
Meanwhile, Taiga Kagami and the others were sprinting toward Roppongi.
Taiga Kagami looked deeply worried.
"How could that idiot do something like this?!"
Ryota Kise ran beside him with an exasperated expression.
"Who knew Kuroko would do something this reckless?!"
Daiki Aomine replied.
"When it comes to Tetsuya, you never know!"
Shintaro Midorima spoke next.
"If he truly did this, then he really is unbelievable."
Seijuro Akashi looked equally helpless.
"Even I can't always predict Kuroko's actions. For now, let's hurry."
Atsushi Murasakibara spoke while running.
"Why don't any of you believe me? They really are good people. They won't do anything to Kuroko."
Daiki Aomine was still clearly worried.
"We'll believe that once we see it ourselves!"
He increased his pace, and the others quickly followed.
Atsushi Murasakibara reluctantly sped up as well, keeping close enough not to fall behind.
While running, he pulled out a Delicious Stick.
"I'm getting hungry."
He tore open the wrapper and stuffed it into his mouth without slowing down.
Shogo Haizaki and Makoto Hanamiya looked utterly exasperated, neither of them quite sure why they had followed the others out in the first place.
...