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After the match against Nanbara Middle School, it was lunchtime.
Since there was another match against Nishibara that afternoon, and since both schools belonged to the same district, the Teiko team stayed for lunch.
Ryu and the others left the basketball court and found a shady corner to eat their bento boxes.
Ryu and Aomine Daiki's bento boxes were carefully prepared by Momoi Satsuki.
The two looked at their bento boxes with dejected expressions.
The food inside was a patchwork of green, black, purple, red, and black.
No matter what it was, there was always a black patch.
A star and a heart were thoughtfully placed on top.
This was a lovingly prepared bento box from Momoi Satsuki for the two of them.
Recalling his experience tasting Momoi Satsuki's cooking, Ryu felt as if what he held in his hands wasn't a bento box, but rather the death sentence of this world.
"Ryu, what's that?"
Murasakibara Atsushi, eating fried shrimp, looked curiously at the blackened food in Ryu's hands.
Ryu replied with a look of utter despair.
"It's a bento box Satsuki made for me. Do you want some?"
As he spoke, a glimmer of hope shot from Ryu's eyes, his gaze towards Murasakibara filled with expectation.
Hearing Ryu's words, Aomine Daiki, standing nearby, also perked up and said to Murasakibara,
"And mine too. If you want some, you can have it all."
Murasakibara looked at the burnt bento boxes in their hands and quickly shook his head.
"I don't want any! It looks disgusting!"
Hearing Murasakibara's refusal, both Ryu and Aomine showed disappointment.
Ryu turned to Kuroko, who was standing there in a daze.
"Kuroko, do you want some?"
"No, thank you."
Kuroko shook his head without looking up.
Seeing him like this, Ryu asked,
"Are you still thinking about the competition?"
Kuroko didn't speak, just nodded.
Aomine Daiki, standing nearby, also offered words of comfort.
"Tetsuya, I believe you can do it."
"Yeah, I'll try my best."
Kuroko clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with unwavering determination.
However, Ryu quickly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Just hard work isn't enough."
"Hey! Ryu..."
Aomine Daiki, worried that Kuroko would be even more discouraged, gave Ryu a meaningful look.
"Haha, alright, I see you don't have much of an appetite either. How about we go buy some food together!"
Hearing this, Aomine Daiki didn't refuse.
He simply couldn't bring himself to eat Momoi Satsuki's cooking.
Ryu and Aomine got up and prepared to head towards the school store.
Ryu stopped and turned to look at Kuroko.
"Oh, right, Kuroko, this is for you. Not eating will lower your body's nutrition, and you won't grow tall."
He tossed the bento box Momoi Satsuki had made for him.
Kuroko hurriedly caught the bento.
"Please don't throw it at me like that."
"Ah, ha! Sorry, sorry! I'm used to it during training, I didn't control my speed properly, and I forgot you're an oddball."
After speaking, Ryu and Aomine walked away together.
Meanwhile, Akashi and Midorima, each lost in their own thoughts, kept their eyes glued to Ryu's departing figure until he disappeared from sight.
Halfway there, Aomine Daiki's eyes kept glancing at Ryu, as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped himself.
Although he usually seemed like a idiot, his intelligence when it came to basketball was second to none.
Kuroko's low presence and those unpredictable passing skills... although Kuroko had performed poorly in the previous game, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling that Kuroko could definitely save the team.
"Are you thinking about Kuroko?"
Ryu's voice suddenly broke Aomine's silence.
"Ah, yes! Kuroko's performance was terrible, and the team is very dissatisfied. I want to help him, but I don't know how."
Ryu looked at him and then spoke,
"Don't worry, Kuroko's fine, because he..."
Just then, Ryu and Aomine suddenly heard two familiar voices nearby.
"Are we really going to do this?"
"Yeah, you saw today's game. Kuroko has absolutely no talent for basketball. He's not even as good as an average person. He's not suited for the first team; relegation is the best option for him."
"Assistant Coach, Nijimura-senpai."
Aomine Daiki, having overheard their conversation, immediately came over.
Ryu, seeing this, could only follow.
Aomine Daiki said to the assistant coach,
"Relegate Kuroko? We have another game this afternoon! Please let him play one more game!"
"No."
The assistant coach's face was serious, refusing without hesitation.
"There's no need to observe him any longer. I'm going to relegate him."
Aomine Daiki's eyes struggled, and after a long silence, he finally spoke,
"If he doesn't perform well in the next match, I'll be relegated with him. So, please, assistant coach, give him another chance."
The assistant coach and Nijimura Shuzo looked at Aomine Daiki without speaking, seemingly considering his opinion.
Just then, Ryu spoke to the assistant coach,
"Assistant coach, it's just a practice match. Giving Kuroko another chance is fine."
The assistant coach looked at Ryu seriously.
"Ryu, Kuroko's performance was absolutely terrible. A player like that will only bring irreparable disaster to the team."
Ryu said with a meaningful smile,
"Coach, Kuroko is, after all, participating in a formal match for the first time, and he hasn't been with the first team for long. We haven't had any time to gel with him. Kuroko's talent is a unique kind of strength. If we're talking about talent level, he's no worse than us."
Ryu's last words completely shocked the assistant coach and Nijimura Shuzo.
They hadn't expected Ryu to have such a high opinion of Kuroko.
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
The assistant coach wondered if Ryu was still half asleep.
Kuroko's lack of strength was obvious.
Did he think he was an idiot?
Thinking this, the assistant coach's face darkened.
Seeing the assistant coach's expression, Ryu knew he had misunderstood, so he said,
"Indeed, Kuroko has nothing to offer in terms of physical attributes or basketball skills, but his talent doesn't lie in those areas."
"Don't forget, in basketball, besides breakthroughs, dribbling, dunking, and shooting, there's another crucial skill: passing."
At this point, Ryu's smile deepened.
"Don't you think Kuroko's ability to suddenly disappear is perfect for surprise attacks?"
"I observed him during his previous games; Kuroko's ball-handling isn't bad, just a few minor flaws in his passing. With a little correction, he'll definitely surprise everyone."
After hearing Ryu's explanation, the assistant coach fell into deep thought.
After a long while, he finally spoke,
"I understand. I agree to give Kuroko a chance. If he doesn't improve, I'll immediately demote him."
Seeing the assistant coach relent, Aomine Daiki bowed to the assistant coach with a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. I believe Kuroko can definitely do it."
The assistant coach didn't speak, only glanced at Aomine Daiki, then turned and left with Nijimura Shuzo.
"Thank you, Ryu."
Aomine Daiki said gratefully to Ryu.
Ryu waved his hand.
"It's nothing, I was just stating the facts. As for whether Kuroko can stay in the first team, that depends on his own fate."
With that, Ryu's eyes darted slightly, looking at a stone pillar.
Behind that pillar, a blue-haired boy was standing hidden.
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