29 TWENTY EIGHT
Now that Seirin had defeated Shutoku, they progressed into the final league which would take place in a few weeks.
Their opponent? Touou Academy.
In the original plot, Seirin suffered a devastating loss where Touou doubled their score, completely humiliating them. But, it was going to be different this time around.
Takumi, who was already making changes in the plot, saw no reason to stop now. Even if he did, the effects from his earlier interventions were sure to grow so he might as well go all the way.
The time leading up to the final league was filled with training. Riko made sure to train them thoroughly in all the places they needed work on but made sure not to overdo it. It wouldn't bode well for the team should they get injured just before the final league.
Kagami was able to join in the sessions with his legs fully healed in a matter of days after the Shutoku match. Had Takumi not subbed in, the boy would have definitely strained his muscles.
Takumi felt this was for the best. Kagami was going to get stronger and better than he was in the anime and his potential will soon be in full bloom.
In the meantime, Riko, who had finally figured out the redhead's special jumping power, assigned the teen to Takumi to train personally. To her, it was best for a monster to learn from a monster.
Takumi all too eagerly accepted the job to whip Kagami's body into shape. Right now, his body was still not up to par with his potential so he needed to hone it. And by 'it', it meant his legs.
Cue 5 a.m. calls from Takumi to go running up a rugged hill in the middle of the city.
The redhead, in short, was not pleased.
If there was anything he hated the most, it was being woken up before the sun rose and being forced to run with a blabbermouth.
Nevertheless, Kagami was not one to back down from a challenge and somehow, the two made it a competition to see who would reach their destination first. And Takumi always won. While Kagami was pissed, he also saw it as a new goal, that is, to beat Yoshida Takumi in speed.
Results began showing slowly where Kagami running time lessened by the second.
The reason Riko and Takumi put so much work into this was that both of them knew of Kagami's desire to be the strongest basketball player in Japan and his wish to face Aomine. But Aomine was the fastest high schooler in the nation. It would have taken a lot of energy to keep up with him.
Takumi worked extra hard on his coaching because he saw the progress as interesting. He really wanted to know how Kagami would match up against Aomine from the results of the training.
Was there more to it? Maybe, however, Takumi never really considered it until one morning. It was the tenth day he and Kagami were doing their morning runs.
Both teens were panting at the top of the hill. Grabbing a water bottle, Takumi took a large swing of water and wiped the sweat off of his face. He was about to drink some more when Kagami suddenly asked;
"Why are you doing this?"
Takumi raised an eyebrow, "Doing what?"
"This. Why are you so concerned with training me when you could easily defeat this Aomine guy all by yourself?"
"How do you know if I can defeat him?" Takumi asked with a small smile.
Kagami gave a deadpan look, "You messing with me? If even you couldn't beat him then he may as well be an alien from outer space."
"Point taken. I'm pleased you have so much faith in me,"
"Stop avoiding the question."
"..."
Takumi looked at Kagami and saw the latter staring back at him with his usual intensity. He pursed his lips and turned his eyes towards the sky, letting out a long sigh.
"I thought I already told you. There's no point in me defeating him by myself because none of you will improve,"
"But why? Why do you care so much whether we improve or not?" Kagami pressed. This question had been weighing down on the teen's mind ever since the Shutoku match when Takumi showed part of his strength.
"Is that really important?"
Kagami gave him a serious nod.
Takumi didn't know what to say. The question stumped him because he too wondered why he was doing this. Technically speaking, Takumi couldn't say he 'loved' basketball nor did he think much of the team.
He was a person that wasn't supposed to be a part of this world. He was a guy who watched the characters of this place train, play, lose, win and enjoy the thrill of basketball. What was the point of him joining the team and getting involved with the plot?
While he hesitated, the answer was pretty simple. It was the same answer he had deep in his heart when Riko asked a similar question.
"Why? Because I want to, of course."
...
"Bullshit,"
"Believe it or not, that is the truth," Takumi stretched his muscles and patted Kagami's shoulder. "Stop concerning yourself with such things and just accept what I'm offering."
Kagami scoffed and shook his hand off.
"Whatever. I'll get the truth out of you someday,"
"Do your best Tiger~"
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[Omake]
[The night when Takumi received the call of his uncle's ambush]
Takumi was furious.
As a guy who was usually known to be chirpy, lazy-faced, and annoying, this change of emotion was enough to show how much he cared for his family. His uncle in particular held a special place in his heart for the years he raised and took care of him.
Which idiot had the gall to ambush his Uncle - the literal leader of the White Tiger Yakuza. It was mighty ballsy of them.
When the Young Master arrived home, the estate was in a state of chaos.
Their boss, their leader had been attacked. It was no wonder everyone was angry and frustrated. They did everything in their means to find out who had done it and when Takumi stepped through the gates, all noise came to a halt.
Not because they were being respectful but because they saw the pure fury and anger on their Young Master's face. It was rare to ever see Takumi so pissed but when they did, they knew it meant trouble.
Takumi wasn't just a beast on the court. He was a beast all the time. But he was a beast who knew how to hide his fangs.
"Where his Hosen?" Takumi asked in a low, tense voice. "Bring him to me."
An order.
"Yes, Young Master!" one of the men scurried off in the direction where Hosen was presumed to be and came back a couple of minutes later with a file.
He handed it to Takumi, "Hosen's found them. It was the Taiyo Group."
"The Hinata brothers," Takumi grit his teeth. He read the file and sneered, "They're going to regret ever crossing us."
A chill overcame the surrounding group and they turned to their Young Master.
"Inform the others, tomorrow night, the Taiyo Group will cease to exist."
""YES SIR!""
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A/N: To be continued...
