Chapter 160 : The End of the Training Camp
Hell, there was even a period of times when he scoffed and looked at Kuroko's playing style with eyes full of disgust, thinking that the blue-haired boy was lazy and comfortable with the ghostly style and didn't want to improve himself. At that time, he still didn't know it was Akashi and the team's fault that Kuroko's basic was left behind.
Yeah, that was indeed Akashia and the team's fault.
Normally, when an amateur player like Kuroko joined the team, he would be placed into the bottom tiers where they would learn all the basics from the beginning. But since Kuroko had the unique talent that Akashi fancied, he was promoted quickly to the first team before he could learn anything there. And since then, the team just assumed since Kuroko was able to be the main player, it was impossible to have a bad basic.
They neglected Kuroko's basic training completely for his unique playing style.
That was why when Midorima witnessed Kuroko's transformation after being trained in the 'right way' by Seirin, he was a bit dumbfounded, thinking that he mistook Kuroko for the other player. This was a testament to how high the leap Kuroko took to improve his game.
After a while, he sighed out loud, crossing his arms in front of his chest while leaning his body back against the wall.
"Good game." He finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence around them. "You really surprised me today."
"Thanks." Kuroko nodded slightly. "You surprise me too. I would never expect you would consider any other option besides three-pointers to score. If Kise-kun saw this, he would laugh at you."
Midorima snorted, not liking how Kuroko suddenly mentioned the blonde's name. "I am a scorer. As long as the ball goes in, I have no problem with the method."
"That's a good mindset." Kuroko nodded. After that, they fell into another awkward silence, not knowing what to say again.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" A voice suddenly came from behind the wall, disgust could be heard in his tone. "Why are you acting like a couple who have not seen each other for a year? Don't you realize you two are being weird here?!"
Midorima scowled angrily at the accusation. "Have you ever been taught not to butt into the other's business? Or is it how people in America act?"
"Well, it is not my fault you act like a married couple."
"It is your fault you tried to eavesdrop on our conversation." Midorima retorted back. "Don't think just because of your improvement you are already at the same level as us. You are just a mere good role player."
"What do you mean?!"
"Okay, that's enough, Kagami-kun." Kuroko interrupted before the conversation turned into a meaningless debate. "What are you doing here, Kagami-kun?"
Yeah, the one who just came was Kagami. At first, he just wanted to make sure everything was alright, especially after the heated ending in the game. But now, it seemed he had forgotten why he was here in the first place.
"Ah…" Kagami rubbed his head sheepishly, feeling a bit awkward after getting caught off-handedly.
"Eavesdropping us, of course." Midorima snorted. "And he did it shamelessly. Does he know the meaning of private conversation?"
"Well, you should know better not to take away one of us after your bastard teammate's dirty play before." Kagami snarked back.
Kuroko coughed immediately, stopping the argument between those two prematurely. They at least had the decency to feel embarrassed as they threw away their faces in another direction. Kuroko could only sigh as they fell into an awkward silence again.
This is probably why he had a hard time getting along with Midorima. Not just because of the difference between their basketball skill which was like comparing heaven and earth, but also because of their similar personality.
Yeah, they couldn't get along because of their similar personality, not the exact opposite.
Kuroko and Midorima were both introverts, preferred listening rather than talking. When they were left alone, they usually spent their time just doing whatever they could do themselves, either with their own phone or something else to kill the time. That was why whenever they wanted to talk, there was usually a third person ready to ease the atmosphere like Kise, Aomine, Momoi, or Takao who had a loosened mouth.
Hell, this would be better if Kagami had been there since the beginning, not just eavesdropping from afar. Even though Midorima's relationship with Kagami was a bit rocky, it was nothing different than him with Kise. It was filled with a lot of arguments and sarcastic comments which was still better than the awkward silence before. That was why out of his relationship with the other Generation of Miracles, Midorima was the hardest one to get along for Kuroko.
"Forget it." The green-haired boy waved his hand away, pushing his glasses up slightly. "I just want to say, be careful when you meet Akashi. Things could turn ugly."
Kagami was confused, not knowing why Midorima mentioned the captain of the Generation of Miracles out of a sudden. However, Kuroko froze for a second before nodding, acknowledging Midorima's information.
Kuroko knew that Akashi's biggest flaw was his thought that he knew better than anyone else. If Kuroko suddenly played against him in a new playing style, this would be like a slap into Akashi's face as it was he who invented the misdirection play for Kuroko. Just like Midorima said, if he got offended, things could turn ugly, not just for Kuroko, but also for the entire Seirin team.
"Thanks for the warning, Midorima-kun."
"Don't think too much about it." Midorima waved his hand nonchalantly. "I just don't want to see 'him' always winning like this."
Kuroko frowned, noticing something wrong with what Midorima just said. For all he knew, the relationship between the green-haired boy and his former captain wasn't that bad. Hell, Akashi even chose him as the vice-captain. So, their relationship shouldn't be that bad. However, from the hint of hostility that Kuroko found in Midorima's tone before, he could guess something happened between those two.
He also noticed the 'him' that Midorima emphasized as if it wasn't Akashi who he talked about. But if not, who else?
Confusion kept growing inside his mind. Unfortunately, Midorima had already left, leaving Kuroko and his confusion unanswerable. Kagami who couldn't read his thoughts just patted his shoulder, thinking that everything was normal.
"Let's go back first. The team is waiting for you."
After pondering for a while, Kuroko finally nodded, decided to put that thing aside first for now.
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After a while, they finally left the building, went back to the inn again. The moment they entered the inn, they all collapsed straight on the spot. The adrenaline that fueled them throughout the game had dissipated, leaving behind a profound weariness that seeped into their bones.
Even though today's game wasn't a full four-quarter game, mentally, they were far more exhausted than usual. From the excitement of playing their new style, the offensive duel in the third quarter, the struggle to stop Midorima, to the point when the game ended prematurely, this was a bit too much for them mentally. Coupled with the exhaustion accumulated from the beginning of the training camp until now, they all were about to pass out on the spot.
Fortunately, this small inn was rented specially for them. For the first time in their high school life, all the players here were thankful that their headmaster was a rich person. If not for him, they would have been kicked out of the inn a long time ago.
Unexpectedly, it was Kuroko who fell asleep first. He was probably the most exhausting one out of all the players here. The sudden transformation from usually being a ghost into being involved in almost every play and even becoming a direct threat to the opponent was still new for the blue-haired boy, and felt a bit too much for his body.
If not for the accident that ended the game, he wouldn't be able to stand on the court anymore, no matter whether with his misdirection or not. His lack of stamina was almost exposed the first time he played this new style.
Seeing the jersey clung to Kuroko's tiny body soaked through with sweat, Riko and Alex nodded at each other, had already decided what they would do after this.
"Usually, I wouldn't play favorite too blatant in front of you guys," Alex said with a smile, eliciting a chuckle from the players who were still conscious. "But since our best player today has already fallen into the dream world, I will let you all take a rest. We will hold the full evaluation of this training camp, including the sparing game today when we are back in Tokyo. For now, the training camp is formally over, and I hope you rest well."
Everyone ignored her last words, knowing that it was just a formality. Hearing that this was finally over, all of them sighed in relief, couldn't wait to go back home. The long exhausting week was finally over, and what waiting for them next was the winter tournament for the next two months. But for now, they had a chance to relax a bit, enjoying their summer holiday before it was over.
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Author note :
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You can read this fanfiction up to chapter 180 on that page. Also, you can read my other fanfiction, Diamond no Ace: The Prince of Hitter up to chapter 41 too.
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-Zeta Faes-