Chapter 90 : Just Another Training Day for Seirin High
"Come on, everyone! Go faster!"
"Furihata-kun, look at your own teammates! Izuki-kun, don't be afraid of a breakthrough!"
"Teppei, use your body more! If you are still afraid of confrontation after your injuries, you can just sit on the bench!"
"Nice shoot, Kagami-kun! Junpei, tighten your defense! If your opponent drives forward, let it be! You have two big men covering the paint area, use them!"
It has been two days since their last game against Meisei High, but they didn't have time to rest, as they would face Senshinkan High in the next four days. It was a do-or-die game for both teams, as Senshinkan lost in their last game against Too in a surprising blowout, 136 – 87. Now that they both have one win and one loss, the team who wins the next game will join Too Academy in the inter-high national tournament.
"Okay, everyone! Gather around!" Riko clapped her hands, ending the scrimmage session, and went into evaluation. "Good job, everyone! I can see your improvement, especially in Alex-san's strategy."
All the players beamed in joy after hearing that evaluation.
"But don't get too complacent, as there is still room for improvement. For example, Kuroko-kun!"
"Yes, Coach!"
"If you want to be invisible and sneak around, don't start from the corner! Just shadow your center in the high-post area! And don't be invisible in the crowded area! Stretch out your opponent's defense to give some space for your teammates!"
"And Kagami-kun, don't just stay at the corner like a fool!"
"Eh? Then, what should I do?"
This is the biggest headache for Riko and Alex with their new offense strategy. They couldn't maximize Kagami's potential with the 'Princeton Strategy'. With Kagami, It is either he stands like a fool in the corner area or he couldn't harmonize his movement with the other players.
"Coach!" Suddenly, Furihata raised his hand. "What about switching Red with Kiyoshi-senpai? Let him organize the play from the high post?"
"And letting Kagami-kun hog the ball more than necessary? No way! You know his organization skill is terrible, right?"
"Hey!"
All the players snickered at Kagami who pouted slightly at the last remark. His organization is slightly worse than Izuki and Furihata, but it was definitely not terrible!
"Well, you can always put Phantom to shadow Red all the time. Red could detect him, so whenever Phantom feels it was necessary to pass the ball, he can just ask. And as for letting him hog the ball more than necessary, we could use him as a meat shield, just like Too did for Aomine. Let him exhaust the opponent, and when he is done, we can hit them hard."
"That..... Is a good idea, Furihata-kun." Now, Alex and Riko are looking at each other, communicating in silence. After seeing the shrug from Alex, Riko let out a deep sigh.
"First, I need all the players to agree with what Furihata said." Seeing the confused expression on her players' faces, she added quickly, "Because if we are doing that, the ball would go to Kagami almost all the time, making him shine brighter than anyone else. At first, I don't need to worry, because Teppei and Mitobe are team players. But you know Kagami is more selfish and would definitely not pass the ball easily."
"Well…"
The players are looking at each other with wry expressions, clearly seeing what her coach said would come in the future. Kagami just huffed silently in the background, annoyed that his teammates have no trust in him. He knows how to pass, for God's sake!
"Why not try it in the next game?" Alex suddenly voiced her opinion again. "Let's try it in the first quarter. If that doesn't work, we could throw that idea far away and go with our usual play."
"Isn't that a bit risky though?" Riko frowned, calculating the possibility of trying to do a new strategy in a crucial game like that. "I mean, we didn't rush to this strategy during the game against Meisei, but we choose to incorporate it slowly. Why are we rushing now, especially in a must-win game like this?"
Alex just shrugged with a smile still on her face.
"Instead of a risk, I am more inclined to see this as an opportunity. If this strategy can work in a big game like this, it would be a confidence boost for our players. Moreover, we talked about it before. Senshinkan this year is not as strong as last year. If we want to try something new in a high-pressure game, the fallen Tokyo King would be the best opponent, as we definitely could chase the score if it doesn't work."
Riko pondered for a moment before she let out a sigh, turning around to her players.
"What do you think, guys? Do you want to believe in Kagami-kun for once and let him do the work?"
Kagami straightened his back, looking forward to his teammates' answer. The other players are looking at each other for a second before they nodded collectively.
"As long as Kuroko-kun is willing to stay active and not let Kagami-kun do anything reckless, we have no problem giving it a try. And just like as you said, we can throw it away if that doesn't work, right?"
"Yes." Riko nodded her head at the question. After confirming that everyone agreed to give it a try, she rubbed her temple tiredly before she announced, "Okay, because everyone agreed, we will try to put Kagami-kun at the high post."
"YOSSHAA!!!" Kagami roared in excitement at his new role. To be honest, while knocking down a three from the corner feels good, it is not his style. He would rather confront his opponent in a one-on-one battle rather than just watch his teammates do the work and wait in the corner.
"But!" Riko's voice suddenly cut his excitement. "We will have to see if your performance in the next training session is enough to satisfy us. If not, I will not hesitate to even drop you to the bench. Do you understand?"
Facing the fierce glare from his coach, Kagami could only gulp nervously as he nodded quickly,
"Yes, Coach!"
"Good!" Riko nodded in a satisfied manner. "Also, Kuroko-kun, we would need you to be more active. At least to knock some sense if Kagami-kun is being stubborn. Can you do that?"
Kuroko pondered for a moment before he asked a question with a straight face.
"So, you want me to be his nanny?"
"Oi!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Nanny? That's a good one, Kuroko!"
A burst of laughter exploded in Seirin's gymnasium as they couldn't believe how Kuroko could deliver that question without any hint of expression. Riko and Alex also have a hint of smiles on their faces as they imagined Kuroko being Kagami's nanny.
"Okay, everyone! Be quiet!" All the players do so when they heard Riko raise her voice. "And yes, Kuroko-kun. You will act as his nanny in the court. Don't let him go crazy, okay?"
"Yes, Coach!"
Some players still snickered when they see the fumed expression on Kagami's face. But Riko ignored it and turned around to Furihata.
"And you will also be Kagami-kun's nanny when Kuroko-kun is not on the court or too passive, Furihata-kun. If you find him hogging the ball too much, don't give it to him and switch back to our normal strategy. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Coach!"
"Hey, is there anybody who trusts me here?" Couldn't bear the thought of getting humiliated like this, Kagami finally voiced his dissatisfaction. "I can organize the play just like this bastard, okay?" But seeing that no one seems to believe him, he just huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Just you watch! I will show it to you tomorrow!"
"Well, if you say so…."
Inwardly though, Riko is happy with this development. She knows Kagami has the potential to go toe-on-toe with all the Generation of Miracles or even surpass them. But she also wants Kagami to grow as a player, to let him see that even though he is the star of the team, he couldn't do it all alone. And the better way to do it is to let him be the organizer of the play so he could see what his teammates are capable of.
"Okay, we can talk about this matter tomorrow. As for now, go back and take a rest! We have a game to win in the next four days!"
"Yes, Coach!"
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Fifteen minutes later, Furihata finally went out of the gym together with Kagami and Kuroko. It has been two days since the last game, yet he still could feel the exhaustion on his body. He frowned for a bit, thinking about his shortcoming.
'I need to improve my endurance the next summer, or I will be as good as dead in a tight schedule like this.'
Seeing the frown on Furihata's face, Kuroko couldn't help but ask.
"Anything wrong, Furihata-kun?"
Furihata shook his head slightly before answering,
"Nah, just thinking about the summer training." It seems this topic managed to gain Kagami's interest, as he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Anything special?"
Furihata shrugged.
"Just endurance and strength training. A lot of games on the national scale would be more physical compared to the region game like this, so I cannot stay weak forever."
"Good." Kagami nodded in approval. "You are too thin that I am afraid I will hurt you if I go overboard."
Furihata snorted. "Oh? So, you lose the scrimmage against me before the tournament is you not going full power?"
Kuroko snickered at Furihata's witty answer.
"He has a point, Kagami-kun. Even if Furihata-kun is weaker in a physical confrontation, he could still beat you in a one-on-one game."
"Shut up!"
They keep bickering for a while until they arrived in front of the school gate, where Furihata could see two familiar figures seems to wait for them.
"Tetsu-kun! Kouki-kun! Kagami-san! Long time no see!"
Yeah, it was Momoi with her bright smile who approached them. Kagami scowled a little, and probably feels uncomfortable with how close the girl is to him. But seeing as he didn't make any protest, Momoi just ignored him and turned her focus on Kuroko.
"I have been waiting for you, Tetsu-kun!"
Furihata couldn't help but smile wryly at how close Momoi is to Kuroko, grabbing Kuroko's arm casually while pressing her chest to the blue-haired boy's body.
'Glad Senpai is not here. They would go crazy if they see this happen.'
He shook his head slightly before asking a question to the girl in front of him.
"So, Momoi-san, do you have any business here? And since when did you know Hana-san?"
Yeah, the second familiar person who is with Momoi just now is none other than Hana who blushed when his eyes meet her. Seeing this, Furihata couldn't help but groan inwardly.
'With Momoi-san's personality, this would be a disaster. I know it.'
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Author note :
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-Zeta Faes-