Chapter 17: "Forget it. The only one who can beat me is myself !"

Seeing so many people at the scene, Aizen was impressed, but unlike his teammates, he was simply impressed by how early everyone had arrived. He thought his group was already pretty active.

Ignoring the many eyes on them, Aizen calmly led his teammates to their seats, waiting for the draw to decide their opponent.

In truth, the other teams at the scene shouldn't have been paying much attention to Jianguang. After all, they were a minor team. But news of Jianguang's victory over Teikō last week had spread fast. As the strongest school in the junior high school world, Teikō was always closely watched. The news of their loss quickly reached all major teams. Even though it was only Teikō's second team that lost, it was enough to draw attention.

"Is it them?"

"It should be. They don't seem that special."

"Yeah, not what I imagined."

The discussions continued until Teikō appeared, silencing the whole audience.

...

The draw began, and each team stepped forward in order. Teikō hadn't been drawn yet, making many teams nervous.

When it was Panyan Middle School's turn, their representative was very nervous. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. "God bless, God bless! Please let us draw a good lot."

After a set of preparations, he reached into the box, pulled out a piece of paper, and read "Jianguang Middle School."

He was stunned for two seconds and then couldn't contain his excitement. What did he see? Jianguang Middle School, a team they had defeated more than once. He exclaimed, "The luck is too good! Tomorrow's game is a sure win."

As soon as the opponent was determined, Aizen heard the voice of the system in his mind.

Ding!

[System Task: For your first competition, you must win the game and improve your personal stats. The specific reward will be determined by your final stats.]

The sudden task sobered Aizen, who had been somewhat absent-minded. Learning their opponent just now hadn't sparked any interest in him, but seeing the task requirements, he decided to go all out.

With their opponent decided, they didn't stay to waste time, even though Teikō hadn't been drawn yet. Aizen didn't care about that.

Leading his teammates out of the venue, they weren't in a hurry to return. It was a rare outing, so they took the opportunity to relax. Yogi Park was nearby, known for its vibrant basketball culture, and they wanted to check it out.

As they were about to leave, Aizen saw Satsuki Momoi and a tall, dark-skinned man approaching. It was clear they were coming to see him.

Approaching Aizen, Satsuki greeted him happily. "Aizen, we finally meet again."

Aizen was a bit speechless. "It hasn't been that long. Don't act like we haven't seen each other in ages."

"Oh, I've been thinking about you these days."

"Don't say such misleading things. You just want to see me play" Aizen clarified quickly, not wanting to fuel his teammates' gossip.

Looking at Aizen's handsome face, Satsuki blushed slightly. Just as she was about to speak, the dark-skinned man, Aomine Daiki, interrupted.

"Hey, you beat Kise?" Aomine's words were direct, without any pleasantries.

The interruption didn't surprise Aizen. While talking to Satsuki, he had been observing Aomine. This ace from the Generation of Miracles was someone Aizen had imagined meeting many times. Aomine was the first to "bloom" among the miracles, the first to enter the Zone, and could do so at will. His strength was terrifying.

Aizen looked at him calmly, smiling. "Yes, I did. I've heard that Kise looks up to you."

Aomine responded indifferently, "Who knows about that. But if you beat Kise, you must be pretty good."

Aizen could feel Aomine's arrogance. This was different from the small-time players he had faced before. Aomine was genuinely strong, and his attitude was built on his own abilities. Playing against him would be interesting, Aizen thought.

He felt a bit excited, feeling the strong aura of Aomine. "Satsuki Momoi called me the other day, wanting me to play a 1v1 game with you," Aizen said. "I didn't agree and left her a message. I don't know if she told you."

Aomine looked curiously at Satsuki, who clearly hadn't mentioned it to him. But it was understandable, as Aizen's words hadn't been polite.

Satsuki, feeling embarrassed, finally said, "Aizen said that if you want to play him one-on-one, you have to go to him as a challenger."

Aomine was taken aback, processing the information. When did he have to fight Aizen one-on-one? And as a challenger? The ace of the Generation of Miracles felt a bit embarrassed.

Aomine, recovering, said, "It seems beating Kise has made you arrogant."

His interest was piqued, feeling that Aizen was overly confident.

Aizen replied provocatively, "In my opinion, there's no difference between you and Kise."

This made Aomine serious. Although he didn't care about others' opinions, being compared to Kise, who had only started playing basketball in the second grade, was something he couldn't stand.

Narrowing his eyes, Aomine said, "Before you beat Kise, I don't know how many times I defeated him. It's been a while since I played seriously. Let me bring you back to reality."

Seeing Aomine trying to act cool, Aizen suddenly thought of his classic line.

Aizen smirked and said, "Forget it. The only one who can beat me is myself!"

Aomine was taken aback. "Huh?"