Reminiscence

"Not bad today, Kise. You really opened my eyes," Midorima said as he slowly walked forward, his gaze carrying a hint of approval.

He continued, "Even though Geminis have the worst luck today, you didn't disgrace the Generation of Miracles."

Hearing this, the members of Kaijo were startled. Generation of Miracles? That meant this green-haired high schooler was Kise's former teammate.

However, they didn't interrupt the conversation between Kise and Midorima, quietly standing aside and observing.

Kise showed a slightly surprised expression. "You came to watch, huh, Midorimacchi?" He seemed genuinely surprised by Midorima's presence. After all, they had joined different teams and rarely had the chance to meet.

Midorima's expression turned serious. Pushing his glasses up with his left hand, he said firmly, "Regardless of who wins, this match was frustrating to watch. Repeated dunks that even monkeys could pull off... How could someone like that be chosen by fate?"

"This is our first time meeting since middle school graduation, isn't it? You're still wearing tape on your fingers, I see. Anyway, what's wrong with dunking? As long as the ball goes in, who cares how it happens?"

Kise placed his hands on his hips and teased with a mischievous smile. He seemed to be poking fun, but it was just friendly banter between old teammates.

Midorima, in his usual prideful tone, replied, "This is why you're hopeless. Scoring from close range is no big deal. Long-range shots have far more value. Haven't you ever learned the saying, 'Do your best and let fate decide'? Only by giving your all can you earn the right to be chosen by destiny."

He tossed a towel to Kise, who used it to wipe his sweat, as Midorima continued, "I put in maximum effort every day, always carrying my lucky item from the morning horoscope. By the way, today's item is a toy frog, which ensures my shots never miss."

As he spoke, Midorima took out a small toy frog, his face utterly serious.

Hearing this, Kise couldn't help but mentally sigh, 'Every time he says this stuff, I just want to roll my eyes. That last part is completely nonsensical.'

Still, he responded with a smile, "Oh, is that so?" Then, thinking of Kuroko, he added, "Speaking of which, aren't you going to say something to Kurokocchi?"

"There's no need" Midorima said flatly. "As a Type B, I'm naturally incompatible with Type A people like him. While I respect and even admire his playing style, joining an unknown school like Seirin is something I can't understand. I only came here because they'll face us in the regional preliminaries. Honestly, they're not worth mentioning."

As the ace shooter of the Generation of Miracles, Midorima carried himself with characteristic pride.

"At least say hi to us" an all-too-familiar voice suddenly cut in. Both Kise and Midorima turned to locate its source. "Shiro?" Midorima asked, surprised. What was he doing here?

Upon seeing him, Kaijo's players tactfully excused themselves to give the group some space to catch up.

"It's been a while, Midorima!" Shiro greeted him alongside Momoi.

"Long time no see, Shiro, Momoi" Midorima replied.

"Perfect timing. senior Nijiura, come say hi!" Shiro pulled him forward.

Midorima froze in shock. The only person Shiro would call "senior" had to be Nijimura.

"Senior Nijimura, it's been ages" Midorima said, visibly moved. After all, he hadn't seen Nijimura in over a year. To the Generation of Miracles, Nijimura was their most respected former captain.

"Indeed, it's been a while, Midorima," Nijimura said with a smile.

Noticing Midorima's surprise, Shiro grinned. "Surprised, huh?"

The group soon fell into animated conversation.

...

"What? Nijimura is at Fukui High? So that means you and Shiro are both at Fukui now?" Midorima exclaimed.

He understood well that as the former captain of Teiko, Nijimura's skills were formidable.

With Nijimura and Shiro now in the same school, along with players like Kawamura, Fukui High's strength must be extraordinary.

Midorima couldn't help but think, 'Fukui High's roster is absolutely stacked now! And with Momoi supporting them, they'll be even tougher to beat!

Fixing his gaze on Shiro, Midorima realized that Fukui High would undoubtedly be one of their strongest opponents in the upcoming Interhigh. However, this only fueled his fighting spirit.

"You know, Shirocchi, your lineup is basically cheating!" Kise couldn't help but complain. "This is ridiculous — Fukui High has you, Momoi, Nijimura, and Kawamura. How are we supposed to compete?"

His expression was one of exaggerated despair, as if he'd lost all hope for the upcoming matches.

Shiro, however, smiled faintly. "What's this, Kise? Are you giving up already?"

"As if! There's no way I'd give up. One day, I'll definitely beat you, Shiro!" Kise declared confidently. After all, he'd only been playing basketball for two years. He believed that with enough time, he could catch up to Shiro.

"Ding ding ding!"

Just then, the cheerful sound of a bike bell rang out. Everyone turned to see a high schooler riding a tricycle toward them — it was Takao.

"Midorima, you jerk! You ditched me when there was traffic, and now I had to ride here alone. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

Seeing Takao, Midorima stood and addressed the group. "We only came to watch the game. It's time for us to leave." With that, he climbed back onto the tricycle, ignoring Takao's grumbling.

As they watched the pair leave, Kise turned to Shiro and the others. "I'm thinking of catching up with Kurokocchi. Want to come along?"

Shiro exchanged glances with the group, then nodded. "Sure. We didn't really get a chance to talk earlier."

And so, the group headed toward where Kuroko was waiting.