2 The Second Quarter

The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence for a while.

Tetsuya Kuroko reached out and grabbed the vanilla milkshake in front of him, taking a sharp gulp to steady his nerves.

He cautiously lifted his head and met the bright, sparkling eyes of Tetsuya Oikawa.

“Sorry, I think I misheard just now,” Kuroko tried to make one last effort. “Oikawa-senpai is…”

“From the Sendai Aoba Johsai Boys’ Volleyball Club.” Seeing Kuroko’s expression, Oikawa found it somewhat amusing.

He repeated himself, even emphasizing the word “volleyball.”

The usually expressionless boy was completely stunned at that moment.

“Don’t be so surprised—I’m sincere,” Oikawa said, sitting upright as he once again extended his invitation to Kuroko.

Under Oikawa’s earnest gaze, even Kuroko, who wanted to avoid reality, couldn’t help but face him squarely.

Although the basketball team at Teiko High no longer brought him the joy it once did, he hadn’t yet planned to switch sports.

He had loved basketball since childhood and had put in countless efforts for it.

Though he knew this playing style would eventually hit a wall, it was far too soon to give up now.

“I want to hear your thoughts, Oikawa-senpai,” Kuroko said, looking straight into Oikawa’s eyes.

He didn’t expect to be convinced.

Oikawa shook the ice cubes in his glass. “Kuroko-kun, you’re in your third year of middle school now, right? Have you thought about where you want to go for high school after graduating from Teiko?”

Kuroko shook his head. “Not yet. Maybe I’ll see where my teammates plan to go and decide then.”

“Your teammates…” Oikawa gazed deeply at Kuroko. “Are you happy playing on your current team?”

“Happy?” That question pierced deep into Kuroko’s heart.

Was he happy? Winning games—was that happiness?

At least a few months ago, he once was.

*The Era of Miracles.*

From Kuroko’s perspective, he might have wished that title had never existed.

Because before that…

They had once shared the most beautiful past.

“I watched your game today. The players at Teiko are indeed strong individually, but everyone’s playing solo—there’s no order, no teamwork,” Oikawa recalled the match he had seen.

He spoke gently, “Kuroko-kun, I’m also a setter.”

“So…”

“I know exactly what you need.”

Kuroko’s eyes widened slightly at being seen through so clearly.

Ah, he was completely transparent.

“As I said, Kuroko-kun, you’re a talented player. I’ve observed your style; your awareness is excellent, and what I admire most is your passing technique.”

Kuroko listened quietly.

He was curious about why Oikawa considered him a volleyball prodigy.

“Maybe you don’t know, but volleyball is a sport with almost no ball holding, and the same player can’t touch the ball twice in a row. Because of this, there are positions like the libero who focuses on defense and the first pass, and the setter who handles the second pass to organize the offense.”

“The court isn’t very large, and the battle between both sides happens every moment. To execute a smooth attack, other offensive players act as decoys to deceive the opponent’s defense.”

“In other words, every spike and every point scored is the result of the entire team working together.”

“You can’t avoid or ignore that.”

Oikawa kept watching Kuroko’s expression carefully, and seeing him slightly moved, he pressed on: “So? Are you interested?”

After a brief wave of emotion, Kuroko calmed down. “If I truly have the talent you say I do, I actually have better options.”

“My home is pretty close to Karasuyama Academy.”

Guided by Oikawa’s words, Kuroko began to unconsciously weigh the pros and cons.

Because of the proximity, Kuroko knew well that Karasuyama Academy was a prestigious volleyball school.

At this moment, Kuroko didn’t realize that he wasn’t as resistant to switching sports as he thought.

“Most students at Karasuyama go there straight from middle school, so it’s not easy to get in,” Oikawa said, somewhat surprised. “Are your grades good, Kuroko-kun?”

Kuroko fell silent.

No, his grades weren’t good.

Just barely passing.

Oikawa leaned back in his chair. “Although you haven’t graduated from third year yet, I’ll be the captain from the second half of spring’s qualifying tournament. I can recommend you.”

The next year’s guaranteed spots at Aoba Johsai were reserved for Yuutarou Kindaichi and Tobio Kageyama, but as a top school in the prefecture, they had more than two guaranteed slots.

It was still spring, and Oikawa was confident he could train Kuroko in the remaining half year.

The sweet vanilla milkshake couldn’t mask the bitterness in Kuroko’s heart.

In all his life, this was the first time someone had recognized his absolute “talent.”

But not in basketball, which he loved, but in volleyball—a sport he had never touched before.

“Karasuyama is just a couple of towns away?” Kuroko’s tone was uncertain; he was just subconsciously resisting.

Oikawa continued to persuade: “Actually, Johsai is strong too.”

At least get him to Sendai first.

Come to think of it, the distance from Sendai to Tokyo was far, and there was no reason for someone to go so far for school.

“Johsai is strong in track and field, right…” Kuroko bluntly commented.

“Kuroko knows! Our track team is famous, so our volleyball team has to work harder,” Oikawa’s eyes lit up.

Johsai’s track team had been a national-level force for years, while their volleyball team had long been the perennial runner-up, never reaching the national tournament.

That was why Oikawa was so eager to strengthen the team.

Even if only once, he wanted to see the national stage.

He refused to accept being just the regional second best.

Oikawa wouldn’t stop; he wanted to step by step reach the sanctuary in his heart.

“My neighbor used to be from Johsai’s track team, but he’s moved away now,” Kuroko suddenly relaxed.

“Oh? Are you living at home now?” Oikawa was already planning things for Kuroko.

Kuroko nodded. “Yes, but I live alone now.”

His parents worked far away in South America. At home, only an aunt came every day to prepare his meals.

Oikawa’s eyes brightened at the meaningful news. “Our high school dorms are pretty nice, or if you don’t mind, you can stay at my place!”

“No, better not…” Kuroko was a little frightened by Oikawa’s enthusiasm.

In Oikawa’s eyes burned a desperate yearning for talent.

“Join Aoba Johsai. We need a setter with your aggressive style, and you need teammates who will always keep their passion alive.”

“Everything you want, I believe we can give you.”

“We won’t let you down.”

Before Kuroko could answer, a shout came from outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

“Ah! Oikawa, you bastard! Finally caught you!” Iwaizumi stormed in through the door, making a throat-slitting gesture through the window, followed by Hanamaki, who entered with a fierce air.

Hanamaki looked around at the few customers inside, puzzled. “What are you doing here alone? Eating McDonald’s at this hour?”

“Koiwa! Kuroko was about to say yes to me!” Oikawa wailed as his childhood friend grabbed him.

“Kuroko?” Hanamaki was confused.

“Hello, seniors,” the previously ignored Kuroko stood up and greeted.

Iwaizumi’s fist froze mid-air.

Hanamaki’s words caught in his throat.

After a brief silence, Hanamaki took three steps back as if seeing a ghost. “W-w-who the hell are you?!”

“I’ve actually been here all along,” Kuroko answered honestly.

Startled, Iwaizumi quickly turned his anger on Oikawa. “Oikawa!”

Watching the two bickering, Kuroko was a little dazed.

To be honest, he had almost been tempted just now.

A higher stage, more refined teamwork, and a position perfectly suited to him…

He believed that if he agreed, the person before him with such earnest eyes would surely make good on his promise.

But…

He still liked basketball better.

“Sorry, Oikawa-senpai. I’ll consider what you said, but for now, I have no plans to leave,” Kuroko finally declined Oikawa.

They had already exchanged contact information, and Oikawa knew not to rush, so he didn’t stop Kuroko from leaving.

“The first round of the Miyagi Prefecture middle school selections is about to start. If you have time, come watch the North River First team’s match.”

It had been over a year since Oikawa graduated from North River First. He hadn’t kept up with them much but was curious about Tobio Kageyama’s current status.

Hopefully, Kageyama would leave a good impression on Kuroko then.

“If I get the chance,” Kuroko neither agreed nor outright refused.

Watching the boy disappear from sight, Oikawa lingered, unable to snap out of it.

“So, this is the diamond you were talking about?” Iwaizumi finally caught on.

Oikawa, not disappointed, sat down with his two teammates.

He searched on his phone and finally handed them a video. “I got a game video of Teiko from the Date Industrial basketball club. Kuroko is number 15 here.”

He pointed to the number 15 in the paused frame.

“Don’t watch the ball; watch the player guarding him. If you blink, you’ll miss him,” he said, pressing play.

After watching the entire clip, Hanamaki rubbed his tired eyes. “Is there really a style like this? You’d lose him the moment you looked away.”

Iwaizumi remained silent for a long while.

“If I had to describe his style, I’d say it’s divine skill.”

“Tailor-made for volleyball.”

Finally, he patted Oikawa on the back. “Whether you can lure him to Johsai or not depends on you.”

Oikawa looked pitifully at his childhood friend. “I just got brutally rejected.”

He was so close to succeeding!

Iwaizumi slapped him on the back. “If you bring him over, I’ll buy you a new pair of basketball shoes!”

Oikawa’s expression instantly changed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

Kuroko walked alone on the street, his mind filled with Oikawa’s words.

Won’t let me down, huh…

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw the caller ID: “Akashi.”