Kuroko: I had already won the championship before the miracle happened.

He overheard a very rude conversation in the player tunnel after the game ended yesterday when everyone was leaving.

From Inoue Natsuki.

And the autumn people of Shiyu.

……

"I'm very disappointed with your performance in the second half, Inoue Natsuki."

"Sorry, Senior..."

"I……"

"So, can you tell me what I asked you in the second quarter, 'What are you thinking about right now?'"

"..."

In the player tunnel, Natsuki Inoue, who had taken the initiative to wait here, actually stood in front of Senior Shigure, but after a brief conversation, he stumbled into silence.

in the corner.

Out of courtesy, Akashi Seijuro wanted to ask for permission to pass, after all, this was the only passage leading to the locker room, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard the voice again in the silence.

The voice of Inoue Natsuki.

363 "Senior..."

"I……"

"Pretty ordinary, huh?"

Inoue Natsuki's voice trembled slightly.

"Actually, before junior high, I did have the arrogant thought that 'I might be a genius'. No... maybe after junior high, until that day at the Sky Bridge Stadium, I guess I still had that thought..."

"Therefore, facing the two seniors of the Teiko Twins, I was able to confidently take the initiative to stand up."

"In that match, the strength of the two seniors is self-evident. I can console myself with the fact that they are seniors, but the first-year players of Teiko on the field at that time..."

"Midorima, Haizaki, and..."

"Qingfeng."

"My idea of ​​being a 'genius' began to waver from that moment on. And then, over the past three months, until I met Qingfeng today, Qingfeng had already left me behind."

"Judging from the speed at which our strength is increasing, there is a fundamental difference in 'talent' between us."

When Inoue Natsuki said this, Shigure Akito nodded in understanding. Instead of offering any comfort, he confirmed his words, "Is this what you were thinking about at that time?"

"..."

"Then I can tell you for sure."

"correct."

"There is a clear disparity in 'talent' between you and Qingfeng. This gap will not only lead to a completely different rate of growth in your strength, but may also limit the heights you can reach."

"so……"

"Are you going to give up?"

Shigure Akito's voice was like a dull hammer, hitting Inoue Natsuki's heart heavily. At that moment, it seemed as if his heart had stopped beating.

In the ear...

Only the last words echoed.

'so……'

'Are you going to give up?'

give up……

What?

"Do not……"

"Senior, I didn't..."

Shigure Akito shook his head, "No, you do. At least, you have. Otherwise, the one you are stopping now would not be me, but your idol, Nijimura Shuzo, whom you are ashamed to face because of your retreat in the second half."

The precise strike penetrated Inoue Natsuki's defense, causing his pupils to shrink suddenly.

Looking at Natsuki Inoue in front of him, he felt that he was the one who was confiding in him about the "simple" troubles of this junior high school student, because he regarded him as a close senior.

Shi Yu Qiuren was not stingy and gave the answer based on his own more macro experience of basketball in his previous life.

"What is this so-called 'talent'?"

"Based on my impression, basketball is undoubtedly a game of 'height'. The fundamental 'talent' is height, so..."

"Should the short guys despair?"

"Do not."

"That would be a disadvantage, but it's by no means a decisive factor. In the professional arena, there are players who are 2 meters, 2.10 meters, 1.9 meters or even shorter."

“And there are quite a few.”

"It's clear they didn't give up during their junior high school years."

"Basketball has also gone from an era dominated by centers to an era dominated by shooting guards, and then to an era dominated by power forwards..."

"Single-core..."

"Dual-core..."

"Teamwork savvy..."

"Very good at defense..."

"Countless precedents have proven that basketball is an interesting sport with more possibilities than anyone imagines. The so-called 'talent'..."

"Pursuing the limits of individual ability is talent, and being able to effectively utilize and develop a particular technique or tactic is also talent. On this field, talent is diverse."

"That basket, hung at a height of 3.05 meters, was doomed..."

“Everyone needs to look up.”

"so……"

"Think it through."

"'Talent' naturally varies, but it doesn't simply refer to 'personal ability'. Don't say you have no 'talent' until you truly can't find anything."

"Come to think of it, you're quite fragile. Won't I just disappear from my sight completely by the time you're in high school?"

Inoue Natsuki: “…”

A few words.

This made Inoue Natsuki stand there and have an intense brainstorming session.

Shigure Akito, who had already started talking, didn't let him go and continued to attack, "Why do you think Nijimura and I would attack so cruelly with all our might when we were facing an opponent who was obviously inferior to us?"

not far away.

Akashi, who had doubts about this question for a long time, suddenly widened his eyes.

"Nijimura's obsession with victory is such that he treats every goal as a victory that he must secure with all his might. While satisfying his own hunger, he also respects his opponent's efforts."

"but me……"

"Um……"

“It’s like a basketball game.”

"The self-built character I created with my own hands, on the glorious road to the top, every step I took was the pursuit of building a perfect resume."

“So when I look back, I will be content with my past glory.”

"And you..."

"As a stepping stone on my journey."

"I'm sure my future self won't remember today's game. It will just become a cold statistic, quickly passing through my memory."

"Looking back, I might just sigh..."

"what……"

"score……"

"145:54."

“I played this game perfectly.”

"As for the opponent, I can't remember his name. Most likely just an ordinary one, like the others, who was beaten to the point of completely losing their fighting spirit. Maybe..."

"The guy who was so scared that he even gave up playing basketball~"

"It's barely passable, a small part of the glory of the past, right?"

Chapter 135: The national competition begins. Can the guys who are vaguely called the "Five Generals" who have made a name for themselves in various regions succeed?

The moment Akashi finished describing the scene, all the first-year candidates present were silent for a moment.

Naturally, they didn't care about the content related to Inoue Natsuki. What was important was the information contained in Shigure-senpai's words.

among them.

About talent.

It's about going all out against the weak.

About glory.

Midorima Shintaro also saw for the first time what the destination his predecessor wanted to reach was, because the example of talent in that conversation mentioned a very key word...professional arena.

There is no doubt that for Senior Shigure, the "glorious road to the top" he mentioned, the "top" will definitely not be the national junior high school conference.

even……

High school.

the University.

neither.

But a profession.

Midorima Shintaro clenched his fists tightly. At this moment, he saw the completely different pursuits and attitudes towards basketball between himself and his predecessors.

"call……"

No wonder Senior Shigure always gets excited and goes all out in such a match where the difference in strength is huge.

that……

Maybe it's my personality.

But at the same time, it is a look back at the past - the glory.

It is also the path to a career and a flawless resume.

Akashi gave everyone ample time to digest the content, and then he spoke:

"Although I also want to say that winning the game is enough, but from observing inside and outside the stadium, I clearly see the gap between us, the first-year team members, and the seniors..."

"Whether it's physical ability..."

"Sports skills..."

“It’s still about vision and attitude.”

"Teiko is very strong. Even the seniors and coaches say this team is the strongest in Teiko's history, but we can clearly do better."

“From a mental perspective.”

“This is the most important question.”

"Maybe we haven't thought about it actively, but we've definitely subconsciously thought about it. Because of the overwhelming strength of the seniors, the opponents retreat after being defeated. As the game progresses, our enthusiasm will also decrease."

"This hasn't been too prominent in the qualifiers because in most of the games, our playing time was concentrated in the first half."

"But when we get to the national team, Teiko's training mode will end, and the seniors who started will start again from the first quarter."