Coach Anzai's Final Entrustment!

"Where did you learn to play basketball?"

Ayako's question made Shirakawa want to laugh.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he had transmigrated from another world and brought along a system that could draw anime characters' skills, could he?

Looking into Ayako's large, inquisitive eyes, he decided to tease her a little.

"Well..." Shirakawa stroked his chin with a deliberately profound expression. "You probably won't believe this, but I learned it in my dreams."

"In your dreams?" Ayako froze, her face clearly saying, "Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Yeah." Shirakawa spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face. "I often dreamed about people in differently colored uniforms playing basketball. The moves they used were all bizarre—full-court threes, invisible passes, things like that. I thought they looked interesting, so after waking up, I tried practicing them. Somehow, I learned them."

There was one part truth and nine parts lies in what he said. He had described the setting of Kuroko's Basketball as a joke.

Ayako stared blankly for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Shirakawa, you really know how to joke." She clearly did not believe him. She assumed he simply did not want to explain and had deliberately made up an excuse.

Still, she had picked up on one thing from his words.

Shirakawa was unwilling to reveal who had taught him.

That only made her more curious, but as a clever girl, she knew there would be no point in pressing him further.

"All right, if it's a secret, I won't ask." Ayako shrugged and changed the subject. "But your performance today was really amazing. I never imagined our team could pull off that kind of offense. It felt like... you made everyone stronger."

As the topic turned serious, Ayako's expression became solemn, her eyes filled with the admiration and appreciation of a team manager.

"I only did what I was supposed to do." Shirakawa spread his hands. "Everyone was already strong. I just helped them twist their strength into a single rope."

It was neither arrogant nor self-effacing. He acknowledged his own contribution while affirming his teammates' worth.

The admiration in Ayako's eyes deepened.

She realized that this underclassman was not only good at basketball, but also had remarkably high emotional intelligence. He usually seemed laid-back and unruly, but when it mattered, he was more dependable than anyone.

"No matter what, thank you, Shirakawa." Ayako spoke sincerely. "I feel like this year, we might really get to see a different view."

She meant the National Tournament.

"Heh, the National Tournament is only the starting point." Shirakawa chuckled, saying something that made Ayako's heart jolt.

Just as the two chatted happily and the atmosphere gradually became a little subtle, a plump figure approached with a warm smile.

"Ho ho ho, you youngsters seem to be having a good chat."

It was Coach Anzai.

"Coach!" The moment Ayako saw Coach Anzai, she immediately bowed respectfully.

"Hello, Coach." Shirakawa also put away his flippant demeanor and nodded slightly in greeting.

Coach Anzai waved with a smile, then turned his gaze toward Shirakawa.

Within those perpetually narrowed eyes gleamed a deep, wise light, as though they could see through the human heart.

"Shirakawa, you worked hard today."

"Not at all, Coach. Basketball is my hobby to begin with."

"Ho ho ho, very good." Coach Anzai nodded in satisfaction. "I saw your performance. It was excellent—far beyond my expectations, even."

"You flatter me, Coach."

"However..." Coach Anzai shifted the subject. His smile remained, but his tone grew several degrees more serious. "There are some things I would like to discuss with you alone."

Ayako tactfully said, "Coach, Shirakawa, then I'll be leaving first."

After saying that, she smiled at them both before turning and walking away.

The vast basketball gym was once again left with only Shirakawa and Coach Anzai.

The evening breeze blew in through the windows, stirring the nets and producing a faint rustling sound.

For some reason, the atmosphere became heavy.

Looking at the White-Haired Buddha before him, Shirakawa thought, Here it comes. The main event.

He knew that Coach Anzai was far from a simple, easygoing old man. This White-Haired Demon, who had once dominated the college basketball world, possessed insight and wisdom far beyond ordinary people.

His performance definitely could not have escaped the coach's eyes.

"Shirakawa," Coach Anzai slowly began, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable force, "do you know why I agreed to Akagi's suggestion and allowed you to become the core of the team?"

"Because I'm strong?" Shirakawa thought for a moment, then gave the most straightforward answer.

"Ho ho ho, that is only one reason." Coach Anzai shook his head. "I have seen players stronger than you. But a player like you—I am seeing one for the first time."

He walked up to Shirakawa, those deep eyes seeming ready to see straight through him.

"Your strength lies not merely in your individual ability. More importantly, you can blend into any system like water, and make that entire system stronger simply through your presence. You are like a catalyst—a magnifier."

Coach Anzai's assessment struck directly at the heart of the matter.

Shirakawa's heart tightened. This old man really was no simple man.

"But..." Coach Anzai's tone shifted once more, becoming incomparably solemn. "The greater one's ability, the greater one's responsibility."

"Your arrival has given Shohoku an unprecedented chance to contend for the national championship. But it also means that both this team's ceiling and its floor rest upon you alone."

"Akagi dreams of ruling the nation. Mitsui longs to redeem himself. Miyagi wants to become Kanagawa's number-one point guard. Kaede Rukawa wants to become Japan's number-one high school player. And that fool Sakuragi wants to show off in front of the person he likes..."

"Every one of their dreams now rests on your shoulders."

Coach Anzai's voice was like a great bell, each word striking Shirakawa's heart.

Shirakawa fell silent.

For the first time, he truly felt the "weight" of this world.

This was no longer merely a manga, nor merely a game.

It was a real world built from countless dreams and burning passion.

"I understand, Coach." After a long while, Shirakawa raised his head, his gaze firmer than ever. "I won't let them down."

"Ho ho ho, I believe in you." Coach Anzai revealed a gratified smile, as if he had set down a heavy burden.

He patted Shirakawa on the shoulder, as though completing a sacred handover ceremony.

"Go and do what you must. From today onward, Shohoku is your team. For you, and for this brand-new Shohoku, I will devise the tactics that suit you best."

"Shohoku's future is entrusted to you."

This was Mitsuyoshi Anzai—the legendary coach's final, and heaviest, entrustment to a first-year student.

Just as Shirakawa's heart surged from those words, a cold mechanical prompt suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host has attained the absolute core position of the Shohoku Basketball Team and bears the will of the entire team, meeting the trigger conditions for a key mission!]

[Main quest issued!]