NOVEL WEB Chapter 65: 68
"Japan National Team's #9, Takeuchi, nails a clutch three-pointer! What a buzzer-beater to win the—"
It had been a week since the Interhigh ended, and Kota's life was finally settling back into something resembling normal. Sure, basketball carried way more weight in this world than any other sport, but even being crowned interhigh champions didn't change the fact that, at the end of the day, it was still just a high school-level tournament. Club activities were done, and now it was back to regular school life.
At the moment, Kota was at home, half-watching some old Japan National Team game footage from decades ago.
Suddenly, his phone started ringing.
"Hi?"
"Hellooo~ Kota! Let's hang out! I'll buy you dinner!"
Click.
Without hesitation, Kota hung up.
This was already the third time Kise had opened with that same suspicious tone. It never led to anything good.
But Kota clearly underestimated his determination.
Twenty minutes later…
"Kotaa~!"
Kise showed up at Kota's house, wasted no time, and immediately tried pulling a full-on buddy hug. Kota slapped him across the face mid-approach and shoved him away.
"Nope. Denied."
Meanwhile, the TV was still playing the old game footage.
"Huh? Hey, why? I haven't even told you what it is yet!"
"Because when it's you, it's never good."
Kota's tone left no room for discussion.
Kise let out an exaggerated sigh. "Okay, fine... Guess I'll just head out and meet up with Akashi and the others by myself…"
Wait—? As in… Akashi?
Kota grabbed Kise by the collar. "Why are you meeting Akashi? And who's 'the others'?"
Kise explained,
"Oh, it's a little reunion. Akashi called us together for a meet-up. Back in Teiko, we kinda made a deal… After we settled who's strongest, we'd get together again."
"…Okay, but why are you dragging me along to a Generation of Miracles gathering?"
"Akashi said if you wanted to come, you were welcome. And, well... I figured dragging you along would make it more fun. C'mon, Kota, pleaaase?"
"Huh... this wasn't in the original plot."
Kota rubbed his chin, suddenly aware he was treading into anime filler territory. The original series ended right after the Winter Cup. Nationals didn't even happen because Aomine was injured, and they never settled their score.
Wait a second. Kota's internal sirens went off.
Facts:
Akashi was heir to one of Japan's top three corporate conglomerates.
"Meet up" = food and drinks.
Logical extrapolation: Akashi inviting people for a meet-up = Rich Kid Paying.
Which meant... fancy restaurant??
Kota's eyes lit up.
Sure, he had inherited a decent chunk of cash from his discount parents, but being a modern broke salaryman at heart, frugality was carved into his soul. He hadn't been to any high-end restaurant in this world yet! Not even a luxury bathhouse!
"Let's go!"
Realization hits like a truck.
"Here we are!"
Kise cheerfully pointed to… a fast food burger joint.
…Huh?
"You sure we didn't take a wrong turn somewhere?"
Kota stared at the glowing burger sign, feeling a migraine coming on.
A fast food place? This was where a conglomerate heir hosts a victory dinner? Zero class. One-star Yelp review, right here.
Kota silently cursed the situation but followed Kise inside anyway. Since he was already here... well, burgers were technically Western food. Close enough.
Inside the restaurant...
Midorima and Murasakibara had already arrived, a bottle of cola sitting on the table.
"Yo! Midorimacchi! Murasakibaracchi! You guys came early, huh?"
Kise greeted them with a big grin. Murasakibara was there because he was starving, Midorima because, well… he had a chauffeur.
Kota trailed behind, casually sizing them up.
Funnily enough, these were the only two Generation of Miracles members Kota hadn't faced yet. Midorima got eliminated during qualifiers by Shutoku's loss to Rakuzan, and Murasakibara got benched thanks to Akashi's intervention.
Kise, ever the social butterfly, dragged Kota to sit down. "This is Kota, my current teammate and starting guard on Kaijo's championship squad! These two were my old teammates back in Teiko: Midorima Shintaro and Murasakibara Atsushi."
Midorima adjusted his glasses and gave Kota a polite nod. Murasakibara, meanwhile, stayed slumped over the table, giving Kota a lazy once-over before mumbling,
"You don't look that strong… Why'd Akashi say I'd lose to you?"
…Wow. Mood killer.
Kota's face twitched.
"Well… maybe I'm sneakily strong? Surprise factor and all... Haha…"
"Kid, you should be grateful Akashi never let you face me on the court..."
Kota had mentally prepared for Murasakibara's complete lack of social filters… but still, this was next-level.
Before things got more awkward, Kise jumped in to change the subject—but just then, Aomine and Momoi arrived.
"Kota-kun! You're here too!"
Momoi waved and called out with a big smile, clearly happy to see him.
Aomine, on the other hand, shot Kota a death glare.
"What's this guy doing here? Isn't this supposed to be a Miracles-only thing?"
Kota raised an eyebrow, ready to fire back, but a new voice cut through the noise.
"Aomine. I invited Kota."
The mastermind had arrived — Akashi.
He walked in wearing a crisp white suit that screamed rich kid energy, radiating CEO vibes that absolutely did not match the cheap burger joint backdrop.
"Well... he did beat us, after all. Now then, everyone's here."
Akashi's voice was smooth, classy, annoyingly composed... Typical rich kid behavior.
But something else felt… off.
Kota scanned the place again. Strange. This burger place was usually packed… but today, it was completely empty except for their group.
"…Where's Kuroko? He's not here yet?"
"I'm here."
Kota didn't even flinch. The jump-scare effect had worn off. The moment he'd asked about Kuroko, he'd already half-expected a ninja-like appearance.
Akashi watched the whole thing unfold, smiling like he was directing a sitcom.
"Alright, since it's rare for all of us to be together… how about we play UNO?"
"Agreed."
"Sounds fun! I'm in!"
"I'm hungry…"
…Wait. UNO?
Kota froze, question marks practically floating above his head. Wasn't this supposed to be a reunion? Why were they busting out the card games like it was a 3rd-grade sleepover?
While Kota stood there mentally short-circuiting, Akashi had already dealt the cards.
"Oh, by the way…" Akashi added with a sly grin. "Loser gets sticky notes slapped on their face."
"Time out!" Kota jumped to his feet, waving his arms like a referee. This whole scene was getting way too weird.
"What's wrong, Kota?" Kise asked, flipping through his cards. He seemed pretty pleased with his hand.
Kota looked around the restaurant and finally blurted out,
"You guys host reunions to play card games? And in a fast-food joint? Pretty sure playing cards in places like this is against the rules, right?"
At his words, the whole group exchanged glances. After a short pause, Akashi cleared his throat.
"Is it really that weird to play cards at a get-together? As for the second thing… Don't worry about it. This entire chain belongs to a subsidiary under my family's corporation. No one's going to kick us out."
…!
Kota froze.
Right. Of course. Playing cards during a hangout was totally normal. It only seemed weird because this was them. The "Generation of Miracles." But yeah… they were still just a bunch of high schoolers at the end of the day.
As for the whole rich kid owns the restaurant part… Kota mentally filtered that out for his own sanity. He wasn't about to let some millionaire flex ruin his mood.
"My bad… I overreacted. Deal me in."
Kota's understanding of the Generation of Miracles: +1