Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 53 Famous in Tokyo
[“News from our newspaper: In the prefectural competition and national competition Tokyo district trials that ended yesterday, Kaneki Ken from Teikou Junior High School performed outstandingly and led Teikou Junior High School to victory. Here is a detailed report.”] — Tokyo Daily

[“The future of basketball in Japan is actually him?”]——"Tokyo Sports"

"Ah~ This is incredible..." In the cafeteria, Aomine Daiki sighed as he flipped through the newspapers and magazines in front of him, "Now in the time it takes to buy a bag of spicy noodles at the canteen, I can meet nine people discussing Kaneki."

"Yanzi is really amazing..." Murasakibara Atsushi muttered while eating, "He was obviously passing the ball to us most of the time, but he scored so many points without saying anything."

"Sorry I'm late. What are you discussing?" Kaneki Ken came up to the group and asked with a smile.

"The two of them are discussing you." Midorima Shintaro said slowly, "Eight out of ten Tokyo newspapers today have articles about you... Come, take a look at this one, it's quite interesting."

Ken Kaneki curiously took the basketball newspaper from Shintaro Midorima, and the others gathered around him. On the newspaper was a large photo of him dunking over Daisuke Narumi, and underneath it was written in bold letters: "Flying Man Ken Kaneki - The Lion of Imperial Basketball".

"Haha, that's too exaggerated..." Kaneki Ken laughed, "And the lion thing, that sounds too embarrassing, right?"

"No, I think it's very suitable." Tao Jing Satsuki said with a smile, "Now when the commentators mention Teikou, they think of Ken-kun. It's okay to say that."

"Hey, hey, hey, look, we're written about here." Aomine Daiki snatched the newspaper from Kaneki Ken's hand, skipped the long praises of Kaneki Ken, pointed to the last paragraph and said excitedly.

[“Of course, in addition to Kaneki Ken, the performances of other players from Teikou Junior High School are also very impressive. We look forward to them playing more exciting games in the future.”]

"What are you doing, Qingzi? How can this be considered as writing about us..." Murasakibara Atsushi curled his lips, "Anyway, I'm not calling any other players."

"You are really easy to satisfy, Aomine." Midorima Shintaro also complained, "Also, give me back the newspaper. It's my lucky item today."

"Tsk, who cares!" Aomine Daiki, who was mocked by the crowd, handed the newspaper back, looking a little angry and embarrassed. "One day, I will become an ace like Kaneki Ken! Then my name will be written in the newspaper. You guys should work hard to do it first, and don't let yourselves be written as other players!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Kaneki Ken knocked on the table with a smile, "I believe in Aomine, and I believe in everyone. One day, we will all have our own columns. Before that, we just need to keep winning."

"What if we lose one day, Yanzi?" asked Murasakibara Atsushi curiously.

"Don't worry, I'm here to guarantee victory." Kaneki Ken looked at Murasakibara Atsushi with a smile, and said half-jokingly, "You just need to do what I say. After all, as an invincible lion who has won every battle, everything I say is correct."

"Everything about the winner... is correct...?" Akashi Seijuro murmured. He didn't know why, but he had been feeling restless from time to time recently, which troubled him a lot.

"Okay everyone, lunch break is over, let's go back to class!" Kaneki Ken smiled and stood up to leave, when Akashi Seijuro called him, "Um, Kaneki-kun, do you have time to chat?"

"Oh? Okay..." Just as Kaneki Ken was about to accept Akashi Seijuro's invitation for a talk, a middle-aged man appeared at the cafeteria door.

"Hello, I guess you are Kaneki Ken-san, can we chat?" the man asked politely. "Ah? You want to talk too?" Kaneki Ken was a little surprised, "Sorry, I mean my friend here..." Before Kaneki Ken could finish, Akashi Seijuro interrupted him, "It's okay, Kaneki-san, you go first, we'll talk later."

……

In a cafe at the school gate, Kaneki Ken and the visitor sat opposite each other.

"So, may I ask who you are?" Kaneki Ken looked at the man in front of him with some curiosity, "I don't have a very deep impression of you."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Miyari Tsutomu." The man handed Kaneki Ken a business card. "I'm the regional general manager of Golden Arch Bridge in Tokyo, Japan."

"I've heard a lot about you." After a few polite words, Kaneki Ken got straight to the point and asked, "May I ask what the manager of the palace wants to see me for?"

"It's like this. This fall, our Golden Arch Bridge will co-organize a street event with the NBA. I am very optimistic about you. I wonder if you are interested in participating?" Miyari Nu asked tentatively.

"…I'm sorry, I'm still a student and I must focus on my studies. I don't really want to think about this issue for the time being. Our lunch break is over, and if there is nothing else, I'm going back to the classroom." After a brief consideration, Kaneki Ken rejected Miyari Tsutomu's invitation and prepared to get up and leave.

"Please don't be so quick to refuse, Kaneki-san." Miyari Tsutomu quickly stopped Kaneki Ken and said, "Don't you want to hear our conditions?"

"…It doesn't hurt to listen." Kaneki Ken thought about it and sat down again, picking up the coffee and taking a sip.

"For the winning team of this competition, we will prepare a bonus of 200 million yen for the MVP, and provide a letter of recommendation to any top basketball school. They will even have the opportunity to gain attention from professional league teams and join the youth training team." Miyari Tsutomu was afraid that Kaneki Ken would refuse again, so he stated all the conditions at once.

"I'm really sorry, Manager Miyazato." Kaneki Ken put down the spoon in his hand, stood up, straightened his clothes and said, "It's really not about money. Thank you for your love, but I really don't have the mood to think about these things now. If there's nothing else, I'll leave first." After that, Kaneki Ken turned and walked towards the door.

"The MVP of the winning team can get a ticket to Jordan's youth training camp in Las Vegas! And the outstanding players in the youth training camp can get a chance to play a 1v1 game with Jordan!" Seeing that he couldn't stop it, Miyari Tsutomu quickly threw out his last trump card.

"...How much did Lu Dan lose in Las Vegas... Will you accept all the orders from the youth training camp?" Kaneki Ken's face moved slightly, thinking in his heart, "If I can really get into this youth training camp...it wouldn't be bad. After all, that's Jordan, and maybe I can get some benefits from the system."

Just when Kaneki Ken was about to be tempted, the system prompt sounded.

“Release side quest: The Path to Godhood;

Mission objective: Get a ticket to the youth training camp and successfully score three goals over Jordan's head;
Mission entry: Deicide;
Mission Rewards: Skill Upgrade Card x10, Jordan Blind Box x1, no penalty for failure. ”

"Money doesn't matter." Kaneki Ken sat back down at the table. "The main thing is that I can compete with the God of Basketball. It's just too hard to refuse. I'll join, Manager Miyazato."

(End of this chapter)