[Ogiguro] Sketch time

>>11. "What I want to say is not sorry, what I want to do is to keep my promise"

On the first day of the whole middle school, Diguang Middle School started the first game of the group competition, against the wind to see the middle school.

Without exception, the team members felt the pressure of a higher level than in previous years.

Because there is no other way for Teiko players to win.

Almost all audiences and media are looking forward to their victory.

Once defeated, they will immediately become the target of criticism.

Never lose, and never fight hard.

Precisely because Diguang is the strongest, the pressure on them that they must not lose is so heavy that ordinary people can't imagine.

Therefore, whether it is Akashi Seijuro or Nijimura Shuzo, they have adopted a cautious and slightly indecisive style of play, accumulating points bit by bit, and successfully pocketed the victory with the content of the game that barely reached the passing line, allowing Teiko Advance to the final knockout round with a complete victory in the group competition.

"Huh... this year is more difficult than expected..." Hongcun, who finished the competition profusely, frowned anxiously.

"I feel so tired—damn...!" Murasakibara panted hurriedly, and accepted the towel handed over by Kise with a displeased expression.The latter also showed the same expression: "I agree..."

"I'm already very tired even if I didn't play the game..." Heizi, who was under the same pressure, looked at the tired and sweaty people, and the tension in his heart suddenly increased.

At this time, a clear voice came from not far away: "Hello—Qingfeng!"

"Oh, long time no see!" Qingfeng immediately ran forward excitedly when he saw someone coming, "How are you doing?"

"Huh...? Is this someone Qingfeng-kun knows?" It was rare to see Qingfeng so excited, and Heizi couldn't help but look over there curiously.

"Ah... that's Inoue-kun from Uesaki Middle School." Momoi followed Kuroko's line of sight and replied, "He's a power forward like Aomine-kun. They were evenly matched in the match last year."

"I will definitely win this year!" Inoue stretched out his hand, looking confident.

"Ha! I won't lose!" With a confident smile, Qingfeng held his hand back.

"Maybe he is the only one who can fight against Aomine-kun one-on-one to that level. ——They should have won the group match...Ah!" Momoi looked at the materials of Uesaki Middle School, but was looking When it came to the schedule matchup table for the decisive knockout round, his eyes widened in surprise, "...Tomorrow's first round of the final knockout round will be against Uesaki Middle School where Ue Inoue-kun is!"

However, at this moment they don't know how tomorrow's match that made Aomine Daiki exhausted his anticipation will make him feel as cold as he is in an abyss.

The next day, warm-up time before the game.

There was a loud bang, and the audience's eyes were attracted by Qingfeng who had just completed a slam dunk.

"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

"Junior high school students can pour so easily?!"

There was a sound of surprise and admiration in the audience.

"Little Aomine, you are very motivated~" Kise Ryota held the basketball and looked at Aomine in surprise.

"It's okay... because today's opponent is a bit difficult." Aomine looked at Inoue who was also warming up on the opposite field, "——and Zhe also told me, 'If I am an opponent, no matter the difference in strength No matter how big it is, I definitely don't want you to deliberately release water or make a fuss'. So no matter who the opponent is, I will not be waterproof."

Hearing Qingfeng's words, Heizi stopped in his tracks and looked over in relief, just in time to meet the other party's eyes shining with anticipation: "...Yes."

On the other hand, Midorima Shintaro stared at the two men, frowning almost invisibly.

"What's the matter, Luzi?" Sensing that something was wrong, Atsushi Ziyuan asked next to him.

"...Nothing." After a pause, Midorima retracted his gaze and continued, "...just today's good morning Asahi divination..."

"What? Didn't the result go well? —— But speaking of Lu Zi, don't believe in such things, okay..."

"It's not a problem that my ranking is third, and I brought the lucky item. The problem is..." Midorima's gaze could not help but shifted to someone on the field again, "Aomine. He is ranked last .”

At this time, a loud whistle sounded across the venue.

"Please form a team with players from both sides!!"

The audience also slowly quieted down immediately, and they all focused on the ten players standing face to face in the center of the field.

"The match between Teiko Middle School and Uesaki Middle School starts now. Salute!"

"Please advise me!!"

At the same time, in another venue, the first knockout match of Mingming Middle School is about to begin.

"Ah! Eh...?!" Sensing a sudden strange sensation on the instep, Ogiwara Chenghao looked down, only to find that the laces of the sneakers broke suddenly for some reason.

"What's the matter, Cheng?" Sugazaki Ryohei, who was warming up, heard his shout and couldn't help but stop and asked.

"That... I don't know if there are any spare shoelaces..."

"Huh... ah?!" Noticing the broken shoelace, Sugasaki froze for a moment, then quickly took out a spare shoelace from the bag beside him and handed it over, "Fortunately, someone came with a spare one. Put it on quickly .”

"Well, I see, thanks!" Sensing Sugasaki's nervousness, Ogiwara tried to use a cheerful tone to make him relax.I just sat on the bench beside me to change my shoelaces, but in the end I couldn't overcome the anxiety and anxiety in my heart.

"What happened to the sudden break...it's not the lace of the clogs (note ①)..." Ogihara frowned and put on a new shoelace, "Ah...it feels so bad."

Even though I put on new shoelaces, the inexplicable anxiety still lingers in my heart and lingers.

"I'm going to the finals to fight against Heizi, how can I be stumbled in this kind of place... definitely win...!!"

At this time, the discussion in the auditorium was gradually boiling like boiling water.

"Look at those two people..."

"Huh? What?"

"Really - so rare!!"

"Those two players... are twins...!!"

Ogiwara looked up at the opposite field, just in time to see the exact same arc carved on their faces.

——Confident and insolent arc.

——It seemed to confirm the ending of the game after a few minutes.

The match between Teiko and Uesaki is now in the fourth quarter, and there are three minutes and eight seconds left before the end of the game.

But the score of 150-81 has clearly indicated the result.

It is extremely clear-almost fiercely engraved in the eyes of the Uesaki Middle School players.

"After awakening, the result of Aomine's all-out efforts is this point difference... No wonder he can't maintain his enthusiasm for the game..." Midorima looked at the invincible Teiko ace on the field, and the sense of anxiety before the game gradually spread. Come on, "But what's going on with Uesaki... Have you even given up on the game?!"

And Aomine, who was preparing to have a oneonone with Inoue, caught a glimpse of the other's slightly sarcastic wry smile, and immediately widened his eyes in disbelief.

Then he dribbled the ball smoothly and scored a shot.

——Because the opponent has already given up even the defensive action.

"What...why...!!" Qingfeng turned his head and looked at Inoue's passive and decadent back as if questioning, but seemed to cry, "I have been looking forward to fighting you! I thought If the opponent is you, you will definitely have a lot of fun..."

Inoue, who saw Aomine's expression at this moment from the corner of his eyes, slowly withdrew his wry smile: "Your thoughts are still written on your face as always...but ah...you don't understand at all...what a terrible monster you are... ..."

——A genius like you can't understand our pain at all.

——Under such an absolute talent gap, no matter how hard you struggle, there is hopeless pain.

"I understood within a few minutes of the game. This is the overwhelming gap...Even if it takes a lifetime, it is impossible to catch up...the gap that does not leave even a glimmer of hope for ordinary people..."

Inoue lowered his head, felt Aomine walking past him, and then slowly said: "There is no one who can fight against you... Are you mocking me?"

"?!!" The sarcasm and self-deprecating words pierced his chest like sharp needles, and Qingfeng finally understood that his expectations were nothing but innocent fantasies, "...haha."

With a bitter and mocking dry smile, Qingfeng continued to walk forward without looking back.

This is the result of just being a little more serious...?If even the opponent's fighting spirit is completely taken away...

What else is there to be happy about playing basketball? !

"Zhe..."

Hearing Qingfeng's voice, Heizi turned his head and raised his right fist habitually, but when he saw the other party's eyes, he froze in place.

"I also think that what you said is not wrong, but as expected... it still doesn't work." A huge sense of disappointment haunted my whole body like a nightmare, "I finally found out that what I want...is definitely not Might be able to find it..."

——One or two of these people... are all rubbish, there is no one who can fight me seriously.

"The only person who can win me is myself."

The raised right fist was abruptly and alone frozen in the stiff air.

"Beep - the game is over!"

With the score of 169-81 on the LED display, no player looked up again.

In the lounge of Teiko Middle School, Momoi Wuyue rushed forward as soon as she saw Aomine Daiki's back and said, "Aomine-kun! Why did you tell Zhe-kun just now..."

"It's so annoying! I want to go out for a while." Aomine interrupted Momoi's words impatiently, and walked past Heizi, "Leave me alone."

With a "snap", the door was slammed shut, Midorima Shintaro looked at the back of Aomine leaving, and helped the mirror frame: "I didn't expect a bad premonition to become reality in this form..."

"At a time like this—shouldn't Hei Zai go after Feng Zai~?"

"Yeah, but..." Akashi Seijuro took Atsushi Murasakihara's words, and his rose-colored eyes looked at Kuroko who was quietly lowering his head on the bench beside him, "This incident should also have a big blow to Kuroko , it might be a bit difficult for him to chase him out now."

"..." But Kise Ryota remained silent uncharacteristically, his eyes moved back and forth between his teammates, and finally stopped on Heizi.

"However, the next game will start soon. In the worst case, Aomine can only be replaced on the bench. Let's talk to him after returning to the dormitory." At this time, Akashi had calmly started to formulate an alternate strategy plan.

Kise at the side hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to speak to comfort Heizi: "Little Heizi..."

It's just that the unfinished words were interrupted by the sudden vibration of the satchel on the bench.

Heizi took out his mobile phone from inside, and apologized to Kise: "Sorry, I have a call... I'll go out for a while."

——Whether it is the voice or the back view, it is full of a strong sense of loneliness, which cannot be dissipated like a haze.

When the phone cover was opened, Ogiwara Chenghao's name was displayed on the screen.

Heizi was a little surprised, but he finally got some relief.

"Ogiwara-kun?"

"........."

There was no sunny and bright voice to answer him, only a depressing silence mixed with electromagnetic sound.

Anxiety and panic were instantly magnified and filled his heart, and Heizi couldn't help but began to tremble slightly: "...Did something happen...?"

"...Sorry, Heizi." The other party's voice finally came through the receiver, but it hit Heizi's crumbling heart like a bolt from the blue, "...we lost."

"... Huh?" The brain couldn't help resisting the news, and Heizi felt that the little comfort he had received when he saw the other party's name earlier had all been shattered.

"Obviously... just a little bit..." Ogihara choked up and wanted to force back the tears, but finally broke down and shed tears when he heard Kuroko's voice, "It was only a little bit close to catch up... "

——Obviously you’ve worked so hard...but why are you still...

——Still unable to go in front of him and fulfill the promise of the year.

“啊啊啊啊啊不行啊…！太不甘心了！话都说不好了……”伸出手抹干了脸上的泪水，荻原硬是扯出一个笑容，试图让自己的语气恢复以往的模样, "By the way, did your side win?"

- No matter what, cheer up.

——Because I once decided to become a truly reliable person.

——Become the Ogiwara Chenghao who Kuroko Tetsuya can rely on.

"...Yes." The back of Qingfeng fading away appeared in his mind again, Heizi bit his lower lip, but didn't say anything more.

"Sure enough, congratulations!" The voice finally returned to the cheerfulness of the past, but Ogiwara's heart was still shrouded in a haze, "I also really want to go and cheer for you. But we will go back soon... Feel sorry."

"It's okay... please don't keep apologizing." Kuroko's soft voice was transmitted to Ogiwara's ears through the radio waves.

Of course he knows all too well how frustrating and painful it feels to fail.

He has also always firmly believed that Ogihara's efforts to realize this agreement are no less than his own.

So at this moment, all he can do is comfort.

"Ah... that's what you said..." Ogihara smiled wryly, but subconsciously continued, "...Sorry."

Obviously what I wanted to say was not sorry.

But I, who can't stand in front of you, what else can I say besides sorry?

At the second before the end of the call, the tears that had already stopped fell again unstoppably.

It fell on the dark uniform and turned into water stains one by one.

And Tetsuya Kuroko's name on the screen of the mobile phone was still submerged in darkness after all.

Note ①: According to the comment of manga 216Q, it is a bad omen for the clogs to suddenly break off by themselves.

The author has something to say:

By the way, this chapter exploded to 4000 words, so happy>

Well, although the amount of updates in two weeks is only 2000 per week on average QvQ

Regarding the match between Aomine and Inoue in this chapter, although there is no direct connection with Ogiguro, I thought about it and decided to write it in detail.

First of all, this game can clearly show the thoughts of players like Inoue, who have ordinary talents and grow relatively slowly through continuous hard work, about geniuses like Generation of Miracles, and the reasons that make them passive and idle.

And Ogiwara, like Inoue, became the trump card of the team through unremitting efforts little by little, and came to the stage of confrontation with Teiko step by step.

Although according to Ogiwara Sunshine's optimistic personality, he should not become negative and desperate, or even give up basketball like Inoue because of being knocked down by an absolute gap.

But no matter what, this must be a factor that affects his basketball career, and even the relationship between him and Heizi.As for the importance of this factor, it depends on how Uncle Juan draws Orz next.