Rebirth In KurokoNoBasket

The practice game between Aiwa Middle School and Tokiwadai Middle School was on Saturday.

So, when Shun called the team to come to the school roof during lunch on the following Monday, they thought it had something to do with the practice game.

But, when they assembled on the rooftop, the matter that Shun wanted to discuss was entirely something else.

All five members sat down on the roof and ate their lunches, waiting for Shun to bring up the matter he wanted to discuss.

When everybody finished their lunch, did Shun spoke about the main agenda for this assembly.

Shun interlaced the fingers of his hands and placed his chin on the backside of his interlaced hands.

Others gulped, thinking that Shun was going to address something serious.

Shun looked up and said.

Shun: "I was thinking about this yesterday, and I ended up spending hours trying to figure it out, but I wasn't able to solve the problem."

Kaitani leaned in a little and asked.

Kaitani: "What was it?"

Shun covered his face with his hands and spoke.

Shun: "I don't know the coach's name."

Everyone dropped to the ground even though they were sitting soundly.

Kaitani picked up the crumpled piece of tin foil from his lunch and threw it at Shun.

Shun effortlessly caught the tin and placed it to the side.

Kaitani: "You got be kidding me! You could have asked this on the phone. Why did you call us here?"

Shun's eyes shined, and he asked with the hope overflowing in his voice.

Shun: "Oh, that's a relief. Now, tell me his name."

Kaitani humphed and then thought of the coach's name. He blinked once, then twice. He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

Kaitani: "Hahaha, I too, don't know his name."

Again everybody but Kaitani fell to the ground despite sitting soundly.

This time Shun threw the tin at Kaitani, and unlike Shun, he wasn't able to dodge, and it hit him right in the middle of the forehead.

Shun: "Yeah, thought so."

Kaitani rubbed his forehead and grumbled.

Kaitani: "So, does anybody here know his name?"

Everybody shook their head, and the mood turned embarrassing.

Shun: "I asked the other first-string members, and none of them knew his name. I messaged Otsubo-san and Ishida-san, and they didn't know it."

Yuki raised his hand and said.

Yuki: "Why don't we just ask him directly?"

Shun looked at Yuki and said.

Shun: "That isn't an option. Look at us. Aone-san and Mibuchi-san are already third-years, and they don't know his name. I have been with the first-string for almost my entire middle school career, and you guys have already spent months in the first-string.

Do any of you have a thick enough skin to go and dare ask the name of the one person who we all talk to every single day we go to practice."

Everybody shook their head and winced at the thought of asking the coach his name after all this time.

Shun nodded and continued.

Shun: "Ok, this is how we are going to find out his name."

Shun turned to Kaitani.

Shun: "Kaitani and I are going to stakeout the faculty room. The coach isn't an academic member of the faculty, so he arrives late to the school. We are going to stand outside the door and listen to the teachers if they call him by his name."

Shun turned towards Mibuchi and Yuki.

Shun: "Mibuchi-san, I want you to talk to the coach during practice and try to bring his name in the conversation.

Yuki, I want you to go talk to the school nurse. I heard that the nurse and coach's wife are good friends. So, maybe, try to bring the coach up in the conversation, but don't be too direct we don't want the nurse and the coach to meet, and the topic about you asking her the name come up."

Shun turned towards Aone and said.

Shun: "Aone-san, you sit back and relax. This is out of your comfort zone. We will take care of everything."

Aone frowned but nodded. Even he knew that talking wasn't his strong point.

Shun: "Okay, guys. Bring it in."

Everybody brought their hands together.

Shun: "Operation: RECON; *RE*searching *CO*ach's *N*ame, begins. Yeah?!"

All: "Yeah!"

Yuki looked at Shun and asked.

Yuki: "How long did you take to come up with that?"

Shun cleared his throat and mumbled.

Yuki: "What was that?"

Shun: "A couple of hours."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Shun and Kaitani were outside the faculty office.

Shun opened the door slightly. Kaitani and Shun put their ears to the gap and listened.

It took a minute before the coach joined a conversation.

Coach: "Fujisaki-sensei, did you watch last night's game."

Fujisaki-sensei: "Ah, coach. Sorry, but I missed the game."

Coach: "Then you missed an amazing game. It was so close."

Outside the faculty office, Kaitani took out his handkerchief from his pocket and threw it on the ground dramatically.

Kaitani: "Why in the world would a teacher call him coach! This is not a joke!"

Shun was equally stumped at that.

Suddenly, the door to the office opened.

Kaitani looked up and saw the coach staring down at him.

Coach: "Kaitani, why are you squatting down in front of the faculty office alone?"

Kaitani was going to give an excuse, but then he thought.

Kaitani: 'Alone?'

Kaitani turned to find that Shun was nowhere to be found.

Kaitani: "Motherf**cker! Kag-. Whoa!"

Before Kaitani could finish his sentence, he was grabbed by the collar by the coach.

Coach: "Kaitani, come inside. Let's have a talk about your language."

Kaitani could only cry at his fate, as he was dragged inside by the coach.

At the end of the corridor, Shun was hiding behind the wall.

Shun: "Sorry, Kaitani. It's all for the greater good."

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

At the day's practice, Kaitani chased Shun for ten minutes for his betrayal before giving up.

Shun walked to the Yuki and asked him for a status update.

Shun: "So, did you get the name?"

Yuki shook his head and replied.

Yuki: "No, the nurse address coach's wife by her given name, and for some reason, she addresses him as coach."

Shun sighed and nodded.

Shun: "Yeah, all the teachers address him as coach. It was really weird."

The whole practice, Shun, and the others tried to bring the coach's name in conversation, but they weren't able to find it.

Even Aone tried to support them, but all he managed to do was stand beside him silently, but all that did was made the coach uncomfortable.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

By the end of the practice, all of them had given all hope of finding out the coach's name.

Aone looked at his teammates and decided it was time he sacrificed for the team.

He walked to the coach and stared at him for a few seconds.

The coach looked at Aone and asked.

Coach: "Do you want to ask me something, Aone?"

Aone nodded, and the coach smiled.

Coach: "Okay, go ahead."

Aone took a deep breath and asked in his deep voice.

Aone: "Coach, what is your name?"

Shun, Kaitani, and Yuki whipped their heads towards Aone.

Kaitani pulled Shun near him and whispered.

Kaitani: "He asked!"

Shun nodded and replied.

Shun: "Yeah, he did!"

The coach laughed and said.

Coach: "There is a student every year who asks me this question months after entering the first-string."

Shun and Kaitani shouted in unison.

Shun and Kaitani: "There is?!"

Coach: "Yes. People call me by my title rather than my name, so the students in the club sometimes don't know my name. I assume you guys also didn't know.

Ah, that's why Kaitani was outside the faculty office."

The coach laughed and continued.

Coach: "You guys should have asked me directly. You guys shouldn't feel any discomfort in asking me any question no matter how trivial it is, and it doesn't matter if it's basketball-related or not."

Yuki spoke up and asked the question which was on everybody's mind.

Yuki: "Coach, you still haven't told us your name."

Coach smiled and said.

Coach: "Ah, yes. I got distracted. Anyways, my name is Kōetsuji Akisame." [1]

Shun and the others felt enlightened just by hearing the coach's name. They had worked hard for the whole day, and finally getting what they wanted, felt good.

The coach tilted his head and said.

Coach: "You didn't really have to ask me. You could've just asked your captain, he was the one who asked me last year, or you could have just asked Otsubo or Ishida, they too know my name."

Coach pointed with his chin, and Shun and others looked at the pointed direction.

They saw Mibuchi dressed in his school uniform, looking ready to leave.

Mibuchi covered his mouth with his hands, trying to stop himself from laughing.

Mibuchi: "I knew his name, but I wanted you guys to sweat a little."

He looked at Shun and said.

Mibuchi: "I was having lunch with Otsubo-san and Ishida-san when you messaged them. I told them not to tell you.

So, Bye~."

As soon as Mibuchi said that, he ran as fast as he could.

Shun and others ran after Mibuchi like a pack of wolves run after their prey.

The day ended with Coach Koetsuji laughing at his students' antics.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[

A/N [1]: The coach's name is the same as the master from History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, but in this story, he is a master of basketball rather than martial arts.

The link to his profile will be in the comment section. Use that for a visual reference and not for his actual skills.

]