Chapter 93: The Audience Is Numb

Aomine's inner turmoil ended up attracting the attention of the entire basketball club. Coach Shirogane Kōzō had no choice but to sit down and talk with him. But really, it was mostly Shirogane talking, and Aomine listening. "I'm sorry, Aomine." "Huh?" The dazed Aomine looked up, confused. "I noticed your problem long ago... but I was still hoping you might find your way." "At this point, I won't tell you something like 'it's not too late to turn back.'" "But only if you don't give up—can there still be possibilities ahead." It wasn't a long talk, and it didn't suddenly awaken Aomine to a higher purpose. But at least, the basketball club could still function normally—for now. However... Before Aomine's issue could even be resolved, another one hit even harder. Riko fell ill. She had developed a disease called spinocerebellar degeneration—the same illness that led to the death of the heroine Ikeuchi Aya in the drama One Litre of Tears, the first show she and Tendou ever watched together. She made a request to the short-tailed cat (the system) to implant this incurable disease into herself, hoping to do one last thing for Tendou. "Didn't I tell you not to worry? I had other ways to rake in some sympathy points from fans." "I just wanted to help you," she said. Riko couldn't act, so instead—she chose to make it real. "And besides, there's one more good thing: now you'll have to take care of me every day." She didn't look sick—still cheerful and lively, just like always. "You won't last more than half a season doing this." "I don't care anymore. Time isn't important. I just don't want to reach the end without having helped you at all." She had died once already. What was a little pain compared to that? Now, all she wanted was to do something for Tendou Kageyoshi—the one and only man she had loved in two lifetimes. ... "What?! Riko's sick?!" "Yeah... they say it's spinocerebellar degeneration." "Can it be cured? Shouldn't we take her to the States? Medical treatment's better there!" The basketball team was devastated when they heard the news. Kise was the first to suggest flying her abroad for treatment. But Nijimura Shūzō shook his head. It was incurable. "How can this happen...?" Kise was heartbroken. He ran off to confirm it for himself. "It's true?" "Yeah. It's true." "But if it's real... then how can Tendou be so calm?" "What do you expect him to do? If you keep looking like someone just died, don't even think about going near Riko." With that, Kise fell silent. The next day, he came to see Riko again—this time with a bright smile on his face, joking around like always to make her laugh. And later, the entire basketball team gathered, even knowing the disease was incurable, to pray for her recovery. That warmth made her heart feel full. ... Meanwhile, in the real world— 『Here we go!』 『Damn, I got second!』 『What's wrong with FanGeGe today? He seems kinda out of it.』 FanGeGe sat at his computer. He started his livestream and queued up the newest episode. "Not out of it. It's just... the last episode hit way harder than expected." "Honestly, I don't even wanna click this new episode. I waited so long just to finally see Tendou and Riko get together on Valentine's Day—AND NOW THIS???" FanGeGe was visibly suffering. To fans of this series, the previous episode had been absolute emotional carnage. That was the episode where Aomine and Kuroko "broke up" under the bridge—Aomine trembling as he said: "I don't even remember how to catch your passes anymore." It hit like a freight train. For viewers used to the light, feel-good tone of the show, this emotional whiplash was earth-shattering. "We all knew drama was coming eventually. No way the basketball team would stay this wholesome forever," FanGeGe said. "I even talked to Nightmare and the others—we all agree: Kuroko's real opponents aren't other teams. It's gonna be Tendou and the guys." "They're too strong. Literal monsters. If the strongest guys are already on your team, where's the challenge?" "Still, this plot twist? It's too much. I just got one sweet episode... and now you're killing me!" He was practically shouting. The production team didn't use Akashi or Midorima to turn the narrative—they chose Aomine and Kuroko, two characters with deeply emotional arcs. And the effect? Devastating. Then the OP finished. The screen went black. A new title appeared on screen: [CURSE] "Oh no. That title is DEFINITELY bad news." "I have a really bad feeling about this. Do we even keep watching???" FanGeGe trembled as the word "Curse" appeared onscreen. He really didn't want to get stabbed again. Then—just in case the audience didn't get it—the production team IMMEDIATELY dropped a bomb: Tendou Riko has an incurable disease. 『WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!』 『These writers are monsters. First you wreck Aomine, now you're coming for Tendou?!』 『Spinocerebellar degeneration? What even IS that?!』 Simple answer: an incurable disease. The chat exploded in chaos. Tendou was currently the #2 most popular character, and one of the only ones in a confirmed romantic relationship. They'd held hands, kissed, cuddled—it was legit. And now they were pulling this? FanGeGe went completely numb. This was pure tragedy. Hurting Kuroko and Aomine was one thing, but touching Tendou meant maximum emotional damage. He didn't wait ten episodes for this! But as much as it hurt, he noticed something: viewership was skyrocketing. Despite the drama, the series still had stunning animation and sharp writing. The characters were distinct and vivid. But it had lacked a real, dramatic turning point. What made Tendou so popular? He carried most of the show's slice-of-life moments. When he and Riko officially got together on Valentine's Day, the fanbase went wild. "WOOF WOOF WOOF," they spammed in chat. People were saying they were ready to chip in for wedding gifts. But that was just one happy episode. And now this? FanGeGe offered a quick science lesson: "Spinocerebellar degeneration is a genetic disorder caused by repeated sequences of CAG nucleotides mutating. It's the same disease the girl had in One Litre of Tears—you remember that drama, right?" 『DON'T SAY THAT NAME—I'VE SEEN IT. I'M TRAUMATIZED!』 『Wait, what show is that? I haven't seen it. Someone tell me!』 『I can't explain it. Just... look up 'Top 10 Saddest Japanese Dramas' and you'll find it.』 The audience had nothing left. They were... emotionally numb. /// Bonus Chapter <3