Aomine launched forward—Haizaki reacted instantly
and in the chaos, the ball ricocheted out of bounds.
The ball had gone out of bounds off Haizaki's foot after the steal attempt.
Tōō Academy ball, sideline inbound.
"Next play…"
"Tōō is switching to offense!"
"Whoa—so fast…!!"
"Aomine is charging ahead! This time… Haizaki and Kuroko are double-teaming him!"
"This is bad—if he scores, the lead grows to six! And the ones defending are Haizaki and Kuroko, Seirin's two strongest defensive anchors. If even they can't stop him…"
"…it means Aomine is literally unstoppable!"
Seirin bench.
"Hold him!!"
"Haizaki!"
"Kuroko!"
"DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!!"
Aomine blitzed into Seirin's paint
but the defensive formation in front of him made him pause for an instant.
Haizaki was in front of him—completely blocking Kuroko from Aomine's field of view…?
A double-team…?
No, this positioning was wrong.
Kuroko, who couldn't match Aomine or Haizaki in speed, would be useless if he waited for Haizaki to get beaten first before helping.
That would be weaker than a normal double-team!
Even if they came up with some trick, some plan he didn't know
it didn't matter.
Whatever it is, he would break it.
Bang!
Haizaki activated Emperor Eye at full capacity, desperately predicting Aomine's movement.
Right side…!
Bang!
Too fast!
Even though Haizaki accurately predicted Aomine's intention, Aomine's speed—Zone plus his "Snow Shadow" state—made his actual motion faster than even his predicted motion!
But then
Aomine's pupils shrank sharply.
Tetsu…?
No way.
Impossible.
Why are you faster than me?!
That's right.
The one who moved almost before Aomine himself
was Kuroko Tetsuya.
"W-What"
"How… how did he do that…?"
Tōō's players were just as stunned.
Meanwhile, on the spectator seats, Murasakibara suddenly narrowed his eyes and muttered seriously:
"…Kuro-chin wasn't even looking at Aomine just now, was he~?
Who was he watching~?"
On the opposite side, Midorima's eyes widened.
"Haizaki… Kuroko was watching Haizaki's movements—predicting Haizaki's future action!"
That's right.
He wasn't predicting Aomine.
He was predicting Haizaki predicting Aomine.
Kuroko used the fact that Haizaki had already seen into Aomine's next move with Emperor Eye
and then predicted even further beyond that.
By using his long-built trust and deep familiarity with Haizaki's habits, timing, and movement patterns
he read Haizaki's projected future, and surpassed it.
This technique couldn't be used on opponents.
It worked only on someone he had spent extensive time with
someone whose physical rhythm and mental flow he understood intimately.
Someone he trusted.
And because that trust was so deep, he could even read beyond Haizaki's Emperor Eye prediction
reaching a level slightly above Emperor Eye itself.
No
It was unavoidably above Emperor Eye.
Because
he was predicting a Haizaki who had already predicted a future.
"And with Haizaki's body completely covering Kuroko, Aomine couldn't even see Kuroko move!"
Midorima added, admiration slipping into his tone.
On the court
"Ahhhhh!!"
SLAP!
In an unbelievable moment
Kuroko Tetsuya stole the ball straight out of Aomine Daiki's hands, while Aomine was in Zone.
"Wha—"
"That's impossible…!"
Tōō's players froze.
Even Kise stared in disbelief—unable to accept that Aomine, in this state, could be stopped by someone.
The arena exploded.
"UNBELIEVABLE—A STEAL!"
"They stopped Aomine!"
"Seirin switches to offense!!"
Kise immediately sprinted back on defense.
Watch me!
However
Tap! Tap!
Haizaki, immersed in his monstrous rhythm, executed two ultra-fast crossovers.
"Haizaki broke through!"
"And Seirin has numbers!!"
"5-on-4! Go—GO!"
Behind them, Aomine—still shaken from Kuroko's steal—turned sharply as the counterattack exploded forward.
Footsteps thundered
Aomine's expression sharpened, eyes fierce.
Within a blink, he accelerated, closing the distance on Haizaki from behind.
In the stands, every Tokyo-area defensive specialist—players known for their speed—felt cold sweat forming on their foreheads.
"He's too fast!"
On the court
Imayoshi Shoichi watched Aomine closely.
Aomine…
He can still stop this!
But at the moment Aomine reached in for the steal
A different hand shot forward from behind Haizaki.
PAK!
Kuroko's hand.
He flicked the ball upward before Aomine could touch it.
The silhouette behind Haizaki stepped fully into Aomine's vision.
Of course
Number 11.
Kuroko Tetsuya.
He deliberately slapped the ball out of Haizaki's hands.
END OF CHAPTER
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