"Three-pointer confirmed."
"Game over."
"Seiho versus Shutoku, Seiho wins."
"Final score: 69–71."
============
"Wooohhh!!"
"Nice one, Asuka!"
"We did it! We won!"
The final reversal seemed to last an eternity, but in reality, it had happened in the blink of an eye.
In just a few seconds, before either team had even managed to reposition for defense, the battle between Akashi Asuka and Midorima Shintaro had already decided the match's fate.
Seiho roared in triumph, while the players of Shutoku could only bow their heads in frustration.
"We… actually lost…"
Midorima stared blankly at the scoreboard.
A pain and bitterness he hadn't felt in years welled up inside him, numbing his entire being.
It wasn't until Otsubo Taisuke smacked him firmly on the back that he snapped out of it.
"Alright, stop zoning out. Time to regroup."
Otsubo's face remained expressionless as he said coldly, "We'll settle this in the Nationals. Count on it."
============
"Match over. Both teams, bow!"
"Thank you for the match!"
"Thank you for the match!"
Though the loss stung deeply, Shutoku could at least find comfort in the fact that this had been just a practice game. There would be another chance to rise again.
"Pack up quickly. We still have time left, once we're back, everyone's doing extra training!" Otsubo barked in the locker room.
"Huh? Are you serious? We just finished a match, and you still want us to train!?"
"By the way, has anyone seen Midorima?"
"I saw him just now, he headed toward the restroom."
"The restroom? Didn't he already go during halftime? Don't tell me he's… crying in there?"
"Uh…"
"No way, seriously!?"
Whether or not Midorima was really crying in the restroom, no one could say.
But when Akashi Asuka came by, he happened to see Midorima washing his face. The cold tap water mixed with sweat as it trickled down his cheeks, but whether those drops hid something more, no one could tell.
"What a miserable start to high school… Two members of the Generation of Miracles have already lost."
Midorima thought back to Kise Ryouta in Kanagawa. Just two days ago, he had gone to mock that guy for losing. Who would've thought that, only forty-eight hours later, he'd end up in the exact same situation?
"Huh? So someone from the Generation of Miracles besides you has lost too?"
A sudden voice came from behind him, making Midorima's heart nearly stop.
After a brief jolt of shock came fury. "You bastard! What are you doing here!?"
Asuka blinked innocently. "Huh? What else would I be doing in a restroom? Using it, obviously. What, you think I came here to cry or something?"
"Hmph! I didn't expect you to have such a vile habit of eavesdropping!"
Asuka sighed helplessly. "You were talking so loud it'd be harder not to hear you. And come on, it's just a practice match. No need to take it so personally. Don't tell me… you've never lost before?"
This guy's words are so damn irritating! Every line hit him right where it hurt.
Asuka, seeing Midorima go silent, couldn't help but smirk slightly.
Running into him here and overhearing his muttering had been coincidence,
But everything after that? Not so much.
Of course Asuka knew that the other Generation of Miracles member who had lost was Kise Ryouta.
Of course he knew that Midorima was here to hide his tears.
He knew perfectly well. And those words earlier? They were intentional.
As for why,
Well, no real reason. He just wanted to mess with this tsundere genius a little.
"This is kind of fun," Asuka thought, amused. "Now I understand why that jerk Oikawa acts the way he does. Teasing people really is satisfying!"
He chuckled inwardly. He was definitely becoming a worse person. After all, the old him would've never been this sharp-tongued.
Moments later, Midorima pushed his glasses up, regaining his composure. "In that match just now… you didn't go all out, did you?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"Because that last three-pointer…"
"Oh, that? Pure luck." Asuka waved it off with a modest smile.
There was no way he'd ever admit to holding back. The Generation of Miracles members were all close, after all, and if Midorima accidentally let something slip to the others someday, that'd ruin all his fun.
Because truth be told,
As a "normal" high school student with nothing special besides height, Akashi Asuka couldn't afford even a hint of carelessness if he wanted to defeat true geniuses like them.
This guy really is kind of… petty.
"Forget it," Midorima said coldly. "Whether it was luck or not doesn't matter. We lost today, but I'll reclaim this debt at Nationals. Just you wait, Asuka!"
With a huff, he turned and strode out of the restroom.
===========
Seiho's players escorted Shutoku's team to the parking lot. Although Asuka and Midorima didn't get along particularly well, the senior players of both teams shared deep camaraderie.
Especially Tsutomu Iwamura and Otsubo Taisuke, their mutual respect was almost brotherly.
After all, both were top-tier national centers, both represented the Tokyo region, and both played for powerhouse schools known as the "Three Kings of Tokyo."
You could call it… fate.
In fact, last year's Basketball Monthly had even published an interview where Otsubo publicly stated that the player he most looked up to in high school was Seiho's center, Tsutomu Iwamura.
And in that same issue, Iwamura had said his most-watched player was Kiyoshi Teppei.
Three days ago, when Asuka found that old article in the locker room, he immediately went out and bought Iwamura a copy of Human Relationships Gone Wrong as a "birthday present" for next year.
What a guy.
Even though he hadn't joined Seiho yet back then, Asuka could already imagine Iwamura's embarrassment when that interview came out.
=============
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