Night.
Yuuto came to a nearby street court to test his new ability.
Ball in hand, he gently closed his eyes, letting his mental state reach peak concentration, activating his body's full potential.
He'd maintained this state for several minutes now.
Then.
Hiss~
Massive clouds of white steam erupted from his body. His short black hair rapidly turned white.
But soon, the white steam dispersed, carried away by the wind, melting into the night. In its place, a soft white glow enveloped his entire body.
Sora, who had been scrolling through her phone nearby, froze.
"It's the middle of the night. Why does Yuuto look like a lightbulb?"
It was genuinely too bright!
She couldn't sit still anymore. Walking over for a closer look, she quickly became mesmerized.
Yuuto sensed Sora approaching and opened his eyes.
Then.
Crackle!
White lightning bloomed from his pupils like threads of light, swaying in the breeze.
Wait, what?
"The Zone?!" Sora's cute little mouth fell open—and no, she wasn't trying to eat anything. She was genuinely shocked.
"It's a bit different." Yuuto smiled slightly, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but Sora felt the aura around Yuuto had become much more... sacred. Even his voice felt warm somehow.
Like an angel!
Yet at the same time, his expression remained unchanged—still that same untamed arrogance, that piercing gaze, like a demon tempting you to sign a contract.
These two completely different auras intertwined, converging on him simultaneously. It was bizarre.
But how should she put it?
Inexplicably, she found it incredibly attractive.
Then something occurred to her. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she suggested, "Yuuto, why don't you stay in this state tonight? We won't even need to turn on the lights."
"..."
Yuuto realized he had truly underestimated this girl. After attending so many concerts together, she'd become quite the bold one.
"Can't believe you actually said that."
He lightly poked her forehead, then began his testing.
Slap~
He bounced the ball off the ground, then with a whoosh, blazed toward the paint at extreme speed.
Sora's pupils dilated sharply. She felt a gust of wind sweep past, then saw a streak of white light flash before her eyes, blindingly bright in the darkness.
But she quickly reacted, letting out a small "Eek!" as her hands flew to hold down her skirt.
Her pretty face turned even redder.
That explosive power was simply too intense—almost too much to handle!
Yuuto was of course aware that after Sora's "transformation," certain aspects of her had become somewhat... overly bold. Most of the time, even he was caught off guard.
But he hadn't noticed her reaction. He was silently calculating the boost that Concentrated Burst provided.
"Even without anaerobic activity, the consumption still exceeds Demon Mode."
"No wonder even a stamina monster like Kirihara Akaya got completely drained."
Yuuto's initial assessment: Angel Mode Zero's consumption was enormous, far exceeding Demon Mode.
Even with Star Bible's perfect rhythm, entering this state consumed stamina at a rate comparable to Aomine's Zone.
However.
"A full 20% boost, breaking through the 100% limit!"
What a pleasant surprise.
The Zone also provided a 20% increase, and that alone was enough to create an absolute gap with opponents.
Now he could push even further beyond the limit, developing his potential to 120%.
As expected of a red-tier talent—the enhancement was staggering.
Yuuto continued testing, moving like a shooting star streaking through the night, enjoying the exhilaration of breaking past his limits.
By the time he stopped, Sora—who could barely contain herself anymore—immediately dragged him home.
...
The next day.
The Winter Cup continued.
After round after round of elimination, only four teams remained.
Upper bracket: Seihō versus Seirin.
Lower bracket: Rakuzan versus Kaijō.
As for Shūtoku, they had already been eliminated by Rakuzan.
That match had been equally spectacular—perhaps even more exciting than Seihō versus Yōsen.
It was another direct clash between Tokyo's other king and the emperor.
Midorima still hadn't found the key to entering his Zone.
But he had grown stronger, teaming up with Takao Kazunari during the match to execute a devastating alley-oop three-pointer combination.
At that moment, the game reached its absolute peak.
Shūtoku united as one, mounting a furious comeback that actually reversed the deficit at one point.
Unfortunately, Shūtoku ultimately fell short.
Just as in the original story, Akashi quickly identified the flaw in Shūtoku's alley-oop three-pointer play.
Midorima and Shūtoku ultimately couldn't overcome the complete Emperor Eye. They lost with regret.
And so, the Winter Cup finally reached its climactic stage.
The upper bracket featured a Tokyo civil war.
The king Seihō versus the dark horse Seirin.
The lower bracket was a battle between the champions of Kanagawa and Kyoto.
Kanagawa's top dog Kaijō versus the emperor Rakuzan.
Their showdown was happening today.
This match had attracted massive attention. Even Sora was extremely curious about today's game.
"Time to go, Sora."
"Wait, I'm not ready yet."
"You've been getting ready in there for 30 minutes."
Yuuto stood at Sora's door, expression somewhat helpless.
Why were girls often late for dates? Because they never felt prepared enough.
Makeup, accessories, down to the style and color of their clothes, up to their hairstyle and nail polish.
They seemed perpetually unable to feel ready, always wanting to present their best selves. No matter what a guy said, they would never be satisfied.
Time slipped away without notice.
Yuuto had been waiting at the door for half an hour. Unable to bear it any longer, he pushed open the door and walked in.
"Stupid Yuuto, you're so impatient!"
Sora jumped at first, but seeing it was Yuuto, she lowered her guard and started changing clothes right in front of him while complaining.
Then.
What took Yuuto mere minutes required a full 45 minutes from Sora.
And that was considered fast.
But the effort paid off. When Sora stepped out, her makeup was flawless and stunning.
Truly exquisite. Walking down the street, she naturally became the center of attention, turning every head.
Seeing this, Sora smugly linked her arm through Yuuto's as they headed toward the arena together.
...
Two games were scheduled for today.
The morning match was Rakuzan versus Kaijō, followed by Seihō versus Seirin in the afternoon.
In other words, today would determine the Winter Cup finalists.
Yuuto and Sora arrived somewhat late—traffic had been terrible with so many fans heading to the venue.
By the time they entered the arena, naturally no seats were available. They could only watch from the top level.
Coincidentally, Midorima was there too.
"Midorima."
"Yuuto!"
The two were old acquaintances by now, so they greeted each other casually.
"Strange. You're not wearing your disguise game today."
"..."
Midorima fell silent. He had actually tried to disguise himself before leaving, but once again received complaints from his family, so he gave up.
"How's the game going?"
"Just started a few minutes ago. Rakuzan's advantage is obvious."
...
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