Tetsuya Kuroko's expression never changed, and neither did his tone.
"No one can say whether the choices we make in life are right or wrong.
"And that's not why we make them.
"Besides, there's one thing I need to correct—Seirin is absolutely not weak."
As he spoke, Kuroko's gaze grew firm.
"We definitely… won't lose."
Shintaro Midorima's expression turned solemn. He turned around and replied calmly,
"Then I'll be the one to let you experience what defeat feels like."
Both teams' starting lineups took their positions, ready for the tip-off.
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura curled his lips into a smile.
"It's finally starting."
On the court.
Taiga Kagami and Otsubo Taisuke lined up for the jump ball.
The referee tossed the ball high into the air.
Both players leaped at the same time.
In the end, Kagami won the tip by a razor-thin margin.
Otsubo Taisuke was visibly surprised.
'He can jump that high?'
Seirin gained the first possession.
Rinnosuke Mitobe caught the ball without the slightest hesitation and immediately passed it to Shun Izuki.
After receiving the ball, Izuki quickly scanned the court for his teammates.
But when he saw that Shūtoku had already set up their defense, he couldn't help but think,
'That was fast. I was planning to start with a fast break, but their defensive transition is way too quick.'
Even so, Seirin's offensive options weren't gone yet.
Shinsuke Kimura, who was guarding Tetsuya Kuroko, suddenly realized that Kuroko had vanished right in front of him.
'Huh? Where did he go?'
By the time he snapped back to his senses, Izuki had already made the pass.
Tetsuya Kuroko appeared instantly along the passing lane, slapping the ball up into the air.
Taiga Kagami seized the chance, leaping high and grabbing the ball for an alley-oop dunk.
By the time Otsubo Taisuke turned around, it was already too late.
Just as Seirin began celebrating prematurely, something unexpected happened.
Shintaro Midorima sprang upward and swatted the ball cleanly out of Kagami's hands.
Taiga Kagami froze.
'How is that possible…?'
The ball was caught by Kazunari Takao, who praised him immediately,
"As expected of you, Shin."
As he spoke, Takao charged toward the frontcourt.
After landing, Midorima added coolly,
"If that's all you've got, you're not scoring."
Shinsuke Kimura followed up right away, creating a two-on-one situation in the frontcourt.
Kazunari Takao passed the ball to Kimura without hesitation.
Kimura took three steps and went up for the layup, but Junpei Hyuga managed to get a hand on it, sending the ball rattling off the rim.
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless.
"What kind of talent is that? A two-on-one in the frontcourt and you still get stuffed?"
Miyamoto Tokima found it hard to believe as well.
A two-on-one fast break getting blocked—was he serious?
Well, better keep watching.
Let's see whether the protagonist's halo carries the day, or if Shintaro Midorima can break free from it and take the win.
Possession switched.
This time, Shūtoku left Seirin no openings at all, locking them down defensively.
Seirin, as usual, relied on Tetsuya Kuroko to create an opening.
When Taiga Kagami received the ball, he paused when he saw that Shintaro Midorima was now guarding him.
Midorima spread his arms wide, blocking his path, and spoke calmly,
"This is where it ends."
Feeling underestimated, Kagami clenched his teeth and launched into an aggressive drive.
Shintaro Midorima didn't give him a single opening, completely shutting him down.
Seizing the moment, Midorima slapped the ball away and stole it cleanly.
Instead of passing, he took off alone toward the frontcourt for a fast break.
Seirin's bench was stunned.
Riko Aida cried out in disbelief,
"He can handle the ball too?!"
The Kaijo spectators were equally shocked.
Yukio Kasamatsu hurriedly turned to Ryota Kise.
"Hey, hey—does he really have ball-handling skills?"
Cold sweat broke out on Kise's forehead as he hesitated before answering,
"I don't know… but I can say I've never seen Midorima run a possession like that."
On the other side, Shuzo Nijimura was also surprised. A pleased smile crossed his face as he said,
"So Midorima can handle the ball too. Looks like he hasn't wasted his training."
Miyamoto Tokima watched quietly, saying nothing and making no big reactions.
After all, Satsuki Momoi was still asleep.
On the court.
Shintaro Midorima dribbled alone into the frontcourt, with Taiga Kagami chasing hard from behind.
Midorima glanced at Kagami from the corner of his eye, then stopped abruptly just outside the three-point line and jumped.
Kagami tried to brake, but it was too late. All he could do was watch as Midorima released the shot.
The ball soared upward, tracing an impossibly high arc.
It climbed until it nearly reached the ceiling of the gym before finally beginning to descend.
Junpei Hyuga's expression grew grim, his heart already shaken.
'What kind of trajectory is that?!'
The Seirin players and the spectators felt the same shock.
Midorima's shooting arc was simply absurd.
After releasing the ball, Midorima looked at Kagami—who was still staring up at the ceiling—and said,
"Get ready to taste defeat. You're too weak."
With that, he turned without hesitation and slowly walked back toward his own half.
Kagami's face darkened. He glanced at Midorima's retreating back, then looked up at the falling ball.
He watched as it swished cleanly through the hoop.
'Damn it…'
As the ball dropped through the net, the crowd erupted once again, buzzing with excited chatter.
Possession changed.
Shun Izuki dribbled past half court, his eyes constantly sweeping across the floor.
Kazunari Takao stood in front of him, watching quietly before smiling.
"Still looking for your teammates? Well—did you find them?"
Izuki ignored him and continued scanning the court.
Once again, Tetsuya Kuroko disappeared. Izuki immediately made the pass.
With a sharp slap, Kuroko redirected the ball straight into Rinnosuke Mitobe's hands.
Mitobe caught it, backed down once, then turned and went for a hook shot.
Taisuke Otsubo jumped hard, his fingertip grazing the ball.
For the first time, a flicker crossed Mitobe's usually expressionless face.
He hadn't expected even a hook shot to be touched.
The ball clanged off the rim, then barely dropped into the net.
Seeing this, Otsubo shook his head helplessly. He had gotten a hand on it, yet it still went in.
Hook shots really were hard to block.
Still, his expression didn't change at all.
He took the ball, passed it to Kazunari Takao, and ran up the court.
Takao wore a faint smile as he calmly dribbled the ball past half court.