After dribbling past half court, Kazunari Takao pushed the ball forward with both hands, sending it straight into Shintaro Midorima's hands.
Midorima didn't hesitate in the slightest. Ignoring Taiga Kagami's defense completely, he jumped the moment he caught the ball.
"What?!"
Kagami hadn't expected Midorima to pull up so decisively. He froze for an instant.
By the time he reacted and jumped to contest the shot, it was already too late.
Midorima powered through with his left hand and released the ball.
The basketball arced through the air, soaring like an eagle spreading its wings.
The moment he landed, Midorima turned around and walked away without even glancing back.
As he left, he called out calmly,
"Let's go, Takao."
Kazunari Takao spread his hands helplessly and followed him back on defense.
Above them, the ball climbed higher and higher, then suddenly plunged downward, as if it had locked onto its prey.
Swish.
The shot went cleanly through the net.
After the basket, the expressions of the Seirin players immediately darkened.
On the bench, Riko Aida's expression changed as well.
How could this be… Kagami can't guard Midorima at all.
On the court, Kagami and the rest of Seirin looked tense and grim. Only Tetsuya Kuroko remained as calm as ever.
Kuroko turned to Kagami and said,
"Next possession, please run."
Kagami didn't quite understand what he meant and looked momentarily confused.
Possession switched.
Shun Izuki dribbled the ball over half court and immediately passed it to Kagami, who was moving into position.
The instant Kagami caught the ball, Midorima was already in front of him, set in a defensive stance.
Kagami stared at him warily, then suddenly drove hard to the right.
Up in the stands, Shuzo Nijimura shook his head with a helpless sigh.
"That idiot hasn't improved at all. His offense is still painfully predictable."
Miyamoto Tokima nodded in agreement.
Kagami's offensive options were simply too obvious.
At this stage, he really only had one move—forcing his way through. He barely knew how to shift his center of gravity, and his shooting still hadn't been fully developed. Compared to Midorima, the gap between them was huge.
Seirin's only real chance lay in how Kuroko coordinated the offense—and whether the protagonist's aura decided to kick in.
On the court, Midorima never lost his position, staying glued to Kagami the entire time.
Kagami couldn't get into the paint at all.
Using Izuki's screen, Junpei Hyuga broke free, raised his hand, and shouted,
"Here!"
Without hesitation, Kagami whipped the ball over to him.
Hyuga caught it and shot immediately.
Kazunari Takao jumped with all he had, but it barely affected the shot.
All he could do was hope Hyuga missed.
Unfortunately for him, the ball went in.
After scoring, Hyuga clenched his fist and shouted,
"Nice!"
Possession switched again.
Kazunari Takao brought the ball past half court and once more passed it to Shintaro Midorima.
Midorima caught it one-handed, his expression as calm as still water.
He glanced briefly at Kagami, then jumped straight up.
Kagami bristled with frustration.
This guy… he's completely ignoring me!
He leaped up fiercely, trying to block the shot.
But once he was in the air, he realized—
Midorima's release point was way too high.
How is this guy shooting from that high?!
After releasing the ball, Midorima turned around again and calmly jogged back on defense.
Kagami stood there, his expression ugly and stiff.
Suddenly, Kuroko spoke again,
"Please run."
Kagami froze for a split second, then seemed to understand. He immediately sprinted toward the frontcourt.
Swish.
The ball dropped through the net.
Kuroko immediately picked up the ball and stepped out of bounds.
He spun two and a half times on the spot, then snapped his arms forward, hurling the ball down the court.
Midorima sensed something and turned his head instantly.
In that moment, the basketball tore past his ear.
Midorima's pupils shrank sharply.
What?!
Under the basket, Kagami caught the pass cleanly.
Two steps.
He slammed the ball straight through the hoop.
The entire arena froze.
The crowd exploded into shocked shouts.
"What was that?! A full-court pass?!"
"Seirin's launching a fast break!"
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura laughed.
"So Kuroko can make passes like that now? Looks like none of them have been standing still."
Satsuki Momoi was gradually awakened by the surrounding noise.
She rubbed her eyes and looked toward the court. When she realized the game was already underway, she cried out,
"Eh? The game already started? Tokima, you didn't wake me up!"
Miyamoto Tokima chuckled.
"You were sleeping way too soundly. I didn't have the heart to wake you."
Momoi puffed out her cheeks and muttered,
"Hmph. Fine, I'll forgive you this time. But what just happened?"
Miyamoto Tokima briefly explained what had just occurred.
After listening, Momoi thought for a moment before saying,
"I see… but Seirin still can't win like this."
"After all, Midorima's shots are worth three points."
Miyamoto Tokima agreed completely. A three-pointer was always one point more than a two-pointer.
Playing like this simply wasn't enough to win. If anything, it was like being slowly boiled alive.
On the court, Shintaro Midorima seemed not to have realized this at all.
Perhaps Kuroko's sudden counterattack had momentarily shaken him.
But Shūtoku didn't rely on Midorima alone for offense.
The others could score too.
Kazunari Takao caught the pass and let out a cold laugh.
"You don't actually think you can turn this around, do you?"
As Izuki looked on in confusion, Takao drove forward, then suddenly whipped the ball backward in mid-drive.
The same pattern repeated over several possessions.
After watching a few plays, Izuki began to form a suspicion, though he wasn't completely sure.
It wasn't until Masaaki Nakatani ordered Kazunari Takao and Shinsuke Kimura to switch matchups that Izuki finally understood.
After confirming Kuroko's approach, Nakatani immediately called out,
"Takao, Kimura—switch defense."
The moment he said it, the Seirin players all looked confused.
After all, Tetsuya Kuroko wasn't someone just anyone could guard.
Even with a switch, stopping him wasn't guaranteed.
Kagami was especially certain of that.
He looked at Midorima and said flatly,
"Switching defense? Kuroko isn't that easy to guard."
Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied calmly,
"You're still thinking too naively."
Midorima had already figured it out.
His shots were worth three points. Kuroko's plays only led to two.
No matter how you calculated it, his scoring advantage was absolute.
There was no need to change anything.
Because this match was destined to be his victory.
...
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