Shintaro Midorima's eyes were razor-sharp, like a hawk's.
The way he stared made Taiga Kagami's skin crawl.
The very next second—
Midorima gathered the ball and jumped straight up under his own basket.
Kagami snapped back to reality and leaped after him.
"No way!"
But the moment Kagami left the ground, he realized—
Midorima… had jumped even higher…
How?! So you weren't even using your full strength before?!
Midorima pushed with his left hand, and the ball shot into the sky with a sharp whoosh.
Junpei Hyuga's expression darkened, shock flooding his chest.
Damn it… he wasn't even going all-out before. Is this what the Generation of Miracles really is?!
Midorima landed and said coldly, without a hint of mercy,
"If this is all you've got, I can't imagine any way I lose."
Kagami clenched his teeth so hard it hurt.
Right now, he simply couldn't stop Shintaro Midorima.
Was he really… going to lose?
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Up in the stands, Miyamoto Tokima's lips curled upward without him even noticing.
Midorima… so you've finally broken through that aura.
Compared to someone he barely knew like Kagami, Tokima naturally wanted Midorima to win.
That so-called protagonist aura had honestly left him baffled.
But now, it seemed Midorima had shattered it.
On the court, Kagami panted hard, the feeling of impending defeat making him more and more restless.
So on the next possession, Kagami stopped listening to anyone.
He took the ball and charged ahead by himself.
Hyuga immediately shouted,
"Kagami! You're rushing it!"
But Kagami acted like he didn't hear, barreling forward alone.
Midorima slid right alongside him and sneered,
"You think you're Miyamoto? You think you can take on five by yourself?"
Kagami was still processing the jab when the ball in his hands was suddenly slapped away.
What?!
Kagami whipped his head around.
Kazunari Takao had knocked the ball loose. He smiled as he spoke,
"You really are a hot-blooded kid."
After the steal, Midorima immediately scooped up the ball and rose up at half court.
"Damn it!!!"
Kagami jumped beside him at full height—
But he was still just a little short of the ball.
Even so, that jump made Midorima pause for a split second.
He can jump even higher…? His talent is really that insane?
Swish.
The shot fell.
Seeing things go badly, Riko Aida immediately called a timeout.
Both teams headed to the bench.
Midorima quietly looked at Kagami, as if thinking about something.
Kagami sat down and spat out a stubborn, bitter word.
"Damn it."
After wiping his sweat, Izuki replied at once,
"Kagami, you're too impatient. Look around more."
Hyuga took a drink and added,
"Yeah. And you shouldn't have forced that immediately—better to move the ball fir—"
Before he could finish, Kagami cut him off.
"Even if I pass it back, so what? Right now, I'm the only one who can go head-to-head with Shūtoku."
"What we need isn't teamwork—we need me to score!"
Shinji Koganei shot back immediately,
"What kind of logic is that? Isn't that just playing everything around yourself?"
Seeing Kagami like this, Tetsuya Kuroko walked up and punched him straight in the face.
The Seirin players were stunned.
And it wasn't just Seirin—Shūtoku was frozen too.
Takao took a sip of water and muttered,
"Hey, hey… are they fighting among themselves?"
Otsubo spoke up,
"Probably. In a situation like this, disagreements are bound to happen."
Midorima watched from across the court, irritation already simmering in his chest.
So this is the light you chose, Kuroko?
Up in the stands, Shuzo Nijimura watched the drama like he was eating popcorn.
"Oh? Kuroko-kun can throw hands? Looks like he's gotten worse since we left."
Satsuki Momoi didn't agree.
"No, I don't think so. It feels like a disagreement. That red-haired guy looks like he started playing one-man basketball."
"And if I remember right, Kuroko-kun has always believed in team basketball."
"They probably clashed over that."
Nijimura blinked.
"Is that so?"
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
"Tsukuyomi's right. Kagami's calmed down now."
Nijimura looked back toward the court.
Sure enough, Kagami had regained his composure.
Kuroko had also returned to the floor.
As soon as Takao saw Kuroko check in, he stepped right next to him and said,
"You're back, huh? But how are you going to avoid my Hawk Eyes?"
"I can see you even more clearly than I did in the first half."
Kuroko remained expressionless, with no intention of answering.
Seirin ball.
Kagami caught the pass and drove straight toward the paint.
Midorima stayed glued to his side.
Kagami immediately swung the ball to Izuki, then cut around Rinnosuke Mitobe.
Mitobe set the screen perfectly, stopping Midorima in his tracks.
Midorima shouted at once,
"Help defense!"
Otsubo rotated over immediately.
Meanwhile, Hyuga had already figured out what Kuroko was trying to do.
Takao's Hawk Eyes really could see the entire court.
So even if his attention was pulled elsewhere, he could still keep Kuroko within his field of vision.
Therefore—
Before Takao could shift his focus to someone else, Kuroko used the opposite of Misdirection.
He drew the gaze onto himself.
Even if it meant getting intercepted again and again, he kept making the same kinds of passes—
All to force Kazunari Takao to keep his attention locked on him.
Once Takao's focus narrowed, Kuroko could redirect that "gaze" again.
Takao's eyes widened.
He vanished?! How is that possible?!
Kuroko darted into the passing lane between Izuki and Kagami in an instant.
Takao forced himself to calm down.
It's fine. Even if Kuroko disappeared, Kagami's still here. If I cut off Kagami's passing lane, then I can—
With that thought, Takao burst toward Kagami's position.
Kuroko spoke as he watched him move,
"You won't get it this time. Up until now, all I've done is change the ball's trajectory."
"But one pass…"
"…will accelerate!"
...
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