"Beep! End of the first quarter!"
The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the first quarter.
Both teams' starters headed to the bench to rest.
The score was 26–22, with Kirisaki Daiichi leading by four.
In the stands, the spectators began discussing the game.
"The score's pretty close. Looks evenly matched."
"Evenly matched? What are you talking about? Haven't you noticed that Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura haven't even taken a single shot?"
"But that gray-haired guy… I feel like I've seen him before. Wasn't he from Teikō Middle School too?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I've seen him at Teikō as well."
…
Seirin's side.
The expressions of the Seirin players were all extremely serious.
Although the score gap on the court wasn't large, they all knew one thing clearly.
Kaijō was in trouble.
Because Kirisaki Daiichi's true scorers—Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura—hadn't even entered scoring mode yet.
Every single point had been taken by Shogo Haizaki alone.
To be precise, the first quarter couldn't even be considered a proper five-on-five.
It was nothing more than a one-on-one between Shogo Haizaki and Ryota Kise.
"Kaijō… is in real trouble."
Junpei Hyuga said in a low voice,
"If Kuroko's analysis is right, Haizaki is only Kirisaki Daiichi's third scoring option."
"Meanwhile, Kise is Kaijō's ace."
"If even the third scorer can suppress Kise like this, I can't imagine what it'll look like once Miyamoto Tokima and Nijimura start scoring."
Taiga Kagami's expression was just as heavy. He didn't refute Hyuga, instead continuing along the same line.
"Yeah. If Kise can't open up the score before Miyamoto Tokima and Nijimura make their move, then this game is basically on the brink."
A suffocating atmosphere spread among the Seirin bench.
No one had expected that Kaijō High—an opponent they found so troublesome—would be pushed into such a desperate situation against Kirisaki Daiichi.
…
Kaijō High's bench.
Ryota Kise sat on the bench, gasping for breath.
In the first quarter, nearly all the pressure had been placed squarely on his shoulders.
Not only did he have to struggle defensively against Shogo Haizaki, he also had to maintain his offensive output.
The toll on his stamina was enormous.
On the other side,
Shogo Haizaki was also breathing heavily, but his breathing was clearly much steadier than Kise's.
This was thanks to the Miyamoto family's training, which had significantly improved Haizaki's stamina compared to the original story.
It could be said that Kirisaki Daiichi's endurance, at the very least, was absolutely top-tier.
Miyamoto Tokima took the pink water bottle handed to him by Satsuki Momoi, took a small sip, and said,
"Haizaki, you've got one more quarter."
"Starting from the third quarter, Senior Nijimura will take over."
Haizaki nodded.
"Got it, Tokima."
Miyamoto Tokima had already decided that Shuzo Nijimura would take control of the game in the third quarter.
As for why it wasn't himself—there was no need.
Miyamoto Tokima simply couldn't bring himself to feel any interest in the current Ryota Kise.
A Kise who couldn't activate [Perfect Copy] didn't even have the qualification to score a single basket in front of Zack.
Someone like that simply wasn't worth Miyamoto Tokima making a move.
At present, there were only three people in Japan worthy of Miyamoto Tokima's personal attention.
Daiki Aomine, Shintaro Midorima, and the second personality of Seijuro Akashi.
As for Atsushi Murasakibara?
Sorry—my precious one will be joining my team soon enough.
"Beep! Second quarter begins! Players, take the court!"
The referee blew the whistle to start the second quarter.
Miyamoto Tokima and the others stood up and returned to the court.
Kirisaki Daiichi's lineup remained unchanged.
After all, they'd practically been coasting in the first quarter—the only one truly exerting himself was Shogo Haizaki.
The same was true for Kaijō High, with all five starters staying on the court.
The difference, however, was Ryota Kise.
Kise's condition was far from ideal.
The break between quarters hadn't been enough for him to fully recover his stamina.
Even standing on the court, he was still breathing heavily.
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed Kise's condition and felt a complicated emotion rise in his chest.
The second quarter began, with Kirisaki Daiichi in possession.
This time, they were even more direct.
They didn't even have Makoto Hanamiya bring the ball past half court.
The inbound pass went straight into Shogo Haizaki's hands, making it obvious that they were handing full control of the offense to him.
Haizaki slowly dribbled past half court. Seeing Kise still slightly out of breath, he didn't hesitate at all.
With a between-the-legs dribble, he blew past Kise on the right.
Kise didn't dare hesitate, sticking tightly to Haizaki.
Suddenly—
Haizaki abruptly pulled back behind the three-point line and jumped.
'A three?!'
Kise's heart jolted. He immediately followed, leaping high to contest.
But once airborne, Kise's expression changed.
'Damn it… why is he getting farther away?!'
In the stands,
Taiga Kagami's heart trembled at the familiar motion. His voice shook as he said,
"That's… Midorima's…"
…
Shūtoku's side.
Shintaro Midorima's pupils contracted slightly when he saw the familiar movement. He then shook his head and murmured,
"Akashi… your decision seems to have been wrong."
…
Tōō's side.
Daiki Aomine kept his eyes on the court. After noticing Haizaki's movement, he muttered,
"Has [Pillage] really reached this level already?"
He then looked toward Ryota Kise and sighed regretfully,
"What a shame. Your talent is clearly better than Haizaki's, but your awakening is just too slow. Hopefully this loss will speed up your growth."
Aomine's impression of Kise was actually quite good.
Although Kise could be annoying at times, he never gave Aomine any negative feelings.
Haizaki, on the other hand, was either in the process of pissing Aomine off or already had.
Every time Aomine saw him, he felt the urge to rush over and beat him down on the spot.
But it wasn't the same kind of dislike as in the original story.
It was just that the current Haizaki was really asking for it…
Even Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura sometimes couldn't resist wanting to take a swing at him.
…
On the court.
Shogo Haizaki scored with a fadeaway jumper.
The score became 29–22.
After the basket, Haizaki glanced at Ryota Kise before turning around to get back on defense.
Kise was exhausted, but he didn't dare relax for even a moment.
Kaijō's scoring burden now rested entirely on him.
"Ball!"
Kise held out his hand, calling for the pass.
Kasamatsu looked at Kise, panting heavily, and felt a strange emotion stir within him.
Still, he passed the ball to Kise.
......