Ryota Kise was helped off the court by Yukio Kasamatsu.
Shogo Haizaki gave him a cold glance before turning and heading back onto the court.
In the stands.
Taiga Kagami's expression darkened, his voice filled with worry.
"Damn it… Kise's already run out of stamina?"
Riko Aida frowned, thought for a moment, then explained,
"Pressure."
"All of Kaijō's offensive burden was on Kise, and during the first quarter, when he was fighting Haizaki, he couldn't afford to relax for even a second."
"But the biggest reason was probably that Lightning Dribble just now."
"He used Lightning Dribble a second time while moving. That kind of strain is extremely damaging to the knees."
After hearing Riko Aida's explanation, everyone's expressions turned tense with concern.
On the court.
Ryota Kise collapsed onto the bench, cold sweat streaming down his face and dripping onto the floor, forming small puddles.
He greedily sucked in air, his breathing harsh and ragged.
His throat felt as if it were being scorched, unbearably dry and painful.
Unable to endure it, Kise grabbed the water bottle beside him and started gulping it down.
Yukio Kasamatsu immediately snatched the bottle away and scolded him,
"Are you trying to kill yourself?! Chugging water in this condition—do you think you're going to live long like that?!"
Realizing how dangerous his actions were, Kise replied weakly,
"S-sorry…"
Seeing this, Kasamatsu's expression filled with guilt, his chest tightening uncomfortably.
'Kise…'
Kasamatsu glanced toward Kirisaki Daiichi's bench, then finally made up his mind.
"Coach, let Kise rest."
He spoke firmly.
The other Kaijō players didn't object. They all felt that, in his current state, Ryota Kise truly needed a break.
But Kise himself couldn't accept it.
He suddenly looked up, panic flashing across his face.
"Kasamatsu-senpai! Why?!"
Kasamatsu met his gaze, his expression unwavering.
"There's no 'why.' If I tell you to come off, you come off."
Kise immediately protested,
"Why?! I'm the only one who can score against them right now! If I come off—then the game… the game is completely over!"
"Idiot!"
Kasamatsu shouted.
Kise froze, stunned into silence.
Kasamatsu continued,
"Do you think you're some kind of hero? That you're special?"
"You put everything on yourself, push us aside, and face it all alone—what do you think we are?!"
"Let me tell you this! Even if the sky falls, it's not your job to hold it up!"
"We seniors will take that weight first!"
After Kasamatsu finished, Kise fell silent.
After a brief pause, Kise tried to argue one last time.
"But—"
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Kise turned his head.
Yoshitaka Moriyama shook his head gently at him.
"Kise, trust us."
Mitsuhiro Hayakawa also stepped forward.
"That's right, Kise! You've got to believe in us!"
Kise looked at his seniors, a swirl of emotions welling up inside him.
His eyes reddened slightly.
"Everyone…"
He wiped away the tears threatening to spill over and smiled in resignation.
"Then… I'll leave it to you, senpai."
Kasamatsu and the others smiled in response and shouted together,
"Leave it to us!"
"Beep! Timeout over, both teams back on the court!"
The referee blew the whistle to resume play.
Kasamatsu's eyes burned with determination as he shouted,
"Everyone! Hold on! Show our junior what we seniors are made of!"
Mitsuhiro Hayakawa shouted back,
"Yes!"
Moriyama Yoshitaka smiled as well.
The Kaijō players returned to the court, their fighting spirit blazing.
They would give everything they had. At the very least, they had to keep the score close—only then could they give Ryota Kise, who would return in the third quarter, even a sliver of a chance.
Shogo Haizaki noticed Kaijō's change in momentum and lineup.
He sneered, muttering under his breath,
"Still trying to grasp that faint, illusory hope?"
The game continued.
Kirisaki Daiichi had possession.
Miyamoto Tokima passed the ball to Shogo Haizaki and said,
"Haizaki, Kise is off the court now. Whether you can force him back on is up to you."
"Anyway, in the third quarter, no matter what, the game has to be taken over by Senior Nijimura."
Haizaki's expression turned serious.
He glanced toward Kise on the bench, thinking silently,
'I was planning to hold back a bit, but there's no helping it. Lei-ge has already said as much.'
'Kise, our fight isn't over yet. You can't bow out this early.'
In the stands.
The Seirin players all grew solemn.
Junpei Hyuga spoke first,
"Kaijō is going to fight with everything they've got. This quarter, they have to keep the score close and can't let the gap widen too much."
"Otherwise, when Kise comes back in the third quarter, they won't be able to catch up."
Shinji Koganei asked, puzzled,
"But if even Kise couldn't stop Haizaki, can they really hold him back?"
Hyuga closed his eyes and said heavily,
"That's exactly why I said… Kaijō… is going to fight to the bitter end…"
On the court.
The moment Haizaki reached the three-point line, Yukio Kasamatsu and Shinya Nakamura immediately closed in on him.
Haizaki slipped past their steal attempts, dribbling as he calmly watched the two of them.
Suddenly, he sneered and asked,
"You still think you have hope?"
Kasamatsu's gaze was rock-solid as he replied,
"As long as the game isn't over, there's always hope!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Haizaki suddenly burst into wild laughter, madness surging through him.
Nakamura frowned.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Haizaki's laughter gradually died down, but the crazed grin on his face didn't fade in the slightest.
"You're asking why I'm laughing?"
All at once, his smile vanished. His expression turned dark and vicious as he snarled,
"Hope… I don't even know how many times I've heard that word."
"I probably heard it the most back at Teikō. Back then, a lot of people loved talking about hope."
"But in the end, they all gave up on basketball."
"So let me tell you—hope is nothing more than a mixture of desire and expectation!"
"In the end, it's just an illusion!"
"In the face of true strength, such fleeting things aren't worth believing in!"
"Go ahead and witness it—"
"The power that will shatter your illusions!"
...