......
"So, Momoi, you gave Tōō a bit of guidance?"
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi walked hand in hand down the street.
Each of them held an ice cream cone.
Even though today was Tōō's match against Seirin, that didn't stop them from going on their date.
Satsuki Momoi took a small bite of her ice cream, her face lighting up with satisfaction.
"Yeah. I didn't even know about it at first. I just happened to overhear Hanamiya-kun and Haizaki-kun talking."
"I got curious, so I asked Hanamiya-kun for the game footage."
"Then my professional instincts kicked in, and I casually pointed out a few things. I'm just not sure whether Hanamiya-kun actually passed what I said on to Tōō."
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Either way, it's none of my business. Hehe."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
Back in the United States, Satsuki Momoi had never been idle. Nearly all the opponent data for the Black Dragon Team had been analyzed by her through endless hours of game footage.
It was no exaggeration to say that her analytical ability now was even more monstrous than in the original story.
Forget Seirin—even if you handed her footage of Rakuzan, Satsuki Momoi could break down a complete set of countermeasures.
......
Meanwhile.
At the Seirin vs. Tōō arena.
Daiki Aomine caught the pass and looked at the wide-open hoop in front of him.
A faint smile curved his lips.
'I wonder how you're doing now… but I still remember… the first time we met!'
'Then let me… finish this play… with your very first dunk!'
With a gentle smile on his face, Daiki Aomine exploded toward the basket. He leapt off his left foot, spun a full 360 degrees in midair, and hammered the ball into the rim.
BOOM!!!
After landing, he remained where he was, his expression slowly changing.
The smile on his face widened, growing more and more intense until it turned into unrestrained exhilaration.
'Miyamoto! I will… defeat you!!!'
The next second, Daiki Aomine turned and headed back on defense.
The moment he turned around, his expression returned to its usual lazy look.
The crowd showed no hesitation in their applause.
They cheered loudly for Daiki Aomine.
"Amazing! That's Aomine for you!"
"A 360 dunk! I think the last time I saw one was… well, the last time!"
In the stands.
Ryota Kise looked completely confused and quickly asked,
"Midorima, who's Satsuki Momoi?"
Shintaro Midorima took a deep breath. After a brief pause, he replied in a low voice,
"Satsuki Momoi was our advisor at Teikō Middle School. She was also the only girl there."
"And she's… Miyamoto's girlfriend."
Ryota Kise's expression gradually turned serious.
He knew how strict Teikō Middle School's selection standards were. Even for boys, making the first string was incredibly difficult.
For a girl to stand above everyone else and become the team's advisor, she had to possess talent on the same level as theirs.
The difference was that their talent was in basketball.
Hers was elsewhere.
Analysis.
Shintaro Midorima, unaware of what Ryota Kise was thinking, continued,
"Back in our first year of junior high, Satsuki Momoi helped us a lot. As a teammate, she was an incredibly trustworthy strategist."
"But as an opponent… she's a terrifying data monster."
"With just one game, she can analyze an opponent's offensive system, scoring methods, even… their habits."
The more Ryota Kise listened, the more shocked he became. He muttered in disbelief,
"One game? That's all it takes? Not even someone who knows you inside and out could do that!"
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses and said seriously,
"But she can. If I use your metaphor, she's probably even more precise than that."
Ryota Kise twitched awkwardly.
"Hey, hey, who talks about a girl like that?"
Black lines practically appeared over Shintaro Midorima's head as his voice rose.
"Idiot! You were the one who said it first!"
"I was just making a comparison!"
"And you still said it first!"
Ryota Kise sighed and waved his hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine, my fault. Sorry. But even if she's scary, it shouldn't scare you to this extent, right, Midorima?"
Shintaro Midorima took another deep breath and said something startling.
"That's true. If that were all she could do, she'd just be troublesome."
"But she… is far more than that."
Ryota Kise's mouth fell open.
"Wait, Midorima, you're not joking, right? What else could possibly be that terrifying?"
Shintaro Midorima thought for a moment. It seemed there really was…
He coughed lightly and hurriedly pushed aside the inappropriate thoughts that flashed through his mind, then said gravely,
"Satsuki Momoi has another frightening ability…"
He paused briefly before continuing,
"She can predict an opponent's future growth after just one game."
"If I'm not mistaken, she's probably already figured out the strength I've been hiding…"
......
Meanwhile.
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi were still strolling through the streets on their date.
Now each of them held a flatbread, eating as they walked.
"By the way, Tokima, you mentioned before that Midorima-kun seems to be hiding something."
"What do you think he's hiding?"
Satsuki Momoi asked sweetly, holding her flatbread.
Miyamoto Tokima held her hand with his right and the flatbread with his left, replying with a question of his own,
"Momoi, haven't you already analyzed it? Why ask me?"
Satsuki Momoi smiled gently.
"I just want to hear your answer, Tokima. What if I got it wrong?"
Miyamoto Tokima's lips twitched.
Got it wrong?
Up to now, Satsuki Momoi's analyses in the United States had almost never been off.
She had even accurately predicted the future growth paths of every member of the Black Dragon Team.
The only person she had never been able to fully predict…
was—
Miyamoto Tokima!
........
...
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