"Beeeeep—"
The break was over. At the very start of the fourth quarter, Kise Ryota was already bringing the ball up the court.
Aida Riko watched his footwork. Compared to the previous quarter, it was unbelievably light, as if springs were attached to the soles of his feet.
Kagami Taiga lowered his center of gravity, staring intently at his opponent. He could feel his heartbeat accelerating.
"Come on, Kise!" Kagami growled, spreading his arms wide like a wall blocking Kise's path.
A confident smile curled at Kise's lips. "Careful now, Kagami-chi." Before he even finished speaking, he jab-stepped forward.
Kagami instinctively leaned left—but in that instant, Kise pulled his foot back and exploded past him on the right with astonishing speed.
Kagami saw only a blur. By the time he reacted, Kise had already created half a body's distance.
"This speed… how is it possible?!" Kagami's eyes widened.
Mitobe Rinnosuke slid over to help, his huge frame blocking Kise like a mountain. But Kise didn't slow down. A cunning glint flashed in his eyes.
"Too slow," he said softly.
Just as Mitobe was about to collide with him, Kise spun, the ball glued to his hand. Mitobe felt only a gust of wind as Kise slipped past into the paint.
Kagami chased desperately. "Don't even think about it!" He leapt to block.
But Kise still smiled calmly. In mid-air, he switched the ball to his left hand, arching backward like a drawn bow. Kagami's palm brushed empty air.
"Swish—"
The ball kissed the backboard and dropped through.
Kise landed lightly and winked. "Sorry, Kagami-chi. The current me isn't someone you can stop so easily."
Kagami landed heavily, fists clenched. His heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but excitement.
"Before, I thought Japanese basketball was only at that level… Now I see I was wrong. Coming back was the right choice!"
On the sidelines, Aida Riko's expression turned serious. "Is this Kise Ryota unleashed…"
Kuroko said quietly, "Kagami-kun, the real battle has only just begun."
Shidou Ryusei watched silently. He saw Kagami's jump height and distance increase, yet he still couldn't match Kise.
Izuki dribbled past half-court. Not daring to challenge Kise directly, he passed to Hyuga.
Hyuga caught the ball and sprinted along the three-point line. Hayakawa followed closely.
"Over here!" Izuki cut past. Hyuga stopped sharply, blocking Kasamatsu's path.
"Thump!"
Hayakawa and Kasamatsu collided. Hyuga slipped through and passed to Izuki.
Izuki leaned back and shot—
"Don't even think about it!" Kise appeared like lightning, slapping the ball away.
Izuki froze. "He was just at the three-point line!"
But the ball was caught by Hyuga, already outside the arc. Without hesitation, he shot.
"Swish!"
"Three points!" the referee called.
Kise shrugged. "Well, if I'd known, I'd have let him shoot."
Kasamatsu immediately flying-kicked him. "You still defend when it's time to defend!"
"Ow! I was just talking!"
Kasamatsu passed to Kise again. Kise caught it and instantly launched a three-pointer in Hyuga's form. Kagami couldn't react.
Next possession, Hyuga signaled his teammates to spread.
Kasamatsu guarded closely.
Hyuga jab-stepped. Kasamatsu shifted.
Now!
Hyuga crossed over, then suddenly stepped back, creating space.
"What?!" Kasamatsu was too off-balance to block.
"Swish!"
"Beautiful!" Koganei shouted.
Kasamatsu gritted his teeth. "Stepback…"
Kise called for the ball. Kasamatsu passed. Kise jab-stepped, drove, then stepped back for another three.
Kagami tried to block but couldn't.
Leaning on his knees, Kagami gasped. He had barely rested all game.
Hyuga watched Kise copy his hidden move immediately. His fighting spirit shook.
Aida Riko called timeout. Looking at everyone, she encouraged them:
"You're all doing great! They're national regulars. Fighting them this far is already impressive! And with Kagami and Kuroko joining us, we're still gelling. Don't give up—fight until the end!"
Hyuga spoke up. "Coach is right. Practice matches are for finding problems. Don't give up!"
Izuki added, "Even if we lose, we'll make them pay dearly!"
Aida Riko looked at them gratefully.
Hyuga extended his hand. Izuki followed. Kuroko placed his on top. The others joined, and finally Kagami's big hand covered them all.
"Let's go!!!"
"Next, we run the offense through Kuroko," Aida Riko instructed. "Kagami, don't get obsessed with one-on-one with Kise. Scoring is what matters now."
Everyone nodded.