Shutoku's coach, Nakatani Juriou, rested his chin on one hand. "In the second quarter, Takao, you and Kimura will switch assignments. Takao, you mark Seirin's number 11."
"Ah… what a hassle, but I guess there's no other way."
During the break after the first quarter, as soon as they stepped out, Takao grinned and blocked Kuroko's path. "I knew it would be like this. As Shin would say, it's 'fate.' You and I were bound to face each other eventually. From the first time we met, I felt we were the same type—both first-years, both living off our passing. To put it bluntly, like poles repel! And I don't want to lose to someone like me."
Takao's pupils narrowed slightly as his Hawk Eyes captured every twitch of Kuroko's muscles.
Aida Riko watched Shutoku switch their assignments. "Eh? For Kuroko, it shouldn't matter who marks him. So… why?"
Kagami also noticed. He looked at Midorima. "What are they planning? No matter how fast Takao is, he can't stop Kuroko."
"I know Kuroko's abilities well. You'll see soon enough," Midorima said calmly.
Izuki controlled the ball and scanned the court. "Now!" He passed to Kuroko.
But just before it reached him—
Izuki's eyes widened.
Takao intercepted the pass perfectly.
"How is that possible!" Riko stood up in shock.
Takao bounce-passed to Miyaji, who threw it ahead to Kimura for a dunk.
Takao smiled provocatively. "Caught you, Phantom Sixth Man. I've never felt like this before. Maybe it's because you're different."
Kuroko said calmly, "Sumimasen. This is the first time someone has said that to me. It's a bit of a headache."
"What? What's with that expression?" Takao blinked. "But… I feel the same way."
Before he finished, Kuroko suddenly vanished from in front of him.
"Hey! Chotto matte! Disappearing like that is rude!"
Sure enough, Hyuga passed to Kuroko again. Kuroko flicked the ball to Mitobe cutting inside—
But Takao intercepted again.
"I told you… it's rude."
He passed to Midorima, who shot a three.
Swish!
The Seirin bench was stunned.
"I've never seen Kuroko miss a pass…" Hyuga muttered.
Izuki explained, "He has something like my Eagle Eye… no, even wider. It must be Hawk Eyes. Misdirection doesn't work on him."
Seirin called a timeout.
"I didn't expect a natural enemy…" Riko sighed.
"A-Dai, Kuroko is getting shut down…" Momoi whispered.
"Nothing surprising," Aomine shrugged. "His ability isn't invincible."
"But Kuroko-chi won't give up so easily!" Kise said.
"Tch." Aomine rolled his eyes.
"Shidou-chi, what do you think?" Kise asked—
But Shidou was already asleep on Chizuru-chan's shoulder. She smiled awkwardly, signaling Kise to leave him be.
Takao drank some water. "Looks like this game will be over soon."
Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Don't relax. Kuroko won't give up that easily."
"If you take away his lack of presence, he's nothing!" Takao said confidently.
Midorima sighed. "Do you know why I find Kuroko annoying? Because I acknowledge him. He has no physical advantage and can't win alone, yet he wore the same Teiko uniform as us and led the team to victory. He's an outlier… That's why he's annoying."
He looked at Kuroko across the court, eyes hiding a trace of pity.
Kagami rubbed Kuroko's head. "Don't tell me you're giving up."
"I'm still unwilling to lose," Kuroko said.
"Good. You still have me."
Timeout ended.
Takao grinned. "Yo~, got a plan yet?"
"I'm still thinking," Kuroko replied.
Izuki passed to Mitobe, who scored with a hook.
"Until Kuroko finds a way, it's up to us seniors!" Hyuga shouted.
But Midorima answered with another three.
Hyuga shot back with one of his own.
The teams traded points.
With 7 seconds left, Midorima shot from far beyond the arc.
Swish!
Halftime buzzer.
Both teams returned to the locker rooms.
"It seems A-Tetsu still hasn't found a solution…" Momoi said worriedly.
Kise sighed. "Kuroko-chi must be struggling too… If he had joined Kaijo back then…"
Momoi looked at Chizuru-chan. "What would you do?"
"Me? You don't have to direct Misdirection toward teammates. Since Takao-kun sees the whole court, what if you redirect Misdirection toward Takao-kun himself? Then all he'd see… is himself."
Momoi's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant, Chizuru-chan!"
Chizuru blushed. "I just thought about it from Kuroko-kun's perspective. I'm sure he'll figure it out."
Kise quickly pulled out his phone to text Kuroko-chi, but Aomine grabbed his hand.
"Weren't you asleep?" Kise asked.
"Too noisy."
"Why stop me?"
"Are you an idiot? He has to solve it himself. If you help now, it won't help him grow."
Kise sighed. "I just wanted what's best for Kuroko-chi…"
Aomine rolled his eyes. "Think before you act next time."