CLANG!
Kise Ryouta used Taiga Kagami's explosive spin-and-drive dunk, smashing the basketball into the hoop and ending the first quarter with a narrow score.
The intensity of the opening quarter left everyone on the court struggling to adjust. A game involving members of the Generation of Miracles moved at an absurd pace—far too fast for ordinary players to follow.
After the first quarter, Seirin High had no choice but to substitute out Tetsuya Kuroko, because they ran into the same problem Haizaki Shogo once faced.
The reason was simple: Taiga Kagami and Kise Ryouta were fighting head-on with pure scoring and offensive power, pushing the rhythm faster and faster until it became overwhelming.
The result was that Kuroko no longer had the stamina to play a full game, and with the entire team sprinting back and forth at Kagami and Kise's speed, their physical energy drained rapidly. Aida Riko had no choice but to slow the tempo down.
More importantly, Seirin's overall physical conditioning simply couldn't compare to Kaijo's. That gap was real—solid, unavoidable, and obvious.
And yet, in Haizaki Shogo's memories, Seirin still won this match.
Strange, isn't it?
Chaotic fragments of memory churned endlessly inside Haizaki's mind, trying to merge with the living reality before his eyes. But no matter how he tried, there was always an indescribable sense of dissonance.
The second quarter began. After resting and adjusting their pace, Seirin sent in Mitobe Rinnosuke together with Taiga Kagami to double-team Kise Ryouta. That suppressed Kise's scoring and slowed the game down.
"Kind of disappointing, Satsuki. Don't call me next time."
Aomine Daiki stared at the court. With Kuroko off the floor, the match wasn't nearly as exciting as he had imagined. It was starting to feel boring.
"A-Aomine, Kise is still playing!"
"So what?"
The bickering between the childhood friends made Haizaki feel a little envious, but when he glanced at Shimizu Rena beside him, a warm satisfaction rose in his chest.
"It is a bit boring. Kaijo feels off. They're clearly stronger than Seirin, but they're not bringing it out."
"They underestimated them. And besides, Ryouta still hasn't fully matured yet."
The speaker was Midorima Shintaro, and the one replying was Haizaki Shogo. Neither of them was satisfied with Kaijo's performance—it lacked full power and any real tactical structure.
Or perhaps… that was Kaijo's coach's strategy? Playing casually, probing Seirin's true level?
That thought flashed through Haizaki and Midorima's minds at the same time, and both fell silent.
The game slowly entered the third quarter.
SMACK!
Kuroko, who had just returned to the court, was accidentally slammed into by Kise and collapsed unconscious.
Seirin fell into a passive position as the score gap widened and Kaijo gradually found their rhythm.
Kagami tried to defend Kise, but he couldn't suppress him anymore. The two were close in growth, but the extra edge—the real weight—belonged to Kise.
In the fourth quarter, Kuroko finally woke up and rejoined the game.
Once Kuroko stepped back onto the court, he became ghost-like again. His invisible presence and brilliant passes made Shimizu Rena—seeing him for the first time—praise him endlessly.
But Haizaki Shogo, Midorima Shintaro, and Aomine Daiki stayed silent. Even Takao and Chengdu behind them didn't speak.
Everyone was thinking about something different, but one thing was clear.
Taiga Kagami's performance didn't impress Haizaki, Midorima, or Aomine at all. Haizaki even forced himself to ignore his memories and view Kagami as a complete outsider—
…and still couldn't think much of him.
So… it really was disappointing.
Behind them, Takao stared at the ghostlike figure on the court, smiles blooming in their eyes.
Like a little mouse that had been hiding for ages—
finally getting caught.
At the very last moment, Seirin sank a three-pointer. The ball swished through the net, and Kaijo was defeated.
For Kise Ryouta, who had never truly tasted defeat before, the shock was immense. The unfamiliar feeling was both depressing and strangely exhilarating.
When the match ended and the crowd dispersed, Haizaki left the gym with a heavy expression.
Aomine yawned as he followed behind, hands clasped behind his head, completely lacking energy.
Behind them, Satsuki Momoi and Shimizu Rena walked arm in arm, whispering about something unclear.
Midorima Shintaro followed with a stern, displeased look.
Takao Kazunari trailed behind Midorima, eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.
After exiting the gym, they chatted briefly.
"You're not going to say hello before leaving?"
"We don't have time, Midorima. We need to hurry back."
Midorima watched the two boys and two girls disappear into the distance after Momoi's apologetic reply.
"Takao, wait here. I'll go say hi to Ryouta."
"Go on, go on."
Feeling both frustrated and faintly excited, Kise Ryouta rinsed the sweat from his hair under the faucet.
Beside him came Midorima's voice and a white towel being handed over.
"Your performance wasn't very good."
"Ah, Midorima! Hahaha, I thought I did okay."
"Did you know? Aomine and Haizaki came today too."
"Huh? You were all here?"
"Yes. Both of them were disappointed. So was I."
"Disappointed…"
"That's all. They were in a hurry, so they couldn't come. I just came to say hello. Goodbye."
Watching Midorima walk away, the gloom on Kise's face faded, replaced by longing and resolve.
Wiping the water from his hair, Kise muttered to himself,
Disappointed? Disappointed in me… or in Kagami? Whatever. Those monsters—if I don't work hard, I'll never catch up to them.
On the subway, the two girls sat together while Haizaki and Aomine stood nearby.
As scenery flashed past outside the train, Haizaki spoke his thoughts.
"The new light is too dim. There's really nothing interesting about it."
"Yeah. Not interesting."
"But that Kuroko kid… he's trying hard. Kind of naive."
"Is he…? I didn't really feel it. Still, I hope Tetsuya grows."
"By the way, when are we doing a scrimmage between our teams?"
"Next Saturday? After that, it's straight into Nationals."
"Then next Saturday it is. Let our teams feel pressure early."
"Doesn't matter. Everyone on my team is strong."
Every time Haizaki chatted with Aomine, it ended awkwardly. The two fell into silence until the train reached the station.
After splitting up with Aomine and Momoi, Shimizu Rena pulled Haizaki along to take a walk through the streets.
As they walked, she asked curiously,
"Shogo-kun, what's with No.11, Kuroko Tetsuya? Why does he feel so weak, yet also so strong?"
"Even if you think he's weak, Shimizu-chan?"
"Isn't that true, Shogo-kun?"
"It is… and it isn't."
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