With the arrival of Himuro Tatsuya, Yosen High's previously invisible weakness on the perimeter had finally been filled.
A powerful shooting guard, combined with the terrifying presence of Murasakibara Atsushi inside the paint—
Araki Masako could not help but smile every time she imagined her future team.
It's perfect… truly perfect.
For her, the outcome of this match no longer mattered that much. What she truly cared about was tempering the rest of the roster—building a team capable of keeping up with Murasakibara Atsushi and Himuro Tatsuya.
Her goal was clear: to forge a perfect battle team for the Winter Cup.
On the court, the players—locked in mutual exhaustion and struggle—finally reached the last minute of the game.
Okamura Kenichi of Yosen received a pass from the perimeter, leaped, and slammed down a powerful dunk, releasing the last bit of his stamina.
The response came immediately.
A streaking figure. A rushing basketball.
BOOM!
Kimura Tosho answered with a ferocious fast-break dunk of his own, unleashing everything he had left.
At that moment, both baskets shook violently. The trembling rims told the story of just how brutal and exhausting this match had been.
The final whistle sounded. Fukuda Sogo vs Yosen High ended at 91–78, both teams having fought until the very end.
At the moment the buzzer rang, Haizaki Shogo in the Fukuda Sogo bench area felt as if he could hear Coach Ichiro Kudo finally exhale in relief.
And Haizaki himself felt an even sharper sense of urgency.
Because no one understood better than him—what Yosen High would become in the Winter Cup.
Inside: Murasakibara Atsushi.
Outside: Himuro Tatsuya.
And possibly… a Murasakibara who could even enter the Zone.
Just imagining it was enough to feel overwhelming pressure.
But that was for later.
Right now, Haizaki stood up to welcome his teammates returning from battle.
One by one, he embraced them, congratulating them—and himself as well.
In a way, he had been carried into the semifinals by his teammates.
Their next opponent: Shutoku High, led by Midorima Shintaro. Another brutal fight awaited.
After the match, both teams exchanged respectful bows. Haizaki helped Suzuran Karasu and Okawa Sawano pack their gear. Both of them had exhausted every ounce of stamina in this game.
As they left the gym, Haizaki accidentally glanced toward Yosen's bench. A towering figure had just appeared.
He smiled faintly.
"So that's how it is… Atsushi. Let's settle it at the Winter Cup."
======
Inside the Fukuda Sogo team bus, the players—now recovered—burst into excited discussion.
But once their confidence began to swell, Coach Ichiro Kudo stood up and pulled them back down to reality.
"Good work today. I'm satisfied with your performance. We've made it into the top four."
"But don't get arrogant. Our next opponent is Shutoku High—one of Three Kings of Tokyo. And this year, they also have Generation of Miracles member Midorima Shintaro."
The bus fell silent.
A cold splash of reality.
For the starting players who had faced Yosen directly, the weight of those words hit even harder.
If Yosen without a Miracle was already that difficult… then Shutoku with one?
Unthinkable…
Out of the corner of their eyes, the team glanced toward Haizaki, who was leaning back with half-lidded eyes against Shimizu Rena's shoulder.
He noticed their gaze—but chose to ignore it. This was the coach's moment. He had no intention of stealing the spotlight.
Instead, he was thinking about something else.
Once Kudo finished speaking, Haizaki finally spoke lazily.
"Tomorrow afternoon—Tōō Academy versus Rakuzan. Come watch with me."
"Eh? Tōō Academy vs Rakuzan?"
"Yeah." Haizaki replied. "Rakuzan's Akashi Seijuro might not play… but Tōō's Aomine Daiki will."
"Captain, is Akashi Seijuro strong?"
"Probably."
"Is he stronger than Aomine Daiki?"
"Don't know. I'd like to see that myself too."
Haizaki answered their endless questions without irritation. But in truth, even he did not fully understand the current Generation of Miracles.
This was no longer the same "Miracles Generation" he remembered.
Each of them felt… different. Unpredictable.
Even the ability he once confirmed Perfect Copy—originating from Aomine Daiki, had taken him a long time to accept.
Then Kise Ryouta had developed something like the Immovable King Form. And Haizaki knew that Kise would eventually awaken the Zone as well.
So what about Murasakibara, Midorima, Akashi… or even Kagami Taiga?
If they didn't evolve into monsters… that would actually feel wrong.
After setting the time and place with his teammates, Haizaki got off the bus with Shimizu Rena.
He brought her once again to a restaurant.
He ordered fried chicken, ginger pork, and a large plate of dumplings. For her, he added a bowl of shaved ice.
"Shogo-kun, I'm going to start eating now."
"Yeah."
But Haizaki had already beaten her to it.
His mouth was already full, leaving him unable to respond properly. He simply gestured with his hand and eyes: go ahead.
Shimizu Rena smiled softly and began eating at her own pace.
She occasionally glanced at him—watching the way he devoured his food like a starving beast. Strangely, it made her appetite better too.
After eating, the two of them went to a fencing dojo in the city center and trained for two hours.
Later, after sending Shimizu Rena home, Haizaki stopped by a sports shop. He bought a pair of knee pads and wrist guards.
The knee pads were precautionary—he didn't need them yet, but it was always better to be prepared.
The wrist guards, however, were essential. Fencing, basketball, even hand-to-hand combat—his wrists were constantly under strain, especially during early fencing training when injuries were common.
After paying, his eyes drifted toward a set of new women's sports wristbands nearby.
After two minutes of thought, he picked up one red and one pink.
These were for Shimizu Rena and Satsuki Momoi.
A small promise he had forgotten to fulfill after a previous bet during a game.
With his bag on his shoulder, Haizaki slowly walked home.
He had recently come to enjoy walking like this.
As if moving at this pace allowed him to feel the world more closely—more intimately.
In truth, it was just dopamine at work. But for him… it felt like something more.