The stands buzzed with restless chatter as the players of Seirin High began voicing their thoughts.
"Hey, Kuroko… is the gap between the Generation of Miracles members always this big?"
"Yeah… Kaijo High has been completely suppressed. This isn't looking good at all. Kise Ryouta doesn't even seem able to fight back."
"When Kaijo practiced against us, they weren't this weak!"
Kuroko Tetsuya said nothing.
…They've grown this much already…?
He had expected the Generation of Miracles to keep improving—but he had never imagined growth on this level.
In the end… I'm just an ordinary person.
I can't understand the struggles of geniuses… nor the scale of their growth.
Across from Seirin's section, Midorima Shintaro withdrew his gaze from the court and turned to Haizaki Shogo.
"Do Kise and the others still have a chance?"
"No."
Silence followed.
Midorima fell quiet. Haizaki did too. Even their teammates behind them stopped speaking, as if the weight of that single word pressed down on everyone.
After a long pause, Haizaki muttered something seemingly out of nowhere.
"No chance… but it might become an interesting match—if he reveals his hidden cards."
Midorima's pupils contracted slightly, a flicker of light passing through his eyes before they returned to normal.
As for Haizaki, he had already sunk into his memories.
From his first meeting with Kise…
To their first clash, where a starting position in Teiko's first-string team was on the line…
To their encounter in the middle school national tournament…
If there was anyone among the Generation of Miracles who understood Kise Ryouta best, it was probably Haizaki Shogo. After him, Aomine Daiki. And then Akashi Seijuro.
There was a saying: the one who understands you best is your enemy.
Haizaki and Kise were exactly that kind of relationship.
But Haizaki's understanding didn't come from trivial details or habits—it came from the very core of basketball technique and philosophy.
Aomine Daiki's Formless Shot, Haizaki Shogo's Pillage, and Kise Ryouta's Perfect Copy…
The unclear yet deeply intertwined relationship between these three abilities pulled Haizaki deeper into thought.
If Kise wants to resist Aomine in this match…
…then unless he reveals that hidden trump card… he'll lose everything—his confidence, his pride… all of it.
That was why Haizaki had said those words.
Even if Kaijo High was inferior to Tōō Academy, for the sake of himself and his team's dignity…
Kise Ryouta will definitely reveal that long-hidden card.
The sharp whistle signaling the start of the second quarter snapped Haizaki out of his thoughts.
"It's starting… I wonder how Kaijo will respond to Too?"
"They won't."
Takao Kazunari blinked in surprise at the immediate reply.
"They'll have it even worse than in the first quarter."
"Even worse?"
"Yes… because Momoi-san's team support ability is about to come into play."
It was Takao who asked—and Shimizu Rena who answered. As her understanding of basketball deepened, her court vision had become increasingly refined.
Haizaki and Midorima remained silent, but both knew exactly how terrifying Satsuki Momoi's Prediction ability truly was.
Kaijo had possession.
Yukio Kasamatsu received the pass from Moriyama Yoshitaka and cautiously brought the ball across half court. Waiting for him—just like before—was Tōō Academy's captain, Imayoshi Shoichi.
His teammates were tightly marked. There was no opening to pass.
Kasamatsu decided to break through on his own.
His specialty was a fake cut into a quick stop, spin, and jump shot.
But just as he completed the spin—
SWIPE!
The ball was gone.
Imayoshi had already stolen it.
Like a snake lurking in the shadows, the bespectacled schemer struck without warning. Dribbling into Kaijo's half, a faint smirk curled on his lips as he lightly tossed the ball—
SWISH.
Too easy.
Kasamatsu and Kise chased after him, but both wore helpless expressions. They were too late.
By the time Kasamatsu realized the ball was gone, he had already fallen several steps behind.
Kise, meanwhile, had been completely sealed off by Aomine—one step slower, one step too late.
In the stands, Shimizu Rena narrowed her large eyes, a delicate smile forming on her face.
She looked like a fox that had just successfully stolen a chick—quietly pleased with herself.
Over in Tōō Academy's bench, Satsuki Momoi wore a serious, mature, almost commanding expression.
Everything unfolding on the court… was exactly as she had predicted.
Beside her, Coach Harasawa Katsunori casually twirled his lavender hair, exuding the calm confidence of a seasoned adult.
"Kuroko… was that just now predicted by Momoi?"
"Most likely, Kagami-kun."
"Man, your former manager from Teiko is amazing—and beautiful too! Wait… doesn't she like you?"
"I… don't know, Fukuda-kun."
"Can you all focus on the game?!"
Aida Riko, the team's only girl, cut off the conversation—effectively shutting down the fantasies brewing among the boys.
On the court, Kasamatsu wasn't the only one being crushed.
Power forward Mitsuhiro Hayakawa and point guard Moriyama Yoshitaka were also completely read—their habits exposed and shut down by Too's relentless defense.
Turnovers piled up. Shooting percentages dropped.
Little by little, point by point, the gap widened.
54 to 32.
A terrifying difference.
And then—
With only three seconds left in the second quarter—
Imayoshi Shoichi launched a perfect buzzer-beating three-pointer.
BOOM!
It felt like the final straw—one heavy enough to crush the very spirit of Kaijo's players.
The halftime buzzer sounded, and both teams returned to their locker rooms.
The stands erupted into discussion.
The fierce, evenly matched battle everyone had expected… never came.
Instead, it was a one-sided slaughter.
An unimaginable situation that sent chills down people's spines.
Kaijo High was a national-level powerhouse.
And now, with a member of the Generation of Miracles on their team, they were still being pushed into such a desperate corner.
It was…
unbelievable.
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