The whistle blew. Midorima Shintaro scored.
The score became 29–36. Shutoku was now only seven points behind.
Fukuda Sogo's possession began. The ball moved briefly through Kimura Tosho before returning to Haizaki Shogo's hands.
Seeing Midorima approach him again, Haizaki curled his lips into a faint smile, his expression turning cold.
Man-and-ball unity… huh.
Haizaki dribbled the ball with growing intensity, his speed shifting to the extreme as he engaged Midorima in a one-on-one battle beyond the three-point line.
The ball spun at high speed, switching between his left and right hands—until suddenly, it vanished from Midorima's vision.
At the same moment, Haizaki's hands were completely empty.
Midorima's pupils contracted in disbelief.
Then he heard it—
SWISH!
The sound of the net snapping cleanly.
Midorima wasn't seeing this for the first time. He had witnessed it twice before during Fukuda Sogo's exhibition match against Tōō Academy from the stands with Kise Ryouta.
But knowing how it worked meant nothing in an actual game. The timing was impossible to read. Unpredictable beyond reason.
In the stands, Aomine Daiki let out a strange laugh.
"...Heh heh heh."
There was something unreadable in his voice. But one thing was clear—he was enjoying it.
That move was something he had personally created.
Seeing Haizaki use it to dismantle opponents filled Aomine with a strange sense of pride and satisfaction.
Nearby, Kise Ryouta let out a sigh.
Even he still couldn't replicate that level of technique. It was simply too advanced.
For Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya, who were seeing it for the first time, their expressions froze completely.
"…This is impossible…"
"Can basketball… even be played like that?"
Kagami's mind spiraled into doubt. Can that even be defended? Is jumping enough?
Kuroko glanced at Aomine silently, as if realizing something—but said nothing.
The entire arena erupted into chaos.
"This… this is unbelievable!"
"The ball curved into the hoop!"
"That's a miracle!"
"What kind of basketball is this?!"
The spectators were losing their sense of reality. What they were witnessing had surpassed the boundaries of normal basketball entirely.
On the other side, Murasakibara Atsushi stood frozen.
Even he looked shaken. That kind of shot—he wasn't confident he could stop it either.
"…Rēo-nee, something like that… can that even exist?"
"I don't know either… I really don't know…"
"The Generation of Miracles… they're all monsters."
"Yeah… real monsters."
The score shifted to 29–38. Fukuda Sogo led by nine points.
Only one minute remained in the second quarter.
Haizaki immediately returned to Midorima, locking him down once again in man-to-man defense.
Midorima received the ball. Facing Haizaki's still, silent pressure, he took a deep breath. Then he dribbled forward.
Left. Right. A sudden burst of movement—
In that instant, he broke through Haizaki's defense.
Haizaki's eyes widened slightly. That rhythm again…!
He spun and chased immediately. But Midorima had already entered the paint and leapt into the air for a dunk.
Okawa Sawano and Suzuran Karasu jumped to contest—but it was useless.
Even Haizaki's late attempt to reach up could not stop it.
BOOM!
The ball was violently slammed into the rim.
The whistle immediately followed. The second quarter ended.
Score: 31–38.
The intensity of the first half had been absurd—from long-range "100% Accuracy Full-Court Shot," to brutal close-contact battles in the paint.
Midorima had broken through Haizaki's sealing defense using "Man-and-ball unity" and unleashed his full-range shooting again.
And Haizaki had responded with supernatural, almost impossible plays of his own.
It was less a basketball game… and more a magic show.
Both teams headed back to their lockers. The crowd remained in awe, unwilling to accept that the first half had already ended.
======
In the stands, Kise Ryouta turned to Aomine.
"Aomine, that 'Man-and-ball unity' Midorima used… why was it only for a moment?"
"It's still insane even if it's short," Aomine replied. "True Man-and-ball unity isn't something many people in the world can reach."
Kise frowned slightly, unsatisfied but unable to argue.
Even Aomine himself was chasing that state. So someone slightly below him like Kise was even further away.
Meanwhile, Kagami Taiga was the most shaken of all.
A legendary concept like "Man-and-ball unity" appearing in Japanese high school basketball felt unreal.
Even in the NBA, such a state was extremely rare.
It required not only talent—but years of relentless training and instinct refinement. It wasn't something you could simply "try" and achieve.
Even if Midorima's state lasted only a moment, that moment alone could change the outcome of a game.
Aomine and Kise both fell into thought, mentally replaying Midorima's second-quarter performance.
One smirked. One frowned.
On another side, the Rakuzan team looked uneasy.
This national tournament had revealed one terrifying team after another—teams stronger than them.
Without Akashi Seijuro, they would have been overwhelmed long ago.
Just imagining that possibility sent chills down their spines.
"That's what I'm talking about," Hanamiya Makoto said coldly. "Those hidden cards… once revealed, they're terrifying enough to destroy everything. The Generation of Miracles are just disgusting."
"…I agree with that assessment," another player replied.
"They really are monsters," someone added.
No one disagreed.
Even as everyone discussed and analyzed, Murasakibara remained silent.
Because something else had taken hold of him. A growing, uncontrollable urge.
It's back again…
I really want to crush them.
All of them… even Akashi.
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