Kise didn't know if he could pull it off.
But—
If it came down to a real game, when the moment demanded it, he believed he and Kaijō could rise to the occasion.
As they spoke, the fierce battle on the court continued.
After entering the Zone, neither Aomine nor Kagami had scored a single point.
Two players with the greatest vertical leap and explosive speed in the game—yet neither could break through the other's defense.
The score had stalled for a full minute.
Neither team had scored even once. Jumpers, layups, dunks—everything was swatted away by the opposing ace.
"Can't they pass to their teammates like Yuuto does?"
Sora found it strange. The other eight players were wide open. Why weren't they passing?
"That's impossible for them." Mibuchi answered with an alluring smile that made Sora recoil—a grown man shouldn't be this seductive. She hid behind Yuuto.
Unbothered, Mibuchi continued. "Once Aomine and Kagami enter the Zone, their defensive coverage expands dramatically."
"Against those two right now, a sloppy pass is actually more dangerous."
Sora wanted to ask more, not satisfied with that answer.
Then Hayama chimed in. "Yuuto and Akashi are different. Their eyes let them see the future and the blind spots."
"So even in the Zone, they can open up the game through passing. But Aomine and Kagami don't have that ability."
Exactly.
Everyone could see that it wasn't that Kagami and Aomine refused to pass.
They simply lacked the vision that Yuuto and Akashi possessed.
In their mental calculations, passing to teammates yielded worse results than going one-on-one.
"So this game's outcome will be decided entirely by the two aces."
Takao Kazunari and the Shūtoku players were discussing the same thing elsewhere.
Normally, yes.
But Yuuto's eyes saw a different answer.
Aomine's physical stats were declining faster than Kagami's.
And soon, that decline manifested on the court.
After a two-minute scoring drought, Kagami finally broke through Aomine's defense, draining a jump shot over him.
"The stalemate's broken. Is Kagami the better of the two?"
"Impossible. Even in the Zone, Aomine shouldn't lose to Kagami. Who does Kagami think he is—Yuuto?"
The Tōō fans couldn't believe it, but the evidence was right before them.
Not only had Kagami scored over Aomine on offense, but on defense he'd delivered a spectacular chase-down block.
The balance had been shattered. Momentum was swinging toward Seirin.
"It's not about skill. It's stamina!" Akashi's pupils widened as he identified the issue.
"That's why I said—that kind of streetball nonsense can't beat me." Yuuto showed no mercy, openly mocking Aomine's style.
Sure, streetball was flashy and entertaining. One look at Aomine's moves and fans couldn't tear their eyes away—especially when someone played at his level.
But—
Overly complex moves came at the cost of massive stamina consumption.
And his opponent today, Kagami Taiga, happened to be the biggest stamina monster in the series. How was Aomine supposed to compete in endurance?
Kagami could shout something like "I won't watch my friends cry" and be back at full strength.
Seizing the opportunity, Seirin clawed the deficit back to a single possession.
Then—
Drama struck. With his team down by 3 points, Kagami drew a foul under the basket.
The defender, Wakamatsu Kosuke, had been left dazed and confused as Kagami disappeared before his eyes, earning a chance at a three-point play.
If he made the free throw, the game would go to overtime.
But—
Seirin had no intention of playing overtime. They drew up a play: intentionally miss the free throw, grab the rebound, and hit the buzzer-beater.
Tweet.
The whistle blew. The arena fell silent, everyone waiting for the referee's final call.
This was a true buzzer-beater—not even half a second to spare. Seirin had won by the thinnest of margins.
Then—
The referee signaled. The basket counted.
Seirin's score jumped to 101 on the scoreboard. Next to it, Tōō's total remained frozen at 100.
They had lost by a single point.
"BUZZER BEATER!"
"They actually beat Tōō at the buzzer!"
"SEIRIN!!!"
The arena erupted.
This was basketball at its most electrifying. The buzzer-beater.
"They actually won." Sora was surprised.
Honestly, while she'd been rooting for Seirin, she hadn't actually believed they could beat Tōō.
"So Seirin advances after all."
The outcome decided, Yuuto had no reason to stay. He turned and headed for the exit.
"Let's go, Sora."
"Ah, okay. Wait up."
Sora hurried after him, leaving Akashi and his three Rakuzan teammates standing there.
Including Akashi, none of them had fully recovered from the stunning conclusion.
The game had been an absolute roller coaster.
"So the team that advances... is Seirin?"
"Who would've thought even Tōō would fall?"
The Shūtoku players were equally stunned.
They didn't know whether to be happy.
On one hand, Tōō's elimination meant one less powerful rival.
On the other, a Seirin team capable of defeating Tōō was clearly formidable. Shūtoku had no guaranteed path forward either.
"Could I ask you for something?"
After the game.
Kuroko was so drained he couldn't stand on his own—Kagami had to support him.
Yet he stubbornly extended a fist toward Aomine.
"Back then... I never got to give you one."
"Huh? That's what this is about..."
Aomine was dumbfounded. After all this time, his old partner still remembered something from their second year of middle school.
A fist bump. He'd remembered it for two whole years.
Wasn't that a bit petty?
"Fine... but this is the last time." Aomine finally reached out and bumped fists with Kuroko. Those eyes—he couldn't say no.
They both smiled, and there was a familiar warmth—like old times.
Kagami smiled too, then quickly turned his gaze toward the upper deck.
But—
Yuuto was already gone.
"Since you beat me, you'd better not lose to that guy." Aomine seemed to read Kagami's mind.
He'd wanted to warn Kagami and Kuroko to be careful of Yuuto—that Yuuto was even stronger than him.
But he was a proud man. The words morphed by the time they reached his lips.
"If you lose, I'll never forgive you."
...
Night had fallen.
The Seirin-Tōō showdown had been scheduled for prime time, and by the time it ended, darkness had settled over the city.
In Tōō's locker room, Imayoshi Shoichi announced his retirement along with the rest of the third-years, passing the team's captaincy to Wakamatsu Kosuke.
As for Aomine—
He hadn't joined them. Instead, he sat alone outside the arena.
The buzzer-beater.
A heart-pounding, unforgettable word—and an equally cruel one.
Aomine's emotions still hadn't settled.
"Facts prove it—that streetball garbage of yours can't win."
Yuuto approached with Sora.
They'd come specifically to needle him.
"Yuuto, you bastard!"
Aomine shot to his feet the moment he heard the voice. Sure enough, there stood the last person he wanted to see.
"What are you doing here? Come to gloat?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
He actually admitted it. This guy...
Aomine's expression darkened, blending into the night.
But soon, he gave up struggling and sat back down.
"I'm not giving up streetball."
Of course he knew its weaknesses. After all, there were no streetball players in professional leagues.
But it was his passion—from his very core, something he'd played since childhood and never abandoned. He wouldn't abandon it now.
If he couldn't win, it just meant he wasn't strong enough. No other excuses.
Then he added, "But you—don't underestimate Tetsu and the others. Seirin is a completely different team now compared to the Inter-High."
"I know."
Yuuto pointed to his eyes.
"Their physical data shows they put in serious work over the summer. With Kiyoshi Teppei back, they have no weak links. Seirin right now is a team that rivals any powerhouse."
Hearing this made Aomine feel slightly better. But then Yuuto continued.
"But you were up by 10 and still got reverse-swept by Seirin. That's pretty pathetic."
This bastard.
His fists clenched involuntarily. He wanted to throw a punch.
"Anyway, watch yourself." Aomine eventually restrained himself, still worried about Seirin's odds.
Since he couldn't beat Yuuto, might as well leave.
He really didn't want to chat with Yuuto right now.
"The one who should watch himself is Seirin. You've got it backwards, Aomine."
Aomine paused but didn't look back or respond. He kept walking.
True enough—worrying about Yuuto and Akashi was utterly pointless. Overthinking it.
"Done?"
"Yeah."
"Yuuto, didn't you used to say you shouldn't approach people after they lose? That it's like rubbing salt in their wounds?"
Sora remembered his old stance. He never sought out opponents after beating them.
"He's different."
"Different how?"
"When he's miserable, I'm happy."
Sora rolled her eyes.
So the guy beat you once and you're holding a grudge till now?
"Let's go. I'm hungry."
"Mm."
...
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