Inside the locker room of Tōō Academy, Coach Harasawa Katsunori stood with his arms crossed. His left hand supported his right elbow while his right thumb and index finger slowly rubbed his chin, as if deep in thought.
After a long silence, he finally spoke to Aomine Daiki.
"Aomine… you will not start the game."
"W-what… Coach…"
"Don't rush to object. Listen first. I have my reasons—and my strategy."
Aomine said nothing.
The rest of the team, equally stunned, remained silent as well. Every pair of eyes was filled with disbelief as they stared at their coach.
Seeing their confusion, Harasawa's expression did not change. His tone remained calm, steady, almost detached—as if everything was already calculated.
"Rakuzan's Generation of Miracles captain, Akashi Seijuro, will not be playing. I don't know if that information is true or not, but since you all believe it, then there is no harm in letting Aomine sit out the first half."
He paused for a moment.
"If Akashi does not play, then Aomine will also sit out for the first two quarters. For a team like Rakuzan, this is the best possible test for us. The three Uncrowned Kings are more than enough as a sharpening stone."
"Imayoshi, Sakurai, Wakamatsu, Susa—use the first half to test the strength of the Uncrowned Kings properly. I believe you are capable of cutting them down where they stand."
BOOM.
The locker room fell completely silent.
The words were so bold, so absurdly confident, that the Tōō players were left frozen in place.
Harasawa Katsunori—a former member of Japan's national team—was now fully revealing the aura he had long hidden behind calmness and politeness.
Beneath his composed exterior lay ambition… and a quiet, ruthless intensity.
His meaning was clear.
Without the Generation of Miracles on the floor, he wanted his personally trained players to prove themselves—and to prove him right.
The atmosphere in the locker room remained heavy, the players still stunned.
Then Aomine Daiki slowly opened his sharp blue eyes, a faint glow in them.
"Is that so… sounds interesting."
He smirked.
"Hey, glasses guys… don't embarrass yourselves."
Aomine's words snapped the rest of the team back to reality. One by one, their expressions sharpened. Their eyes cleared. Their competitive fire ignited.
"Oi, coach… this is a pretty wild call you're making."
"Can I really do it…?"
"The chance is here!"
"Let's go!"
The speakers came in order: Imayoshi Shoichi, Sakurai Ryo, Wakamatsu Kousuke, and Susa Yoshinori.
Each voice carried excitement, tension… and hunger.
Coach Harasawa nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. We are the rising tyrants. A championship is what defines us. If necessary, Aomine will come in later to clean things up. Understand?"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
======
Across the arena, in Rakuzan's locker room…
"Reo-nii… even if Captain isn't playing, shouldn't he at least be here? What's going on?"
"He already said it on Friday."
"Let us experience the strength of the Generation of Miracles on our own."
"…Alright then."
Mibuchi Reo sighed in response to Hayama Kotaro's complaint. Even he did not fully understand Akashi's intentions—but the moment he thought of Akashi Seijuro's overwhelming presence, resistance naturally disappeared from his mind.
Then Nebuya Eikichi, usually simple-minded and blunt, suddenly spoke.
"Back when we lost to the Generation of Miracles… were you satisfied with that?"
"Now the chance is here. Shouldn't we be happy?"
"And don't forget—we are three people here. They only have one."
That single statement struck at the core of their unresolved frustration.
Yes. That was why they were called the Uncrowned Kings.
Because they had once been overshadowed by the Generation of Miracles.
And now—
There was only one Miracle left in front of them.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Mibuchi Reo and Hayama Kotaro both felt it at the same time.
"A big guy… when did you get this smart?"
"Gorilla… you're actually right."
"Hahaha! That's more like it! We were champions before—and we'll be champions again this year!"
Rakuzan's coach, Eiji Shirogane, watched his players with satisfaction. Even without Akashi, their fighting spirit did not drop. That was exactly what he expected from the Uncrowned Kings.
======
Inside the arena, the crowd buzzed with anticipation. Every corner was filled with discussion. Every seat vibrated with expectation.
Both teams stepped out of their locker rooms and began warming up under the roaring atmosphere.
Then the announcement echoed through the stadium, listing the starting lineups.
Rakuzan High Starting Five:
Mibuchi Reo (No. 6), Eikichi Nebuya (No. 8), Hayama Kotaro (No. 7), Mayuzumi Chihiro (No. 5), and Jiro Hanazawa (No. 11)
Tōō Academy Starting Five:
Imayoshi Shoichi (No. 4), Sakurai Ryo (No. 9), Wakamatsu Kousuke (No. 6), Yoshinori Susa (No. 7), and Takahiro Fujiwara (No. 12)
A wave of murmurs spread through the audience.
Both Aomine Daiki and Akashi Seijuro were absent from the starting lineup.
Confusion. Curiosity. Suspicion.
"What are they thinking…?"
Even Hanamiya Makoto from Kirisaki Daiichi clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tch… no Miracles starting? What kind of boring script is this?"
Nearby, Takao Kazunari teased him.
"Hey, you're also one of the Uncrowned Kings. Got any idea what they're planning?"
"Shut up. Think for yourself."
Hanamiya ignored him and turned his gaze toward the court, his mind already calculating possibilities.
Elsewhere, Haizaki Shogo and Midorima Shintaro both fell into silence. Even they were analyzing the unusual decision.
On the opposite stands, similar reactions echoed everywhere—confusion, speculation, and growing tension.
"Do you know why Aomine isn't playing?" Coach Aida Riko asked.
"No… I don't understand it either," Kuroko replied quietly.
Riko sighed deeply, gripping her hair in frustration.
"When we actually need information… my brain just doesn't feel big enough…"
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