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"Ryu..."
Ryu and the others had just returned to the door of the rest room when they heard Momoi waving at them from the doorway.
Kamimono and the others immediately glanced sideways at Ryu, their hearts filled with envy.
Damn it, why does he have such a beautiful girlfriend?
Ryu ignored his teammates' stares and greeted Momoi. "Momoi, you're here! Didn't Aomine come with you?"
Momoi said irritably, "He left early."
"Oh! Wait for me a moment, let's leave together in a bit!" Hearing Ryu's words, Momoi nodded.
Ten minutes later, Ryu took a shower, changed his clothes, and left the gymnasium with Karupin and Momoi.
The match was over.
However, Ryu's reputation and the strength of Toho Kotei Gakuen had spread throughout the high school world.
Countless reporters swarmed the Toho Kotei Gakuen members, their cameras and microphones surrounding Kamimono and his group.
They watched as Ryu waved and grinned mischievously in the distance.
Kamimono and the others were furious! But it was too late; they could only helplessly begin to answer the reporters' questions.
Momoi covered her mouth and chuckled, but still said with some concern, "Is this really okay? They're your seniors!"
"It's fine! They always say they want to be famous anyway, this just fulfills their dream," Ryu said nonchalantly.
Huh? Momoi was speechless. She felt a pang of sympathy for those guys from Toho Kotei Gakuen.
She knew all too well what it was like to be surrounded by reporters. Back in middle school, that kind of thing happened all the time!
"By the way, Ryu, there's something I want to ask you. It's okay if you don't want to tell me."
Hearing her cautious question, Ryu immediately understood what she wanted to ask. "You want to ask about the techniques I used in the competition, right?"
Momoi blushed slightly, a little embarrassed. Was it a bit inappropriate to ask about someone's secret like that?
Ryu chuckled and said, "It's alright, it's fine if it's you. No one else me can learn this technique anyway." Ryu paused, then continued, "That's called the [State of No-Self]."
[State of No-Self]? Momoi was quite confused. She'd never heard of it before!
Ryu explained, "You know the Zone, right?"
Momoi nodded.
Ryu continued to explain, "It's similar to the Zone, it's about surpassing one's limits to reach 100% of one's strength. However, my [State of No-Self] has three gates; I've only opened the first one before."
Then Ryu began to talk at length about the [State of No-Self].
Momoi was stunned. She felt as if she had glimpsed the gateway to a new world, just like when she first heard the term "Zone."
Three gateways? The ultimate limit of rigorous training, the ultimate limit of radiant talent, and finally, the ultimate limit of flawless perfection.
She even wondered if she was out of touch with the times. This was too powerful!
"Alright, I've told you such an important secret, shouldn't you thank me with something?"
Huh? Momoi's pretty face suddenly flushed red.
Her first thought was to give Ryu a sweet kiss. But they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend yet.
For a moment, Momoi was lost in typical girlish fantasies and awkwardness.
Ryu looked at her strangely, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "Hey! What are you daydreaming about! I was just joking. It's not too late, let's go get something to eat! It's on me."
Hearing this, Momoi's heart leaped with joy. "Really? That's wonderful!"
Going shopping with Ryu was something she'd always wanted to do!
And so, the two strolled along, chatting and laughing, until they gradually disappeared into the night.
...
The next morning.
Inside the Toho Kotei Gakuen basketball gymnasium.
Thump, thump, thump…
The sound of basketballs hitting the ground echoed incessantly.
A figure, like a shooting arrow, darted swiftly across the court.
The basketball in his hands was like a dancing sprite, excitedly circling around him.
Swish, swish, swish…
One uncanny shot after another.
Thud, thud, thud…
One powerful dunk after another.
It was as if the basketball automatically found the basket the moment he released it, precise and natural.
Squeak…
The gym door suddenly opened.
A group of people walked in.
When they saw the person sprinting across the court, they froze.
"Aomine…"
The person on the court turned around and saw several familiar faces.
"It's you guys…"
"I never expected you to train here!"
The speaker was a boy with short, beige hair.
He was the starting center for the Touou basketball team, Wakamatsu Kosuke.
He was the one who disliked Aomine the most, so he had always given Aomine a cold shoulder.
"It must be because of Toho Kotei Gakuen! After all, yesterday's match was truly amazing," the captain of the Touou basketball team, Imayoshi Shoichi, analyzed.
Aomine grinned, his face contorted with intense focus. "Hmph... Enough talk. My opponent is Ryu! He's an opponent I've always wanted to defeat!"
This was the first time the Too team had seen Aomine Daiki like this.
Clap clap clap...
Imayoshi Shoichi clapped his hands. "Alright, we're more than happy to have Aomine come to training. Let's begin!"
With the captain's words, the others naturally had no objections. Everyone began their training for the day.
...
Yosen High School Basketball Gymnasium.
"Faster! Don't slack off!"
Yosen's icy-cold, beautiful coach, carrying a long wooden sword on her shoulder, supervised every player on the court.
The Yosen players on the court were all drenched in sweat. Everyone looked on with a sense of formidable tension. Not because of their next opponent, but because of the opponent after that.
The match between Too Academy and Toho Kotei Gakuen was in three days.
Regardless of which school won, they would be a formidable opponent for Yosen.
Frankly speaking, Yosen wasn't confident they could defeat either of these schools right now.
In a corner of the training field, Murasakibara and Himuro Tatsuya were training together.
Himuro Tatsuya suddenly spoke up. "Atsushi, who do you think will win the match in three days?"
Murasakibara thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. Back in middle school, Ryu and Aomine were both ace players on the team, and they were very similar in some ways. If I had to say, Aomine lost to Ryu a few times, but they never competed again."
"Is that so? I'm really looking forward to the game in three days! Do you want to go watch it?" Himuro Tatsuya asked.
Murasakibara was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I have nothing else to do, so I'll go watch!"
…
Inside the Rakuzan High School basketball gym.
In the quiet gym, a lone figure stood.
This person had red hair and red eyes, with an aloof and arrogant expression. An aura of dominance surrounded him, and faint red lightning crackled within the crimson halo of his eyes.
"I am the only one. No matter who comes before me, the outcome will be the same."
...
Inside the Kaijo High School basketball gym.
Kise sat on the bench, fiddling with his phone, looking like he was just slacking off. Kasamatsu Yukio, seeing him, was immediately annoyed and stepped forward to scold him.
"Kise, we're training hard here, and you're still playing on your phone."
Uh...
Kise shuddered, then looked up at his captain with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, almost done!"
Kasamatsu Yukio strode over aggressively, then prepared to kick Kise in the lower back. Kise then raised his phone and spoke to Kasamatsu Yukio.
"It's a text message from Momoi. She sent me the move Ryu used against Midorima."
Hearing this, Kasamatsu Yukio stopped his torture of Kise's lower back and curiously leaned closer to ask, "So, what exactly was that move?"
He had naturally watched the match between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Shutoku High School. He was still shaken by Ryu's final move and was naturally very curious.
Kise spoke. "It's called 'The Realm of Selflessness.' So, isn't Ryucchi amazing?"
Kasamatsu Yukio's face darkened. He changed his hand into a chop and thrust it directly at Kise's lower back.
Thud...
Kise instantly straightened his back, feeling a sharp pain in his side. "Aaaaaaah... Kasamatsu-senpai, stop it!"
"Hmph, be serious."
Kise rubbed his side, continuing with a reproachful expression. "Momoicchi said this move has three stages, like three gates. When Ryucchi fought Midorimacchi, he opened the first gate, allowing him to concentrate all his power at will in a specific location, like his hand, leg, or foot… etc."
Hearing Kise's words, Kasamatsu Yukio gasped. "What a joke! How could a human do that?"
"If it were Ryu, maybe it really would be possible! That guy, like Aomine, is a true monster."
Hearing Kise's words, Kasamatsu Yukio asked, "By the way, didn't you often spar with Aomine in middle school? Who do you think would win between Ryu and Aomine?"
Uh…
Kise fell silent for a moment. If it were Ryu and Aomine, he really couldn't be sure. The two were so alike, both incredibly strong, and remarkably similar in certain aspects.
He shook his head and replied, "I don't know either. Their last match in middle school was stopped by the head coach, and they haven't had a one-on-one duel since."
Hearing this, Kasamatsu Yukio glared at Kise. That was as good as saying nothing. He slapped Kise on the back of the head. "Get back to training! Avenge this summer's humiliation this winter!"
"Yes…" Kise, clutching the back of his head, ran onto the court.
…
Inside the Shutoku High School basketball gym.
Everyone was gritting their teeth and training relentlessly. The blow from Toho Kotei Gakuen was devastating. Everyone was determined to get revenge on Toho Kotei Gakuen next time.
However, two people seemed out of place. That was Midorima and Takao.
The two were practicing some kind of technique.
They seemed to be trying to improve their individual skills and teamwork.
The other members of Shutoku High School also glanced over from time to time, curious about what technique they were practicing.
...
Seirin High School Basketball Gymnasium.
All the basketball club members were gathered here. And there was one more player than usual. If Ryu were here, he would definitely recognize him. This person was one of the "Uncrowned Five," Kiyoshi Teppei.
The expressions on the faces of the Seirin players were incredibly serious. Having watched yesterday's game between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Shutoku High School had completely shattered their worldview. Now, their confidence in their abilities had plummeted to rock bottom.
Aida Riko looked at everyone seriously and said, "You all surely know the strength of Toho Kotei Gakuen, and Midorima of Shutoku has also undergone a qualitative leap. Compared to when we fought him, he's practically a different person. If Midorima had possessed this strength back then, we would have undoubtedly lost."
"Um..." Just then, Kuroko suddenly interjected. Everyone was drawn to Kuroko's voice. "I think, last time, Midorima probably deliberately let us win."
These words caused an uproar. The most agitated was Kagami. He grabbed Kuroko's shoulder and said, "What are you talking about? What do you mean by deliberately letting us win?"
"Let go first." Kuroko, looking pained, pushed away Kagami's grasp. "This is entirely my own deduction. The first point is Midorima's wildness. It doesn't seem like someone who has just awakened his wildness. I've seen Aomine when he first awakened his wildness; newly awakened wildness wouldn't have that kind of oppressive aura."
Hearing Kuroko's explanation, everyone fell into deep thought.
Kuroko continued, "And then there's that 'man and ball as one' state the coach mentioned. Judging from how familiar Midorima is with this technique, it's probably not the first time he's entered that state."
After Kuroko finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Kagami Taiga also stood there, stunned, speechless.
If what Kuroko said was true, then what were they, Seirin? Beggars being given charity by their opponents? Why would Midorima do that? It simply doesn't make sense.
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