"I really don't understand what the production team is thinking right now."
"It's predictable that Seirin won, after all, Tendou already emphasized their huge potential; they're definitely not pushovers."
"Honestly, look at their lineup: Kagami at the Generation-of-Miracles level, the ultimate support Kuroko, and an Uncrowned King-level player in Kiyoshi Teppei. Their outside shooters might be slightly lacking, but overall, this roster is definitely championship-level."
"So, I'm not surprised at all that Seirin beat Tōō. But the way they won—that really needs some discussion! Did the production team absolutely have to give Kuroko forced dramatic spotlight by arranging such an absurd ending?"
FanGeGe was endlessly ranting during his live stream.
"Maybe it's because Tendou and the Generation of Miracles became too popular, overshadowing Kuroko, so they reserved the dramatic finale for him?"
It wasn't that FanGeGe was deliberately spinning conspiracy theories.
It was simply a common issue with many manga authors. They tended to have biases toward the characters they created. When a side character unexpectedly became too popular, overshadowing the main character, they'd often introduce absurd plot twists or even remove characters outright.
FanGeGe could already smell this nonsense coming.
Actually, FanGeGe wouldn't mind if Kirisaki Daiichi lost to Seirin in the Winter Cup. Kirisaki Daiichi already had a national championship under their belt. Losing one title to the protagonist was acceptable.
But if Seirin kept winning matches in absurd ways like this, that would be intolerable.
After Kirisaki Daiichi's championship victory, their lineup was even further enhanced. Yet Seirin, after having strengthened their roster against Tōō, somehow regressed in their match against Shūtoku. It felt like the production team was deliberately preparing the stage for Kirisaki Daiichi's defeat.
"Plot armor?"
Watching FanGeGe's complaints, Tendou smiled faintly.
Seirin's ultimate trump card was the second door of the Zone—Tendou was already fully aware of that.
He had long devised a strategy to neutralize it.
If they thought plot armor could defeat him, they were dreaming.
Ironically, thanks to the production team's handling, Tendou's popularity, which had already plateaued, suddenly surged again.
Basketball-savvy viewers were annoyed, especially disliking the forced plot twist that eliminated Aomine. Now, fans eagerly awaited seeing Tendou crush Seirin mercilessly.
"I'll gladly fulfill your wishes. After all, I always pamper my fans."
Closing the video, Tendou answered a phone call from Momoi.
The girl sounded downcast after losing the game.
"Tendou~," she whined softly.
"I watched the match and saw what happened," Tendou quickly redirected her complaints. "What was your coach thinking at the end? Why didn't he call a timeout?"
"The coach… He wanted to let the players handle things themselves..."
As expected.
Harasawa Katsunori had indeed approached the technical table near the end but didn't signal for a timeout.
Although Tendou had considered this possibility, he still found Harasawa amateurish. Including Aida Riko—both coaches had failed to call even a single timeout during critical moments of the match.
The game's outcome was entirely decided by the players, with seemingly no input from their coaches.
Basketball coaches might not be as vital as in football, but their role still mattered significantly. Players on the court often overlooked details visible only to coaches off the court. These were precisely the times when coaches needed to guide their players.
Today, both coaches had appeared extremely unprofessional in Tendou's eyes.
Still, that wasn't his business. The audience and FanGeGe had already voiced plenty of criticism; his input wasn't needed.
"Tendou~ I'm so unhappy right now. I really need some retail therapy~," Momoi pleaded sweetly.
Oh, so this was her goal all along.
Tendou understood immediately. With some time left before the Winter Cup started, Momoi had clearly planned this in advance.
"Alright, I'll go shopping with you tomorrow."
"Really?!" Momoi instantly perked up, showing no trace of sadness.
The girl was getting craftier!
"Yes, really."
"Hehe, then I'll go sleep now. Make sure to come early tomorrow~."
With that, she hung up, already excitedly picking outfits for tomorrow's date.
...
The Winter Cup regional qualifiers concluded.
Tokyo had three representative teams: Kirisaki Daiichi (automatically qualified as the reigning national champions), Shūtoku, and Seirin.
From Kanagawa, Kaijō Academy dominated effortlessly, qualifying without encountering any real opponents.
In Kyoto, Rakuzan, known as the "Eternal Kings," naturally secured their spot. Akita's qualification went to Yōsen.
Once again, every Generation of Miracles member had led their teams to the Winter Cup.
Only in fiercely competitive Tokyo had one team inevitably been eliminated. This year, that unfortunate team was Tōō Academy. After two consecutive years reaching the final four of the qualifiers, Seirin had finally broken through to the knockout stage.
Next year's national competition would reportedly be held in Kanagawa, where the battle for tickets was expected to become even more intense.
Before the Winter Cup officially began, there was a draw ceremony.
As captain of Kirisaki Daiichi, Tendou naturally had to attend.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and called out to Haizaki.
"Come along, Haizaki."
A few days earlier, Akashi had personally contacted him, wishing to speak with Haizaki. Having reintegrated his split personality, Akashi likely wanted to apologize for past misdeeds.
Tendou agreed, inviting Haizaki to join him.
"Huh? Why should I come? You afraid of getting jumped?" Haizaki mocked.
Despite his grumbling, Haizaki still followed Tendou without hesitation.
...
At three o'clock in the afternoon—
In the conference room of the Winter Cup stadium reserved for the draw ceremony—
Tendou entered with Haizaki.
They arrived a bit late; the room was already packed with team captains and some coaches from various regions. Attendance was not strictly mandated; representatives could either be coaches or captains.
Tendou spotted Aida Riko there alone, representing Seirin.
"Tendou, Haizaki, over here." Akashi greeted them calmly, accompanied by three of the Uncrowned Kings.
"Still bringing your entourage, huh? Always such a show-off, Akashi." Before Tendou could say a word, Haizaki openly mocked Akashi with a challenging glare.
Akashi responded with a composed smile. "We rented a hotel nearby. We'll be staying in Tokyo until the Winter Cup ends."
Always so extravagant. Even his casual words carried the unmistakable air of wealth.
"Looks like you're fully prepared," Tendou remarked lightly.
"I won't allow Rakuzan's legend to end with me," Akashi responded, meeting Tendou's gaze with determination. Clearly, he planned to reclaim his honor at the Winter Cup.
"Let's get started with the draw," Tendou smiled lightly, choosing not to respond further.