The "Four Emperors of Tokyo" had become the signature of the Winter Cup.
But fans of Kirisaki Daiichi were deeply dissatisfied with the nickname.
To them, it felt like the other teams were just clout-chasing.
"We're the reigning national champions—who the hell are you?"
"What right do you have to be mentioned in the same breath as us?"
If comparisons were to be made, it should be between Rakuzan and Kirisaki Daiichi, not these others.
But—
That line of argument was useless.
Basketball fans across the country had already accepted the title.
Yes, Kirisaki Daiichi were the defending champions.
But they only had one title under their belt.
Their foundation wasn't deep enough yet.
If they wanted to stand above the Four Emperors—
To become the true King of the Pirates—
They'd need to reach Laugh Tale—
Ahem, sorry—
They'd need to win more championships.
...
Tendou, as usual, wasn't interested in such pointless chatter.
That day,
He rode his bike alone to the stadium.
A brotherly showdown was about to take place:
Yōsen vs. Seirin.
Tendou arrived late.
The seats were already packed.
So he walked along the stands until he spotted—
A guy in casual clothes, with thick toad-shaped sunglasses, and a mess of bright green hair.
Tendou stared at the awkward disguise.
"Midorima?"
"!!"
Midorima flinched and immediately turned away.
"I don't know who you're talking about."
...
Tendou almost laughed.
In this show, you might be the only guy with the 'talent' to be born with an entire grassland on your head.
Midorima peeked back—
Tendou was still staring, face full of disdain.
Midorima clicked his tongue, gave up, and ditched the disguise.
"How'd you recognize me?"
Tendou didn't even know how to answer that.
He adjusted Midorima's glasses and handed him a cap,
Then tapped the shoulder of a random spectator and pointed at Midorima.
"Do you know who this is?"
"Midorima Shintarō, obviously. Why?"
"I've been watching you guys play since middle school!"
"Is something wrong?"
"No, sorry for bothering you."
Midorima: "..."
He sighed in defeat.
Even random fans could recognize him—what a failure of a disguise.
He switched back to his usual glasses and ditched the ridiculous hat.
...
"Little Ten~"
Momoi Satsuki had arrived—
Gliding down the steps in her usual breezy fashion.
With her was Aomine.
It seemed the Generation of Miracles really did like to gather in this same section of the stands to watch games.
"You guys got here early," Aomine said, yawning.
"Of course. Not all of us have the luxury of goofing off like you.
I still have to think about how to win my next game."
"Not like you two,
Already benched and broadcasting."
Aomine and Midorima: "..."
Tendou's passive skill: Silence — activated.
"You really are a pain in the ass," Aomine growled, suddenly wide awake.
Midorima looked even more injured.
He had just been eliminated by Tendou.
Both national tournaments had ended in disappointment.
Even Kise had led his team to the top 8 just yesterday.
...
『HAHAHAHA! Tendou's mouth strikes again—deadly.』
『Aomine and Midorima's faces are priceless.』
『So nostalgic seeing Tendou together with the old crew again.』
『What can you do? Our B-King is always competing for titles. Meanwhile, Midorima and Aomine are permanent guest commentators.』
『Hey now, you're even more vicious than Tendou!』
...
In the real world,
Fans were having a field day.
Like one meme had said:
Aomine and Midorima have been glorified commentators for a while now.
Especially Midorima.
Knocked out in the Nationals' group stage,
He ended up commentating most of Kirisaki Daiichi's matches.
Talking about Zone, Wild Instinct, Monsters, Six Eyes, Emperor Eye—
He explained them all.
Even though he didn't have any of those abilities,
He still came off as weirdly convincing.
The so-called "strongest shooter of the Generation of Miracles"
Had become more of a gold-medal commentator.
And just when he'd finally made a comeback in the Winter Cup,
Making it out of the group stage on even terms with the protagonist team—
He ran straight into final boss Tendou and got speed-eliminated in the first round.
Back to the commentary booth he went.
Fans of Midorima were not okay.
Some felt the writers were out to bully him on purpose.
...
Momoi giggled behind her hand.
Tendou glanced her way.
"Not cold?"
"Cold? No, I'm fine."
She looked down.
Yep—couldn't even see her toes.
She smiled proudly.
Tendou was impressed.
It was mid-winter, and she still came out in a short skirt.
"Try wearing thermal stockings next time."
"Stockings?" Momoi tilted her head and tapped her lips. Then her eyes lit up.
"Oh! So that's your thing, huh?"
She suddenly remembered—
Riko often wore stockings too.
Momoi's eyes sparkled.
She looked at Tendou like she'd just uncovered a secret.
Tendou knew she'd misunderstood—
But didn't bother explaining.
Because, well…
She wasn't wrong.
...
On the court.
Warmups finished.
Both teams stared each other down across the centerline.
Once again, he stood across from his "brother."
This moment wasn't just nostalgia—
It was personal.
"Taiga... To be honest, I never wanted to play against you again.
I wanted us to stay the way we were."
"But those days are gone.
Anyone who stands in front of me—
I'm not holding back."
"Compared to you, Taiga...
There's someone I want to beat even more!"
Kagami stared directly at his brother, voice unwavering.
Tendou, huh?
Himuro Tatsuya was a little hurt by the words.
He glanced instinctively toward the stands.
Tendou and the others had a powerful presence,
Not just because they were famous players—
But because of their colorful hair.
They looked like a damn rainbow in the middle of the crowd.
"I get it now, Taiga."
"You're not the only one who wants to beat Tendou."
Himuro's voice was firm.
He wasn't backing down either.
The winner of this match—
Would face Kirisaki Daiichi next.
Neither brother wanted to miss that chance.
...
"Looks like everyone's paying attention to you today, Little Ten."
Momoi smiled sweetly, leaning in close.
"That's because I'm the strongest," Tendou replied smugly, raising an eyebrow.
Then added, "You're too close."
"It's cold!" Momoi snuggled closer.
"You just said it wasn't."
"Well—
Suddenly got cold!"
Aomine and Midorima both rolled their eyes.
Then went silent again.
But in their hearts—
They hadn't missed that line from Tendou.
"I'm the strongest."
Not just Himuro and Kagami—
They, too, still wanted to challenge Tendou and Kirisaki Daiichi once more.
There were all kinds of reasons.
But the simplest one was—
They wanted to be the strongest.
And right now—
That title belonged to Tendou Kageyoshi.
So—
He had to be defeated.
---
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