It's just dodging a steal—not a big deal.
But… Kota's steals aren't that easy to dodge.
Kota shot Izuki a long look. As expected from the holder of the Eagle Eye — not so simple.
...
"You all did well that first quarter. Let's keep the pace in the second"
Takeuchi clapped his hands, rallying the Kaijo players.
"Kise, watch your fouls. Don't put yourself in trouble. Stay sharp on defense."
Old advice, but essential.
"That's all from me. Just keep playing to Kota's rhythm out there. We're at the final stretch now—so quit with the soft play. Kaijo!"
"Champions!!"
...
BEEP — "Second quarter begins. Both teams, to the court"
Kota caught Kise by the arm before they stepped onto the court, whispering:
"Hey, genius — I'm getting a bit tired."
Kise instantly understood, flexing like a bodybuilder with a grin.
"Leave the second quarter to me then!"
Thanks to Kagami winning the opening tip, Kaijo had possession to start both the second and third quarters.
Kota scanned the court briefly. Seirin's defense was tight, with no immediate openings. He passed the ball straight to Kise.
Kise's face lit up. In the first quarter, by design, Kota had been the offensive spearhead. Kise was stuck doing the grunt work, mostly on defense—not exactly ideal for someone with such a flair for performance.
Opposite him, Kagami frowned slightly. Kise's finally going to attack, huh.
Kota ran a clearing cut to the corner, giving Kise room, all while watching his teammate with full confidence.
Kise wasn't in a rush. Seeing Kota's movement, he even shot him a playful smile.
Kagami clicked his tongue in irritation.
"What, you looking down on me or something?"
Kise paused, then chuckled as if realizing something:
"Nah, don't take it personally. I've got high hopes for you, Taiga-kun — just don't get left behind, alright?"
As soon as he spoke, a golden light flickered in Kise's eyes — Perfect Copy: Emperor Eye.
An invisible pressure instantly wrapped around Kagami's legs. That familiar sensation sent a jolt through Kagami's mind—flashes of getting crossed up by Akashi resurfaced.
Kise's gaze sharpened. A quick crossover created space between him and Kagami, and with the open lane, he went to gather the ball to shoot—
"Not done yet!"
Kagami recovered swiftly, turning to chase hard. Kise's imitation was sharp, but compared to Akashi in the Zone, it still lacked a certain edge.
Kise felt Kagami closing in and frowned. Tougher than expected.
Without room to shoot, Kise switched tactics — copying Kota this time, performing a smooth Shammgod to throw Kagami off-balance, ready to drive to the rim—
But then — out of nowhere — Kuroko struck.
He had been lurking unnoticed, and just as Kise adjusted his dribble mid-move, Kuroko snatched the ball cleanly.
"Kiyoshi-senpai!"
Kuroko shouted — rare on court — then fired a swift, direct pass up the court.
Kiyoshi, already charging ahead, caught it effortlessly. Unlike a traditional big man, this playmaking center didn't hesitate — he powered forward coast-to-coast, slicing through to Kaijo's basket for an easy layup.
Seirin — two points.
Kota trailed Kiyoshi, eyes tracking, but sighed helplessly. The guy wasn't just nimble for his size—his ball-handling was rock solid. No matter how good Kota's defense, it was tough to stop a speeding truck.
Kise scratched his head sheepishly, raising a hand in apology. The turnover was on him.
Back on Seirin's side, Kagami felt relieved seeing Kiyoshi score.
"If Kuroko hadn't made that steal, I definitely would've lost that one-on-one."
"Calm down…"
Kagami slapped his own cheeks, trying to clear his mind of frustration.
He walked up to Hyuga and said:
"Hyuga-senpai, no need to force plays for me to trigger the Zone. Let's just run our game."
Hyuga wiped his sweat and nodded.
Kuroko, watching this, smiled faintly.
"Just like against Rakuzan. A calm Kagami is really reliable."
Once Kagami stopped obsessing over the Zone, Seirin's offense transformed.
On their next possession, Kagami even stepped up to set a high pick for Hyuga. His scoring urgency diminished, but ball movement increased.
This ultra-offensive team had suddenly turned into a collective, team-oriented squad.
Kota noticed the shift but didn't change course—still feeding Kise for isolation plays. Right now, Kise was their strongest weapon.
Yet as time passed, Kota sensed something was wrong.
Kise was scoring almost every possession—but the lead wasn't growing.
Midway through the second quarter, the score was 42-32. Still a 10-point gap.
"Even with Kise's insane efficiency… Seirin's keeping pace."
A bad feeling grew in Kota's chest. But trouble rarely comes alone.
Seirin worked the ball around expertly — and somehow, the ball landed in Kagami's hands inside Kaijo's paint.
Kise stood two steps away, hesitating.
"I've already got two fouls… if I contest here, I'll have to foul him."
Kagami wasn't going to waste it—he jumped immediately, soared over Kobori, and slammed the ball down.
Meteor Jam. Trigger pulled.
Landing, Kagami clenched his fist, eyes flashing with a red spark.
The crowd erupted — Kagami's explosive style was always a spectacle.
Kota's expression tensed. He gestured to the sideline—
Kaijo — timeout.
...
"Seirin's waking up. Kaijo's in trouble" Akashi murmured from the stands, pupils subtly shifting.
Kaijo was looking a lot like Rakuzan had — if they let Seirin keep the momentum, history might repeat itself.
"Don't worry" Aomine said, voice low. "That guy's not the type to just sit and take it."
Based on his own experience playing Kota, Aomine was sure: Retreating just isn't his style.
Beside them, Murasakibara stayed silent, just quietly munching his snacks.
Elsewhere in the stands, a man scribbling furiously in his notebook stretched his arms with a sigh. Writing non-stop was exhausting.
"Well, let's see what these scrappy underdogs can really do."