"Hm?"
Although Kise didn't speak loudly, his voice somehow reached everyone in the arena. Kagami, staring at him, held back from attacking recklessly and instead shot a subtle glance at Kuroko.
Kuroko understood immediately. He vanished from sight and positioned himself on Kise's side. Sensing the right moment, Kagami bounced the ball to Kuroko on the right while charging toward the left side. This was one of their classic plays: Kuroko acted as the pass hub, and the off-ball Kagami would maximize his speed and power to break into the paint and cause havoc.
In that instant, Kagami could already see himself dunking the ball with force. Kuroko readied himself to deliver the perfect assist.
Kota's expression changed. He immediately turned to help defend the inside. At this stage of the game, every point counted, and Lady Luck only favored those who gave it their all. Kota knew even he couldn't stop a charging Kagami, but he still didn't hesitate to rotate.
"I told you already, Kota. That's enough. Take a break."
Kise's voice echoed again. This time it rang inside Kota's head, soft and surreal.
Kota turned his head and froze. When did Kise get in front of Kuroko? Facing the stunned Kuroko, Kise smiled slightly—his hands, however, didn't stop moving. With a swift slap of his right hand, he stole the ball cleanly and darted toward Kaijo's side of the court.
Kagami, who had just cut into Kaijo's paint expecting a pass, saw the steal and turned on a dime, chasing Kise with no hesitation. Sparks of red flickered in his eyes — he was in the Zone. His speed was monstrous.
Kise barely made it to the three-point line before Kagami caught up. Without flinching, Kise drove to the free-throw line and abruptly stopped, pulling into a fadeaway jumper. Kagami couldn't brake in time and collided into him.
Midair, completely off balance, Kise bit his lip, switched to a one-handed push shot, and released the ball.
The whistle blew—but the ref waited.
The ball clanged off the rim, spinning in suspense. Everyone held their breath. Then—bounce, bounce—swish!
BEEP—
"Kaijo #7 scores a 2+1 play!"
As the referee made the call, the entire arena erupted. Akashi and Aomine stood at the same time, faces solemn as they watched Kise high-five his teammates. Murasakibara, as usual, remained seated, debating what snacks to eat after the game.
"His copy... has evolved? That kind of improvised shot—only I can pull that off in the Zone" Aomine muttered, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Kise had taken another step forward.
"Not just that. Stealing the ball from Kuroko like that—it would've taken even me in the Zone to manage" Akashi said calmly, though his heart was anything but. He had anticipated Kise's growth, but even this surpassed his expectations.
On the court, Kota walked up to Kise and grabbed his face with both hands, inspecting him seriously.
"Mmph?"
Kise blinked, confused but didn't resist once he realized it was Kota.
Kota stared hard. "Wait... Where's the lightning in your eyes? Huh?! Weren't you in the Zone?! Show me the sparks!"
"Eh?! I don't know, man! Maybe it's a budget cut?" Kise mumbled through squished cheeks.
The ref's whistle signaled for Kise to take his free throw, and Kota let go reluctantly.
Kise stepped to the line and glanced at the scoreboard.
85–83. Kaijo leads.
Every point counts now.
Catching the pass from the ref, Kise took a deep breath. He looked at the rim and made a silent promise:
He would lead Kaijo to victory. Because he was their ace. And in moments like this, it had to be him.
He lifted the ball and shot.
Swish!
With a crisp sound, the ball dropped in. Kise raised a fist calmly and backed away. A flash of golden lightning flickered in his eyes.
Perfect Copy: Zone Mode
Kota exhaled in relief. Thank goodness it wasn't just a fluke. Kise really had it. Now Kota could finally rest a bit.
Because Kaijo's burden wasn't his alone anymore.
"Get the stop!"
Kise shouted, directing his teammates. Then he dropped back into the paint, his body glowing with gold aura, violet sparks flashing in his eyes.
"So this is the Zone... Not bad at all"
In that moment, standing in Kaijo's paint, Kise didn't look like himself — he looked like Murasakibara. A Zone Murasakibara.
On the perimeter, Kota chuckled. If that's the case, he could totally slack off and recharge.
From the wing, he adjusted his shorts and felt his energy return a little. Then he deliberately deactivated his own Zone mode.
"You guys are in trouble now. Big trouble" he said with a grin, eyeing Izuki as he searched for a passing lane.
Hearing that, Izuki frowned slightly and passed to Hyuga on the other wing. Kasamatsu rushed to close the gap, giving Hyuga no room to shoot — but leaving him an open path to drive.
Hyuga glanced at the unmoving Kise in the paint. Something about him felt... dangerous. Kasamatsu's defense seemed to dare him: go ahead and drive.
After a split second of hesitation, Hyuga gritted his teeth, dribbled past the arc, and went up for a jumper.
But just as he lifted the ball—
BOOM!
A thunderous block. Hyuga froze. Behind him, Kise was already racing downcourt for the fast break layup.
BEEP!
Another whistle. The lead stretches: 88–83. Seven minutes left in the fourth.
Seirin calls their final timeout!
Kise's explosive performance left Riko no choice but to call her last timeout. It was a critical moment.
But the Seirin players didn't flinch. Kagami sipped water, cracking his knuckles with anticipation. Kuroko was regulating his breath. Kiyoshi was still joking around with Izuki. Even Hyuga, who had just gotten blocked, looked completely fearless.
Riko opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Then she laughed.
"Geez... Was this timeout even necessary?"
"If we lose this game, you're all eating my homemade lemon dishes!"
"WHAT?!"
"However much I cook, you eat it all! Every last bite!"
"..."
In contrast, Kaijo's bench—usually lively—was silent, save for the sound of gulps and water bottles.
Despite the scoreboard advantage...
Takeuchi sighed. Since the end of the third quarter, Kaijo's offense had been entirely Kise and Kota. Now even defense was falling to Kise. The other three players could hardly contribute.
In a stage like this, being sidelined was devastating.
Just as Takeuchi was about to speak, Kasamatsu stepped forward.
"From here on, don't pass to us. You two just focus on scoring. We'll support you from the shadows."
Kasamatsu said it with a calm face, but his voice trembled slightly.
He hated this. Watching younger players shine while he just stood there, running back and forth, felt like hell.
Kobori and Hayakawa were equally quiet, clearly sharing the same frustration.
Takeuchi's face darkened. Such self-doubt could ruin team morale—
Before he could intervene, Kota gave Kasamatsu a karate chop to the head.
Everyone blinked. Kasamatsu, always the reliable one, was stunned. He's the one who usually dishes out chops—not takes them!
"Hey genius, how much longer can you keep playing?"
Kota sat cross-legged on the bench, ignoring everyone's shocked stares as he turned to Kise.
"Eh... you caught that, huh?" Kise smiled wryly and stared at the clock. "Five minutes. Max. After that, I probably won't even be able to talk."
Kota nodded knowingly. With Kise's crazy playstyle, of course he'd be burning out.
"Hear that, Kasamatsu-senpai? Soon, Kise's out. Still think giving us all the ball is enough to win?"
Kasamatsu went silent. Then, suddenly, he chopped Kota back—gently.
"You sure talk big for someone who hits their senpais"
Seeing Kasamatsu bounce back, Kota quickly waved an apology. His exaggerated panic had the whole Kaijo bench laughing again.
Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, but he knew the truth: Kota's prank just now had reignited Kaijo's spirit.
As the whistle blew, both teams looked up.
The final battle had begun.
"We're here to become champions."
"KAIJO!"
"CHAMPIONS!!"
...
"Interhigh and winter runner-ups? Like hell I'm letting that happen! I'd rather drop dead than lose again!"
"SEIRIN!"
"VICTORY!!"