"Uh… the schedule changed? That might be…"
The voice on the other end of the call sounded hesitant — until Akashi tapped his desk with just enough force to make the message clear. Instantly, the man corrected himself:
"No problem! No problem at all! How would you like it adjusted?"
"For Kaijō's second-round opponent… Should I arrange Rakuzan?"
Akashi frowned. He glanced at the phone in his hand and replied coldly:
"No."
"Rakuzan's opponent in the second round will be Seirin."
"As for Kaijō… their second-round opponent will be Igawa High. Third round: Fukuda Sōgō. The remaining teams can proceed with regular drawing lots."
Akashi's tone left no room for negotiation. The caller agreed repeatedly before hanging up, exchanging the usual pleasantries at high speed.
Phew—
Akashi slowly exhaled and leaned back into his chair.
At that moment, a crimson flash ran through his right eye. The Red Akashi spoke from within his mind:
"Why not let Rakuzan face Kaijō? With Kota absent, this is the best chance to crush them."
A golden glint lit up Akashi's left eye as the Gold Akashi appeared, scoffing:
"What nonsense. A Kaijō without Kota has no value whatsoever in being defeated."
Red Akashi rolled his eyes.
"What a waste… You have the host advantage and still go out of your way to benefit others."
Gold Akashi shot him a sharp glare and fell silent.
The air grew still. Two personalities surfacing at once—neither of them speaking further, both simply coexisting in silence.
After a moment, Akashi closed his eyes as if drifting into sleep.
He recalled the final exchange between him and Kota during the Interhigh…
Thanks to his status, the referee awarded him three free throws and slapped Kota with a defensive foul.
"It's fine… Consider this paying him back for that time."
…
…
Miracles Group Chat
Kise: @Kota
Kise: Kotaaaa, the second-round draw is out! We're up against some totally unknown team!
Kota (Suspended—Do Not Disturb ver.): Really? Let me check.
Kagami: What the hell? We're facing Rakuzan in round two already?! Fine, whatever, bring it on, Akashi!
Kagami: @Akashi
Akashi: Very well. I'll be waiting.
Aomine: Damn, looks like I'm crashing into someone too — @Murasakibara. Come to think of it, we've never actually played each other officially.
Murasakibara: True, Mine-chin. I'm gonna squish you.
Aomine: Disgusted.jpg
Momoi: Why is everyone meeting so early? It's only the second round! What about Midorin and Kuroko? Who are you two playing? @Kuroko @Midorima
Midorima: Shūtoku has a bye.
Kuroko: Fukuda Sōgō's opponent isn't well-known either. Looks like I'll finally lead the team into round three!
For years, Fukuda Sōgō always ended up facing one of the Miracles in round one or two and got sent home early. Kuroko's best record so far was barely making it past the first round.
Momoi: Suspicious.jpg
Momoi: This year's bracket sure is… convenient?
Midorima: It is unusual. My morning horoscope said Gemini will find themselves caught in someone else's arrangement… Though I still don't quite get what that means.
…
Inside the Shark Gym, Kota scrolled through the chat, raising a brow.
"Fukuda Sōgō making it to round three? This feels… a little too convenient."
He rubbed his chin, thinking.
Normally, round three was where the Miracles' teams inevitably collided—no outsiders involved. And although Kuroko was technically part of the Miracles, he was undeniably the least brilliant compared to the prodigies.
After round one, excluding the "true" Miracles' teams, three others remained: Kuroko's Fukuda Sōgō, and two random fodder teams.
Kaijō just so happened to face one of the fodder teams, dodging early elimination despite Kota's suspension.
But the most "coincidental" part was Kuroko—who also conveniently faced the last remaining fodder team.
That forced the Miracles to clash in round two instead of round three.
It could be coincidence…But Kota couldn't help thinking further.
"Don't tell me… Fukuda Sōgō is the opponent the organizers arranged for Kaijō in round three?"
The thought startled even him.
Then he waved his hands dismissively.
"No way. Why would the organizers rig the matchups just to protect Kaijō until my suspension ends? Impossible. Besides, who could even influence the hos—"
"…Akashi???"
Kota's eyes went wide.
Suddenly, his theory didn't seem so far-fetched.
"Whatever. Thinking about it won't change anything. Maybe I'm just flattering myself…"
He decided to shelve the issue.He was suspended for two games—whatever happened to Kaijō while he sat out wasn't his concern.
As for whether Akashi helped him… he'd know once he saw who Kaijō faced in round three.
"Miss Masako, let's go to the movies! There's a film called Titanic Gone Wild, and I really wanna see it!"
Araki closed her magazine and looked at Kota, who seemed far more thrilled about movies than worried about Kaijō's fate.
"Please. You got suspended, not me. Yosen plays Tōō the day after tomorrow—I'm busy."
"What???"
Kota pouted."Fine then… I'll ask Reiko to go with me."
Yako: ???"…Since when?"
"Tomorrow?"
"I'll pick you up."
"Okay~!"
…
…
While Kota was busy on his "not-a-date" movie outing with Araki, the Winter Cup second round officially began.
Kaijō became the first team to advance to round three.
With Kota absent, Yuki stepped in as point guard. The Rookie of the Year from the Interhigh shined just as brightly this time.
He put up 22 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 5 rebounds—even with heavy defensive pressure. And because of that focus on him, they neglected Kise…
Who exploded for 52 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal — the highest-scoring game of the Winter Cup second round!
Kaijō advances!
Next was Fukuda Sōgō. Haizaki wasn't a top-tier prodigy, but against an average team, he bulldozed through with ease.
These results were predictable…But the real excitement came from the later matches!
Match 3: Rakuzan vs. Seirin
This year, Seirin had once again entered their "Five as One" miracle state, just like last Winter Cup. Kagami entered the Zone early, clashing with Akashi in a fierce duel.
The rest of Seirin backed Kagami as the core, pulling off brilliant plays one after another.
But in the end… Rakuzan emerged victorious.
36 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds, 10 steals.
Akashi—with both personalities active—delivered a mythical performance.
A massive quadruple-double, the first in Winter Cup history.
Rakuzan wins, 118–115, advancing to round three.
Seirin's players cried bitterly afterward. Another Winter Cup loss meant many were graduating—Seirin's Five Tigers wouldn't rise again.
They became the first Miracles-affiliated team eliminated this year.
But, of course, not the last.
Final match of round two: Tōō vs. Yosen
The No. 1 defensive efficiency team (Yosen) vs. the No. 1 offensive efficiency team (Tōō).
This match rivaled Rakuzan vs. Seirin in hype.
Right from the start, Yosen used their signature "three-in, two-out" defensive formation. Their paint defense was ironclad — Tōō scored only 40 points in the entire first half.
For Tōō, scoring 120+ in a full game was normal. This was the first time they'd failed to reach even 50 by halftime.
But Yosen's offense wasn't impressive either. Even with Himuro, their scoring style was still "old man pushing a cart" — slow and grinding.
Halftime: 41–40. Yosen leading by one. Neither side gaining real momentum.
In the third quarter, Aomine struck first — entering the Zone at full power, flipping the score and creating a seven-point lead.
But the turning point came in the fourth quarter!
Himuro regained form. Murasakibara awakened. Both entered the Zone.
The inside-outside duo scored on back-to-back possessions, forcing Tōō into a timeout — and in the final minute, they executed a perfect pick-and-roll alley-oop dunk, crushing Tōō's hopes.
Aomine scored 48 points…But Yosen's duo combined for 61.
Even Aomine couldn't carry the entire team alone.
Tōō's next best performer was Igarashi with 20 points and 12 assists—a solid showing, but not enough.
Tōō eliminated. Yosen advances!