An entire quarter passed.
Shuzo Nijimura and Akihito Shigure responded to their opponents with overwhelming force. Rather than suffering setbacks, they pushed their respective matchups from Kirisaki to the brink of being benched.
By the latter half of the first quarter, those same Kirisaki players—who still had some defiance in them—were completely subdued.
Faced with Teiko's ever-intensifying counterattacks, they feared that if things kept up, they'd end up getting carried off the court.
However, the rest of Teiko's squad didn't escape unscathed. Most were pressured in some way—especially Seijūrō Akashi. While his offense remained sharp, his defense revealed gaping flaws for the first time.
Soon, the first quarter came to an end.
Scoreboard:
Teiko vs. Kirisaki — 37:18
After Akihito Shigure unleashed his Wide-Area Defense, Kirisaki, led by Makoto Hanamiya, exploited small "dirty tricks" to probe vulnerabilities in Teiko's formation.
They continuously baited Shigure's coverage and spread their offense across the court.
His Wide-Area Defense extended in a dome-like arc from just behind the free throw line, a semi-circular zone aiming to cover as much of the backcourt as possible. But naturally, even such a large area had its blind spots.
Hanamiya keenly identified these, directing his team to shift accordingly. Though it wasn't enough to break through entirely, it did open more offensive chances than any other team had managed so far.
Thus, even with Akihito Shigure going full throttle on defense, Teiko allowed 18 points in a single quarter—a record.
And yet...
The point differential was 19.
"Damn it! Damn that Akihito Shigure! Damn that Shuzo Nijimura! What 'Teiko Twin Stars'?! If they joined Kirisaki, I'd make them starters on the spot!"
"No kidding…"
"Honestly, they feel more like Kirisaki players than Teiko."
"Oi oi~ Let's not slander Kirisaki here. We don't have a tradition of dirty play. You second-years are the ones pulling that crap~"
"Hmph! You third-years who lost your starter spots to us have no right to speak!"
"Haaa…"
"Especially that Shuzo Nijimura. When he counterattacks, I noticed no one on Teiko bothers to block the ref's line of sight. Yet somehow, the refs never catch him…"
"Damn it! And that Akihito Shigure's defense… what is he?! A couple of times after Hanamiya broke through, he was forced all the way to the three-point line, and yet that guy still almost made it back to defend the paint! Hey, Hanamiya, couldn't you just pass once you pull him out?"
"Nope~ That guy's terrifying when it comes to intercepting passes that come near him. It's risky."
"Tch! It's all his fault we only scored 18 points that quarter… and now we're down by almost 20!"
Kirisaki's No. 11, expressionless as ever, pulled aside No. 10—who had resumed chewing his toothpick and ranting—and No. 13, who wore a dark scowl.
And truthfully…
No. 11 understood.
He'd been up against Nijimura directly.
No. 13 had faced Shigure.
And No. 10, tasked with setting screens and disrupting defenses, frequently found himself double-teamed by both.
Still, he tried to hush the chatter. Because just then, he noticed something far more unsettling: a stormy darkness swirling across Makoto Hanamiya's face, like ink seeping through his skin.
Clearly…
Hanamiya was in a foul mood.
For someone like Hanamiya, who expected everything to follow the script he wrote, this deviation from plan must've enraged him.
Second Quarter — Begins.
As Kirisaki's players walked past Teiko's bench, Shōgo Haizaki couldn't help but scoff.
"Heh~ All that scheming and cheating, and you're still nearly 20 points behind?"
"Bunch of pathetic losers…"
But before Haizaki could finish his insult, he stopped—stunned.
In front of him, Makoto Hanamiya suddenly grabbed his own hair in anguish, his voice tinged with real sorrow.
"Then…"
"What else am I supposed to do?"
"You can't beat a champion team like Teiko just by talking big. I made a promise to my teammates—to lead them higher, no matter what."
"If not this…"
"How else do we fight against the Teiko Twin Stars?"
"Haizaki-kun, it's not like we want to play dirty!"
His voice was raw, emotional—an uncharacteristic display of vulnerability that made even Haizaki pause.
And for someone like Haizaki, who's acutely sensitive to people's darker sides, the alarm bells rang instantly—even before Midorima or the others could react.
His expression turned dark.
"You bastard…"
"Cut the act already!"
"You think anyone's buying this crap?!"
Atsushi Murasakibara: "!?"
Daiki Aomine: "…?"
Eh?
So it was fake?
Sure enough
Next second.
"Of course I don't mean any of that~"
"Idiot~"
Hanamiya's face twisted back into his usual wicked grin. His tone turned sinister and mocking.
"You're pretty sharp, Haizaki-kun…"
"Unlike those two fools beside you~"
"Pfft~ Morons~"
"But you know…"
"I'm really looking forward to it. Watching opponents like you—who train so hard every day, pouring your youth into basketball, chasing after your 'senpai' idols…"
"…Seeing you crushed. Watching your despair after losing."
"Ahh~"
"Just imagining it makes me so happy~"
As Teiko's first-years glared, their emotions seething, Hanamiya gave them no chance to fire back. He simply turned, waving flamboyantly.
"So yeah…"
"Benchwarmer brats shouldn't be trying to talk to me. Come back once you actually get on the court~"
As the second quarter began, Kirisaki swapped out their No. 13 and sent in No. 4—Shōichi Imayoshi.
Back on court
He was the team's sole third-year.
Seijūrō Akashi narrowed his eyes.
It was only the second quarter, and they were already swapping out core members, bringing in a third-year point guard to play shooting guard?
Shōichi Imayoshi.
"..."
A name that Shigure-senpai had specifically warned them about.
He'd once mentioned something about a potential "spiderweb" interception tactic when Imayoshi was paired with Hanamiya. But even Shigure hadn't sounded too sure about it at the time.
In fact
What Shigure had doubted wasn't Hanamiya's capability, but whether Imayoshi's intelligence could keep pace with him.
"Imayoshi-senpai~"
"You…"
"You're not going to hold me back, right?"
In front of Akashi, Hanamiya casually tossed the words toward Imayoshi. The latter, eyes half-hidden behind his glasses, narrowed them even further.
"What do you think?"
"Kirisaki…"
"…doesn't belong to just you."
Hanamiya smirked faintly.
"You've got that scheming face, yet you're still the one standing on court. Morality's surprisingly important to you, huh?"
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"Looks like the other third-years feel betrayed by your appearance~"
Imayoshi looked back briefly, then shook his head.
"Helping you isn't necessarily 'dirty play.' But if you switch back to your old style, then I'd have no interest in being on this court, Hanamiya-kun."
At that, Hanamiya dropped the conversation entirely.
Then
Suddenly, he looked up, scanning the crowd around the arena.
And just like that
The "passionate hero" Hanamiya took the stage.
Clap
Clap
Clap
Amidst the applause
"Everyone ready? Let's do this!!"
"As long as we hang on, we can beat Teiko! Don't let your year of hard work go to waste—let's show them the pride of Kirisaki Daiichi!"
"Yeahhhhh!!"
…
"Let's go!!"
On court
Everyone who knew Hanamiya's true nature stared in stunned silence as he performed his act.
For all of the first quarter, under his guidance, Kirisaki had skirted the edge of fouls and hidden their dirty tricks from the referees. And now this…?
But
The crowd loved it.
Cheers erupted.
Chants followed.
Akashi looked down momentarily. "Manipulating the crowd's emotions… what's the point?"
"The point?"
Hanamiya grinned, arms outstretched as if absorbing the energy around him.
"It's simple~"
"When the world cheers for your 'talent'…"
"I only have to tug a few strings…"
"And everything…"
"…becomes mine for the taking."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm mocking you."
And then
Hanamiya opened his half-lidded eyes wide, staring straight at Akashi.
I don't see your so-called 'talent' at all…
Akashi-kun.
Moments later
Kirisaki's offense was smothered by Akihito Shigure. Teiko immediately launched a fast-break counterattack. Their court coverage was as rapid as ever.
"So fast!"
"They're already in the opponent's half!"
Akashi pushed the ball to the top of the arc, his dribbling barely visible. Then
With a sudden move
He passed the ball to Reiji Fukaya, way out near the three-point line!
At the same moment
Hanamiya lunged in, having anticipated the pass with uncanny timing, his confidence oozing as he prepared for a fast-break steal.
But then
Just as the ball hovered within reach…
Akashi feinted!
A reverse flick—false pass!
Hanamiya froze.
Whoosh!
A real pass flew the other way!
Fukaya caught it.
Three-pointer—swish.
"'Yours for the taking,' huh…"
Amid thunderous applause, Akashi slowly turned to face Hanamiya, who had lunged past him and was still recovering from the failed steal.
"Nothing comes easy at Teiko…"
"Everything here is earned—by strength…"
"Senpai."
End of chapter...
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