The second quarter was drawing to a close.
On the court, the duel between Reo Mibuchi and Reiji Fukaya had reached its breaking point.
The scoreboard read:
Teiko vs. Senzan
69 – 49
What began as a single-digit lead in the first quarter had suddenly ballooned into a twenty-point gap.
All because the balance of their matchup had been shattered. Once Reo Mibuchi's rhythm broke, the flaws in his forced adjustments became exposed.
To achieve the "Earth" shot, he had compromised the form of his "Heaven" shot. In order to unify the motion of his three styles — "Heaven," "Earth," and "Void" — he had altered his shooting form.
But compromise always leaves scars.
The most glaring… was his three-point accuracy. As the clash with Fukaya wore on, stamina ebbed away. Even when Fukaya paused to catch his breath, even when Mibuchi freed himself with a screen, the shots stopped falling.
And so, by the end of the second quarter, Mibuchi had no choice but to reduce his offensive attempts and shift his focus to Senzan's overall play. But that decision meant conceding the shooter's duel to Teiko.
That was when the twin beasts were unleashed—Akihito Shigure and Shuzo Nijimura.
When it came to full-team play, Senzan was never going to match Teiko's twin stars.
Nijimura's presence was like an entire system by itself, crushing Senzan with all-around dominance. Shigure's ferocity, meanwhile, overwhelmed Mibuchi—showing him what it meant for both offense and defense to stand at the very pinnacle.
Then came the third quarter.
For the first time in the Nationals, Teiko kept its starting five intact into the second half—and with that, they broke Senzan completely.
But what hurt Senzan most was not the scoreline. It was watching their ace lose confidence.
The heaviest blow to Mibuchi did not come from Nijimura or Shigure.
It came from Reiji Fukaya.
"Reo…"
"Captain…"
"Are you alright?"
His teammates and the younger bench players called out in concern. Mibuchi forced himself to straighten, but in his eyes lingered a lost confusion he had never felt before.
It was obvious now.
The Reo Mibuchi of middle school was not yet the one who, in high school, would rally under Rakuzan, who could stay unshaken in the face of setbacks, even worrying more about Akashi Seijūrō than himself.
Right now, he was simply… broken.
All his life, people had called him a "genius." Among his peers, no one could match his three-point artistry—no one but Shigure. By this year, he was certain no one even came close.
He had spent an entire year refining his "Heaven" shot, altering its form, pushing its extreme fadeaway to the point where it hit with consistency. With that, he completed the "Earth" shot he had once glimpsed only as a seed of possibility.
Later, seeing the limitations of both, he sought to surpass Shigure—and miraculously created the "Void."
With three styles, he brimmed with pride. He vowed that at his second Nationals, he would use them to finally defeat Shigure.
But now, all of it
Shattered in an instant.
Because at the very start, Teiko revealed a monster.
A first-year named Shintarō Midorima.
Supernatural resistance to pressure.
Unbelievable shooting arcs.
Limitless range.
Mibuchi had thought no one could draw near him. Yet here was someone already standing on the same path, perhaps even destined to surpass him.
A genius. Different in style, but with talent greater than his own.
At that moment, he felt a premonition of doom.
And Fukaya confirmed it.
Unlike Midorima, who only "approached," Fukaya struck him down head-on.
On offense, his explosive bursts unfolded like rungs on a ladder, coupled with deceptive fakes learned from Shigure himself.
On defense, he swiftly read Mibuchi's three forms, dismantling them with precision.
The result was clear.
Mibuchi… had lost.
As he spiraled deeper into doubt, a voice broke through his storming thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?"
It was unfamiliar—because this person rarely spoke on court.
Yet familiar—because every brief word in their duel had already pierced him to the core.
"Reiji Fukaya…" Mibuchi muttered.
The once-unknown Teiko player now stood like an immovable wall before him.
By the latter half of the third quarter, Teiko called a timeout. The entire starting lineup, including Shigure, was subbed out—except Fukaya.
Mibuchi's heart trembled.
So it had come to this stage already.
"Thinking of giving up?"
Mibuchi glanced up at Fukaya but gave no reply. Then Fukaya spoke again, using the brief pause to deliver words that struck like arrows.
"Midorima Shintarō, our Teiko junior… He always wears his glasses on his right hand side. He insists on eating at the same time every day. Before every game, he ties his right shoelace first."
"…"
"He never loses his composure, never raises his voice."
"!?" Mibuchi blinked.
"And to preserve his shooting touch, he cares for his nails. Outside games and practice, he carefully wraps his hands with bandages."
Not far away, Midorima froze mid-step as he left the court, his ears flushing red. He hadn't expected his respected senior to notice such details.
But Fukaya continued.
"Each morning he listens to his horoscope, carries a lucky charm of the day. He lives by the creed, 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.' That's why he believes—why he knows—his three-point shot will never miss."
Mibuchi trembled.
He realized then… he hadn't just lost to Fukaya.
He had lost to Midorima's unwavering resolve.
Every cell in his body screamed the truth.
Fukaya's words carried no pretense. They were infused with sincerity, with unshakable conviction. His gaze burned with a will that shook Mibuchi to his core.
"I may not be a pure shooter," Fukaya said, "but through Midorima, I see you. And I think… when it comes to the three-point shot, there should always be both you and Midorima."
"A single victory or defeat may leave bitterness, it may leave memories. But losing here does not mean losing everything. Even the memory of defeat should never be tainted by regret born of giving up."
END OF CHAPTER
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