After the first quarter ended, the players from both teams headed off the court to rest.
From the sidelines, Miyamoto Tokima looked at the scoreboard, nodded, and said:
"Looks like Midorimacchi still firmly believes in his choice."
Satsuki Momoi smiled sweetly, as if reminiscing about their junior high days.
"Yeah. After all, Midorima-kun has always been unwavering when it comes to choosing the three-pointer."
Shuzo Nijimura gritted his teeth.
"That charlatan!"
On the court, Shintaro Midorima sat on the bench with his eyes closed, resting quietly.
The Shūtoku players all instinctively kept silent, creating a calm environment for him.
On the other side, at Kaijō.
Ryota Kise panted slightly as he glanced at the scoreboard.
32–22.
"A ten-point gap… Why does it feel like we're playing so smoothly, yet the difference just keeps getting bigger?"
Yukio Kasamatsu replied:
"Idiot! Aside from that first two-pointer at the start, everything they've scored has been threes!"
"And all of ours are twos!"
"Now I finally understand why something felt off from the beginning."
"Shūtoku is letting us into the paint. Their goal is to let us score two points!"
"They just shut down our three-pointers, allow our twos, and then attack with their own threes."
"They're not competing with us on defense—they're competing on offense. But they're scoring threes while we're scoring twos."
"That means the gap will just keep widening."
"It's like slowly boiling a frog in warm water!"
After hearing Kasamatsu's explanation, the Kaijō players finally realized how serious the situation was.
Kasamatsu turned to look at Kise.
"Kise, you still good?"
Kise took two deep breaths and smiled.
"I've still got plenty of stamina, Kasamatsu-senpai."
Seeing that, Kasamatsu's expression hardened. He extended his hand.
"Everyone. In the second quarter… we're going all out to chase the score!"
The Kaijō players stacked their hands together and shouted:
"Yes!"
...
Outside the court, a figure stared intently at Ryota Kise on the court, as if trying to find the shadow of someone else in him.
But after watching for a long time, he still couldn't see it.
Finally, he muttered to himself:
"Ryota… in the end, you still couldn't do it. You don't even have a trace of that person."
"It seems you've failed after all."
With that, the figure stood up and left the gym.
As if he had already known the outcome of the match…
...
The second quarter began quickly.
Both teams sent their main players back onto the court.
Kise's condition had recovered somewhat.
After returning to the court, Kaijō High School took the first possession.
Kasamatsu received the ball and dribbled across half-court.
This time, he didn't immediately look for Kise. Instead, he controlled the ball while observing the situation on the court.
Just like in the first quarter, Shūtoku's defense beyond the three-point line remained extremely tight.
With no other choice, Kasamatsu decided to try the tactic they had just discussed.
He quickly found Kise and passed the ball.
The one guarding Kise was still Kiyoshi Miyaji.
Using his speed, Kise blew past Miyaji in an instant.
After the breakthrough, Shūtoku players like Taisuke Otsubo immediately rushed forward to defend.
This time, however, Kise didn't charge straight into the paint. Instead, he paused for a moment.
After confirming something, Kise made his move.
He got past Otsubo, but instead of going for the layup, he kicked the ball out to the three-point line.
Otsubo's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly chased toward the ball.
It turned out that Mitsuhiro Hayakawa had already run to the perimeter the moment Kise penetrated the paint.
Hayakawa caught the pass in the corner.
After a simple adjustment, he released the shot.
The ball grazed the rim and dropped in.
Only after seeing it go in did Hayakawa finally let out a breath.
"Nice shot!"
Kise shouted with a grin, high-fiving Hayakawa.
It was obvious that the three-pointer made him extremely happy.
Afterward, Kise jogged over to Midorima and said with a smile:
"So, what do you think, Midorimacchi? My teammates are pretty good too, right?"
Midorima's expression remained calm as he replied lightly:
"Unstable shooting will only make your descent into the abyss come faster."
Possession switched.
The moment Kazunari Takao crossed half-court, Midorima ran over to receive the ball.
With the ball in his hands, Midorima faced Kise.
Kise's expression was extremely serious, his concentration at its peak.
Midorima remained expressionless and simply made a shooting motion.
Kise's center of gravity shifted instantly.
He wanted that block too badly.
But by the time his weight had fully committed, he realized he had been tricked.
Midorima hadn't jumped at all.
It was just a pump fake.
After baiting Kise's balance, Midorima immediately dribbled sideways, then rose into the air for a shot.
The basketball arced high through the air and dropped cleanly through the hoop.
After scoring, Midorima turned his head slightly and said calmly:
"I've always had a question."
"Why did Akashi choose you?"
"Logically speaking, Haizaki's talent isn't weaker than yours. Using talent as the reason doesn't convince me at all."
Hearing that, Kise gave a bitter smile. His tone carried a hint of melancholy.
"To be honest… I didn't know at first either."
"It wasn't until I saw that person in that state that I started to have a guess."
Midorima frowned slightly.
"Miyamoto?"
Kise nodded with a wry smile.
"Yes."
Midorima thought about it for a moment. It did seem like something Seijuro Akashi would do.
However, Midorima was a rational person. Without knowing the truth, he wouldn't jump to conclusions.
"Don't think about it too much."
"Focus on the present."
"You've already stepped into the abyss."
Kise suddenly burst out laughing.
"Midorimacchi, your way of comforting people is still as stiff as ever."
Midorima looked as though he had been exposed. He quickly turned around and said stubbornly:
"Just focus on winning the next possession!"
With that, Midorima ran back on defense without looking back.
A faint smile appeared on Kise's face as he quietly watched Midorima's retreating figure.
But this is good too.
At least… I got to meet friends like you.
Kise lowered his head and looked at the gym floor, then at his teammates.
And at the same time…
I've also found what I truly love…
Kise slowly closed his eyes.
A certain belief in his heart reached its absolute peak.
"I… will win!!!"
...
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