After Kazunari Takao left, Shintaro Midorima didn't resume training. He simply stood there, motionless, for a long time.
Then he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Shintaro Midorima was already standing before the massive [Gate].
He stared at the solemn, tightly shut [Gate] in silence.
He didn't move, just stood there quietly watching it.
After an unknown amount of time, Shintaro Midorima stepped forward, raised both hands, and pressed them against the [Gate].
Then...
He pushed!!!
He pushed!!!
He pushed!!!
"Damn it!"
Shintaro Midorima couldn't stop himself from cursing, his expression turning furious.
Usually calm and rational, even he couldn't hold back his anger in front of the [Gate] that completely blocked his path.
"Why? Why?! What did I do wrong? What gives you the right to keep me locked out?!"
Shintaro Midorima looked almost unhinged.
One year. A full year.
He had been shut out by the [Gate] for an entire year.
During that time, he never once neglected his training. He had even awakened his Animal Instinct, yet the [Gate] hadn't budged in the slightest.
Shintaro Midorima seemed to possess a rather unusual ability. By focusing his attention, he could observe the process of others pushing open the [Gate].
This ability appeared to be linked to his Animal Instinct.
Because of it, he had effectively witnessed every member of the Generation of Miracles opening the [Gate].
Daiki Aomine, in his second year of junior high, had casually pushed the [Gate] open with just one hand.
Seijuro Akashi, in his third year, stood before the [Gate] for the first time and opened it immediately, walking straight through.
As if the moment he thought, "I want to open the [Gate]," it simply opened.
Like strolling through his own backyard.
Not long ago, he once again sensed someone pushing the [Gate] and immediately went to watch.
It was Atsushi Murasakibara.
And the way Atsushi Murasakibara opened the [Gate] left him completely stunned.
At the time, Atsushi Murasakibara's face was filled with extreme rage, devoid of any rationality.
He actually drove his fingers straight into the [Gate] and, bit by bit... pried it open!
That moment shook Shintaro Midorima to the core.
After that, only Ryota Kise and he remained in the Generation of Miracles without awakening.
But in the very next game, Ryota Kise opened the [Gate] right in front of him.
That was when Shintaro Midorima truly started to crack.
Among all of them, he was the one who believed in himself the most. He had absolute confidence in his three-pointers.
At the same time, he trained harder than anyone else. It could be said that within the Generation of Miracles, only Daiki Aomine's training intensity could compare to his.
No one else came close.
And yet, despite such relentless, disciplined effort, he still couldn't push the [Gate] open even a fraction.
Anyone in his position would break.
Shintaro Midorima sat down weakly in front of the [Gate], lowering his head, motionless like a statue.
On the other side.
Daiki Aomine lay on his bed, staring at his raised hand in silence.
"Who exactly are the gatekeepers of those two great [Gates]?"
........
On the other side.
At the Akashi residence.
Seijuro Akashi picked up the phone. The person on the other end was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Akashi, you're not planning to play in the next match either?"
Seijuro Akashi replied coldly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes, Senpai Chihiro, I won't be playing at all during the Summer Cup."
Chihiro fell silent for a moment, then said:
"But Akashi, the next match is your—"
Before he could finish, Seijuro Akashi cut him off sharply.
"I know. If you lose, it just means you weren't good enough. Go back and figure out why. Settle everything in the Winter Cup."
Chihiro could hear the finality in his tone. With no other choice, he sighed.
"I understand."
Then he hung up.
After the call ended, Seijuro Akashi looked at his reflection in the mirror, his expression turning angry.
"Miyamoto Tokima!"
He shouted the name, and a gentle voice echoed in his mind.
"You can't defeat Miyamoto Tokima. Even that move you're currently training in isolation... I'm afraid it still won't be enough to defeat Miyamoto Tokima, let alone his team."
Seijuro Akashi exploded like a lit fuse.
"Shut up, you coward! The moment you gave up, you already lost!"
"Since you've already lost, stay buried where you belong. Don't come lecturing me on what to do!"
The voice fell silent for a moment, then replied:
"Then... do your best."
The next second, everything returned to calm.
Seijuro Akashi's anger gradually subsided.
He glanced at the basketball on the floor, then at the photo of himself and his mother on the wall.
"Mother, I will win. I will. I will!!!"
......
Elsewhere.
At the street court.
Taiga Kagami was constantly dribbling, driving, dunking, and shooting.
Sweat soaked his entire body, yet he didn't stop for even a second.
He kept attacking relentlessly.
Right now, it felt like his body was burning.
Behind him, the faint silhouette of a fierce tiger flickered in and out of view.
"Little Kagami, working this hard? You're still training this late."
A voice suddenly interrupted him.
He turned his head, puzzled.
"Ryota Kise? What are you doing here?"
Ryota Kise was dressed in white, holding a light gray suit in his hands.
He brushed back his blond hair with a smile.
"I just finished a modeling shoot."
Taiga Kagami gave a simple response.
"Oh."
Ryota Kise immediately shouted:
"Give me a normal reaction, will you!!!"
Taiga Kagami remained expressionless and replied again:
"Oh."
"You 'oh' what, you idiot!!!"
"Oh."
"......."
Taiga Kagami stopped messing around and asked:
"Want to play one-on-one?"
Ryota Kise thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Better not. We're starting joint training tomorrow. We'll have plenty of chances then."
That's right. Kaijō High School and Seirin High School had already arranged a joint training camp.
Riko Aida approached Genta Takeuchi to propose it, and after weighing the pros and cons, he agreed.
It was scheduled to begin tomorrow.
Since one team hadn't made the Summer Cup and the other had already been eliminated, they had plenty of time for training.
But Taiga Kagami clearly didn't want to wait.
"Let's do it now. What, are you scared?"
Ryota Kise's smile slowly faded, his eyes sharpening.
"Looks like I need to teach Little Kagami a lesson."
.......
...
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