The fourth quarter ended with the score frozen at 99 to 128.
Seirin High School had lost.
They had fallen beneath Rakuzan High School's iron cavalry in the semifinals.
The Winter Cup's greatest dark horse had reached its end.
The audience gave both teams their loudest applause, cheering for the incredible match they had delivered.
"I didn't expect it, but in the end, Rakuzan High School was still a cut above."
"Sigh, the dark horse lost. I really thought they might keep upsetting everyone until the end."
"Next up is the finals, right? I'm kind of looking forward to it!"
The spectators discussed the match while already anticipating the final.
As the game ended, Shintaro Midorima and the others also stood and left the arena.
The Seirin players stared at the score, frozen on the court.
Junpei Hyuga tilted his head back and looked up at the arena ceiling, unable to stop the tears from slipping down his face.
"So... in the end, we still lost? We lost in the semifinals."
Teppei Kiyoshi stood with his hands on his hips, head lowered, saying nothing.
Taiga Kagami's face was filled with frustration, his fists clenched tight.
'We still lost? I still couldn't do anything?'
Just as Taiga Kagami sank into self-blame, Tatsuya Himuro placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Taiga, don't sell yourself short."
Taiga Kagami turned his head.
Tatsuya Himuro continued,
"It was just one loss. We'll... come back next year!"
Taiga Kagami froze for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh.
"Yeah."
Riko Aida also wiped the tears from her face and looked toward the court.
Tetsuya Kuroko stood there blankly, his expression filled with frustration.
They had lost after all?
Even after he gave up everything to become the light, they had still lost?
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Kuroko!!!"
Hearing that long-lost, familiar voice, Tetsuya Kuroko whipped his head around.
When he turned, he saw a familiar figure waving both hands at him with a smile.
Tetsuya Kuroko's tears immediately spilled over, and he murmured in disbelief,
"Ogi... Ogiwara-kun?"
Shigehiro Ogiwara was standing in the spectator seats closest to the court, waving both hands and laughing as he looked at Tetsuya Kuroko.
When he saw Tetsuya Kuroko look over, Shigehiro Ogiwara lowered his hands, raised his right thumb, and gave him a thumbs-up.
Then he shouted,
"Kuroko, you played great!"
At that moment, Tetsuya Kuroko finally could not hold back his tears. They poured down his face uncontrollably.
He choked out,
"Ogiwara-kun..."
Seeing this, Shigehiro Ogiwara immediately climbed down and ran toward Tetsuya Kuroko.
When he reached Tetsuya Kuroko, Shigehiro Ogiwara smiled and said,
"Kuroko, long time no see."
Tetsuya Kuroko could not hold back anymore. He hugged Shigehiro Ogiwara and broke down crying.
Shigehiro Ogiwara froze for a moment, then smiled and gently patted Tetsuya Kuroko's back, comforting him.
The rest of Seirin saw this and did not disturb the reunion between the two old friends.
Instead, they turned and began helping pack up their things, preparing to leave.
For the matches to come, they would only be spectators.
...
A few days later, the finals lineup was announced.
A total of three schools had entered the finals.
They were Kirisaki Daiichi, Shūtoku High School, and Rakuzan High School.
With three schools, that meant they would play three matches to decide the champion and runner-up.
The three schools would take turns playing each other. Only the team that defeated the other two schools would become champion.
In other words, Kirisaki Daiichi had to defeat Shūtoku High School, then defeat Rakuzan High School, in order to win the championship.
Meanwhile, Shūtoku High School and Rakuzan High School would also play again to decide second and third place.
Only a team with two clean wins could become champion.
Miyamoto Tokima looked at this unusual tournament format and sighed.
"It really is a special year. Even the tournament format is..."
Shogo Haizaki scratched his head and said,
"So our first match is against Shūtoku?"
Satsuki Momoi nodded and said,
"Yes. Our first match is against Shūtoku High School."
Hearing this, Makoto Hanamiya suddenly remembered that little Takao whose mental defenses he had broken with trash talk, and he immediately licked his lips.
"I'm getting a little excited."
Shogo Haizaki felt the dark aura pouring off Makoto Hanamiya and quickly moved a little farther away.
"Damn it, Hanamiya, can you act like a human being for once?"
Makoto Hanamiya immediately glared at Shogo Haizaki in annoyance.
"Clean up your own mouth first!"
Shogo Haizaki looked disdainful.
"What the fuck does that have to do with you?"
Makoto Hanamiya shot back,
"Looks like your mouth is full of the same shit as your brain."
Shogo Haizaki immediately flew into a rage.
"Hanamiya! You!"
Shuzo Nijimura rubbed his forehead, pointed to the ring at the side of the gym, and said,
"There's a ring over there. Go up and talk it out yourselves."
That's right. Kirisaki Daiichi's gym had a boxing ring.
At first, it had only been built so everyone could practice taking hits.
Later, Makoto Hanamiya and Shogo Haizaki turned it into a place for real men to settle things one-on-one.
Makoto Hanamiya and Shogo Haizaki exchanged a look, put on their gloves, and headed straight into the ring.
The referee, the professional ring referee Miyamoto Tokima had recently hired, followed them up.
There was no helping it. With a ring, having a referee around at least made things a little safer.
Atsushi Murasakibara stood off to the side, eating a Delicious Stick while watching the boxing match in the ring with full attention.
For him, eating snacks while watching people fight was the best.
The corner of Miyamoto Tokima's mouth twitched as he watched the two of them trade punch after punch in the ring, and he fell silent.
Guys, is your boxing match turn-based or something?!
Miyamoto Tokima rubbed his forehead, then finally pulled Satsuki Momoi out with him.
As for the rest of Kirisaki Daiichi, of course they kept training.
Make Miyamoto Tokima train?
Absolutely not.
...
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the finals arrived.
The first match was Kirisaki Daiichi against Shūtoku High School.
The matchup was packed with highlights, and the stands were full.
Students and spectators alike had come to watch this match.
The audience seats were packed with people.
Looking across the stands, many familiar faces could be seen.
Daiki Aomine, Ryota Kise, Tetsuya Kuroko, and others.
It was worth mentioning that after watching Tetsuya Kuroko's series of matches, Shigehiro Ogiwara had rekindled his desire to play basketball.
On the court.
Because this was the final stage of the national tournament, the Basketball Association had also made some changes for various reasons.
The two teams no longer entered on their own to warm up. Instead, they entered with a DJ introducing them.
That's right.
The National Tournament Finals.
They had a DJ!!!
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (45 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.