On the basketball court.
Kagami snapped the ball straight at Kise, his voice cold.
"You first."
Kise caught the pass on instinct. The impact stung—this guy had serious power.
So Kagami was looking down on him?
Fine. He'd teach him a lesson.
He dribbled twice and advanced, eyes locked on Kagami, who dropped into a defensive stance.
Textbook form.
Kise sneered inwardly. No way this stops me.
The moment he closed in, Kise feinted right, slammed the dribble left, and burst forward.
Kagami reacted instantly, sliding over and throwing out an arm—
But as soon as Kagami shifted his weight, Kise slammed on the brakes and faded back.
The ball arced cleanly over Kagami's stunned face.
Swish.
A sharp snap of net.
Kagami's scowl flickered—then vanished.
Off to the side,
Riko watched Kagami give up the first point and grimly scribbled notes.
"Exceptional body control. Elite touch."
As they reset, Hyūga muttered, "Kuroko… can Kagami beat him?"
Kuroko paused, then shook his head.
"No."
The words hadn't even settled when Koganei yelped,
"Kagami scored!"
Back on the court,
Kagami's one-handed slam rattled the rim.
Kise wasn't shaken—if anything, his lips curled with interest.
Landing lightly, Kagami stared him down.
"One-all."
Kise said nothing. He simply retrieved the ball.
In the stands,
Kurumatani Sora pumped his fist. "Awesome!"
Ueno chuckled. "Impressive, sure—just dowry."
"Dowry?" Sora blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Watch."
Ueno already knew what was coming.
Kise's stamina might trail Kagami's—he was a finesse player—but copying a power move or two was nothing.
Seirin buzzed with excitement at the basket.
Only Kuroko remained expressionless.
"Go, Kagami-kun!" Koganei cheered.
Kise dribbled slowly, meeting Kagami's glare.
"Not bad. That last one."
Kagami smirked. "Don't expect me to hold back."
Watching that smug face, Kise replayed the dunk in his mind, nodded once, and smiled.
"No. You've got it wrong."
He exploded forward.
Kagami blinked—then braced—
But Kise switched the ball left to right, spun past him, and charged the rim.
Kagami whirled in pursuit, shocked but closing—
Then froze.
Kise leapt, right arm cocked, and hammered the ball down with a vicious tomahawk.
The exact same dunk.
"That—"
"Isn't that Kagami's dunk?!"
"He can do it too?!"
Seirin stared as Kise hung one-handed from the rim.
Riko's pen hovered midair, unsure what to write.
"That's Kise's ability,"
Kuroko said calmly. "Anything he sees once, he can copy—"
"—and refine."
The team gaped.
"Copy?"
"What kind of monster is that?!"
In the stands,
Even after the warning, Kurumatani Sora stared wide-eyed at the cleaner, sharper replica.
"So this is Kaijō's Ace…"
"Yeah," Ueno said quietly.
Kise didn't just imitate.
He optimized.
On the court,
Kagami's face darkened.
"Just now—"
"Yep. Your move," Kise replied lightly. "Problem?"
He flicked his hair, smiled once, and turned toward Kuroko.
First to three.
They'd played three possessions.
Two–one. Kise.
He'd beaten Kagami using Kagami's own weapon.
Skill, power—sure.
But limited.
Kagami clenched his fists, staring at Kise's back, fury and humiliation twisting together.
"…Damn it."
Seirin watched him approach, every expression tense.
A rival who could mirror anything.
Riko replayed both dunks in her head, then finally wrote:
"Copy ability—executed more perfectly than the original."
Kise took his jacket from Kuroko and grinned.
"Later, Kurokocchi. I'll drop by again."
He turned to leave—
Then stopped.
His gaze snapped to the stands.
"…Ueno Juri."