After glancing at the basketball that had been slapped away beside him, the corners of Aomine's mouth slowly lifted. A strange excitement spread through his body.
Watching Ueno being surrounded by his teammates and showered with praise, Aomine let out a soft chuckle.
"Interesting… really interesting."
If things were too boring, he would've been disappointed.
Tōdai scored.
Tōō ball.
Sakurai inbounded the ball, and Wakamatsu had barely secured it when he saw Aomine extend a hand, silently asking for it.
Wakamatsu hesitated for a moment and instinctively looked toward Imayoshi.
Seeing the captain give a small nod, Wakamatsu immediately passed the ball.
After receiving it, Aomine frowned slightly, but said nothing.
His expression turned serious.
Standing in front of him, Ueno watched carefully. He wasn't completely confident he could stop Aomine — but if Aomine still wasn't using his full strength, that uncertainty would only grow.
On the sidelines, Coach Shinkawa raised an eyebrow as he watched the ace-versus-ace matchup unfold again.
He trusted Ueno's offense.
But Ueno's defense… not as much.
Still — if Ueno could stop Tōō's ace, it would be a massive blow to Tōō's morale.
And a huge boost for Tōdai.
On the court, Aomine lowered his body slowly, dribbling.
His eyes turned cold.
His body feinted.
The ball switched from his right hand to his left, and he exploded past Ueno on the right in a full-speed burst.
Fast.
So fast that Ueno appeared frozen in place.
Watching from afar, Coach Shinkawa sighed.
Just as expected — Ueno still lacked defensive experience.
But in the next instant—
Ueno moved.
His right hand shot out like lightning toward the ball.
BOOM!
A dull, explosive sound echoed.
Under Aomine's shocked gaze, Ueno's palm struck the basketball cleanly, sending it flying away while Aomine remained mid-dribble.
The ball slammed into the guardrail near the stands.
The entire court fell silent.
Only the echo of the basketball bouncing remained.
Ueno turned his head toward the ball.
A cold red glint flashed in his eyes.
Animal Instinct.
Wait for the opening — end it in one strike.
Shock spread across the court.
Aomine's dribble… had been stopped.
On Tōō's bench, Momoi looked anxiously toward the court.
"Coach Harasawa… should we call a timeout? I'm worried about Dai-chan…"
She had wanted Aomine to face a strong opponent.
To reignite his passion for basketball.
But not like this.
Coach Harasawa watched silently, his gaze heavy with thought.
He hadn't expected Tōdai's ace, Ueno Juri, to be this strong defensively.
That reaction speed.
That decisiveness.
Tōō had truly found a worthy opponent.
And the current situation… was bad.
Their ace had been suppressed on both offense and defense.
Even a battle-hardened team like Tōō couldn't avoid the hit to morale.
Calling a timeout could reset the momentum.
But it could also damage their ace's pride.
Coach Harasawa said nothing.
He simply watched Aomine Daiki.
On the court, Imayoshi and the others looked toward Aomine with concern.
They knew his strength.
And even though they hadn't known him long, they understood his pride.
After all, Aomine had once said—
"The only one who can beat me… is me."
On Tōdai's bench, Kurumatani Sora was practically shaking with excitement alongside the substitutes.
To him, Ueno looked unbelievably cool.
Ueno's earlier words echoed in his head.
"We're strong."
Across from them, Tōō's bench sat in stunned silence.
Their ace…
Had been beaten again.
On both offense and defense.
In the stands, Kise unconsciously sat up straight.
"Ueno-cchi… you've gotten this strong already?"
Beside him, Kagami stared silently at Ueno's back, fists clenched tightly.
Aomine slowly straightened.
His body trembled slightly.
His head remained lowered, but excitement filled his eyes.
His smile widened.
"This is more like it… This is actually fun."
Now it wouldn't be boring.
Because—
The only one who could beat him was still himself.
He lifted his head and looked at Ueno.
Blue lightning flickered across Aomine's eyes.
Confidence.
Excitement.
Battle spirit.
Seeing this, Ueno's expression shifted slightly.
He knew.
Aomine Daiki had returned.
The ace of the Generation of Miracles was back.
Ueno smiled.
Black lightning flickered in his eyes.
The two stared at each other.
Then both of them laughed softly.
"The real game starts now."