Just as Miyara Ichi clutched the basketball nervously, Ueno appeared behind him, black lightning trailing in afterimages.
"Captain."
Hearing Ueno's familiar voice, Miyara passed the ball without hesitation.
Seeing the ball leave Miyara's hands, Aomine immediately shifted his gaze toward Ueno.
At the entrance of Tōō High School.
Takao pedaled the tricycle with all his strength while Midorima sat stiffly in the back seat, holding today's lucky item — a small green plush toy — sweat dripping down his face.
"Midori… Midori… whew… who is that Ueno guy?"
Midorima adjusted his glasses, one hand gripping the armrest of the rattling tricycle while the other held his horoscope slip. His green eyes gleamed behind the lenses.
"He's strong."
Even Midorima didn't fully understand Ueno yet.
But that last play had left a deep impression.
"By the way, Midorima," Takao asked while riding through campus, "do you know where the Tōō basketball court is?"
Midorima calmly pushed up his glasses.
"No idea."
"Nani?!"
Back on the court.
Coach Shinkawa watched Ueno and Aomine continue their duel in silence, arms folded, expression grave.
On the bench, Kurumatani Sora stared in shock.
At this point, no one else could even touch the ball.
The game had essentially become a one-on-one battle between Ueno and Aomine.
The score had already shifted from 4–0 to 44–40.
Less than twenty minutes had passed in the first half.
"Sora — warm up."
Coach Shinkawa suddenly spoke.
Sora blinked.
"You're subbing someone out?"
The coach shook his head slightly, eyes still on the court.
"Prepare to replace Ueno."
"…Huh?"
On the court, Ueno gritted his teeth as he chased after Aomine again.
Sweat poured down his face. Fatigue flashed in his eyes.
Pain spread across his body.
His Zone was overloaded.
But stubborn determination kept him from shutting it down.
He continued trading blows with Aomine.
Aomine wasn't in good shape either.
He was exhausted.
But he hadn't felt this alive in a long time.
So he stayed in the Zone.
Aomine slammed another shot into the basket—
WHISTLE!
"Tōdai requests timeout!"
On Tōdai's bench, Ueno collapsed onto the seat, grabbed the water Sora handed him, and chugged nearly an entire bottle.
A towel dropped over his head as he gasped for air.
Sora looked worried.
"Ueno… you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ueno said with a forced smile.
Then he closed his eyes to recover.
Around him, Miyara, Shin, and the others fell silent.
Compared to Ueno, they weren't tired at all.
Because just now—
Ueno alone had been fighting Aomine.
Coach Shinkawa looked at the exhausted Ueno, then at the rest of the team.
After a moment, he spoke.
"Sora goes in next. Ueno, you rest."
Then he added calmly,
"Ueno won't return to the game."
Everyone froze.
Ueno opened his mouth to object, but the seriousness in the coach's eyes stopped him.
The others' expressions darkened.
If Ueno left the court—
Tōdai would definitely lose.
Coach Shinkawa's face hardened.
"Do you think this game belongs to Ueno alone?"
"Do you think victory depends only on him?"
"Answer me!"
The shout stunned everyone into silence.
Then the whistle blew.
"Substitution for Tōdai! Number 7 out, number 1 in!"
Sora stepped onto the court.
The audience murmured in confusion.
Kagami frowned.
"What are they doing? Subbing Ueno now just frees Aomine."
Kise thought quietly.
"Maybe it's strategy… or something else."
Kuroko said nothing, simply watching Sora.
Even Tōō's bench was confused.
Coach Harasawa narrowed his eyes at Sora.
Is number one strong too?
Aomine glanced at Sora, clearly puzzled.
"Where's Ueno?"
Facing the much taller Aomine, Sora forced himself into a defensive stance, too nervous to answer.
"WHISTLE!"
"Game resumes!"
Near the bench, Coach Shinkawa stood beside Ueno.
"Do you know why I subbed you out?"
Ueno wiped sweat from his face.
"…You want them to understand that basketball isn't a one-man game."
The coach nodded approvingly.
"Basketball is not an individual sport."
On the court, Tōdai was already being overwhelmed.
"You might win a game alone. Maybe several," the coach continued. "But you won't win the championship alone."
"To lift the trophy, one person's strength is never enough."
Ueno looked back at the court.
Without him, Tōdai struggled badly.
Even though Aomine had left the Zone, Tōō's overall level was far higher.
Within minutes, they had taken the lead and widened it to double digits.
"Ueno."
"Yes, Coach?"
"You still have a long road ahead of you," Shinkawa said gently. "But I don't want…"
He paused, eyes drifting back to the court, filled with memory and regret.
After a moment, he finished:
"I don't want you walking that road alone."
Ueno's heart trembled.
He looked back at his struggling teammates, emotions swirling in his eyes.
Coach Shinkawa sighed quietly.
Ueno was an excellent ace.
But he trusted himself too much — and his teammates too little.
A common flaw among the strong.
Still watching the court, the coach said calmly:
"They may be weak right now."
"But one day, when you're exhausted… when you look behind you…"
"They'll be standing beside you."