"Sounds like Seirin's in a bit of trouble right now, huh?"
Kota commented with a hint of schadenfreude. Seirin wasn't looking too hot.
There were six minutes left in the first half.
32 to 25 — Seirin was trailing.
On the other hand, Shūtoku had a comfortable lead. Midorima had nailed three three-pointers before the coach pulled him out. But even without Midorima, Shūtoku's overall strength still clearly outmatched their opponents.
Kota looked visibly disappointed when Midorima was subbed out. He had come to this game specifically to see how the legendary sniper played — only to miss the show entirely.
Noticing Kota's mood, Kise patted him on the shoulder with a grin.
"Don't worry! I believe in Kurokocchi. He won't lose to Seihō — he'll definitely force Midorimacchi to show his full power. Your ticket won't go to waste!"
Kota gave Kise a weird look and gestured toward Seirin's bench.
"Uh… looks like Kuroko and Kagami just got subbed out."
...
"Huh?! What the heck is Seirin thinking?!"
...
Seirin called a timeout.
"Damn that bald guy..."
Kagami was visibly frustrated. He hadn't expected to be shut down by a first-year from Seihō. He had only managed to score six points the entire quarter.
Tsugawa looked at Kagami's furious expression with twisted satisfaction.
"That's it! That's the look I live for. Suffering is beautiful!"
Then, as if inspired by a mischievous thought, Tsugawawalked over to Kagami, smirking.
"You know, your upperclassmen made it to the prelims last year too... but we tripled their score. Don't believe me? Ask your senpai, haha!"
The moment he saw Kagami's dumbfounded face, he laughed even louder.
Hyuuga, having heard the commotion, walked over.
"What's going on, Kagami?"
Before Kagami could answer, Tsugawa menace cut in.
"Oh, nothing much. Just sharing a heartwarming little story from last year's prelims. Thought I'd spare you the rerun since you were there."
And off he went, humming a tune like a discount villain.
Hyuuga adjusted his glasses and, seeing Kagami's expression, more or less pieced together what had happened.
"Take a breather on the bench, Kagami."
Kagami didn't say a word. Head down, he followed Hyuuga to the bench.
Riko bit her nails anxiously, trying to think of a way to break through. With Kagami neutralized, Seirin's offense was falling apart. If it weren't for Kuroko's smart assists, the team would've already collapsed.
Hyuuga looked at Kuroko and Kagami and gave Riko a subtle nod.
Riko took a deep breath — there was no other option.
"Kagami, Kuroko, you're both sitting out for now."
Kuroko looked up in confusion. They were taking both of them out?
Kagami was shocked and immediately protested.
"What?! Coach, are you serious? If we sit out, what happens to the game?!"
Before Riko could respond, Hyuuga spoke first.
"What, you think the upperclassmen can't handle it? Listen, first-year — next match is against Shūtoku, and you and Kuroko are essential there. Midorima's resting up for that game. If we burn you out now, who's taking him on next? You do remember we've got two games today, right?"
He gestured toward the neighboring court — Shūtoku's match was underway, and Midorima was chilling on the bench, next to a tanuki plushie like it was the most normal thing ever.
Kagami was at a loss for words but still argued.
"But if we lose this game, there is no next game!"
He turned to Riko, hoping to change her mind.
Kuroko quietly spoke up."Kagami-kun, I also think we should conserve our strength. Against Midorima, if we're exhausted, we don't stand a chance. Besides, I trust our senpai."
Kagami frowned but ultimately relented. However, he made Riko promise — if they were losing badly by the end of the half, he wanted back in.
Hyuuga agreed and walked toward the court.
"Let's go. It's our time now. If we keep relying on the first-years, we'll never grow up."
Izuki followed behind him, cracking a joke.
"And if we get wrecked again? No Kiyoshi to bail us out this time. Hope we don't totally embarrass ourselves."
Last year, Seirin had made it to the preliminaries thanks in large part to their ace — the Uncrowned King, Teppei Kiyoshi. But due to injuries, he had missed the later stages, and Seirin had been absolutely shredded.
That still haunted Hyuuga.
He took off his glasses, wiped them slowly, and spoke with quiet resolve.
"It's been a year. This time won't be like last time. Even without Kiyoshi, we can do this. If we can't even prove that, how can we call ourselves upperclassmen?"
Izuki smiled knowingly. Last year, Kiyoshi had carried them. This year, it was Kuroko and Kagami doing all the work. The rest of them just looked like extras.
"Huh? They subbed out the first-years?"
Seihō's captain Iwamura blinked in surprise. Why bench your stars when you're behind?
"They're saving their energy for Shūtoku? Seriously? Do they think we're that easy?"
Tsugawa strolled over to Hyuuga, pretending to look for someone.
"Where's your first-year duo, huh? Don't tell me they gave up and ran away? Haha! You're gonna get tripled again without them, you know!"
"Shut it, you bald monk!"
Hyuuga turned and glared so fiercely that Tsugawa actually flinched.
"Geez, that glasses guy's got some serious intimidation stats..." Tsugawa muttered.
"You first-years really don't know how to respect your elders, do you?"
Hyuuga let out a breath.
"Watch closely, Kiyoshi. This time, we'll carry the team forward for you."
...
"Seirin's upperclassmen... they've improved a lot."
Kise looked genuinely impressed. In their last practice match, Seirin had been completely overwhelmed — and that was with Kota and Kise still working out their coordination. Now, even without Kagami and Kuroko, they were holding their own against Seihō.
Kota stroked his chin, silent. He'd mentally prepared for Seirin's improvement. After all, they had gone from total nobodies to national champions in under a year.
That's a protagonist glow-up if he'd ever seen one.
On the court, Hyuuga was constantly moving, looking for open shots. Izuki's passes were sharp and precise — the moment Hyuuga found space, the ball was already there.
Another long pass from Izuki — Hyuuga caught it, took a breath, and sank a three.
Kota couldn't help but praise:"Seirin's point guard has solid vision. Didn't really notice that in the training match."
Kise nodded."And that glasses guy's threes are on point. It's like he transforms when the team's down."
The dual-personality clutch shooter Hyuuga, Hawk-Eye Izuki, and the yet-to-return Uncrowned King, Kiyoshi. Then there's Kagami, who's brushing shoulders with the Generation of Miracles, and their secret weapon — the sixth man, Kuroko.
Kota's eyes gleamed with a rare seriousness. Seirin was still rough around the edges — but by the Winter Cup?
They might just become the sixth Generation of Miracles.
Still...
Kota glanced at the scoreboard and sighed.
Struggling this hard against Seihō? Yeah… maybe sit this tournament out, guys.
End of the first half: 58–52. Seirin's still behind.