BEEEP!
"Start of the second quarter!"
Kise walked up to Haizaki as the whistle blew, flashing a smile.
"I think I've got a good read on your level now, Haizaki."
"Hah? Finally realized you're outta your depth, scrub? Doesn't matter when or where — you'll never beat me."
Haizaki took a deep breath to steady himself, grinning with disdain.
Kise's expression shifted into something… awkward.
"Ugh. This guy's full-on delusional. What a buzzkill."
"I was planning to play around a little longer, but someone's pushing me. Sorry, I'm done toying."
Kise scratched his head as he let Haizaki blow past him after receiving a pass.
"What the hell is he mumbling about?"
Haizaki smirked. Kise was already behind him, and Kaijo's remaining defenders weren't worth his time.
"You really peaked in middle school, huh, Haizaki."
"Suddenly—a familiar voice."
"What?! That can't be— I just broke past him!"
Still near the three-point line, Haizaki froze. Eyes wide, stunned.
A golden blur shot past him.The ball in his hands—gone.
Kise was already speeding down Kaijo's half like a comet — his eyes shining, every motion crisp and fluid.
Perfect Copy: Aomine.
Borrowing Aomine's speed, Kise blitzed past defenders.He clicked his tongue.
"Not enough. Still not enough."
His presence shifted again—
Perfect Copy: Kagami.
Explosive hops surged through his legs.One glance at the hoop — He launched from the free-throw line—
BOOM!
Free throw line dunk!!
BEEEEP!
The crowd went wild—but no one louder than Kota.
He flopped dramatically to the floor like he fainted, arms splayed.
Kaijo's bench crew instantly rushed over like medics, lifting him up and carrying him back like an injured soldier.
The entire stadium erupted into laughter.
"Look at that guy! He's hilarious!"
"That blonde dude's insane! Did he just dunk from the free-throw line?!"
Kise's explosive opening to the quarter and Kota's comedy combo cranked the crowd's energy back to a fever pitch.
Once again, Kaijo's name echoed through the gym.
"Tch… damn it…"
Haizaki cursed under his breath.
He stomped over to a teammate and—SLAP!
"You got in my way, you idiot! If you hadn't blocked me, I'd have scored already!"
The scene shocked everyone on the court.
The referee tightened his grip on the whistle, unsure.
"Do I call that? It's violence, but… it was against his own teammate?!"
Even Kota, still acting unconscious on the bench, peeked sideways.
"Damn… former Teiko member or not, he's got the balls to do what I've only joked about."
Kasamatsu's brows furrowed deeply. As someone who valued respect and order, he despised this kind of open contempt.
Ishida, Fukuda's captain rushed to the teammate who'd been slapped.No injuries—just massive humiliation.
He shot Haizaki a glare… but said nothing.
Because without Haizaki, they had no shot at Kaijo.
Kise, though, was not about to let that slide.
"You really are trash, huh. No wonder Akashi booted you off the team."
"What the hell did you say?!"
Still fuming, Haizaki grabbed Kise by the collar, glaring daggers into his eyes.
Kise calmly pushed his hand away, fixing his uniform as he replied coldly:
"Sure, he got in your way. But you never even got the chance to break through—I stripped the ball before you did anything."
"Blaming others like this… you really look like a stray mutt, Haizaki."
Haizaki's face twisted with fury.
He let out guttural growls, but he couldn't argue — because everything Kise said was true.
The referee dashed over to separate them. Since Kise hadn't thrown a punch, only Haizaki received a warning.
His face darkened even more.
"That's our genius right there!"
Kota whistled from the bench, flashing Kise a grin.
But his eyes didn't leave Haizaki —he was watching very closely.
"One dirty move, and I'm subbing in to teach him what "basketball" really means"
Unfortunately, Haizaki let him down.
Maybe it was Kise's overwhelming momentum, or maybe something else — but he kept his head down and played clean the rest of the quarter.
"Weird… this isn't like him. Did I misjudge the guy?"
Kota scratched his head. In the original timeline, Haizaki was way more aggressive.
Kise had no more interest in talking, either.
The first quarter had been a test — now, he knew the truth:They weren't even in the same league anymore.
Halftime whistle.
Kaijo 52 – 37 Fukuda Sogo.
Kaijo up by 15.
Thanks to Kise's relentless pressure, Haizaki wasn't invisible — but he was absolutely being crushed.
That first-quarter tie was long gone.
"Kind of obvious, honestly" Aomine muttered from the stands, yawning."Kise's miles ahead of him now. Hell, they're still holding back Kota, and it's already a blowout."
"I told you long ago" Akashi added, arms folded and smiling."Kise's talent was always something Haizaki could never match."
The Captain and Ace of the Generation of Miracles both agreed: This game was already over.
But their Sixth Man, Kuroko, didn't share their view.
"The Haizaki I know… isn't the type to give up easily. He'll try something in the second half. I don't know what — but he will make a move."
His voice was soft, but carried across all of Seirin.
Kagami nodded in agreement.
He'd seen it too — Haizaki's eyes hadn't lost their spark.He was waiting—for a chance to strike. To bite back at Kaijo with everything he had.