IH Tokyo District Qualifiers.
Quarterfinals.
Seirin vs. Kirisaki Daiichi, right before tip-off.
"Alright!"
"Everyone, focus up! The game's about to start!"
Coach Riko Aida clapped her hands sharply, pulling the players' attention back from their nerves. Then she reminded them again, "Today's opponent, Kirisaki Daiichi, will throw everything they've got at us. With the little practice time we had, we focused almost entirely on run-and-gun, and it's carried us this far!"
"But just relying on run-and-gun won't win us today's game!"
"That's the level of our opponents!"
"So right from the start, we need to make this game follow our rhythm. Got it?!"
"Yeah!!"
Just then, Kiyoshi Teppei thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Well, about that… this game… I kind of want to try something new."
"Even though it's suddenly a real match."
Riko: "!?"
"Right, Koga~"
Kiyoshi's words went right over Koganei Shinji's head, but that didn't stop him from grinning excitedly.
"Well then~"
"Let's start with a smile~"
…
Very quickly
By the fourth quarter of the game
The entire crowd was stunned by Seirin's play.
Even Kirisaki Daiichi's players on the court were left speechless.
"Whoa! Here comes Seirin's No. 7!!"
On the court
Kiyoshi Teppei leapt into the air to attack the rim against Kirisaki's interior players. But just as the defenders rose to block, he casually palmed the ball and swung it around to dish a pass from behind Kirisaki's No. 6—straight out to the three-point line!
Hyūga Junpei caught it, rose, and fired!
Whoosh!
Swish!
Three points!
"Nice one, beautiful pass!"
On the bench, Tsuchida Satoshi—one of the later additions to the team—cheered with unbridled excitement for his teammates.
Meanwhile, on the court
This was the first time Kirisaki Daiichi had seen a team like this. It was as if both inside and outside were wide open at once. The ball moved at a speed completely different from any run-and-gun team they had faced before!
And it wasn't just that.
Their towering No. 7, the center, had the vision to read their movements and the skill to change his actions midair, dishing the ball out at the perfect moment.
A guy like that…
Was impossible to stop.
…
Izuki Shun: "…"
Amazing.
Kiyoshi actually had this kind of court vision and feel for the game.
And then, the very next possession, just as Izuki was marveling at Kiyoshi Teppei's ability, the stands erupted again—Hyūga had nailed another three-pointer.
Not counting the scattered ones earlier
Just now
That made four threes in a row for Hyūga.
In the stands
Haizaki Shōgo smirked disdainfully. "What's the fuss? That blondie's nothing special. If it were Midorima out there, he'd be dropping sixty or seventy against this kind of opponent."
Kuroko Tetsuya: "Hyūga-senpai already cut his hair. That's really rude, Haizaki."
Kuroko: "And besides…"
Kuroko: "Midorima is different."
At that moment
Kuroko noticed Haizaki's expression shift. A shadow fell across his face, and in a low, grim voice he muttered, "Wait a sec… that idiot's actually their opponent…?"
"His leg… the one that monster Shigure snapped… it's healed?"
"?"
Kuroko froze at the sudden, chilling words. He had no idea about what had happened back when the Generation of Miracles were first-years.
And hearing Haizaki, worry began gnawing at him.
"Seirin's in trouble. I don't know why that guy only checked in so late, but whenever he's on the court, nothing good happens."
"Back when we were first-years, any team that played against Kinshō Middle before us—every single one of their ace players ended up injured."
"That guy…"
"His specialty, besides stealing, is dirty play."
"And he's smart about it too—rarely taking shots himself, but using his tricks to block the ref's line of sight, giving his teammates cover to play dirty."
"If it weren't for monsters like Nijimura the Violent Freak and Shigure, who knows…"
Even Haizaki, recalling that match against Kinshō Middle, had to admit it had been a pain to deal with him. And Seirin's bunch—naive, straight-laced types through and through—would struggle even more.
Now, watching Makoto Hanamiya preparing to check in, Haizaki's gaze locked onto the bandage wrapped around Hanamiya's right knee. Then, his eyes flicked toward the other healthy leg.
His thoughts turned dark.
If it were me now, I'd cripple that other leg too.
But then
"Tch!"
No way something like that happens again… right?
That guy…
…
At the scorer's table
Hanamiya lounged casually, even with a hint of schadenfreude, as he spoke: "Excuse me, substitution please."
"Ah."
"Understood."
"Anyway~" Hanamiya glanced up at the scoreboard—one minute left, trailing by ten. "This game's already lost~"
"I told you you should've put me in earlier."
"Heh!"
"Stupid coach!"
As he grumbled about the coach, his eyes slid onto the court—specifically, onto another member of the Uncrowned Kings, Kiyoshi Teppei, who was dominating under the rim.
Slowly, his gaze drifted lower
To Kiyoshi's knee.
Lower still
Past the court, down to his own feet, to the tightly wrapped bandages around his own knee.
And in that instant
Whatever thought crossed Hanamiya's mind, his face twisted from gloomy to something even darker.
"Well then~"
"At this rate, there's no way we're making it to the finals."
"At the very least, I'll make sure they pay a price."
Meanwhile
The crowd roared for Iron Heart Kiyoshi Teppei.
"This time he scored it himself!"
"So strong, as expected from Iron Heart Kiyoshi!"
"Tch…" Hyūga Junpei clicked his tongue, annoyed, but remembering all Kiyoshi had done so far, he reluctantly smirked. "Nice work, Kiyoshi…"
But right after saying it, he snapped back into focus.
"Hey!!"
"Get back on defense!!"
"Don't slack off until the very end!"
Beside him
Izuki Shun took it all in.
And thought
When those two work together, they really are strong…
This isn't a dream…
We really can make it.
To Nationals!
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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