On one side, Teiko was about to face Kamita Nishi Junior High—the twin brothers they had crushed in last year's finals.
On the other side, another fated matchup was taking shape.
Kanagawa's No.1 seed, Kaijō.
Its core built from Teiko's alumni: Shigure Akihito, Nijimura Shuzo, Fukasaya Reiji, and Kurokami Shinji.
Facing them stood Nara's No.1 seed, Jinno.
A team forged just as tightly, perhaps even more so—Okura Masaaki, Izawa Shō, Uchiumi Masahiko, Nanaki Asahi, and Eba Masatoshi.
Kaijō vs. Jinno.
Two lineups born from different Teiko generations.
And today, they would clash in the Interhigh quarterfinals.
For Jinno High's basketball team, the moment their quarterfinal opponent was set as Kaijō, no one understood the weight of it better than the starting five.
The very juniors who once brought Jinno championship glory… would now be the same ones to personally end their seniors' final summer.
Yet
When the coach led Jinno's players into the gym, the moment they were swallowed by the thunderous roar of the crowd, the sheer heat of it still jolted through Okura Masaaki's body like an electric current.
And with that surge, all hesitation about today's game burned away.
For Jinno's substitutes—sophomores and freshmen alike—the atmosphere was unlike anything they had ever experienced.
Even with Hagioka Kasayuki drawing nationwide attention the past two years, nothing compared to this spectacle.
And then
An even greater wave of noise crashed over the arena.
As a team in blue uniforms stepped into the light, the volume spiked to yet another level.
Okura turned his head.
Unsurprisingly, it was Kaijō.
His adorable… yet terrifying juniors.
"Hey!"
"Look, it's Kaijō!"
"The Teiko Twin Stars are right there at the front!"
"They're… kind of scary. Their height, their aura—everything."
"Last year's Rakuzan was undefeated too, but they weren't this overwhelming. Kaijō's been crushing every opponent with hundred-point margins like it's nothing."
"For real?"
"Absolutely. Kaijō is the overwhelming favorite to win it all this year. Not even Rakuzan, with Hagioka, is safe."
"These monsters are absurdly strong!"
Okura's eyes swept across Kaijō's lineup—it was his first time seeing them again since junior high.
The first figure to hit him wasn't Shigure, but Kurokami Shinji—already towering past two meters, looking monstrous among high school players.
Then Fukasaya Reiji, gloomy as ever, nearly as tall as Nijimura. His head tilted slightly as he exchanged words with Nijimura, whose stern, unyielding presence hadn't changed in the slightest.
And then
Shigure Akihito.
And… Nijimura Shuzo.
At the very moment Okura's gaze fell on them, the two turned in perfect unison, their sharp eyes locking onto him.
The pressure from that single glance was suffocating.
Good god…
So this is what Teiko became once those two took the lead.
In his mind's eye, Okura suddenly pictured Teiko as a villain syndicate straight out of a manga—all led by those two.
"Nijimura."
"Shigure."
"Captain Okura, it's been a while."
"Nanaki-senpai, Izawa-senpai… long time no see."
…Well.
At least their attitude hadn't changed.
Hopefully…
They wouldn't completely obliterate Jinno.
Tch!
No, that wasn't the mindset to have.
This was their last year. Facing the legendary Teiko alumni in their final Interhigh—if anything, they had to show what being seniors meant, to display every ounce of growth they'd achieved!
Okura: "…"
Damn it!
Why does it feel so backwards?!
We're supposed to be the seniors here!
Off to the side, Nanaki and the others watched Okura spiral into his usual dramatic inner monologue, shaking their heads at how much more eccentric he'd become since entering high school.
Once Jinno finished changing, staff soon came to announce that warm-ups were ready.
The substitutes stepped onto the court with nervous anticipation.
"That Teiko Twin Star combo… are they really that strong?"
"Ha?"
"What do you think?"
"I dunno. I only started basketball in high school. But… if they're Captain Okura's juniors, they've gotta be strong, right?"
"Don't say that! Damn it, Captain and the others fought against that bastard Hagioka for two years. We thought even if we couldn't beat Rakuzan, at least this summer our seniors could face them in the finals and go all out… but no, we had to draw Kaijō in the quarterfinals!"
"Damn it all!"
"Eh?"
"So… does that mean we're in serious danger today…?"
"It's already over. The moment we drew Kaijō, it was over!"
During warm-ups, the substitutes on Jinno's bench stole glances toward Kaijō.
Before Okura's generation, Jinno had always been a weakling program. The gulf between them and powerhouses wasn't just skill—it was resources, facilities, everything.
Even after Okura's class arrived, the recruitment pool was still limited. Many teammates were beginners. It was a structural disadvantage they could never erase.
Thus, to the ordinary players, their worldview was simple—the starting seniors were the strongest, the ceiling of what they knew basketball could be.
So when they looked at Shigure and Nijimura, even as the seniors on the bench grimaced bitterly, the younger players still clung to naïve hope.
Clap clap clap!
"Focus! Don't think about the opponent. No matter who we're up against, we stick to our rhythm. Take the first quarter!" Okura clapped his hands, his personality snapping into that same commanding mode he'd shown at Teiko, rallying his team.
"Yes sir!"
"Let's go!"
"Let's show those brats what we've got!"
The words carried weight. The aura of the senior starters was entirely different from the substitutes'. The younger players' expressions lit up with fresh confidence.
No problem!
The third-years—our seniors
They're monsters in their own right!
But then
It didn't take long.
Bang!
On Jinno's offensive set, a flash of blue streaked across the court, blazing like it was wreathed in hellfire.
From beyond the free-throw line, he rose.
Nanaki Asahi's careful three-point shot, freed by Okura's screen
Was obliterated by a single swat, sent flying!
The sheer force of the block rocketed the ball from the frontcourt all the way to Jinno's bench, grazing a substitute's cheek before slamming into the courtside ads with a thunderous crash!
In an instant
Every Jinno freshman's expression froze solid.
For a long, breathless moment
The gym fell into deathly silence.
Like cicadas in winter.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead
🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead + 6 bonus chapters!
Huge thanks to everyone already on Patreon—you're the real MVPs! 🙌Bonus chapters, early access, and all the good stuff are live. 👀✨
And for the rest—it's not too late to be part of the team. 🚀
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer