"Huh? It actually went in? Lucky…"
After scoring, Tsugawa Tomoki froze for a moment, but before he could even cheer, Tsutomu Iwamura smacked him on the forehead.
"Lucky my ass! You made one out of five shots. Have you forgotten what position you play?" Iwamura scolded.
In basketball, most players rarely take three-pointers because they're harder than two-pointers, basic common sense.
So for an ordinary player, hitting four out of five shots from outside wouldn't be unusual.
But Tsugawa isn't ordinary.
Although he had insisted he played small forward since learning Akashi Asuka's three-point accuracy surpassed his own, the official roster listed him as a shooting guard.
And in reality, he was a shooting guard.
While his primary role was defense and his long-range shooting average was mediocre, under normal circumstances, an open three-pointer would have about a 60% success rate, and in games, roughly 40%.
So for five shots, at least two should have gone in to be acceptable.
One out of five? That's not luck, it's extremely poor form.
Still, Tsugawa's performance didn't greatly affect the overall game.
72:30.
The score gap widened to over 40 points again.
Cheering from Tōō Academy's bench had disappeared. Even the most optimistic players had to admit that while Aomine's presence gave Tōō Academy a fighting chance against Seiho, it wasn't enough to surpass them.
The deficit from the first half had now become a fatal flaw.
============
"Lose? No way."
Aomine Daiki noticed the strange expressions around him, yet his own face remained calm, his gaze sharpening.
Slowly, he said, "The only one who can beat me… is me. Trying to defeat me with sneaky little tricks? Not that easy!"
As he finished speaking, his figure vanished from Akashi's sight.
This burst of speed left even Akashi momentarily stunned.
Too fast.
It was almost inhuman, like a gust of wind, gone in the blink of an eye.
"Are you kidding me… he's even faster?"
Kousuke Wakamatsu's eyes widened in shock.
Akashi instantly turned to chase, but Aomine seemed to anticipate his move, already adjusting his trajectory, sidestepping the defense, and throwing the ball straight into the hoop.
Clang!
72:32.
After the basket, Aomine silently turned back to defend.
Seiho launched another offense. Akashi took position under the basket, while Tsugawa attempted a three-pointer. At the moment of his release, Aomine suddenly appeared in front, raising his hand to block the shot.
He then drove solo down the court, scoring another point before Seiho could react.
72:34.
Everyone on the court froze.
Tsugawa stared at Aomine's back, a chill creeping down his spine.
"What… what's happening to him?"
The block had felt less like a contest against a human and more like facing a wild beast, completely instinct-driven, lacking rational thought.
Tōō Academy's players were equally shocked.
Only Shoichi Imayoshi watched with a mix of astonishment and delight.
"Ah… perhaps we should thank them after all. If not for you, we'd never get to witness this side of Aomine!"
Kasuga Ryuhei squinted. "What do you mean by that?"
Imayoshi smiled slightly. "Nothing… just… have you ever tried fighting a wild beast?"
Seiho launched another play. Using Akashi's strength, they forced a basket under the hoop, narrowing the gap to 40 points.
74:34.
But in the next two plays, Aomine moved as if he could predict every action of Seiho's players. At each critical moment, he evaded danger, drove through, and scored.
On one play, Tsugawa's overzealous help defense even allowed Aomine to complete a 2+1.
Tōō Academy narrowed the gap by 5 points.
74:39.
Seiho's coach, Matsumoto Iku, finally called the first timeout of the game.
============
Off the court, the Seiho players gulped water, trying to calm their shock.
Matsumoto frowned. "I never expected such a player… miscalculation! Aomine Daiki, truly the ace of the 'Generation of Miracles.'"
Tsugawa immediately asked, "Coach, what's happening to Aomine? His presence on the court… it's too strange. He didn't feel human, more like a… wild beast?"
Matsumoto glanced at the team. "That's…"
"Animal Instinct?"
Members from Shutoku and Seirin looked at Midorima Shintaro, surprised by the term.
"Exactly," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Animal Instinct isn't a talent, it's an innate force, like pure instinct.
Humans, living in a peaceful world, gradually forget this power.
Yet some retain it.
It may not even be something they consciously want, but Animal Instinct is a force that surpasses predictive reaction, even beyond the senses.
Like an animal sensing danger before it arrives.
Perhaps Aomine had long forgotten this force, but facing Akashi has awakened it once again…"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria