Inside Kaijo High's basketball gym
The brand-new adjustable hoop slowly descended, replacing the one that Kagami had just shattered with a dunk. The broken rim had been tossed to the side of the gym.
"That was seriously terrifying. I've never seen coach make that face before," Kise said with a grin as he adjusted his wristband.
Kagami shrugged, unimpressed. "He looked down on me first. He had it coming."
"I wonder how much a hoop like that costs," Kuroko said in his usual deadpan voice. Kota began to wonder if his expression ever changed.
"Huh? Wait, are we gonna have to pay for that?" Kagami asked, clearly startled.
"Hey, Ryouta, who's that guy wearing number 10?"
Kasamatsu nudged Kise in the side with a curious look.
"Oh, that guy? But Captain, did you see number 11? He's insane, right? That's Kuroko, my old teammate from Teiko!"
Kasamatsu glanced toward Kuroko. "That guy was your teammate?"
"Yup, yup! Let me tell you—Kurokocchi is—"
Suddenly, a swarm of girls gathered at the entrance of the gym, screaming Kise's name with hearts in their eyes, practically ready to propose on the spot. Seeing this, Kise immediately turned away from Kasamatsu and waved to his adoring fans.
Kota, sitting courtside, stared with lifeless eyes, speechless: They weren't even here a minute ago. Kise steps onto the court and boom—they're all here.Damn. That's the kind of charm that makes people envy you to the point of hatred.
Even the Seirin players were stunned. Their captain, Hyuuga, couldn't help but ask, "What the hell is going on?"
They'd never heard girls chant their names like that.
"Ah, you'll get used to it," Kasamatsu said with a sigh. "He's like this every game… But seriously, kid, how long are you gonna keep waving?!"
With a loud thud, Kasamatsu kicked Kise in the butt, making him yelp and crouch down rubbing it.
Kota rubbed his chin, watching the scene unfold: Now that I think about it… Captain Kasamatsu hasn't kicked me yet.
"Alright, game resumes."
BEEP—
As soon as Kasamatsu inbounded the ball, he saw Kise already calling for it from midcourt. Without hesitation, Kasamatsu launched the pass.
Kise caught it, his eyes narrowing as he burst into the paint and leapt—one-handed slam! Two points!
He even pulled on the rim a bit, but unfortunately, the new hoop was sturdier, so the dramatic effect was lost.
The move was nearly identical to Kagami's dunk earlier—minus the destroyed rim. It was like they'd been cut from the same mold.
The Seirin bench reacted in shock: "He just used Kagami's exact move!"
Kagami, who had faced Kise before, wasn't surprised. He clicked his tongue—he hadn't managed to stop him.
Kise turned back toward Kagami after the dunk, smirking as he tossed some trash talk:"I might be easygoing with girls, but with basketball? I always return the favor."
A vein popped on Kagami's forehead. He was pissed now.
From the bench, Kota waved his towel in celebration, but his eyes were on Kasamatsu. Kise may be the ace, sure, but to pass him the ball before even crossing half-court? That's reckless. Ryouta's not always going to be on the court.
He remembered what happened in the original timeline—Kaijo after Kise's injury. They had the fire, but not the execution.
The coach remained stone-faced, but deep down, disappointment flickered. Passing before even crossing half-court, especially when the opposing formation was still intact—any decent point guard wouldn't do that.
If Kota weren't on the team, the coach might've overlooked it. Kise's a star—giving him more touches seems logical. But now, with Kota as a point of comparison, it was clear Kasamatsu fell short as a floor general.
Kasamatsu, unaware of all this, was solely focused on proving himself worthy as Kaijo's point guard in the first half.
However, Seirin's monster duo posed a serious threat. Even though Kagami wasn't at his peak, Kuroko's support amplified his impact—this wasn't just a 1 + 1 situation.
Soon, Kasamatsu realized he couldn't completely hold off Seirin. He decided to turn the game into a shootout. After all, with Kise around, Seirin's defense had cracks.
For a while, it was a back-and-forth offensive flurry. Neither side could stop the other.
But as time went on, Seirin's overall lack of depth started to show.
"Captain."
Kuroko suddenly appeared beside Hyuuga, startling him.
"Jeez, Kuroko—what is it?"
"I'd like to request a timeout. This fast pace isn't sustainable, and we need Kagami-kun to calm down. The more aggressively he attacks, the more devastating Kise-kun's counters will be."
Hyuuga looked at Coach Riko, who nodded in agreement.
Seirin calls a timeout.
"What the hell is going on?! Letting them score that much—are you guys sleepwalking on defense?!"
Coach Takeuchi was livid. He'd been mocking Seirin just minutes ago, and now they were pressing Kaijo hard—like a slap to the face.
"Sorry."
"I'll tighten my defense."
"But their offense is insane…"
Kasamatsu jumped in, turning to Kise:"You're matching up with Kagami, sure—but what's up with that low-key kid? What's his deal?"
Kise's eyes sparkled as soon as Kuroko got praised:"Right?! Kurokocchi's amazing! He's actually—"
ThwackAnother karate chop from Kasamatsu hit him in the waist.
"Do you even realize how serious this is?! They're—"
"It's fine," Kise interrupted confidently, gently pushing Kasamatsu's hand away."This balance won't last long. Because Kurokocchi, he…"
"A weakness? You're saying Kise has a weakness?"
Kuroko nodded. "Kise-kun's talent is remarkable. He can copy almost any move he sees. But that ability isn't perfect."
"Kuroko's misdirection works by drawing attention to something with a stronger presence so he himself becomes invisible. With Kagami on the court, his overwhelming presence makes Kuroko feel like he's vanished. But the trick loses its effect over time."
Kise picked up a ball to demonstrate for Kasamatsu:"Watch me." He tossed the ball from his left to his right hand. Kasamatsu's gaze followed the ball.
"See? You stopped watching me."
"I get it now. So if this keeps going, they're done for?"
"Bingo~"
"Kise can't copy moves that exceed his physical capacity."
"…Wait, say that again. I didn't get it."
Riko rubbed her temple. This was too much information for one day.
Kuroko, still expressionless, explained, "For example, he can't replicate my misdirection. His presence is too strong."
Riko's eyes lit up. "Then all we need to do is keep playing like this—Kaijo won't be able to stop us."
"Not exactly. My misdirection has limits…"
Kuroko elaborated further, and Riko finally snapped.
"What?! Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
She grabbed Kuroko by the head, shaking out her frustration. Deep down, she blamed herself—of course a skill that broken would have limitations.
BEEP—
Timeout over.
Oh no! She'd been so focused on scolding Kuroko that she forgot to give new instructions.
"Anyway! We have to contain Kise—Hyuuga, go help—"
"Wait! Let me keep going like this… Please."
Kagami suddenly spoke up. He hadn't had enough of his one-on-one with Kise.
"…Please?" Riko blinked.
Kagami cleared his throat. "Let me keep matching up with him—I'm starting to figure it out."
Riko thought for a moment and agreed. But she warned the team to collapse on Kise if he broke through the first line.
Kasamatsu again passed to Kise early—he was used to it by now.
Kise caught the ball and prepared to drive, but paused mid-stride.
Zone defense? A 2-3 formation?
Kasamatsu frowned. "So they did change their strategy. That means Kise can't charge in anymore…"
Thinking fast, Kasamatsu called for the ball back, took a three-point shot, and swished it cleanly.
The male fans in the stands erupted in cheers—not losing out to Kise's girl squad one bit.
Kota clicked his tongue in amusement. Guess the captain has some serious guy-appeal, huh?
Then he turned to the coach, eyes gleaming. "Captain's three-point shot isn't bad at all."
The coach glanced at him and gave a gruff "Mm."
Kota stuck out his tongue, goal achieved. Mission complete~