"Two seconds left…" Himuro murmured under his breath as he turned his head toward the ball's trajectory, determined to witness the final outcome of this game with his own eyes.
If the ball went out of bounds, then even Kaijo would have no chance of pulling off a three-point buzzer-beater in the final two seconds. That would be nothing more than a fantasy. But at that very moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the path of the flying basketball. It was Kota.
The moment Tanaka and Murasakibara began fighting for rebounding position, Kota had already started moving. While everyone else froze to watch the clash between those two giants under the basket, Kota's thoughts were strikingly simple. What if Tanaka couldn't get the rebound? Then they would lose.
That was why Kota never even considered that possibility. From the very beginning, he believed Tanaka would secure the rebound and that the ball would be kicked back out. That was the only way Kaijo could win in the final moments. Reality, however, was never that kind. Tanaka did manage to grab the rebound, but Murasakibara's reaction speed was downright terrifying. Reacting midair, he managed to slap the ball away. As Yosen's ace, he had already done more than enough.
This time, though, luck was on Kaijo's side. The ball soared high into the air, flying rapidly toward the out-of-bounds line. With a quick estimate, Kota knew there was no way he could catch it while staying in bounds.
"Damn it… then there's only one option."
His gaze sharpened. Kota sprinted toward the sideline, planted his right foot hard into the floor, and completely abandoned his balance. His body flew outward, almost perfectly parallel to the ground, as he caught the ball in midair. At that exact moment, the game clock ticked down to one second.
Kota's face twisted with effort as he forcibly swung his arm, hurling the basketball back toward the court. A split second later, his body slammed violently into the courtside advertising board, shattering it apart. No one cared about Kota anymore. Tens of thousands of spectators inside the arena were all staring at that tiny orange ball.
In theory, just catching the ball while fully horizontal was already a miracle. There was no way he should have been able to control the direction of the pass. And yet, whether by sheer luck or fate itself, the ball flew straight into Yuki's hands, where he caught it cleanly.
"Great pass, Kota-senpai." Yuki whispered softly and jumped the instant the ball touched his hands. Still a three-pointer. Still contested by Himuro. But this time, Yuki's eyes were unwavering.
"To hell with pressure and responsibility! If I don't make this damn shot, can I even call myself a man?!"
His heart roared. His arms tightened, elbows forming perfect right angles as he lifted the ball. In his eyes, a streak of orange lightning flashed by. As the clock ticked down to zero, Yuki snapped his wrist. The ball left his fingertips. It arced through the air and dropped cleanly through the net.
Swish!
...
The arena fell silent for a single heartbeat. Then, an explosion of cheers shook the building. Those final two seconds felt like an eternity to everyone watching. Suddenly, the head referee blew his whistle and raised his hand, signaling for silence. Holding a microphone, he announced:
"Please remain calm. There is a possibility that Kaijo's final three-point shot was released after time expired. We will now review the replay frame by frame to determine whether the shot was valid."
Everyone heard it, including Kota, who was still lying beneath the wrecked advertising board. Araki walked over and pushed the broken board aside, reaching out to help him up. Before she could, Kota spoke tiredly:
"Just let me lie here for a bit. I heard the referee too… honestly, I can already tell the result just from the cheering."
Araki paused, then nodded. She sat beside him, hugging her knees. Above them, the giant screen began replaying Kaijo's final possession. Intentionally or not, the replay didn't start with Yuki's shot; it began with Tanaka and Murasakibara fighting for position. Araki stared at the screen, watching Kota throw himself out of bounds to deliver that impossible pass.
She couldn't help asking, "That save… was it luck? Or could you really control the pass even in that situation?"
Kota rested his hands behind his head, staring casually at the ceiling. "You really want to know?" He blinked and turned to her with a grin. "Isn't it obvious? It was luck."
Araki fell silent and turned back to the screen. The replay now showed Yuki catching the ball. When Yuki jumped, 0.7 seconds remained. When the ball left his hand, 0.1 seconds were still on the clock.
The arena erupted once more. Yuki's anxious expression vanished, replaced by pure joy. Takeuchi was even more extreme; he ripped off his shirt and stood bare-chested on the sideline, wildly swinging it over his head. Still lying on the floor, Kota heard the cheers and cracked a grin.
"Sounds like… we won?"
Araki softly replied, "Mm," and stood up, walking toward the Yosen players. They had fought brilliantly. With Kise absent and Takumi injured, they had come within inches of the championship. Araki patted Himuro and Murasakibara on the shoulders, watching her players cry tears of frustration.
"This was an amazing game. They won beautifully… but we weren't inferior at all. Let's go home."
...
As Yosen left the court, the atmosphere reached its peak. Kota didn't get to rest for long. His teammates yanked him up and tossed him into the air, laughing and playing around. In the arena, Takumi arrived with help from two teammates. Watching Kota get thrown sky-high, he muttered with emotion: "As expected of you, Kota-senpai…"
Soon, the championship trophy and MVP medal were brought onto the court. With perfect coordination, Kaijo placed Kota front and center. "Hey, are you guys treating me like a doll or something?" Kota laughed as he rubbed his dizzy head. Then he froze. The championship trophy stood right in front of him.
"What are you doing? MVP should be based on performance! It should go to Yuki!" Before he could finish, everyone piled onto him. They forced the medal around his neck and shoved the trophy into his arms. Kota lost his balance and fell backward onto the floor.
"Tch. Whatever." He sighed helplessly, hugged the trophy, and looked toward the cameras. Yuki excitedly slung an arm around his neck, while Takumi stood behind him.
Click! The camera flash froze the moment. The announcer's rich voice echoed through the arena: "Let us congratulate Kaijo High School, champions of this year's Interhigh! This marks the fifth year of the Kaijo dynasty!"
One Month Later: Kaijo Gymnasium
"Goodbye, Kota-senpai. Goodbye, Kise-senpai." With that, Yuki closed the gym doors.
Kota and Kise stayed behind, sitting on the bench. "Heh, Kota! I never thought you guys would actually win. I figured without me, you'd struggle." Kise glanced over. "I heard Takumi got injured too. That couldn't have been easy."
Kota rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't watch the footage. If we didn't win, that would've been weird."
Kise chuckled. "Okay, okay. Still, not being there feels rough. No worries, I'll be back for the Winter Cup. Six straight championships; let's do it together!"
Kota barely reacted. "Mm."
"What's with you?" Kise smirked. "Don't tell me you were up late with Miss Masako—"
Smack!
"Shut it. Your mouth only produces nonsense." Kota yawned. "It's just… winning at this level with you guys is easy now. Hard to get fired up."
Kise froze. "So what are you saying?"
Kota squeezed the water bottle by his feet and smiled. "I'm going to win a world championship. After I graduate from Kaijo, I'll go play overseas. Chasing the title of best in the world; that's when I'll get fired up again. Basketball's only fun when there are real rivals." He glanced at Kise. "Don't get wrecked by me on the international stage, okay? Japan's next-gen point guard, Kise."
Kise rolled up his sleeves. "Don't joke. You're the one who better not get embarrassed. I'll be waiting."
After a pause, Kise asked, "When you go overseas… what about Miss Masako?"
Kota shrugged. "She's coming with me."
Kise blinked. "Wait, she's from the Araki family, isn't she?!"
"Already met her dad." Kota shivered slightly. "Terrifying man. But once he realized I wasn't a bum, he agreed."
Kise stared, speechless. "That's one open-minded father."
They chatted quietly for a while longer until silence settled in. "I should go," Kota stood and looked around the gym. "Tomorrow I'll be back, but today felt different."
"Already?"
Kota smiled. "There's still a lot I need to do."
"Are you happy?"
"Of course. But no one can stay in one place forever."
Kise smiled. "See you."
"See you."
Kota walked toward the exit. At the door, he turned back. Kise waved. "Go."
Kota nodded and stepped outside. Araki was waiting by the roadside. Gyms, Tokyo courts, new horizons. Kota looked up at the blazing sun.
"My journey… is just getting started."