A few days later
Among the Generation of Miracles who remained in their old base, Tokyo, only Haizaki and Kuroko stayed behind. The other two — Aomine and Kise — had already joined Tōō Academy.
At this moment
Near Seirin High School,
two bicycles sped through the streets.
Compared to the pedestrians, the two uniformed boys racing neck-and-neck stood out like a pair of shooting stars.
One was tall — about 192 cm, with dark skin and short blue hair that gleamed in the sunlight. The other, slightly shorter at 189 cm, had golden hair that shimmered under the yellow traffic light ahead.
"What's with you?"
"You're too slow!"
"Because of you, we have to stop at the red light now!"
"…"
Kise sighed. "Figures. I called Midorima this morning — he said Gemini's fortune today isn't great."
No sooner had he said that than Aomine felt his bicycle sink suddenly beneath him, followed by a sharp creak. Turning back, he found Kise had somehow ended up right behind him.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Scared Midorima's fortune might come true! You carry me, Aomine~"
"Like hell I will!"
In one swift move, Aomine flipped off his own bike, landed perfectly on Kise's, and swapped places mid-motion.
"If you don't wanna go, just head home already!"
"Why bother watching Haizaki anyway? That guy's just got one trick up his sleeve."
Kise chuckled. "C'mon, Aomine, when you fought Haizaki last time, you were also down to one move~ Because everything else you had got stolen by him, remember?"
"…"
"Told you, his ability's not just about theft — the real move's called… Monster Immersion: Black Hole."
Aomine frowned. "Weird name."
Kise's smile softened a little. "Guess that's what Nijimura-senpai taught him… huh?"
Thinking of Haizaki, Kise's tone grew more serious.
"His talent's real, you know. We saw it ourselves — that Monster Immersion of his… evolving step by step, all the way to now."
Aomine clicked his tongue, unconvinced.
"Tch. He's just a guy who can't even enter the Zone."
Kise winced — that one stung.
"Also…" Aomine's glare sharpened.
"Kise, stop calling me 'Little Aomine' at school! Because of you, half the damn team started calling me that too!"
Kise burst out laughing. "Oh, come on~ We were teammates back in middle school, now we're even desk partners in class and teammates in the basketball club. If I just call you 'Aomine,' it sounds so distant!"
He slapped Aomine's shoulder playfully.
"Besides, thanks to me, Momoi stopped worrying about you! You've already made new friends, haven't you~ Even if they're second-years~"
"Wakamatsu Kōsuke…? That weakling doesn't count."
"Oh~? Funny, because after you joined Tōō, you've been playing with him the most."
"Speed, strength, height… barely acceptable."
"Jeez~ Leaving middle school, and now even finding that kind of guy feels rare."
"Tch."
"Guess middle school really was better."
Just then
Beep!
The light turned green.
They exchanged a quick glance — one that said "you thinking what I'm thinking?" — but Aomine hesitated for half a second before grinning.
"Forget it. I'm not going slow anymore. You'd better keep up using that move."
"Eh? That one's exhausting though…"
"Don't care. I'm going full throttle!"
"…Fine, fine."
Kise began pedaling, while Aomine shot forward like a bullet. He glanced back briefly, waiting — until golden light started to ripple around Kise's form.
[Connection: Activated.]
Speed surged.
Kise slowly opened his eyes.
"Perfect Synchro Mimicry — Complete!"
Clank!
The sound of his chain merged into a continuous metallic rhythm.
A middle-aged man waiting at the crosswalk barely caught a glimpse — two figures flashed past in a streak of blinding gold.
His eyes widened.
"Eh? That glowing line between them… what was that? Neon lights?"
"So bright!"
Meanwhile
Aomine grinned. "Finally looks like something. Though calling it 'perfect' mimicry's a bit of a stretch~"
Kise didn't deny it. He knew the truth: his so-called "miracle-level" imitation wasn't flawless. It was a patchwork — sacrificing certain traits to compensate with others he could actually reach.
True perfection in mimicry… only Shigure-senpai could achieve that. Even Okayama's Miracles couldn't escape his Mirror Reversal.
"Still," Kise smiled, "it's enough. As long as I apply it the way Shigure-senpai taught me~"
"Oh right—" He brightened suddenly.
"I've been in touch with Momoi! We might even see Shigure-senpai today!"
"And Midorima contacted me too. He was saying all sorts of weird things — morning horoscopes, cosmic luck, you know, like he's trying to dodge the real topic. But I've got this gut feeling…"
"Midorima might show up too — probably in some ridiculous disguise~"
"Hehe~ It's been a while since the last training camp. Everyone's scattered all over the place…"
As the two raced down the road, wind roaring past, Aomine suddenly straightened his back — hands off the handlebars.
"Who wants to see them anyway…" he muttered.
Yet right after saying that, he leaned forward again — gripping the handles tight.
WHOOSH!
Behind him
a flurry of icy wind burst outward.
Kise's eyes widened.
"A-Aomine! You're cheating— your Frozen Domain's about to tear my sync apart~!"
Aomine smirked.
"Exactly."
"That's why…"
"You're still nowhere close."
Seirin High School — Campus Grounds
"Oh?"
"This school's not bad at all."
Walking side-by-side through the gates, Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo looked around, taking in the new buildings with mild admiration.
"Eh?"
"Look! Those two guys are super tall— and handsome!"
"Wait, isn't that guy taller than Kise from earlier?"
"Way taller! He's gotta be close to two meters!"
"Are they basketball players?"
"Wait— that's Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo from Kaijō!!"
The nearby high school girls squealed, while the boys familiar with the basketball scene froze in shock.
"Looks like Aomine and Kise arrived first," Shigure said with a small laugh. "Poor guy — in front of all these girls, Aomine doesn't even have a name anymore. He's just Kise's friend."
Nijimura chuckled softly, nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "Wonder how much that guy's grown… and Haizaki too."
Inside Seirin's Gymnasium
Kagami lowered his shoulder, driving past Izuki. In a flash, he was parallel to him — but Izuki's Eagle Eye saw through the route instantly, twisting to block.
"He broke through!"
"No— Izuki's sticking close!"
Suddenly, Kagami pulled off a lightning-fast stop-and-spin, slipping past the defense and slamming the ball in.
"So fast…!"
"Awesome! Nice dunk!"
"Unbelievable speed! Can't believe he's human!"
"If Haizaki weren't here, I'd almost think Kagami could take on the Generation of Miracles himself…"
"Maybe… but isn't Haizaki the strongest among them?"
"That move Kagami used — no normal person could pull that off!"
"Wait, where's Kuroko?"
"Ugh, that lack of presence thing… it's a blessing and a curse."
"Kuroko! Come out already!"
Kuroko: "…"
"I'm right here."
Once everyone had gathered, Riko Aida clapped her hands excitedly.
"Alright! Next up — we've got a practice match against Tōō Academy! Yep, that Tōō! Perfect timing!"
"Perfect?!" Hyūga groaned. "They're way stronger than us!"
One of the freshmen tilted his head. "Are they really that strong?"
Hyūga scratched his head with a sigh. "They didn't use to be. But recently they've recruited a bunch of powerhouse players nationwide. This year, they're a whole new beast."
"And most importantly…"
"They've got two members of the Generation of Miracles."
"What?!" the freshmen gasped.
Kagami's eyes lit up.
Finally… it's starting.
"Those two," Hyūga continued, "are none other than the Copycat Kise Ryōta — and the man often called the ace among the Miracles… Aomine Daiki."
"Some even say he's the strongest of them all."
Remembering the footage from their last training camp, Hyūga's face darkened. Back in middle school, Aomine could already open the Zone. A literal monster.
"Seriously?"
"Kise's both cool and strong? That's not fair!"
"At this point I'm just jealous…"
"Hey! You're missing the point! The threat isn't Kise — it's Aomine!"
"Don't be so pessimistic, Hyūga." Riko smiled confidently. "Haizaki's current strength is easily on par with Aomine."
But before she could finish, a wave of squeals echoed through the gym.
"What the— why are there so many girls watching today?!" Riko blinked in confusion. "Since when did our basketball team get this popular?"
Kise was sitting on the sidelines signing autographs, all charm and smiles — the perfect idol.
Meanwhile, at the entrance, Haizaki and Aomine exchanged sharp looks, tension crackling between them.
Kuroko sighed. "...Long time no see."
Kagami stared at Kise, whose height matched his exactly, and immediately sensed it
That aura.
That pressure.
So this is him…
One of the Miracles I've never faced before!
Captain Hyūga stepped forward.
"You… what are you doing here?"
Kise smiled easily. "Ah~ I heard our practice match was against Seirin, so I thought I'd drop by and say hi to Kuroko! Back in middle school, we were the closest, right?"
"…Were we?" Kuroko blinked, completely blank.
Kise faked a wounded look. "So Aomine was right… you've changed. So mean~"
Some of the Seirin first-years decided to play along, flipping through an old basketball magazine they found in the locker room.
"Whoa! He's in here!"
"There's a whole feature on him!"
'Started playing basketball in his second year of middle school. With natural athleticism and feel for the game, he quickly became a regular for Teiko. Though less experienced than the others, his growth was explosive — a true all-rounder among the Miracles.'
"Second year?! Wait…"
"What do they mean by 'the other five'?!"
Kuroko froze — of course, the forgotten one in the article… was him.
Kise rubbed his head awkwardly. "Ahaha, that article exaggerated a lot. I mean, being called one of the Miracles is great and all, but honestly, my skills were the worst among them~~"
"So Kuroko and I were always the depressed ones."
Kuroko's expression screamed please don't say that, though he muttered calmly, "I'm not that bothered."
"Eh?! So it's just me then?!"
Suddenly
Whizz!
A basketball flew straight toward Kise. He reacted instantly, catching it midair.
"Ow— hey! What's your problem?!"
Kagami glared, eyes burning with challenge.
"Sorry to interrupt your fan meeting, but since you're here, how about a quick game?"
"Eh?"
"That was random… but…"
Remembering Kagami's earlier play, Kise loosened his tie and smiled faintly.
"Alright then. As thanks for showing me something interesting…"
"Let's play."
END OF CHAPTER
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