On the first day of the quarterfinals
after Kaijō vs. Yōsen in the morning,
the afternoon featured the match from the other bracket
Kirisaki Daiichi vs. Torayama Izumi.
Kirisaki Daiichi.
The Five Uncrowned Kings.
Hanamiya Makoto's school.
During this IH, amid the dazzling clashes involving Teiko alumni, Kirisaki Daiichi—boasting one of the Five Uncrowned Kings—had caused no small stir in the upper bracket.
Judging from this afternoon's quarterfinal alone, Hanamiya Makoto, as a member of the Five, was undeniably strong in pure ability.
His "Spider Web"
a technique that relied on extreme intellect to analyze an opponent's offensive patterns, cutting off passing lanes in advance.
In some ways, it resembled Midorima's tactical divination.
But in terms of level
Whether it was vision, information processing, or physical ability
Across the board, it was still a lower-tier version.
This was obvious from the fact that even when Hanamiya saw through certain passes, he simply couldn't catch up to them.
And so
Kirisaki Daiichi relied on Seto Kentarō, the only one with an IQ of 160 capable of keeping up with Hanamiya's thinking, to assist him from the side in locking down passing routes.
With Seto's support, they boldly claimed that every single pass could be intercepted.
Shigure Akihito wasn't surprised by Hanamiya Makoto's strength.
This was exactly the level Kirisaki Daiichi had in the original storyline. Having gone through the middle school era of the Five himself, Shigure knew well—
Hanamiya hadn't changed at all.
What surprised him was
After being utterly crushed by Teiko in middle school, this guy was still using the same playstyle, showing not the slightest restraint.
What shocked him even more was that Hanamiya seemed to have no psychological trauma whatsoever.
A delinquent brat would always be a delinquent brat.
According to Satsuki's data, in this year's IH, any team that faced Kirisaki Daiichi had its core player injured before the game ended—without exception.
Even though Kirisaki Daiichi had the strength to crush opponents outright, Hanamiya clearly enjoyed using dirty tricks.
Frankly, it was downright pathological.
Like right now.
Kirisaki Daiichi vs. Torayama Izumi.
The air inside the arena was heavy, oppressive.
At some point during the match, a sinister atmosphere began to spread across the court.
The high school teams watching in person all wore grim expressions—many of them having already been eliminated by Hanamiya before the quarterfinals.
"Damn it…!"
"So he did it again."
"Just like we thought."
Throughout the game, Kirisaki Daiichi's conduct was utterly vile.
Every move danced on the edge of a foul—but their technique was clean enough that unless caught red-handed, even the referees had trouble calling it.
Then
The moment the game ended.
Torayama Izumi's captain, burning with rage and barely holding onto his sanity, broke free from his teammates' restraint and charged at Kirisaki Daiichi's bench with several people hanging onto him.
"Bastards!"
"You pieces of trash—how shameless can you be?!"
"Are you proud of winning like this?!"
"Damn you!"
Kirisaki's second-year small forward, #7 Furuhashi Kōjirō, stared calmly—so empty it was unsettling.
At his opponent's accusations, he tilted his head in mild confusion.
"Huh…?"
"Shameless?"
"I don't quite understand~"
Turning politely to the power forward beside him, Furuhashi asked,
"Excuse me—did the referee call any fouls on us?"
#10 Hara Kazuya, squatting on the floor and chewing gum, blew a huge bubble as he poked the sleeping #5, sprawled comfortably on the bench.
"Didn't hear a single boo~ No idea what they're talking about~"
"And besides…"
"Proud?"
"Of course we are."
"180 to 45. Crushing trash like you—why wouldn't we be proud?"
"You idiots with Bavarian cream for brains~"
"Bastards…!"
"Stop him!"
"Hiyama, calm down!"
Kirisaki's players watched the meltdown with amusement.
They'd seen scenes like this so many times they were numb to it.
"Wake Seto up."
"Seriously—how can he sleep through this?"
"Hey!"
"Get up, Seto! Game's over!"
As they prepared to leave, Kirisaki players woke Seto Kentarō, who had been sleeping soundly on the sideline bench.
At the same time, Furuhashi lowered his voice beside Hanamiya.
"I saw Kaijō. They're in the stands."
Hanamiya smiled.
"Heh."
"What about Tōō?"
"Didn't see them."
Hanamiya's smile deepened.
"As expected. Our semifinal opponent, Tōō… that Miracle ace is awfully proud."
"In his eyes, only his beloved seniors matter~"
"The tournament…"
"Is finally getting interesting~"
The dome lights cast uneven shadows across Hanamiya's lowered face as the player tunnel swallowed half the light.
In that stark contrast, Hanamiya's eerie grin felt like an unrestrained provocation aimed at Teiko's Twin Stars and the Generation of Miracles themselves—sending a chill down even his own teammates' spines.
"Heh…"
"If that's the case…"
"One more step."
"Take down Tōō—and we're in the finals~"
"And then…"
"Kaijō."
As Kirisaki Daiichi exited, their backs radiated a dangerously oppressive aura.
Hanamiya, still chuckling softly, muttered with regret—
"What a pity~ Can't meet last year's old friend."
"Kiyoshi Teppei… guess you got lucky."
"But luck only carries you so far~"
"Their opponent tomorrow is Rakuzan…"
"Tch."
"What a shame."
In the stands
Having heard Shigure Akihito's explanation, Kaijō's players were seething at Kirisaki's behavior.
Among them, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro was practically exploding.
In the end
It was Shigure who calmed him down.
"Hanamiya Asylum…"
"Furuhashi Hospital…"
"Seto Ward…"
"Hara Clinic…"
"Yamazaki Infirmary…"
"Just from their names, Kirisaki's starters sound like psychiatric patients."
"We probably won't run into them."
"Let Tōō handle them in the upper-bracket final."
"For us, what matters more is tomorrow morning"
"Seirin vs. Rakuzan."
"The winner…"
"Is our semifinal opponent."
Soon
The second day of the quarterfinals began.
Morning.
Lower bracket.
Seirin vs. Rakuzan.
The moment Seirin stepped onto the court, the atmosphere rivaled yesterday's Kaijō vs. Yōsen—both in intensity and sheer audience size.
"So intense!"
"This doesn't feel like a quarterfinal—it's like the finals!"
"No…"
"It's because the opponent is Rakuzan."
"Just like yesterday."
"Kaijō raised the level."
Seirin's players were fully fired up.
Kagami Taiga bounced on his toes, exhaling deeply—determined to show the results of his special training.
On the other side.
Izuki Shun cracked bad jokes.
Kiyoshi Teppei laughed with his usual clueless grin.
Hyūga Junpei solemnly placed a Sengoku figurine on the bench like Midorima with his charms.
And Haizaki Shōgo
Looked utterly done.
"…Seriously."
"One weirder than the next."
"Alright, get ready—warm-ups start soon."
Aida Riko, once again dressed like a JK, clapped energetically.
"Give it everything you've got!"
Seirin: "..."
Coach…
Those dark circles are brutal.
Riko pretended not to notice.
"Stick to the game plan. Stay focused."
Everyone tensed.
At the same time
Haizaki stood up.
"Tetsuya, I'm going to the restroom."
"Okay."
After he left, Kagami muttered,
"So even that guy gets nervous…"
Kuroko glanced toward the hallway.
"He's not just nervous."
Then
Kuroko followed him.
Sure enough
In the back corridor, Kuroko quietly stood beside Haizaki.
Neither spoke.
After a while
Haizaki stood.
Tap.
A fist bump.
They walked out together—without a word, yet everything said.
Warm-ups began.
"Whoa—here they come!"
Both teams entered the court.
Walking toward Seirin was a team in white uniforms
Haizaki's eyes immediately locked onto that striking rose-red hair.
No doubt about it.
Akashi Seijūrō.
He walked at the front.
Number 4.
As Akashi approached, Seirin's steps unconsciously slowed.
"Feels like it's been a while, Haizaki."
Haizaki nodded.
To Seirin's newer members—Kawahara Kōichi, Fukuda Hiroshi—Akashi's calm voice was surprising.
This was Rakuzan.
And the Generation of Miracles' captain.
Akashi Seijūrō.
Gentle tone.
No overwhelming pressure.
Yet an unmistakable presence—different from any Teiko senior they'd met.
Then
Haizaki spoke.
"I won't lose, Akashi."
Akashi smiled and nodded.
Toward this pursuer who had surpassed expectations, Akashi felt a trace of respect—
And curiosity.
Still…
Facing Haizaki didn't bring the same storm-before-war feeling as facing Shigure or Captain Nijimura.
"Your spirit is admirable," Akashi said calmly.
"But regrettably"
"One side must lose."
Haizaki sneered.
"And it won't necessarily be me."
Akashi's expression didn't change.
"I look forward to it."
Haizaki frowned.
"Tch."
"Compared to your other self, you're boring."
Buzz!
Haizaki's aura surged.
Monster Immersion activated.
He stood tall before Akashi, gaze cold and domineering—
Identical to Akashi's second personality.
Closing in.
Looking down.
As the pressure deepened, Haizaki placed one hand on Akashi's shoulder—
And pressed down.
Then
In the next instant
Haizaki's expression changed.
Kagami blinked.
"Haizaki…?"
END OF CHAPTER
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