It might not have been their imagination—the Seihō players felt their captain had grown stronger again.
The kind of visible improvement you could see with your eyes.
Though he'd always handled Tsugawa easily, today he seemed even more effortlessly in control.
Tsugawa, on the other hand, was suffering. The normally bright and cheerful young man had worn a tight expression all morning, unable to crack a single smile.
He was being demolished too thoroughly.
After all—
Yuuto was deliberately replicating Himuro right now. This wasn't even his full power.
And yet?
Tsugawa was still getting destroyed.
Iwamura and the others watched from the side, feeling some fear themselves.
"Thank god Coach brought Yuuto back to Seihō. I can't imagine what it'd be like facing him in an actual game."
"Exactly. Tsugawa's already our best defender."
Kasuga was grateful they didn't have to face this two-legged cheat code as opponents.
Honestly, Yuuto's endless evolution was even more heartbreaking than Kise's copying ability.
Kise could only copy. Yuuto became stronger the stronger his opponents were.
And not just against one person—entire team tactics and playing styles.
"Damn it. The gap's this huge?" Tsugawa was frustrated.
The gap he meant wasn't against Yuuto—it was against Himuro.
"I've already memorized all his intel."
Five games to 11 points, and he hadn't even gotten a single defensive stop.
This kind of gap was too much.
Yuuto said nothing. Tsugawa had actually improved significantly.
He'd just been secretly using his Demon Eyes to suppress him, preventing the guy from getting too confident.
"Need a break? Or want Kasuga to help out?"
"No need. I can handle this alone. Keep going."
Tsugawa grew more determined with each exchange.
He wiped his sweat and stood back up. He wanted more.
He genuinely wanted to complete this year's Inter-High and Winter Cup Grand Slam.
Because this was the senpai's final year!
"Then let's continue~"
Without another word, Yuuto continued the beating.
...
Similar scenes played out in basketball clubs everywhere.
Every team participating in the Winter Cup was in emergency preparation mode, making their final push.
Then—
The Winter Cup opened.
Seirin, Shūtoku, Tōō, Kaijō, Rakuzan, Yōsen, and other powerhouses descended upon their respective regional arenas.
"Hey, Shin-chan... oh, is that today's lucky item?"
Shūtoku High.
Takao Kazunari walked over to get Midorima. They were about to depart.
The moment he entered, he saw Midorima wrapping his shooting hand with tape, today's lucky item balanced on his shoulder.
"A wooden bear carving. I could only find it at an acquaintance's antique shop."
Midorima sounded rather proud of this.
But Takao was puzzled. "Didn't you already have one before?"
"This one's bigger."
"..."
So why bother?
Takao sometimes couldn't understand Midorima Shintaro's obsessions.
"This is basically OCD at this point."
He muttered under his breath.
But—
"The senpai are all assembled. Bring your treasure and hurry up—looks heavy."
"Ah!"
Midorima's expression turned serious.
Months ago, they'd missed the nationals. They'd been thrashed by Seihō in the group stage.
That was Shūtoku's first absence from the national finals bracket in nearly a decade.
This was his responsibility!
Because he wasn't strong enough, he'd let the team's streak end.
But the Winter Cup...
He absolutely would not let Shūtoku miss it!
...
"Special rules?"
Yōsen.
Murasakibara and Himuro walked through the school hallway.
"Mm. Apparently this year's Winter Cup is some kind of anniversary tournament. The top two from nationals get automatic berths—Seihō and Rakuzan."
"So this year, more schools can qualify. Tokyo and Kyoto regions each get an extra spot."
"I see." Murasakibara munched on his favorite snacks. "Muro-chin, aren't you being a bit too enthusiastic?"
"Because I didn't get to play in the nationals. Of course I want to settle things with Taiga. And I'm looking forward to facing Atsushi's teammates—including Yuuto and the others!"
Himuro's expression had returned to normal. He'd recovered from his defeat.
The Winter Cup—he had too much to accomplish.
Beyond settling things with his brother, he wanted to test himself against all those geniuses.
...
And Seirin.
They'd already arrived at the tournament venue.
"Everyone already knows this year's Winter Cup rules."
"I hate to say it, but thanks to Seihō winning nationals, we've got an extra spot in the Tokyo region this year."
Winter Cup slots were limited—even Tokyo only got two.
One fewer than the Inter-High.
Without Seihō—or rather, Yuuto—as that looming mountain, the pressure was considerably lighter.
At least they didn't have to worry about running into that monster.
"But even so, Tokyo still has Shūtoku and Tōō!"
"Seriously, running into either would be tough."
Seirin couldn't relax for a second. Their competition was fierce; those prodigies created enormous pressure.
Fortunately, their first opponent—Josei High—wasn't exactly a powerhouse.
Two hours later, Seirin secured their victory.
"Pretty impressive, Seirin. Compared to nationals, you've made visible progress."
Seihō didn't have a match, so naturally they didn't go to the venue.
But they still watched the broadcast in their club room.
"Kiyoshi Teppei's return is a huge boost for Seirin."
Josei wasn't a weak team—they'd made the regional semifinals during nationals.
Their core was a first-year center.
If this were still nationals, Seirin would've struggled.
But with Kiyoshi Teppei back, Seirin actually dominated inside.
He'd demolished the opponent's first-year centerpiece.
"It's not just improved offense—his arsenal is more diverse now. Most importantly, his consistency has improved."
"That's Kiyoshi Teppei's impact. With him on the floor, a team's floor rises significantly." Iwamura had high regard for this opponent.
Seirin's ceiling during nationals had been quite high, thanks to Kuroko and Kagami's combination.
But their floor was also low—once the first-year duo was locked down, they had no other weapons.
Now?
Their frontcourt had an anchor.
With Kiyoshi complementing the backcourt, Seirin's inside-out synergy was producing results greater than the sum of its parts.
...
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