"Beep! End of the first quarter!"
The referee's whistle signaled the end of the first quarter.
The starters from Kirisaki Daiichi and Tōō headed to their benches to rest.
On Tōō's side.
Daiki Aomine sat down on the bench, breathing lightly.
He looked fine overall—no signs of running out of stamina.
A substitute quickly handed him a bottle of water.
Aomine took a small sip, swished it around in his mouth, then spat it out.
He didn't dare actually drink. He could only trick his brain a little.
If he drank too much now, the second half would drain him dry.
On Kirisaki Daiichi's side.
After coming off the court, Miyamoto Tokima gave a soft chuckle and asked in English,
"How does it feel?"
Dicky Anthony swished his mouth and replied,
"Awesome. They're strong… but I think I can control my Animal Instinct now!"
There was clear excitement in his voice.
Losing control after activating Animal Instinct had always weighed on him. Now that knot in his heart was finally gone.
Miyamoto Tokima patted him on the shoulder.
"Keep it up."
Dicky Anthony paused for a moment, then nodded firmly, his face lighting up.
Because to him, those words meant one thing—
He might have a chance to join the Black Dragon Team.
Miyamoto Tokima turned his head toward Aomine.
Almost at the same time, Aomine turned as well.
Their eyes met.
The instant their gazes locked, fierce battle intent ignited in Aomine's eyes.
Miyamoto! I'm going to beat you!
Miyamoto Tokima, on the other hand, only smiled faintly.
Daiki… show me how much you've grown.
"Beep! Break's over! Second quarter begins! Players, back on the court!"
The referee's whistle rang out.
Both starting lineups rose and walked onto the floor.
The second quarter began with Kirisaki Daiichi in possession.
Atsushi Murasakibara passed the ball to Miyamoto Tokima, who brought it up the court.
He crossed half court at an unhurried pace, and Aomine immediately stepped up to defend.
"Miyamoto, you're taking the offense this quarter, right?"
Miyamoto Tokima smiled and nodded.
"You've been waiting for this for a long time, haven't you?"
Aomine grinned wide.
"I've been dreaming about this moment! Miyamoto—don't hold back!"
Miyamoto Tokima didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked calmly,
"Are you ready?"
In the stands.
On Seirin's side.
Tetsuya Kuroko's expression instantly turned serious.
"It's starting…"
The rest of Seirin noticed as well, all focusing intently.
This was the first time the [Magic Cube] had taken the initiative on offense.
Their best chance to truly gauge the strength of the [Magic Cube].
On Shutoku's side.
The moment Shintaro Midorima saw Miyamoto Tokima and Aomine facing off, he called out sharply,
"Takao! The camera!"
Kazunari Takao, who had been holding the camcorder since before tip-off, twitched helplessly.
"Seriously, Shin-chan? I've been recording since before the game even started…"
Midorima stiffened awkwardly for a second before returning to his usual serious expression.
"I see."
"Yes, you see," Takao replied dryly.
On Kaijō's side.
Ryota Kise's usual playful smile disappeared, replaced by a grave look.
Let me see your true strength.
He had always wanted to know—
What kind of player was so strong that even he wasn't worthy of making him go all out?
On Yōsen's side.
Masako Araki gripped her wooden sword tightly, her expression stormy.
"I want to see what gives you the right to steal Murasakibara away!"
Kenichi Okamura and the others looked just as furious, their gazes darting between Miyamoto Tokima and Atsushi Murasakibara as if they wanted to swallow them whole.
One had taken two of their key players.
The other had transferred away like a traitor.
Yōsen's emotions were completely consumed by anger.
After all—
They had lost two starters!
On the court.
After Miyamoto Tokima's question, Aomine's entire body visibly tensed.
He still remembered that one-on-one match in their first year of middle school, just before Miyamoto left.
In that game, he hadn't even touched the ball once.
He had been completely crushed.
To defeat Miyamoto Tokima, Aomine had trained at extreme intensity every single day.
He had even skipped official games just to practice.
All for the day he could finally beat him.
Now Miyamoto Tokima stood right in front of him.
And this was the moment to put everything into action.
Miyamoto Tokima understood Aomine's resolve.
He gave a soft laugh, then—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
Ripples spread outward from beneath his feet, instantly covering the entire court.
Everyone froze at the same time.
Shoichi Imayoshi's expression collapsed completely, fear flashing across his face.
"Th-This… what is this?!"
He had always been the one who saw through others.
But now, he was the one being seen through.
Worse—
Miyamoto Tokima wasn't even focusing on him, yet he could still read him completely.
What kind of monster was this?
Kosuke Wakamatsu forced out a stiff smile.
So this is the goal Aomine's chasing… Can he really catch up to that?
Being seen through in an instant—anyone would feel a chill down their spine.
And this version of Miyamoto Tokima's [Eye of Truth] was even more terrifying than it had been in middle school.
"S-Sorry, sorry, sorry…"
The moment Ryo Sakurai felt himself exposed, he began apologizing nonstop, as if he had committed some unforgivable crime.
On the other hand, Aomine and Kirisaki Daiichi were far calmer.
They had seen this before.
Even if the current [Eye of Truth] was stronger, they were mentally prepared.
The Kirisaki Daiichi bench waved their towels wildly. To them, nothing Miyamoto Tokima did would be surprising.
But the stands had already erupted into chaos.
Gasps and shouts rang out everywhere.
"What was that? It spread across the whole court instantly!"
"That's the [Magic Cube]'s ability! I was stunned the first time I saw it—can't believe I'm seeing it again!"
On Seirin's side.
Everyone stood frozen, mouths agape.
Taiga Kagami's lips trembled as he stiffly asked,
"Kuro… Kuroko… that [Magic Cube]… could he already use something like this that long ago?"
...