Facing the fast-break combination of Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga, Hanamiya Makoto remained expressionless. He merely cast a cold glance toward the two of them before turning away, receiving the ball and calmly organizing another offensive play. The basketball rhythmically bounced against the court as Hanamiya pushed forward and sent out another pass.
No. 8, Yamazaki Hiroshi, caught it. Without hesitation or wasted movement, he rose immediately and fired off a clean jump shot.
Swish.
The ball dropped through the net. Back at Seirin's bench, Aida Riko's eyes flickered. As expected... Any team that reached the Winter Cup wasn't ordinary. Everyone here possessed genuine skill.
The score was tied again. Hanamiya immediately led his team back on defense, clearly wary of another lightning-fast counterattack from Kuroko. Unfortunately, they were still too slow.
Standing at the baseline, Kuroko launched another Ignite Pass Kai. The basketball tore through the entire court like a missile, and then, somehow, as though he had appeared out of thin air, Kagami Taiga was already beneath Kirisaki Daiichi's basket.
BOOM!!
Another dunk. Another score. Seirin pulled ahead once more.
Hanamiya narrowed his unpleasant-looking eyes and swept a cold gaze toward Kuroko at the baseline. "That Phantom Sixth Man..." He clicked his tongue. "Really pisses me off."
Then he muttered under his breath, "Actually, everyone from Teiko is annoying."
After silently cursing a few more times, Hanamiya once again took possession and organized the offense. As he dribbled forward, his left hand subtly formed a finger-gun gesture.
Bang.
A hidden signal. His teammates saw it immediately, and slow smiles spread across their faces.
Hanamiya crossed half court and passed to No. 10, Hara Kazuya. Hara threw up a hook shot.
Miss.
Another rebound. Kiyoshi Teppei leaped inside the paint, and once again, the dirty tricks began.
The moment he landed, two elbow strikes slammed into him.
THUD!
Then came another attack.
CRUNCH.
Someone's foot viciously stomped on the top of his foot. Twice. Burning pain surged through his body, sharp, piercing, and agonizing. Cold sweat instantly formed across Kiyoshi's face, but he still endured it.
Gritting his teeth, he forced the rebound outward. Hyuga Junpei immediately took control and launched the offense. The ball moved through Izuki Shun's hands before finding Kagami.
Another one-handed slam.
BOOM!!
Seirin maintained the lead. This time, however, after fighting for the rebound, Kiyoshi did not run back with everyone else. He remained near Seirin's side of the court, and Hyuga noticed immediately.
He froze for a moment before hurrying over. "Kiyoshi..." His voice lowered. "Can you still keep going?"
Kiyoshi forced out a smile. "I'm fine." He glanced toward Kagami. "That dunk just now wasn't bad."
Hyuga stared at him silently before letting out a sigh. "If something's wrong, don't force it. Keep pushing through, and it'll become a serious problem later."
Kiyoshi nodded. "I know."
Not far away, Hanamiya's lips curled upward. The smile looked almost demonic as the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
"Relax..." His voice was soft. "The game's only getting started."
The ball moved again. This time, Matsumoto Itsuki took the shot.
Miss.
Another rebound. Once more, Kirisaki Daiichi's players subtly shifted their positions, not toward the ball but toward the referee's sightlines.
Kiyoshi groaned. His hand instinctively pressed against his stomach, and his body nearly doubled over. Hara Kazuya and Furuhashi Koujirou had struck again.
More elbows. More hidden attacks. This time, Kiyoshi failed to secure the rebound completely.
The ball fell directly into Hanamiya's hands, and he casually tossed up a floater.
Swish.
Looking at Kiyoshi's pale expression and the pain he struggled to conceal, Hanamiya quietly muttered, "My old friend..." His smile widened. "How much longer can you endure?"
Then he turned around and jogged back on defense.
No guilt. No hesitation. No sympathy.
Nothing.
==========
In the spectator area where Fukuda Sogo sat, Shimizu Rena watched with wide eyes. "Shogo-kun... can basketball really be played like this?" She frowned. "No. 7, Kiyoshi Teppei... this is awful."
Haizaki didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned toward his teammates. "What do you think?"
Silence lingered for a moment before soft discussions broke out.
"Cruel? Not really. It's still a game. Kirisaki's playing pretty well. No fouls were called. The referees are right there. They have eyes, so it's normal."
"Basketball's survival of the fittest. Either you win or you lose. I actually think Kirisaki's doing pretty well."
Haizaki listened quietly before nodding in satisfaction. He turned back toward Shimizu and smiled. The team's answer had already become his answer.
Shimizu hesitated. "But Shogo-kun... what if we face a team like that someday?"
Haizaki replied instantly. "Simple." His eyes narrowed. "An eye for an eye. A blood debt for blood."
A chilling aura suddenly radiated from his body. Shimizu froze, and for a brief moment, she could only stare blankly at him.
Strangely enough, that frightening pressure didn't make anyone feel fear. Instead, it made them feel safe, as though no matter what happened, Haizaki would always stand in front of them.
Behind him, Fukuda Sogo's players all nodded naturally. Especially Suzuran Karasu. He nodded so hard it looked as though his neck might snap.
Elsewhere, Tōō Academy's players were also watching. Imayoshi Shoichi smirked. "That junior of mine really is unpleasant." He glanced sideways. "Right, Aomine?"
Aomine Daiki leaned back lazily. "Unpleasant? Not really." He stared at the court. "I just don't like that style."
His eyes sharpened slightly. "But they're doing all this to win." He paused briefly. "For victory... anything can be forgiven."
Imayoshi laughed. "Hahaha! Your awareness has improved, Aomine." Adjusting his glasses, he continued, "Thinking about it, though, coordinating like that on the court, blocking the referee's vision and timing everything perfectly... people only notice how disgusting Kirisaki looks. They don't notice the effort it takes behind the scenes."
Aomine shrugged. "Doesn't matter. A playstyle like that won't last, and it can never stand at the top."
Even so, his gaze drifted toward Kuroko.
Hanamiya... I hope you haven't figured out Tetsuya's fatal weakness. Otherwise... things could get troublesome.
==========
On the opposite side of the spectator stands, Shutoku High was also watching. Takao Kazunari immediately spoke up. "Captain, when Kirisaki played us last time, they didn't pull this kind of stuff on you, right?"
Otsubo Taisuke snorted. "Hmph. Those brats still had a long way to go."
Takao burst out laughing. "Hahaha! That's because Shin-chan blasted them into pieces!"
Midorima Shintarō adjusted his glasses. "Absolute strength renders tricks meaningless."
"Yeah, true enough."
Yet Midorima didn't continue chatting. His gaze never left the court.
More specifically, Kagami Taiga.
He wanted to see what Kagami would do next. At first glance, Hanamiya Makoto looked unimpressive, but the players around him were ruthless, decisive, and cold-blooded. And Hanamiya himself... his reputation had never been built on strength alone.
Schemes. Manipulation. Dirty tactics.
There was a reason he stood among the Uncrowned Kings. Unlike the others, Hanamiya wasn't famous for overwhelming personal ability. He was a support-type player.
But someone like him, once fully integrated into a team, could transform it entirely. And now, Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya were facing exactly that version of Hanamiya.
To a certain degree, Hanamiya Makoto was essentially a heavily weakened version of Akashi Seijuro. A darker version, one stripped of overwhelming talent and the Emperor Eye, yet still terrifying in his own way.
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