The game continued. As the pace of the match wore on, Kiyoshi Teppei suffered more elbow strikes, more stomps, and more hidden attacks buried beneath the chaos of the game. His face had already turned pale green, with cold sweat running continuously down his forehead.
Even so, he endured everything in silence. Fortunately, the whistle signaling the end of the first quarter finally sounded, and dragging his exhausted body, Kiyoshi slowly walked off the court.
==========
Seirin High, Rest Area
The moment Kagami Taiga learned what had happened to Kiyoshi, fury exploded across his face.
BANG!!
He smashed his fist into a nearby chair. The already fragile plastic seat cracked instantly, leaving a massive hole straight through it.
"Kagami-kun, don't be impulsive. During a match, losing your composure is the worst thing you can do." Kuroko's voice remained calm, but even he looked grim.
Kagami clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. "...Those bastards... I'll definitely... definitely win this game!"
Nearby, Aida Riko wasn't paying attention to anyone else. Her sharp eyes remained locked entirely on Kiyoshi. As Kiyoshi removed his warm-up jacket, streams of information seemed to appear before her eyes: muscle condition, fatigue, physical strain, and, most importantly, the state of his injured leg.
Several long moments passed before Riko slowly inhaled, suppressing the anger boiling inside her. "Teppei..." Her expression became extremely serious. "You can't keep playing. Your body won't hold up, and if you continue, your injury will only get worse."
At some point, Kiyoshi had draped a towel across his face. After a brief silence, he pulled it away.
Beneath it was his usual broad smile. Only this time, it looked forced.
"What are you saying?" he asked with a weak smile. "Everyone worked so hard for this Winter Cup. How could I fall behind now? How could I drag everyone down?"
Riko opened her mouth, but Kiyoshi interrupted her. "No need, Riko..." His voice became unusually firm. "I'll take responsibility for whatever happens."
"You..."
"I..."
For a moment, Seirin's coach found herself completely unable to suppress the stubborn man sitting before her. Silence lingered between them, and after several moments, Riko lowered her head. When she looked up again, her expression had steadied.
"Teppei. I respect your decision."
Kiyoshi sighed softly. "...Thanks."
Only then did some of the tension leave his shoulders. Nearby, Hyuga Junpei sat silently. He had heard everything, and so had everyone else.
Their fists slowly tightened, loosened, then tightened again. Three minutes of rest passed quickly, and soon, both teams returned to the court.
==========
Kirisaki Daiichi Bench
Hanamiya Makoto tossed aside his towel, and an ugly grin spread across his face. "Kiyoshi Teppei's almost at his limit." His eyes narrowed. "Begin Plan B. Use him as bait. Hook the big fish and crush it."
"Heh."
"Got it."
"Plan B? I like this one."
"Hehehe..."
The team grinned, and the whistle blew. Possession belonged to Kirisaki Daiichi. The first quarter had ended with Kagami's dunk, but that outcome had been part of Hanamiya's calculations all along.
Hanamiya slowly dribbled across half court.
Passing. Moving. Passing again.
There was no rush and no immediate attempt to attack inside. No one noticed the excitement hidden deep within his eyes because, at that moment, the player Yamazaki Hiroshi had been marking suddenly lost sight of his target.
Kuroko disappeared. Misdirection had activated.
Like a ghost slipping into darkness, Kuroko quietly entered Hanamiya's blind spot and reached out.
Steal.
Everything was perfectly timed. Except three Kirisaki players had somehow appeared around Hanamiya.
Encircling Kuroko. Waiting.
The instant Kuroko moved, Hanamiya suddenly turned, shifted, and blocked him. Not just Kuroko, he blocked the referee's line of sight too.
THUD!!
Kuroko crashed hard into the floor. The basketball flew from his hands and bounced away. Unable to recover, Kuroko sprawled helplessly across the hardwood as the ball rolled out of bounds.
BEEEEEP!
Kirisaki possession.
Silence.
An eerie silence swallowed the court.
In the spectator stands, Haizaki sighed softly before speaking in a calm voice.
"The porcelain doll... just shattered."
==========
Elsewhere, in Tōō's section, Aomine Daiki's lazy expression vanished. His blue eyes widened, and for the first time in a while, a dangerous gleam surfaced.
"...Hanamiya Makoto." A grin spread across his face. "Not bad. Kid's got potential."
Several seconds later, Imayoshi muttered beside him, "That used to be your teammate. He just got slammed onto the floor. Aren't you angry?"
Aomine looked at him. "Angry?" He shrugged. "This is basketball. Not some playground game."
Imayoshi nodded. "...True. This is a match."
==========
Meanwhile, on Aomine's other side, Satsuki Momoi tightly clutched his sleeve with one hand while the other gripped the edge of her own shirt. Her eyes remained fixed on Kuroko lying on the floor.
"Tetsu-kun..."
Aomine glanced at her and quietly spoke. "Relax. Tetsu's stronger than he looks. Mentally too. He'll get through it."
==========
On Shutoku's side, Takao Kazunari stared with widened eyes. "Oho... was that an accident or intentional?"
Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Intentional. Hanamiya saw through Kuroko." His gaze never left the court. "Physical ability is Kuroko's fatal weakness. Kuroko's build simply can't handle direct collisions. If this keeps happening... how many times can he keep getting up?"
Takao scratched his head. "Man... what a waste. My Hawk Eye still hasn't had enough fun fighting him."
Midorima remained expressionless. "The game isn't over. There's still a chance."
==========
Back on the court, Hanamiya stared at Kuroko sprawled on the floor. Then he clicked his tongue and grinned.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
Compared to breaking Kiyoshi, destroying the famous Phantom Sixth Man felt infinitely more satisfying. At that moment, Hanamiya truly experienced pure exhilaration. Behind him, Kirisaki's players also began laughing.
In their eyes, it felt as if a porcelain doll had fallen to the floor and shattered into pieces. Crushing a player connected to the Generation of Miracles gave them overwhelming satisfaction.
And from the very beginning, everything during the first quarter, every foul, every attack, and every act against Kiyoshi had only been bait. Their real target had always been Kuroko Tetsuya.
Kiyoshi was already damaged goods. But if the Phantom Sixth Man also broke, then victory would unquestionably belong to Kirisaki Daiichi.
==========
Seirin's bench had fallen into chaos. Aida Riko stared at Kuroko lying on the floor, shock completely filling her expression.
Impossible... Why? Why would they target Kuroko? Wasn't Kiyoshi their target? Why?
Then realization struck. Her eyes widened.
"No!"
Immediately, she shouted, "Timeout!"
On the court, Kagami hurried over and helped Kuroko stand. Supporting him carefully, he slowly guided him back toward the bench.
Meanwhile, the audience had completely erupted. Some cursed Kirisaki Daiichi.
Despicable. Cruel. Heartless. Dirty.
Others praised Hanamiya.
Smart. Calculated. A brilliant strategist.
Back in Fukuda Sogo's section, Haizaki's teammates had already begun discussing things among themselves and Haizaki simply watched silently.