Eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, and a 12-point lead.
Kota licked the corner of his lips, thinking,
"If we blow this lead, all the big talk I just made to Ryota is gonna look like a joke. Alright then... let's see what the so-called "first-year monster duo" is really made of.
Izuki brought the ball up the court and suddenly passed it toward an empty space."
"Out of bounds?" Kota's eyes narrowed — when had Kuroko gotten there? With a flick of his right hand, the ball's trajectory instantly changed, launching toward the fast-breaking Kagami.
Kagami didn't hesitate. One glance at Kobori in front of him, and he went up on one foot, scoring right over the poor guy's head.
Honestly, Kagami had been bullying Kobori the whole game. Beating up on a weaker player didn't even get a rise out of him anymore.
As he jogged back on defense, Kagami kept glancing toward Kise. The message was clear: Your center can't stop me. You're up next.
Kise, now calm and composed, didn't take the bait. He just stared silently at Kota.
"Even if I were on the court, I wouldn't be able to deal with both of them at once... So what are you gonna do, loudmouth?"
Kota took the inbound pass and, as usual, dribbled up the court at his own unhurried pace. Still, something bothered him.
"Even I got fooled by Kuroko's misdirection the first time?"
But as the team's commander, he had to keep up appearances. No matter how tough things got, his teammates needed to believe he had everything under control.
Wait, where did Kuroko go? Kota scanned the court. Having only just come into the second half, this was the first time he was facing Kuroko directly.
Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed past his right side. Kota instinctively stepped back, and there he was—Kuroko, just a few steps away.
"Whew, lucky I reacted fast. That would've been another steal and fast break. This guy's misdirection is no joke—he's basically invisible out here."
Kota wasn't the only one startled. The whole court was surprised — he'd actually avoided a steal on his first encounter with Kuroko.
On the bench, Riko was nervously chewing her thumb. Kuroko's presence helped ease her nerves, but not completely.
Kuroko, having failed to get the steal, drifted closer to Kota.
"Huh? He's guarding me now?"
Kota thought.
"Trying the same trick again? Delaying me with Kagami so he can steal it from behind. What a pain. I can't handle that alone... But—"
He gave Kobori a subtle nod, and Kobori immediately trotted over for a pick.
Kuroko's behind-the-back steals were dangerous, but if someone blocked him, his lack of athleticism made it hard for him to recover quickly.
If Kuroko couldn't keep up, it would be a 2-on-1. Izuki noticed the danger and rushed to help.
Kota, just about to pass to Kobori, saw the defensive shift and instantly redirected the ball. On the left corner was Kasamatsu, waiting in position. With Izuki pulled in, the corner was wide open.
Kasamatsu caught it, squared up, and drained the three.
As Kota jogged back on defense, he cracked a small smirk.
"Trading two-point defense for a three-pointer, huh? Not the worst decision, honestly."
"Damn it!" Izuki cursed, hands on his knees. Just a second earlier, he was the hero for blocking a drive—now he was the guy who gave up an open three.
"Don't sweat it."
"Yeah, nothing you could've done. That guy's just a menace."
On the bench, Riko frowned.
"That wasn't Izuki's fault. If Kagami had rotated to help on Kota, no one would've been left inside to stop Koizumi. Izuki helping was the only real option… Our team just isn't strong enough."
"She sighed. If only Kiyoshi were here…"
With Kaijo's overall strength higher, Kota only needed a simple pick to get scoring chances. Even with Kuroko stealing the ball occasionally, their offensive possessions remained steady.
On the other side, Kagami was still the best player on the court, but no one knew when Kise might sub in, so he played cautiously. Hyuga, meanwhile, felt suffocated under Kota's pressure and couldn't get consistent with his shots.
"Man, this is getting boring,"
Kota thought.
"If this were a real match, I'd be thrilled they're underperforming, but for a scrimmage? C'mon."
Seeing Kagami still conserving energy, Kota grinned and shouted,
"What's the matter, bouncy boy? Scared of our ace? Don't worry, Kise's not coming back in—you can go all out now. Otherwise… game's ending soon!"
Kagami, not one to back down, snapped,
"I'm not afraid of Kise! I just wanted to go head-to-head with him fair and square! This is no fun without him, damn it!"
Hearing that Kise wouldn't be returning, Kagami immediately called for the ball. Kota recognized the shift in energy, lowered his stance, spread his arms wide—and tugged up his shorts just a bit.
Kagami, eyeing the defense, narrowed his eyes. Whoa. His pressure just jumped up a level.
Now we're talking. Kagami smirked. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge. He launched into a high jumper. Even with his best effort, Kota could barely get a hand up.
Two points.
"That all you got?" Kagami taunted.
Kota shrugged and pointed to the scoreboard. 92-82. The message was clear.
Kagami grumbled and jogged back, frustrated. Beating Kota in isolation was nice, but they were still down double digits—and time was running out. Five minutes left.
With Kagami fully engaged now, the game dynamic shifted. A strong ace could change everything.
Kota glanced at the scoreboard again—95 to 89.
"Man, not having Kise really is annoying. But with only two and a half minutes left, if we slow the tempo, the win's still ours. Though seriously... this guy's athleticism is just stupid. Crazy hops and now he's pulling off finesse fadeaways? That should be illegal."
All Kota's attention was on Kagami—so much that he didn't realize Kuroko had snuck up behind him again.
Suddenly, his hand hit nothing. The ball—gone.
He whipped around just in time to see Kuroko dish a long pass to Hyuga, already sprinting down the court. Hyuga adjusted, shot the three—nothing but net.
"Yosh!" Hyuga pumped his fist and slapped Kuroko's hand on the way back.
Then, suddenly, Hyuga froze. Kota hadn't moved. He just stood there… face dark.
Kota's expression was grim. A guy with fundamentals like his hated one thing above all—getting stripped. Especially this late in the game. Huge mistake.
With a vein popping on his forehead and a forced smile on his face, he stared daggers at Kuroko. "Nice steal, Mr. Kuroko," he said through gritted teeth.
Hyuga, snapping out of it, quickly stepped between them. Kagami ran over too. Not knowing what just happened, the rest of Seirin lined up behind them, while the Kaijo players jogged over too.
Suddenly, tension filled the court.
Sparks were flying.
...
"Why is it… that you've never lost at rock-paper-scissors?!"
Out in the street, Takao was pedaling a rickshaw carrying Midorima and gasping for air.
"And seriously, why the heck are we going all the way out here just to watch a scrimmage?! Just 'cause your old teammates are playing?"
In the back seat, Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied seriously,
"Because today, Cancer has the highest luck rating. And I brought Cancer's lucky item—this green frog."
"…You're seriously saying rock-paper-scissors depends on horoscopes?"
Midorima ignored the jab and went back to the original topic.
"The mimic guy and the invisible guy… I'm curious which one will win."
He glanced at the sky and added,
"Hurry up, or we'll miss the end."
"Oh sure"
Takao muttered.
"Easy for you to say when I'm the one doing the pedaling, you lucky bastard…"