Chapter 152 - 153

Chapter 152: During the Game
Tetsuya Kuroko’s expression never changed, and neither did his tone.

“No one can say whether the choices we make in life are right or wrong.
“And that’s not why we make them.
“Besides, there’s one thing I need to correct—Seirin is absolutely not weak.”

As he spoke, Kuroko’s gaze grew firm.

“We definitely… won’t lose.”

Shintaro Midorima’s expression turned solemn. He turned around and replied calmly,
“Then I’ll be the one to let you experience what defeat feels like.”

Both teams’ starting lineups took their positions, ready for the tip-off.

In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura curled his lips into a smile.
“It’s finally starting.”

On the court.

Taiga Kagami and Otsubo Taisuke lined up for the jump ball.
The referee tossed the ball high into the air.
Both players leaped at the same time.

In the end, Kagami won the tip by a razor-thin margin.

Otsubo Taisuke was visibly surprised.
‘He can jump that high?’

Seirin gained the first possession.

Rinnosuke Mitobe caught the ball without the slightest hesitation and immediately passed it to Shun Izuki.

After receiving the ball, Izuki quickly scanned the court for his teammates.
But when he saw that Shūtoku had already set up their defense, he couldn’t help but think,

‘That was fast. I was planning to start with a fast break, but their defensive transition is way too quick.’

Even so, Seirin’s offensive options weren’t gone yet.

Shinsuke Kimura, who was guarding Tetsuya Kuroko, suddenly realized that Kuroko had vanished right in front of him.

‘Huh? Where did he go?’

By the time he snapped back to his senses, Izuki had already made the pass.

Tetsuya Kuroko appeared instantly along the passing lane, slapping the ball up into the air.

Taiga Kagami seized the chance, leaping high and grabbing the ball for an alley-oop dunk.

By the time Otsubo Taisuke turned around, it was already too late.

Just as Seirin began celebrating prematurely, something unexpected happened.

Shintaro Midorima sprang upward and swatted the ball cleanly out of Kagami’s hands.

Taiga Kagami froze.
‘How is that possible…?’

The ball was caught by Kazunari Takao, who praised him immediately,
“As expected of you, Shin.”

As he spoke, Takao charged toward the frontcourt.

After landing, Midorima added coolly,
“If that’s all you’ve got, you’re not scoring.”

Shinsuke Kimura followed up right away, creating a two-on-one situation in the frontcourt.

Kazunari Takao passed the ball to Kimura without hesitation.

Kimura took three steps and went up for the layup, but Junpei Hyuga managed to get a hand on it, sending the ball rattling off the rim.

In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless.
“What kind of talent is that? A two-on-one in the frontcourt and you still get stuffed?”

Miyamoto Tokima found it hard to believe as well.
A two-on-one fast break getting blocked—was he serious?

Well, better keep watching.
Let’s see whether the protagonist’s halo carries the day, or if Shintaro Midorima can break free from it and take the win.

Possession switched.

This time, Shūtoku left Seirin no openings at all, locking them down defensively.

Seirin, as usual, relied on Tetsuya Kuroko to create an opening.

When Taiga Kagami received the ball, he paused when he saw that Shintaro Midorima was now guarding him.

Midorima spread his arms wide, blocking his path, and spoke calmly,
“This is where it ends.”

Feeling underestimated, Kagami clenched his teeth and launched into an aggressive drive.

Shintaro Midorima didn’t give him a single opening, completely shutting him down.

Seizing the moment, Midorima slapped the ball away and stole it cleanly.

Instead of passing, he took off alone toward the frontcourt for a fast break.

Seirin’s bench was stunned.

Riko Aida cried out in disbelief,
“He can handle the ball too?!”

The Kaijo spectators were equally shocked.

Yukio Kasamatsu hurriedly turned to Ryota Kise.
“Hey, hey—does he really have ball-handling skills?”

Cold sweat broke out on Kise’s forehead as he hesitated before answering,
“I don’t know… but I can say I’ve never seen Midorima run a possession like that.”

On the other side, Shuzo Nijimura was also surprised. A pleased smile crossed his face as he said,
“So Midorima can handle the ball too. Looks like he hasn’t wasted his training.”

Miyamoto Tokima watched quietly, saying nothing and making no big reactions.

After all, Satsuki Momoi was still asleep.

On the court.

Shintaro Midorima dribbled alone into the frontcourt, with Taiga Kagami chasing hard from behind.

Midorima glanced at Kagami from the corner of his eye, then stopped abruptly just outside the three-point line and jumped.

Kagami tried to brake, but it was too late. All he could do was watch as Midorima released the shot.

The ball soared upward, tracing an impossibly high arc.

It climbed until it nearly reached the ceiling of the gym before finally beginning to descend.

Junpei Hyuga’s expression grew grim, his heart already shaken.
‘What kind of trajectory is that?!’

The Seirin players and the spectators felt the same shock.

Midorima’s shooting arc was simply absurd.

After releasing the ball, Midorima looked at Kagami—who was still staring up at the ceiling—and said,
“Get ready to taste defeat. You’re too weak.”

With that, he turned without hesitation and slowly walked back toward his own half.

Kagami’s face darkened. He glanced at Midorima’s retreating back, then looked up at the falling ball.

He watched as it swished cleanly through the hoop.

‘Damn it…’

As the ball dropped through the net, the crowd erupted once again, buzzing with excited chatter.

Possession changed.

Shun Izuki dribbled past half court, his eyes constantly sweeping across the floor.

Kazunari Takao stood in front of him, watching quietly before smiling.
“Still looking for your teammates? Well—did you find them?”

Izuki ignored him and continued scanning the court.

Once again, Tetsuya Kuroko disappeared. Izuki immediately made the pass.

With a sharp slap, Kuroko redirected the ball straight into Rinnosuke Mitobe’s hands.

Mitobe caught it, backed down once, then turned and went for a hook shot.

Taisuke Otsubo jumped hard, his fingertip grazing the ball.

For the first time, a flicker crossed Mitobe’s usually expressionless face.
He hadn’t expected even a hook shot to be touched.

The ball clanged off the rim, then barely dropped into the net.

Seeing this, Otsubo shook his head helplessly. He had gotten a hand on it, yet it still went in.

Hook shots really were hard to block.

Still, his expression didn’t change at all.

He took the ball, passed it to Kazunari Takao, and ran up the court.

Takao wore a faint smile as he calmly dribbled the ball past half court.

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Chapter 153: Counterattack?

After dribbling past half court, Kazunari Takao pushed the ball forward with both hands, sending it straight into Shintaro Midorima’s hands.

Midorima didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Ignoring Taiga Kagami’s defense completely, he jumped the moment he caught the ball.

“What?!”

Kagami hadn’t expected Midorima to pull up so decisively. He froze for an instant.

By the time he reacted and jumped to contest the shot, it was already too late.

Midorima powered through with his left hand and released the ball.

The basketball arced through the air, soaring like an eagle spreading its wings.

The moment he landed, Midorima turned around and walked away without even glancing back.

As he left, he called out calmly,
“Let’s go, Takao.”

Kazunari Takao spread his hands helplessly and followed him back on defense.

Above them, the ball climbed higher and higher, then suddenly plunged downward, as if it had locked onto its prey.

Swish.

The shot went cleanly through the net.

After the basket, the expressions of the Seirin players immediately darkened.

On the bench, Riko Aida’s expression changed as well.

How could this be… Kagami can’t guard Midorima at all.

On the court, Kagami and the rest of Seirin looked tense and grim. Only Tetsuya Kuroko remained as calm as ever.

Kuroko turned to Kagami and said,
“Next possession, please run.”

Kagami didn’t quite understand what he meant and looked momentarily confused.

Possession switched.

Shun Izuki dribbled the ball over half court and immediately passed it to Kagami, who was moving into position.

The instant Kagami caught the ball, Midorima was already in front of him, set in a defensive stance.

Kagami stared at him warily, then suddenly drove hard to the right.

Up in the stands, Shuzo Nijimura shook his head with a helpless sigh.
“That idiot hasn’t improved at all. His offense is still painfully predictable.”

Miyamoto Tokima nodded in agreement.

Kagami’s offensive options were simply too obvious.

At this stage, he really only had one move—forcing his way through. He barely knew how to shift his center of gravity, and his shooting still hadn’t been fully developed. Compared to Midorima, the gap between them was huge.

Seirin’s only real chance lay in how Kuroko coordinated the offense—and whether the protagonist’s aura decided to kick in.

On the court, Midorima never lost his position, staying glued to Kagami the entire time.

Kagami couldn’t get into the paint at all.

Using Izuki’s screen, Junpei Hyuga broke free, raised his hand, and shouted,
“Here!”

Without hesitation, Kagami whipped the ball over to him.

Hyuga caught it and shot immediately.

Kazunari Takao jumped with all he had, but it barely affected the shot.

All he could do was hope Hyuga missed.

Unfortunately for him, the ball went in.

After scoring, Hyuga clenched his fist and shouted,
“Nice!”

Possession switched again.

Kazunari Takao brought the ball past half court and once more passed it to Shintaro Midorima.

Midorima caught it one-handed, his expression as calm as still water.

He glanced briefly at Kagami, then jumped straight up.

Kagami bristled with frustration.

This guy… he’s completely ignoring me!

He leaped up fiercely, trying to block the shot.

But once he was in the air, he realized—

Midorima’s release point was way too high.

How is this guy shooting from that high?!

After releasing the ball, Midorima turned around again and calmly jogged back on defense.

Kagami stood there, his expression ugly and stiff.

Suddenly, Kuroko spoke again,
“Please run.”

Kagami froze for a split second, then seemed to understand. He immediately sprinted toward the frontcourt.

Swish.

The ball dropped through the net.

Kuroko immediately picked up the ball and stepped out of bounds.

He spun two and a half times on the spot, then snapped his arms forward, hurling the ball down the court.

Midorima sensed something and turned his head instantly.

In that moment, the basketball tore past his ear.

Midorima’s pupils shrank sharply.

What?!

Under the basket, Kagami caught the pass cleanly.

Two steps.

He slammed the ball straight through the hoop.

The entire arena froze.

The crowd exploded into shocked shouts.

“What was that?! A full-court pass?!”

“Seirin’s launching a fast break!”

In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura laughed.
“So Kuroko can make passes like that now? Looks like none of them have been standing still.”

Satsuki Momoi was gradually awakened by the surrounding noise.

She rubbed her eyes and looked toward the court. When she realized the game was already underway, she cried out,
“Eh? The game already started? Tokima, you didn’t wake me up!”

Miyamoto Tokima chuckled.
“You were sleeping way too soundly. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

Momoi puffed out her cheeks and muttered,
“Hmph. Fine, I’ll forgive you this time. But what just happened?”

Miyamoto Tokima briefly explained what had just occurred.

After listening, Momoi thought for a moment before saying,
“I see… but Seirin still can’t win like this.”

“After all, Midorima’s shots are worth three points.”

Miyamoto Tokima agreed completely. A three-pointer was always one point more than a two-pointer.

Playing like this simply wasn’t enough to win. If anything, it was like being slowly boiled alive.

On the court, Shintaro Midorima seemed not to have realized this at all.

Perhaps Kuroko’s sudden counterattack had momentarily shaken him.

But Shūtoku didn’t rely on Midorima alone for offense.

The others could score too.

Kazunari Takao caught the pass and let out a cold laugh.
“You don’t actually think you can turn this around, do you?”

As Izuki looked on in confusion, Takao drove forward, then suddenly whipped the ball backward in mid-drive.

The same pattern repeated over several possessions.

After watching a few plays, Izuki began to form a suspicion, though he wasn’t completely sure.

It wasn’t until Masaaki Nakatani ordered Kazunari Takao and Shinsuke Kimura to switch matchups that Izuki finally understood.

After confirming Kuroko’s approach, Nakatani immediately called out,
“Takao, Kimura—switch defense.”

The moment he said it, the Seirin players all looked confused.

After all, Tetsuya Kuroko wasn’t someone just anyone could guard.

Even with a switch, stopping him wasn’t guaranteed.

Kagami was especially certain of that.

He looked at Midorima and said flatly,
“Switching defense? Kuroko isn’t that easy to guard.”

Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied calmly,
“You’re still thinking too naively.”

Midorima had already figured it out.

His shots were worth three points. Kuroko’s plays only led to two.

No matter how you calculated it, his scoring advantage was absolute.

There was no need to change anything.

Because this match was destined to be his victory.

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