Chapter 156 - 157
Chapter 156: Midorima’s [Sky]
Tetsuya Kuroko thrust his hand forward at the incoming ball.
Bang!
The basketball shot past Kazunari Takao’s palm in an instant.
Whoosh!
The ball flew straight into Taiga Kagami’s hands.
Takao stared, completely stunned, his mind reeling.
He actually… knocked it away!
Kagami caught the ball and immediately sprang upward.
Taisuke Otsubo defended fiercely, shouting,
“I won’t let you score!”
He jumped to contest—
And froze midair.
In his vision, Kagami was still rising, while his own body had already started to fall.
What kind of jumping power is this?!
I clearly jumped after him—so why am I already coming down while he’s still up there?!
Bang!!!
Kagami dunked the ball straight through the hoop over Otsubo.
The Seirin players erupted.
“Yes!”
That single dunk reignited Seirin’s fighting spirit.
On the other hand, Shūtoku was momentarily stunned by the impact.
After scoring, Kagami didn’t immediately fall back on defense. Instead, he stayed right beside Shintaro Midorima.
Midorima also didn’t stop. He calmly walked toward the frontcourt, adjusting his glasses as he went.
Kuroko… you still haven’t given up?
Don’t you understand? As long as I’m still standing, you have no hope of winning.
The moment Midorima crossed half court, Junpei Hyuga rushed up and joined Kagami, forming a double team.
They had no intention of letting Midorima score again.
Midorima calmly swept his gaze over the two of them.
Then he suddenly burst left and said,
“Takao, ball.”
Takao immediately passed it to him.
Standing at the left wing, Midorima caught the ball and held it, looking at the two defenders waiting in front of him.
“Are you happy?” he asked calmly.
Kagami paused, then nodded.
“Of course. We’re not completely beaten yet!”
Hyuga was even more direct.
“Of course we are! There’s no way you can keep a stable shooting form against two defenders!”
Midorima replied evenly,
“Is that so? It seems the hope Kuroko gave you has turned into confidence.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll be the one to shatter that hope completely.”
Kagami and Hyuga’s expressions changed as they pressed in closer, compressing Midorima’s shooting space as much as possible.
Midorima didn’t care.
He raised the ball high to avoid a steal, then dipped down and exploded upward in one smooth motion.
Kagami and Hyuga jumped immediately.
Kagami shouted excitedly,
“Midorima! You finally got careless!”
Hyuga gritted his teeth, forcing himself higher.
“Without enough build-up, you can’t jump higher than Kagami!”
Midorima answered calmly,
“Is that so?”
In the next instant, Kagami’s excited expression froze, replaced by pure shock.
No… impossible!
Hyuga’s eyes went wide, as if he were witnessing something terrifying.
“He’s… getting farther… farther away…”
The two of them could only stare as Midorima drifted farther from them in midair and released the ball.
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura cried out,
“[Sky]?! Midorima actually mastered [Sky]? Then Seirin really has no hope left.”
“I honestly can’t think of anyone on Seirin who could block Midorima’s [Sky].”
Satsuki Momoi nodded firmly.
“Yes. Once Midorima uses [Sky], the outcome is basically decided.”
Miyamoto Tokima wore a faint smile and murmured,
“So this is the growth you wanted to show us… Midorima.”
There was no doubt about it—Shintaro Midorima had succeeded.
He truly had given Miyamoto Tokima a surprise.
In the original story, if Midorima had developed a fadeaway jump shot earlier, he would have been nearly unstoppable.
But he never did.
Here, however, he had.
A true offensive weapon had been born.
On the court, the basketball soared high into the air—
And dropped cleanly into the hoop.
……
Silence fell over the court once again.
Kagami and Hyuga stood frozen, unmoving for a long moment.
Seirin’s newly rekindled fighting spirit was extinguished in an instant.
After landing, Midorima said flatly,
“See? This is what shattered hope looks like.”
He turned toward Tetsuya Kuroko, speaking as if to argue his point.
“I wasn’t wrong. Your decision to join Seirin was a complete mistake.”
With that, Midorima turned and walked back toward his own half.
Takao stared blankly for a second, then spread his hands helplessly.
“Figures… that’s Shintaro for you.”
He glanced at Kuroko and added,
“See? Your defeat is already inevitable. You might as well give up early.”
Then he turned and jogged back on defense.
Seeing this, Riko Aida called another timeout.
As the team gathered, she was about to encourage them—
When Kagami suddenly started laughing.
The Seirin players all looked at him in confusion.
“Kagami?”
Kagami couldn’t suppress his grin. Seeing everyone staring, he quickly explained,
“Sorry. Midorima’s just way too strong. I got a little fired up.”
Shinji Koganei looked worried and muttered,
“Kagami… we’re about to lose, and you can still laugh…”
Kagami laughed openly.
“So what if we lose? Basketball isn’t only about winning!”
“And besides, this isn’t a dead end yet. As long as the game hasn’t reached the final second, we still have a chance to turn things around!”
Kuroko’s calm eyes flickered slightly.
Hyuga gave a wry smile and said,
“That’s right. It’s not over yet. Everyone, show some spirit!”
The Seirin players smiled together.
“Yes!”
On Shūtoku’s side, the atmosphere relaxed noticeably.
Midorima watched Seirin regain their fighting spirit and closed his eyes.
Still not giving up at this point…
Seems you’re not a complete failure after all.
At this moment, Midorima acknowledged Kuroko’s choice.
After all, teams that refused to give up even now were exceedingly rare.
Of course, that acknowledgment was only for Kuroko’s decision.
As for Taiga Kagami—
Sorry. Still too weak.
In the stands, Ryota Kise smiled as he looked toward Seirin.
Kuroko… your choice doesn’t seem wrong after all.
.........
...
Chapter 157: The Game Is About to Begin
Miyamoto Tokima had seen the scene as well, but he didn’t give it much thought.
At most, he could say that Seirin was resilient—but a loss was inevitable.
From the moment Shintaro Midorima released that fadeaway jumper, Seirin had already plunged into the abyss.
What followed unfolded without any surprises.
Seirin simply couldn’t stop Shintaro Midorima.
They were completely shot down by him.
Shūtoku defeated Seirin 108–64.
Seirin now had one foot through the door of elimination.
One more loss, and they would be completely out of the Summer Cup.
And their next opponent… was Tōō……
Outside the arena.
Shintaro Midorima stood at the entrance of the gym, clearly waiting for someone.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hearing the footsteps, he spoke.
“You’re here?”
“Of course.”
Shintaro Midorima turned around and looked at the three people in front of him.
When his gaze landed on Miyamoto Tokima, the calm in his eyes visibly wavered.
All those emotions ultimately condensed into a single sentence.
“Long time no see… Tokima.”
Miyamoto Tokima held Satsuki Momoi’s hand and smiled lightly.
“Long time no see, Midorima.”
“Hey, hey, hey—what’s that supposed to mean? Am I invisible or something? I’m standing right here, you know.”
Shuzo Nijimura crossed his arms and muttered unhappily.
He was clearly dissatisfied with being ignored by his junior.
Shintaro Midorima turned his head and said calmly,
“Long time no see, Nijimura-senpai.”
Shuzo Nijimura’s expression immediately brightened.
Grinning, he slung an arm around Shintaro Midorima’s neck.
“Heh, Midorima, it’s been years. You’ve really grown up. You’re even pulling out ‘Sky’ now.”
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied evenly,
“I’ve simply done all I can. The rest is left to fate.”
The corner of Shuzo Nijimura’s mouth twitched as he complained inwardly.
‘Even his fortune-teller tendencies have leveled up…’
Shintaro Midorima fixed his gaze on Miyamoto Tokima before finally speaking again.
“Tokima, your next match is against Kaijo, right?”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled and nodded.
“What, worried I might lose?”
Shintaro Midorima shook his head.
“I’m not worried. Kise can’t beat you. I’m just curious how much of your strength he can force out.”
Miyamoto Tokima chuckled softly.
“The next match won’t be my round against Kise. And I won’t be the one facing him either.”
Shintaro Midorima froze, then turned to Shuzo Nijimura.
“Does that mean Nijimura-senpai will be going up against Kise?”
Shuzo Nijimura scratched his head and shrugged.
“I’d honestly like to test myself against this Kise you keep talking about, but unfortunately, it’s not my turn either.”
That only left Shintaro Midorima even more confused.
This time, hadn’t only Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura joined Kirisaki Daiichi?
Could it be Makoto Hanamiya facing Kise? But there was no real connection between them.
After thinking it over for a long time without reaching an answer, Shintaro Midorima simply gave up.
The match was about to start anyway. He’d see for himself when the time came.
“In that case, I’ll see you at the Summer Cup.”
With that, Shintaro Midorima turned and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Shuzo Nijimura muttered,
“What a textbook tsundere junior.”
Satsuki Momoi smiled sweetly.
“Yeah, Midorima-kun really is all sharp words but a soft heart.”
Shuzo Nijimura immediately shot back,
“Exactly! At least he’s not like Zack. That guy is soft-spoken but absolutely ruthless inside!”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
“And whose fault is that? You’re the one who keeps forcing him to boot up and play one-on-one with you while he’s asleep.”
Shuzo Nijimura recalled those unpleasant memories and bristled.
“He was the one who said I could challenge him anytime! He even promised to go easy on me—then he went all out every single time!”
Miyamoto Tokima spread his hands helplessly.
“Come on. We still have two matches left to play.”
...
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Before anyone realized it, the match between Kirisaki Daiichi and Kaijo High had arrived.
The turnout this time was massive.
Many of the spectators were fans of [Magic Cube] Miyamoto Tokima, all eager to see [Magic Cube] in action.
And it wasn’t just ordinary fans—players from other schools were there as well.
First among them was Shūtoku High.
The entire Shūtoku team, including their coach, had taken seats in the stands.
At Shintaro Midorima’s insistence, Shūtoku had already marked Kirisaki Daiichi as their primary rival.
Next was Tōō Academy.
After being told by Daiki Aomine that Miyamoto Tokima had joined Kirisaki Daiichi, everyone on Tōō was filled with curiosity about this powerful opponent they would eventually face.
Looking at the densely packed crowd, Shoichi Imayoshi couldn’t help but comment,
“There are a lot of people here. Are they all drawn in by [Magic Cube]?”
Daiki Aomine nodded expressionlessly.
“Yeah. After all, his level is above ours.”
Kosuke Wakamatsu frowned slightly, puzzled.
“Even now? He’s still above you?”
Daiki Aomine let out a breath, his voice low.
“With his talent, there’s no way he’s stopped improving.”
“And even if he had, I’d only be able to draw with his first-year middle school self—if that.”
“Because I’m not even sure that one-on-one back then showed his real strength.”
The Tōō players swallowed unconsciously.
Kosuke Wakamatsu found it hard to believe.
“No… seriously? You might not even beat his middle school self now?”
“Just how strong is he?!”
Shoichi Imayoshi’s expression grew serious as well.
“If Aomine’s right, Kaijo probably won’t be able to force out the real strength of [Magic Cube].”
Daiki Aomine suddenly burst out laughing.
“Kise forcing out Tokima’s real strength? Don’t make me laugh. He probably can’t even push Nijimura-senpai to go all out.”
“Just watch the game. The real fight is something we’ll experience ourselves.”
The Tōō players all turned solemn, their eyes locked tightly onto the court.
On the other side, Seirin had also arrived in the stands.
Junpei Hyuga scanned the surroundings and said in disbelief,
“It’s hard to believe this is just a preliminary match.”
Shinji Koganei nodded.
“Yeah. This crowd feels like a finals game.”
Riko Aida stood nearby, her expression extremely serious.
“That just shows the reputation and strength of [The Magic Cube].”
Taiga Kagami looked around, then turned his head.
“Kuroko, who do you think is going to win?”
The rest of Seirin also turned to look at Tetsuya Kuroko.
Under their expectant gazes, he answered without hesitation.
“Kirisaki Daiichi.”
Author's Note
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.