Chapter 182: You’ve Changed
At the Seirin vs. Tōō arena.
On the court.
After Daiki Aomine’s 360-degree dunk, Riko Aida immediately called a timeout.
First, to give the starters a chance to catch their breath. Second, to go over some tactical adjustments.
And most importantly…
Tetsuya Kuroko was about to step onto the court.
“Tweet! Seirin requests a timeout!”
The referee’s whistle rang out.
The Seirin players walked off the court, breathing heavily.
Thud.
Taiga Kagami dropped onto the bench, grabbed the water Tetsuya Kuroko handed him, and took a long gulp.
“Ha… damn it. He’s way too fast. I couldn’t react at all!”
After swallowing the water, Taiga Kagami muttered angrily.
Junpei Hyuga sat beside him, steadily regulating his breathing to recover his stamina.
“Yeah. Aomine’s speed is insane. No wonder they’re the Generation of Miracles. Every single one of them is a monster.”
Junpei Hyuga sighed helplessly.
The pressure brought by the Generation of Miracles was overwhelming.
Whether it was Ryota Kise or Shintaro Midorima, each of them made him feel suffocated.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Everyone, the game isn’t over yet. We can’t give up. We need to adjust our approach next.”
Riko Aida clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
On Tōō’s bench.
Daiki Aomine slowly walked off the court and casually dropped into a seat, slouching lazily against the backrest, looking completely unmotivated.
The other Tōō players were used to it and didn’t think much of it—except for Kosuke Wakamatsu.
Seeing Daiki Aomine like this made Wakamatsu’s temper flare.
But there was nothing he could say. After all, Daiki Aomine was the one carrying the team right now.
Katsunori Harasawa didn’t comment.
He twirled a strand of hair around his finger—his usual habit—while glancing toward Seirin.
“Imayoshi, according to your friend, Seirin’s planning to double-team Aomine now, right?”
Katsunori Harasawa asked while watching the court.
Shoichi Imayoshi replied immediately,
“Yes. If nothing’s changed, once Aomine is on the floor, Seirin’s Kagami and Kuroko will double-team him.”
“As for the method, it should be the same move they used against Kaijō.”
“Kuroko marks him, Kagami provides help defense, and then Kuroko goes for the steal.”
“If my deduction is correct, Aomine will run into that setup next.”
(PS: Satsuki Momoi only gave a few casual hints and didn’t provide full guidance, so there’s no need to overthink it.)
Hearing this, Daiki Aomine immediately straightened up, his expression turning serious.
Katsunori Harasawa nodded slightly while twirling his hair.
“Got that, Aomine?”
Daiki Aomine nodded, then looked at Shoichi Imayoshi and asked in a low voice,
“Imayoshi, who told you that?”
Shoichi Imayoshi was caught off guard by the sudden shift in Daiki Aomine’s demeanor.
He hesitated for a moment before answering,
“Hanamiya. What’s wrong?”
The moment Daiki Aomine heard the name Hanamiya, he understood everything.
There was no way Makoto Hanamiya had figured that out on his own.
Hanamiya might come up with counterattacks, but he couldn’t have deduced something that precise.
Only one person could analyze it that perfectly.
Satsuki Momoi.
And Satsuki Momoi just happened to be at Kirisaki Daiichi.
With that realization, Daiki Aomine’s expression relaxed back into its usual lazy look. He waved a hand casually.
“Nothing.”
Shoichi Imayoshi was left puzzled. For the first time, his proud skill at reading microexpressions had completely failed him.
.........
“Tweet! Timeout over! Both teams, back on the court!”
On Seirin’s side.
Riko Aida’s eyes were firm as she extended her right hand.
“Everyone! Let’s go!”
Junpei Hyuga and the others stacked their hands on top of hers.
Then they swung their hands downward together and shouted,
“Let’s go!”
The sudden shout carried over to Tōō’s side.
Shoichi Imayoshi smiled faintly.
“Well now, looks like our opponents aren’t giving up.”
Daiki Aomine glanced lightly at Tetsuya Kuroko and thought to himself,
‘I hope you… don’t give up.’
The game resumed.
Seirin ball.
Shun Izuki received the inbound and brought the ball steadily past half court.
Once across, he activated Eagle Eye, scanning the entire floor.
When he saw Tetsuya Kuroko slip into open space, Shun Izuki immediately passed the ball to him.
Kuroko’s eyes sharpened. He drew his right hand back to his waist, preparing to strike.
Bang!
His right hand shot forward, making crisp contact with the ball.
Perhaps the force was too much—the ball visibly dented inward from the impact.
It then rocketed toward Taiga Kagami.
Before anyone could react, a figure appeared directly in its path.
Thud!
Daiki Aomine intercepted the pass with one hand.
“What?!”
Taiga Kagami’s expression changed instantly, his catching motion freezing midair.
Tetsuya Kuroko’s pupils widened slightly in surprise.
Daiki Aomine looked at him without expression.
“Too obvious, Tetsuya. Who do you think has caught the most of your passes?”
With that, he casually flicked the ball forward with his right hand, sending it into the hands of Shoichi Imayoshi, who was already sprinting toward the frontcourt.
Tetsuya Kuroko was genuinely surprised.
He hadn’t expected Daiki Aomine… to pass.
Shoichi Imayoshi caught the ball in stride and finished with a smooth layup. After scoring, he sighed.
“Ah… Aomine’s going to start slacking off again.”
He knew exactly what it meant when Daiki Aomine passed the ball.
It meant Aomine no longer found the game interesting and was about to coast.
He probably wouldn’t even bother crossing half court from now on.
After the pass, Daiki Aomine kept his eyes on Tetsuya Kuroko.
Tetsuya Kuroko met his gaze.
Their eyes locked silently in midair.
Daiki Aomine was the first to break the silence.
“Tetsuya, on a team like this, can you still fulfill your role as a shadow?”
Kuroko’s expression didn’t change as he replied calmly,
“The shadow has always been there. You just haven’t noticed.”
Daiki Aomine paused, then gave a faint smile.
“Heh. You’ve really changed, Tetsuya.”
Kuroko’s gaze grew serious.
“Aomine-kun, you’ve changed too.”
With that, he turned and ran back on defense.
Daiki Aomine watched his retreating figure and murmured softly,
“Have I… changed?”
.........
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