Chapter 154 - 155
Chapter 154: Prepare to Face Your Defeat!
Although the Seirin players were confused, they had no intention of changing their approach.
After dribbling past half court, Shun Izuki immediately passed the ball toward Tetsuya Kuroko.
Kuroko’s eyes swept across the entire court as he analyzed the best positioning for his teammates.
Once he locked onto a target, Kuroko instantly slapped the ball toward him.
Smack!
Smack!!
Two sharp sounds rang out as the ball was struck, and Seirin’s players were instantly thrown into shock.
Even Kuroko’s expression changed slightly.
Kazunari Takao had intercepted the pass.
The moment he stole the ball, Takao flung it straight toward the frontcourt.
Kiyoshi Miyaji, already sprinting ahead, didn’t hesitate for a second and laid the ball cleanly into the hoop.
Junpei Hyuga stared in disbelief, murmuring,
“How… how could Kuroko’s pass actually…”
Shun Izuki exclaimed loudly,
“Just like I thought… just like I thought!”
Hyuga immediately turned to him.
“Izuki, what are you talking about?!”
Izuki stared at Kazunari Takao with a grave expression and said in a low voice,
“He has the same kind of eyes as me. No—his are even stronger.”
“He has Hawk Eyes, and his field of vision is even wider than mine!”
“He can observe the entire court. Which means Kuroko’s Misdirection...”
“…is useless!”
On the court.
With Tetsuya Kuroko shut down by Kazunari Takao, the flow of the game quickly tilted into a one-sided affair.
Shintaro Midorima’s three-pointers left Seirin completely unable to respond.
Just like that, the game reached the final moments of the second quarter.
Seirin’s players took up their positions, tense and ready.
Shintaro Midorima caught a pass from Taisuke Otsubo. His gaze briefly shifted toward Miyamoto Tokima in the stands as he thought to himself,
Watch closely. I’ll show you how much I’ve grown.
Midorima stopped dribbling, brought the ball together in both hands, and assumed a shooting stance.
Seeing this, the Seirin players all felt their hearts skip a beat.
Kagami muttered,
“Hey, hey… what’s he doing? How far is that from the hoop?!”
Hyuga was even more incredulous.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way that shot goes in from there!”
Even Kuroko’s expression changed, his gaze turning heavy.
Under the stunned stares of the entire crowd and Seirin alike—
Shintaro Midorima jumped.
He rose high into the air, his left hand bursting with force as the ball soared upward.
As the halftime buzzer sounded, the ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Seeing the shot go in, Hyuga felt his mind explode with shock.
So that’s what that sense of wrongness was…
His range isn’t just the three-point line—it’s… the entire court!
Damn it… if this keeps up, the score gap might not be huge, but our spirit… our fighting spirit might break first!
...
Halftime.
Miyamoto Tokima glanced at the scoreboard.
48–27.
Just as expected, Shūtoku was going to win this game.
Because Tokima was certain that Shintaro Midorima was still hiding something.
What Midorima had shown so far didn’t quite match what he was truly capable of. There was a clear sense of mismatch.
Tokima was absolutely convinced—Midorima was holding something back.
Halftime ended quickly.
The game resumed.
From the opening possession, Midorima began demanding the ball and firing away.
Three after three went in.
After another three-pointer splashed through the net, some spectators had already started leaving their seats.
Midorima wasn’t surprised in the slightest. In his eyes, Seirin was never the target.
He had only one target.
Miyamoto Tokima.
Suddenly—
A familiar aura began to emanate from Taiga Kagami.
Though it hadn’t fully taken shape, it undeniably existed.
Midorima snapped his head around and looked straight at Kagami.
So he hasn’t given up yet… and this presence…
Kagami stood there, his expression blazing with excitement.
So strong! This is Midorima! This just makes me even more fired up!
In the stands, Shuzo Nijimura’s expression changed. He fixed his gaze on Kagami and laughed.
“As expected. If I still had doubts before, they’re completely gone now. That kid definitely has Animal Instinct.”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded slightly and replied calmly,
“True. But Midorima hasn’t disappointed me either. I already know what he’s hiding.”
Nijimura froze and asked blankly,
“What is Midorima hiding?”
Tokima smiled faintly, deliberately keeping him in suspense.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
On the court.
Shintaro Midorima had the ball again. Facing Kagami’s defense, he didn’t hesitate for even a moment before jumping.
Kagami watched Midorima’s shot, his expression turning resolute.
I’ve been thinking about it—what should I do if Kuroko gets shut down?
Now I know.
I need to get stronger. I don’t want to lose!
Kagami leapt upward with explosive force—his height actually matching Midorima’s!
Midorima couldn’t help but feel shocked.
How is that possible… that jumping power?!
In the stands, Ryota Kise looked thrilled, his heart pounding.
Now I’m sure of it.
That guy has the same kind of talent as us.
His talent is… innate jumping ability!
On the court, Kagami roared as he jumped.
“Ahhh!”
He stretched his arm with all his strength—his fingertips brushing against Midorima’s ball!
The shot slammed into the rim, bounced twice, and still dropped in.
Otsubo murmured in disbelief,
“That was close… I’ve never seen Midorima’s shot look like that.”
Kazunari Takao stared at Kagami and muttered,
“That vertical leap… what the hell is going on?”
Possession switched.
This time, after catching the ball, Kagami used Rinnosuke Mitobe’s screen to charge into the paint.
Facing Otsubo’s defense, Kagami soared upward and smashed the ball into the hoop under Otsubo’s stunned gaze.
Boom!
Otsubo stared in shock.
No matter how you look at it, something’s wrong… that kind of jumping ability is way beyond a high schooler!
After the basket, Seirin’s fighting spirit began to recover.
Aside from Kagami, the other four players immediately fell back on defense.
In the original story, this would have been the moment Seirin sounded the horn of their counteroffensive.
But unlike the original—
Shintaro Midorima was perfectly calm.
He adjusted his glasses and took the pass from Otsubo.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Midorima dribbled steadily, his eyes fixed on Kagami.
“So this is your response?”
Kagami clenched his teeth, glaring back at him, his expression one of pure refusal to give up.
Midorima closed his eyes and murmured softly,
“I understand. But it’s nothing more than futile struggle.”
Then his eyes snapped open.
His green irises sharpened like blades.
“Prepare to face your defeat!”
...
Chapter 155: This Pass Will Accelerate
Shintaro Midorima’s eyes were razor-sharp, like a hawk’s.
The way he stared made Taiga Kagami’s skin crawl.
The very next second—
Midorima gathered the ball and jumped straight up under his own basket.
Kagami snapped back to reality and leaped after him.
“No way!”
But the moment Kagami left the ground, he realized—
Midorima… had jumped even higher…
How?! So you weren’t even using your full strength before?!
Midorima pushed with his left hand, and the ball shot into the sky with a sharp whoosh.
Junpei Hyuga’s expression darkened, shock flooding his chest.
Damn it… he wasn’t even going all-out before. Is this what the Generation of Miracles really is?!
Midorima landed and said coldly, without a hint of mercy,
“If this is all you’ve got, I can’t imagine any way I lose.”
Kagami clenched his teeth so hard it hurt.
Right now, he simply couldn’t stop Shintaro Midorima.
Was he really… going to lose?
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Up in the stands, Miyamoto Tokima’s lips curled upward without him even noticing.
Midorima… so you’ve finally broken through that aura.
Compared to someone he barely knew like Kagami, Tokima naturally wanted Midorima to win.
That so-called protagonist aura had honestly left him baffled.
But now, it seemed Midorima had shattered it.
On the court, Kagami panted hard, the feeling of impending defeat making him more and more restless.
So on the next possession, Kagami stopped listening to anyone.
He took the ball and charged ahead by himself.
Hyuga immediately shouted,
“Kagami! You’re rushing it!”
But Kagami acted like he didn’t hear, barreling forward alone.
Midorima slid right alongside him and sneered,
“You think you’re Miyamoto? You think you can take on five by yourself?”
Kagami was still processing the jab when the ball in his hands was suddenly slapped away.
What?!
Kagami whipped his head around.
Kazunari Takao had knocked the ball loose. He smiled as he spoke,
“You really are a hot-blooded kid.”
After the steal, Midorima immediately scooped up the ball and rose up at half court.
“Damn it!!!”
Kagami jumped beside him at full height—
But he was still just a little short of the ball.
Even so, that jump made Midorima pause for a split second.
He can jump even higher…? His talent is really that insane?
Swish.
The shot fell.
Seeing things go badly, Riko Aida immediately called a timeout.
Both teams headed to the bench.
Midorima quietly looked at Kagami, as if thinking about something.
Kagami sat down and spat out a stubborn, bitter word.
“Damn it.”
After wiping his sweat, Izuki replied at once,
“Kagami, you’re too impatient. Look around more.”
Hyuga took a drink and added,
“Yeah. And you shouldn’t have forced that immediately—better to move the ball fir—”
Before he could finish, Kagami cut him off.
“Even if I pass it back, so what? Right now, I’m the only one who can go head-to-head with Shūtoku.”
“What we need isn’t teamwork—we need me to score!”
Shinji Koganei shot back immediately,
“What kind of logic is that? Isn’t that just playing everything around yourself?”
Seeing Kagami like this, Tetsuya Kuroko walked up and punched him straight in the face.
The Seirin players were stunned.
And it wasn’t just Seirin—Shūtoku was frozen too.
Takao took a sip of water and muttered,
“Hey, hey… are they fighting among themselves?”
Otsubo spoke up,
“Probably. In a situation like this, disagreements are bound to happen.”
Midorima watched from across the court, irritation already simmering in his chest.
So this is the light you chose, Kuroko?
Up in the stands, Shuzo Nijimura watched the drama like he was eating popcorn.
“Oh? Kuroko-kun can throw hands? Looks like he’s gotten worse since we left.”
Satsuki Momoi didn’t agree.
“No, I don’t think so. It feels like a disagreement. That red-haired guy looks like he started playing one-man basketball.”
“And if I remember right, Kuroko-kun has always believed in team basketball.”
“They probably clashed over that.”
Nijimura blinked.
“Is that so?”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
“Tsukuyomi’s right. Kagami’s calmed down now.”
Nijimura looked back toward the court.
Sure enough, Kagami had regained his composure.
Kuroko had also returned to the floor.
As soon as Takao saw Kuroko check in, he stepped right next to him and said,
“You’re back, huh? But how are you going to avoid my Hawk Eyes?”
“I can see you even more clearly than I did in the first half.”
Kuroko remained expressionless, with no intention of answering.
Seirin ball.
Kagami caught the pass and drove straight toward the paint.
Midorima stayed glued to his side.
Kagami immediately swung the ball to Izuki, then cut around Rinnosuke Mitobe.
Mitobe set the screen perfectly, stopping Midorima in his tracks.
Midorima shouted at once,
“Help defense!”
Otsubo rotated over immediately.
Meanwhile, Hyuga had already figured out what Kuroko was trying to do.
Takao’s Hawk Eyes really could see the entire court.
So even if his attention was pulled elsewhere, he could still keep Kuroko within his field of vision.
Therefore—
Before Takao could shift his focus to someone else, Kuroko used the opposite of Misdirection.
He drew the gaze onto himself.
Even if it meant getting intercepted again and again, he kept making the same kinds of passes—
All to force Kazunari Takao to keep his attention locked on him.
Once Takao’s focus narrowed, Kuroko could redirect that “gaze” again.
Takao’s eyes widened.
He vanished?! How is that possible?!
Kuroko darted into the passing lane between Izuki and Kagami in an instant.
Takao forced himself to calm down.
It’s fine. Even if Kuroko disappeared, Kagami’s still here. If I cut off Kagami’s passing lane, then I can—
With that thought, Takao burst toward Kagami’s position.
Kuroko spoke as he watched him move,
“You won’t get it this time. Up until now, all I’ve done is change the ball’s trajectory.”
“But one pass…”
“…will accelerate!”
...
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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