Chapter 174 - 179

Chapter 174: Aomine Isn’t Coming???

Shuzo Nijimura immediately cursed:

“Even when you use [Pillage], at least pick the right target! Your copied shots keep getting blocked—what kind of pressure are you putting on him?!”

“Anthony doesn’t even hesitate when he blocks you! There’s no pressure at all—if anything, you’re making it easier for him!”

Only then did Shogo Haizaki snap out of it.

His [Pillage] worked by using his own rhythm to imitate someone’s movements, creating pressure through familiarity and tempo disruption.

But if his shots kept getting blocked, then there was no pressure to speak of.

It was clear he had been rattled by the blocks and had stubbornly dug himself into a mental corner.

Dicky Anthony finally understood.

“So that’s why your shot looked exactly like mine—you were copying it.” (English)

“I was wondering. You’re only the second person I’ve seen who dared to pull up right in my face.” (English)

“The first was Niji—” (English)

“Ahem! Anthony, come take a break!”

Shuzo Nijimura quickly covered Dicky Anthony’s mouth before he could finish.

Shogo Haizaki stood there, completely confused.

‘What is he saying? Why can’t I understand half of it?’

Miyamoto Tokima rubbed his forehead. He hadn’t expected the one-on-one to end up such a mess.

For the first time, he seriously questioned Shogo Haizaki’s intelligence.

Shaking his head, he turned to Satsuki Momoi.

“Satsuki, how’s Dicky Anthony’s data?”

Satsuki Momoi pursed her lips and checked the notes in her hand. After confirming everything, she replied:

“It’s all collected. Based on Anthony’s one-on-one with Nijimura-senpai and the others, his numbers are pretty terrifying.”

Miyamoto Tokima nodded and took the data sheet from her.

The stats were excellent.

In terms of height, wingspan, and shooting ability, he even surpassed Zack and the others.

It was safe to say Dicky Anthony was extremely well-suited for the Black Dragon Team.

He not only had elite shooting ability but also strong driving skills.

His ball-handling was solid as well. He simply preferred scoring through jump shots during games.

Driving consumed more stamina, while shooting allowed him to conserve energy efficiently.

Of course, in Japan, Dicky Anthony could also play center.

But it would be a different kind of center.

On defense, he would anchor the paint.

On offense, he would space out to the perimeter and open fire.

That way, he could drag the opposing center out, creating space inside for drives and finishes.

However, there was no need for him to play center right now—the position was already filled.

The role Dicky Anthony would take was…

Shooting guard.

As for Miyamoto Tokima, he planned to move to point guard.

After reviewing the data, Miyamoto Tokima announced:

“Starting today, Anthony will be our starting shooting guard.”

“I’ll take the point guard position.”

“Hanamiya, any objections?”

Makoto Hanamiya shook his head calmly.

“Tokima-san, I have no objections.”

As if he would argue after Miyamoto Tokima had already decided.

...

Time flew by, and soon it was the match between Seirin High and Tōō High.

Kaijō and Shūtoku both came to watch.

Kirisaki Daiichi, however, didn’t send anyone. In their eyes, Tōō’s victory was a given.

Both teams entered the court.

On Seirin’s side, every player wore a tense expression as they stepped into the arena.

Tōō, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed.

There wasn’t a hint of anxiety on any of their faces.

Shoichi Imayoshi even wore a faint smile.

Squinting eyes. Smiling fox. The schemer aura was fully stacked.

On Seirin’s side, Taiga Kagami lowered his head and asked Tetsuya Kuroko quietly:

“Hey, Kuroko… which one’s Aomine?”

Tetsuya Kuroko looked toward Tōō’s lineup.

But he didn’t see Daiki Aomine anywhere.

He paused, then said:

“Aomine-kun isn’t there.”

Taiga Kagami froze and looked up sharply toward Tōō.

As the Tōō players approached, Kagami called out:

“Hey! Where’s Aomine?”

Shoichi Imayoshi looked up, smiling as usual, pretending to be troubled.

“Ah, we’re troubled too. Aomine said playing against you isn’t interesting. He said training is more important.”

“He’s still at school training. So you probably won’t see him today.”

Every member of Seirin stiffened.

Taiga Kagami felt his anger ignite instantly.

“What did you say?!”

Shoichi Imayoshi shrugged casually.

“Hey, don’t get mad at us. That’s Aomine’s decision. We can’t control him.”

With that, he turned away and walked onto the court to warm up.

Taiga Kagami clenched his teeth, barely suppressing the anger burning in his chest.

“That bastard… he’s looking down on us!”

Junpei Hyuga felt the same frustration.

Being underestimated never felt good.

“If they think so little of us, then we’ll make them regret it.”

The rest of Seirin nodded, shouting in unison:

“Yeah! Let’s teach them a lesson!”

Their fighting spirit ignited instantly. They were ready to crush Tōō outright.

Shoichi Imayoshi noticed the shift and pretended to tremble.

“My, my… Seirin’s fired up. How scary.”

Kosuke Wakamatsu was visibly irritated.

“It’s all Aomine’s fault! Since when is training more important than a game?!”

Shoichi Imayoshi, however, understood Daiki Aomine.

Aomine had always wanted to defeat Miyamoto Tokima.

And after seeing the strength of Miyamoto Tokima’s team, the pressure on him had only grown heavier.

If he didn’t train harder, he would never surpass Miyamoto Tokima.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Shoichi Imayoshi said calmly. “The pressure on Aomine isn’t light either. Let him be stubborn this once.”

“After all, in the next match against Kirisaki Daiichi, he’ll be our main force.”

Even before this game had begun, Shoichi Imayoshi was already planning for the next one.

Because he simply didn’t believe they would lose this match.

Kosuke Wakamatsu sighed and nodded.

He understood Kirisaki Daiichi’s strength.

Aside from Daiki Aomine, no one on their team could truly match up against them.

Seeing that Wakamatsu had calmed down, Shoichi Imayoshi patted him on the shoulder.

“Alright, Wakamatsu. Warm up properly and focus on this game.”

“Don’t lose this one. If we do, Aomine will laugh at us to death.”

...

Chapter 175: Lost

Both teams quickly finished warming up and took the court to get ready for the game.

In the stands.

Shintaro Midorima noticed something was off and muttered,

“Hm? That’s strange.”

Kazunari Takao looked at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong, Shin-chan? Something up?”

Shintaro Midorima frowned slightly, irritation creeping into his voice.

“Aomine isn’t here.”

Kazunari Takao froze, shock evident in his tone.

“What? Aomine’s not here? Isn’t he Tōō’s ace???”

Over at Kaijō.

“I’m not sure why either, but Aomine really isn’t here.”

Ryota Kise said, clearly puzzled.

Yukio Kasamatsu immediately scowled.

“What’s wrong with your classmate? He won’t even show up for a game!”

Ryota Kise sighed helplessly and pulled out his phone to ask Daiki Aomine what was going on.

Beep… beep… beep…

Click.

“Yeah? What is it?”

The call connected almost immediately. Daiki Aomine’s voice came through—

along with the rhythmic thud of a basketball.

Ryota Kise instantly understood what he was doing.

“Aominecchi, you’re still practicing?”

On the other end.

In the empty school gym, Daiki Aomine held his phone in his left hand while dribbling with his right.

“Yeah. Still practicing.”

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist. The ball struck the backboard and dropped cleanly through the hoop.

Ryota Kise’s confused voice came through the phone.

“Aominecchi, you have a game today! Did you forget?”

Daiki Aomine walked over to where the ball had rolled, scooped it up easily, and spun it on his index finger with a casual twist of his wrist.

“I know.”

Ryota Kise pressed on.

“Then why aren’t you coming?”

Aomine sounded annoyed.

“Can’t be bothered. I’d rather train.”

Ryota Kise was starting to get irritated too.

“Aominecchi, Seirin has Kagami and Kuroko! Aren’t you worried your team might lose?”

Daiki Aomine paused for a moment before replying,

“Tetsu’s at Seirin? So that Kagami guy you mentioned is his new light?”

Ryota Kise was stunned. After all that, he didn’t even know which school Kuroko was at?

But it wasn’t entirely surprising. Without Momoi feeding him information, Aomine basically shut himself off from everything. He spent every day training alone and barely paid attention to anything outside the court.

He genuinely hadn’t known which team Tetsuya Kuroko had joined.

Now that he learned Kuroko was at Seirin, Aomine found himself interested in the new light Kuroko had chosen.

Back at Teikō, Kuroko had been overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of the others, leaving him with no room to exist.

But there was no denying it—

as a shadow, Kuroko was more than qualified.

After a moment of thought, Aomine spoke again.

“Got it. I’ll head over later.”

“About when?”

He considered briefly before giving a conservative estimate.

“Second half. Doesn’t matter though. Even if there are only five minutes left, I won’t lose.”

“I… can only lose to Miyamoto.”

With that, he hung up.

Dribbling once more, he stopped at the three-point line and casually launched the ball. It dropped straight through the net.

Thud… thud…

After the shot, he didn’t hesitate. Grabbing his jacket, he walked out of the gym.

“Let’s see this new light. Maybe he’ll get my blood pumping.”

“Though that’s probably impossible. The only one who can do that now is Miyamoto.”

“Actually… there’s one more. Senior Nijimura counts too.”

Muttering to himself, Aomine headed toward the arena.

At the court.

“Beep! End of the first quarter!”

The referee’s whistle echoed through the gym.

25–21.

Both teams returned to their benches.

Shoichi Imayoshi wiped the sweat from his face as he sat down, sounding slightly surprised.

“Only a four-point lead? Seirin’s more troublesome than I thought.”

Kosuke Wakamatsu frowned at the scoreboard.

“The score’s that close? Hey, are we really not calling Aomine?”

Katsunori Harasawa crossed his arms calmly.

“No need. Aomine’s already on his way.”a

Everyone froze for a second.

Shoichi Imayoshi blinked.

“Coach, but didn’t Aomine say—”

“He just called me,” Katsunori Harasawa cut in. “Said he’s on his way.”

“Oh, and he told me you can play however you want. He’ll take care of closing it out.”

Imayoshi’s expression relaxed.

“Well now, that’s a reassuring promise.”

Wakamatsu clenched his fists, annoyed.

“What a cocky brat! But if he’s saying that, I’m just gonna play however I feel like!”

Ryo Sakurai looked uneasy.

“S-Sorry, but are we really going to do that? If the gap gets too big, even Aomine-kun might…”

Wakamatsu cut him off immediately.

“What are you saying, Sakurai? Even if we don’t go all out, there’s no way Seirin’s blowing us out!”

Sakurai shrank back slightly.

“S-Sorry… but Seirin’s number 10 and number 11 really are a bit…”

Imayoshi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

“Alright, let’s just stick to the original plan. Wouldn’t want Aomine showing up, seeing a huge deficit, and laughing at us.”

Wakamatsu instantly imagined Aomine mocking him and bristled.

“Damn it! Everyone take this seriously! Getting laughed at by Aomine is the worst!”

As coach, Katsunori Harasawa began giving instructions.

“Those two were troublesome last quarter, but it’s clear their main scoring threat is still number 10.”

“In the second half, double-team him. Leave Seirin’s number 11 open.”

The Tōō players nodded and headed back onto the court.

Meanwhile, after leaving the gym, Aomine made his way toward the arena.

On the way, he ran into a foreigner.

‘Tall.’

Aomine’s pupils narrowed slightly.

‘Taller than Murasakibara.’

He was genuinely shocked. The man in front of him was even noticeably taller than Atsushi Murasakibara.

This person was Dicky Anthony.

Dicky Anthony had gotten lost. With no other choice, he stopped someone to ask for directions.

“Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Tōō vs. Seirin game venue?” (in English)

Daiki Aomine, who was terrible at academics, froze on the spot.

This is… English?

...

...

Chapter 176: International Criminal?

Daiki Aomine stood there stiffly, completely at a loss for how to respond.

Dicky Anthony seemed to notice and asked again,

“Do you speak English?” (in English)

Aomine couldn’t even understand that sentence.

With no other choice, he pretended he hadn’t heard anything and turned to leave on his own.

But Dicky Anthony misunderstood completely.

In his mind, Aomine’s action clearly meant:

【Follow me.】

Dicky Anthony smiled to himself.

“Man, I should’ve asked someone to come with me. Good thing I ran into a nice guy today. Otherwise I’d really be stuck.”

The reason Dicky Anthony had come to watch this game was because of what Makoto Hanamiya had told him.

Makoto Hanamiya had mentioned the Generation of Miracles, which instantly sparked Dicky Anthony’s curiosity.

He wanted to see for himself just how strong the Generation of Miracles really were—

strong enough to catch the interest of Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura.

So Dicky Anthony casually followed behind Aomine.

Aomine quickly noticed.

‘Damn it. What’s this foreigner trying to do? Rob me?’

‘Why is he still following me?’

His expression darkened as he instinctively grew alert.

He kept walking, glancing back from time to time to check if Dicky Anthony was still there.

But in Dicky Anthony’s eyes, those glances meant something entirely different.

‘What a good guy. He keeps looking back to make sure I haven’t fallen behind.’

‘Guess I’m lucky today.’

A smile spread across Dicky Anthony’s face.

Unfortunately, that smile looked completely different to Aomine.

With his lip piercing, sunglasses, hands shoved into his pockets, and a venomous snake tattoo curling around his neck, Dicky Anthony looked like a full-blown gangster.

‘Damn it… what does he want?’

Aomine had already started calculating whether he could win in a fight.

The guy was absurdly tall.

Combined with his intimidating appearance and relaxed posture, he gave off the impression that he could definitely handle himself in a brawl.

And Aomine still had a game to play. If he got held up here, things would be bad.

With that thought, Aomine subtly quickened his pace.

Dicky Anthony noticed and felt even more touched.

‘What a saint. He knows I’m in a hurry, so he’s speeding up.’

He was already late—the game had started.

‘If only he’d start running…’

And then, to his surprise, Aomine suddenly broke into a run.

‘No way. Is this telepathy? If this guy plays basketball, I’m definitely making friends with him!’

Dicky Anthony’s grin widened as he matched Aomine’s speed and began running too.

Aomine’s face was now pitch black with dread, curses already exploding in his mind.

‘What the hell?! What does he want? Why is he running too?!’

When he saw Dicky Anthony’s increasingly intense expression and terrifying grin, panic surged through him.

‘Damn it! He’s not some international criminal, is he? Human trafficking or something?!’

At that thought, Aomine stopped holding back. He exploded into a full sprint—

and then…

he activated Animal Instincts.

A faint blue glow shimmered around him as the phantom of a black panther appeared behind his back.

Dicky Anthony froze in shock.

‘Animal Instincts?! He has Animal Instincts?! What the hell is going on?!’

He had randomly stopped someone on the street—and that person actually possessed Animal Instincts?

With Animal Instincts unleashed, Aomine’s speed shot to its absolute peak. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Dicky Anthony’s sight.

Dicky Anthony gradually slowed to a stop, standing there in utter confusion.

He looked around in all directions, completely lost.

‘What the hell—where did he go?!’

Questions flooded his mind.

Why did the guy guiding him have Animal Instincts?

Why did he suddenly run off?

Was I being messed with???

Realization dawned—he thought he’d been played.

His expression darkened immediately.

‘Damn it! I got tricked!’

He hated being toyed with more than anything, and now anger simmered inside him.

‘Animal Instincts… If you have Animal Instincts, then you must play basketball. Don’t let me see you again. If I do, I’ll tear you apart!’

He took more than ten deep breaths before his emotions finally settled.

Once calm, he looked around again and muttered,

“Wait… where am I?”

...

Meanwhile, after shaking off Dicky Anthony, Aomine finally arrived outside the arena.

He glanced back once more to confirm the man wasn’t following him before stepping inside.

‘Good thing I lost him. Damn it… are international criminals really this bold now? Just operating in broad daylight?’

He muttered curses under his breath, convinced criminals were getting more brazen by the day.

Thankfully, he’d gotten away.

Instead of heading straight to change into his uniform, Aomine went directly to the stands.

The moment he entered, he saw a familiar scene unfold on the court.

On the court.

Kuroko Tetsuya flicked his right hand—

and the basketball shot forward like a guided missile straight into Kagami Taiga’s hands.

Kagami soared into the air, twisting midair.

Kosuke Wakamatsu and Yoshinori Susa both jumped to contest.

But then something absurd happened—

the two who jumped later landed before Kagami did.

Wakamatsu’s face tightened in shock.

‘Damn it… what is with that hang time?!’

All they could do was watch as Kagami slammed the ball through the hoop.

From the stands, Aomine’s expression shifted slightly.

‘Interesting.’

He glanced at the scoreboard. The score was still tight.

‘So it’s this close, huh… Tetsu, the light you chose isn’t weak at all.’

‘Let’s see if you can spark a little interest in me.’

...

...

Chapter 177: Daiki Aomine Arrives

“AAAAAH!”

BOOM!!!

Taiga Kagami shouted as he finished the play with a powerful reverse dunk.

At that very moment, the second quarter came to an end.

“Beep! End of the second quarter! Halftime!”

“Huff… huff… huff… Does this guy have springs in his shoes or something?”

Kosuke Wakamatsu panted heavily, irritation clear in his voice.

Shoichi Imayoshi was also slightly out of breath, though his narrowed eyes revealed nothing.

Taiga Kagami wasn’t in great shape either. After going all out for two straight quarters, his stamina had taken a serious hit.

He stared at the scoreboard while catching his breath.

43–43. A tie.

Kagami wiped the sweat from his forehead, his thoughts in turmoil.

‘Damn it… Even without Aomine, they’re this tough?!’

He hadn’t expected Tōō to be this difficult to handle without Daiki Aomine.

If Aomine showed up in the second half… wouldn’t they be completely overwhelmed?

Most people would have their fighting spirit shaken in a situation like this.

But he was Taiga Kagami.

A full-blooded hothead.

‘Interesting. This is seriously interesting! So Japan has opponents this strong too!’

‘I’m going to win!’

An unprecedented excitement flashed across Kagami’s face, a wide grin spreading across his lips.

...

Inside Tōō’s locker room.

Kosuke Wakamatsu took the lemon slices Ryo Sakurai handed him and popped one into his mouth.

Instead of the expected sour bite, there was a hint of sweetness.

The flavor made him light up immediately.

“Mmm! This is good! Sakurai, did you make this yourself?”

Ryo Sakurai scratched his head shyly.

“Yeah, I made it… I wasn’t sure if it’d taste okay.”

Wakamatsu quickly grabbed a few more slices and stuffed them into his mouth, giving a big thumbs-up.

“It’s great! Seriously good!”

Seeing that, Shoichi Imayoshi spoke up.

“Wakamatsu, give me some.”

Wakamatsu grabbed a few slices and handed the plate over.

Imayoshi picked one up and put it in his mouth.

The moment the lemon touched his tongue, his half-closed eyes snapped open.

“Th-this is really good!”

He muttered instinctively.

The next second—

“Hey! Imayoshi! Leave some for me!”

“Aba aba aba.” (eating sounds)

“Imayoshi!!!”

“Aba aba aba.”

Wakamatsu tried to snatch some slices back, but it was useless.

All he could do was watch as Imayoshi finished them off.

After swallowing the last piece, Imayoshi sighed in satisfaction.

“Ah, that was good.”

Wakamatsu looked like he was about to cry.

“Imayoshi… my lemons…”

Imayoshi waved his hand casually and chuckled.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You can have more next time.”

“By the way, hasn’t Aomine shown up yet?”

Wakamatsu snapped back to reality, his face darkening with anger.

“That guy! He’s probably just messing with us!”

Click…

The sound of the locker room door opening echoed behind him.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the door.

Step… step… step…

Slow footsteps approached.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway, speaking lazily.

“Hm? You’re all here?”

When they saw who it was, everyone shouted at once.

“Aomine!!!”

Wakamatsu’s face turned sour immediately.

“Aomine! Don’t you know we have a game today? You skip games every time—what exactly are you trying to do?!”

Daiki Aomine casually dug at his ear with his right hand and replied in a lazy tone.

“Oh? You mean today’s game… I forgot.”

“As for what I want to do, I don’t think you’re in a position to ask.”

Wakamatsu’s anger spiked. He was about to charge forward.

“Wakamatsu!”

Imayoshi grabbed him and held him back.

Aomine watched with a faint, mocking smirk.

“What? You guys can’t even handle Seirin?”

Wakamatsu’s expression twisted.

“You—!”

Imayoshi quickly pulled him behind his back.

With their backs turned to Aomine, they began speaking in low voices.

“Wakamatsu, that’s enough,” Imayoshi said seriously.

“But Imayoshi, Aomine—”

Imayoshi’s eyes suddenly opened fully, his tone firm.

“Wakamatsu, stop worrying about Aomine.”

“Didn’t you see those TV interviews?”

“Isn’t that how star players usually act?”

“If you put it bluntly, it’s arrogance. If you put it nicely, it’s confidence.”

“As long as we win, personality doesn’t matter.”

“If you had Aomine’s level of ability, you could act like that too. It’s not a privilege we gave him—it’s the coach’s decision.”

Wakamatsu fell silent.

He didn’t have Aomine’s talent.

What frustrated him most was that Aomine possessed ability he himself envied—yet acted like he couldn’t be bothered to play, as if that talent meant nothing.

He just couldn’t understand it.

Seeing Wakamatsu calm down, Imayoshi straightened up and turned back toward Aomine.

“Aomine, you’ll be playing in the second half, right?”

Aomine nodded slightly, indifferent.

“Yeah. I’ll go in and mess around a bit. It’s getting kind of boring anyway.”

Tōō’s coach, Katsunori Harasawa, clapped his hands.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“Alright, everyone. Stay focused. Let me go over our second-half strategy.”

Aomine had no interest in listening to tactical talk. He turned away and waved his hand lazily.

“You guys talk. I’m going to walk around.”

Wakamatsu couldn’t hold back again.

“Aomine, you’re going to—”

“Enough, Wakamatsu!”

Aida’s sharp shout cut him off instantly, the rest of his words dying in his throat.

Twisting a strand of hair around his finger, Aida looked at Aomine.

“If you’re not going to listen, at least do a light warm-up. Don’t get yourself injured.”

Aomine didn’t even turn around. He just waved casually.

“No need. I’m already warmed up…”

......

Chapter 178: The New Light… Too Weak

Indeed, before arriving at the arena, Daiki Aomine had been training nonstop.

On top of that, he had run at full speed after encountering that suspected international criminal on the way here.

Forget warming up—he was already in peak condition.

Katsunori Harasawa studied Aomine’s state and saw that he truly didn’t need any warm-up.

“Alright. But make sure you’re back before the third quarter starts.”

“Yeah, I will.”

With that, Harasawa said nothing more and let him go.

After Aomine left, Harasawa turned to the rest of Tōō.

“Okay, gather up. Let’s go over our plan for the second half!”

...

Meanwhile, Aomine wandered around inside the arena. On the surface, he looked completely calm, but one question kept nagging at him.

Who exactly was that foreigner?

And why had he targeted him?

The doubt lingered in his mind.

Of course, the answer would only come later.

...

Just before the third quarter began, both teams were already at their benches, loosening their joints and preparing for the second half.

Seirin’s players were stretching and discussing tactics when—

Step.

Step.

Step.

The sound of footsteps echoed like heavy blows against their chests.

An uneasy feeling spread through them.

Almost instinctively, they turned toward the source of the sound.

The moment they saw who it was, their expressions tightened.

‘W-What a presence…!’

Junpei Hyuga’s eyes sharpened, his face turning grave.

Taiga Kagami stared at the approaching figure as a surge of danger flared inside him.

A warning instinct.

In the stands.

Shintaro Midorima and Ryota Kise also saw who it was, their expressions growing serious.

“Midorima, I’m not seeing things, right? Aomine actually came?”

Midorima adjusted his glasses with his left hand, his tone calm and precise.

“The opponent is Kuroko. It’s only natural for Aomine to show up.”

On the court.

Step…

Step…

Step…

Wearing his jacket, Daiki Aomine walked onto the court at an unhurried pace, his expression lazy as ever.

When he reached Seirin’s side, his eyes settled on Tetsuya Kuroko.

For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face.

“Long time no see, Tetsuya. I thought you’d quit basketball after that. Looks like I was wrong.”

Kuroko met his gaze without hesitation, his eyes firm.

“You’ve never really understood me.”

Aomine paused, then let out a soft laugh.

“Is that so? Then I guess I’m curious to see what the real you looks like.”

He didn’t say anything more and started walking toward Tōō.

As he passed Taiga Kagami, he stopped again and turned slightly.

“So this is the new light Tetsuya chose?”

His eyes slowly scanned Kagami from head to toe.

“Light… kind of weak.”

Kagami immediately snapped.

“What did you say?!”

Hyuga and Shinji Koganei quickly grabbed him to stop him from rushing forward.

Aomine blinked in mild surprise—then smiled.

“So this light’s got a bit of temper.”

“Interesting.”

With that, he continued toward Tōō’s side.

Shoichi Imayoshi greeted him with a faint smile.

“You’re here. I half-expected you to start a fight with Seirin.”

Aomine stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“They’re not worth getting mad over. I’ve dealt with things way more annoying than that.”

As he spoke, he stretched his arms, crossing them in front of his chest and pulling them back.

Katsunori Harasawa twirled a strand of his fringe.

“Alright. Get ready to go in.”

All the Tōō players except Aomine shouted in unison.

“Yes!”

...

On Seirin’s side.

The team gathered around Kuroko.

“Kuroko, who was that? That’s the Aomine you were talking about, right?”

Shinji Koganei glanced nervously toward Tōō as he asked.

The others looked at Kuroko, waiting.

Under their gaze, Kuroko nodded.

“Yes. That was Aomine-kun.”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

A thin bead of sweat slid down Hyuga’s forehead.

“The worst-case scenario just happened.”

Even without Aomine in the first half, Seirin had struggled.

Now that he was here, things would only get harder.

Riko Aida unconsciously began biting her thumbnail, her mind racing.

‘Aomine actually showed up… What do we do now…?’

The sudden development had caught her off guard.

‘No choice. We stick to the original plan!’

“Everyone, we go with what we planned. Hyuga and Izuki, lock down the glasses guy and the mushroom-head.”

“Mitobe, you handle the pressure inside.”

“As for Aomine…”

Riko took a deep breath.

“Kagami, he’s yours.”

Seirin responded in unison.

“Yes!”

They had no intention of playing Kuroko at the start of the second half. His ability couldn’t be sustained for an entire game.

He had to be subbed in and out; otherwise, his misdirection would lose its effect.

Kuroko had played almost the entire first half—his presence had already grown too noticeable.

He couldn’t return immediately.

Which meant that for the time being…

Seirin would have to endure the pressure on their own.

...

Chapter 179: Daiki Aomine's Speed!

“Beep! Third quarter begins! Both teams, take the court!”

The referee’s whistle signaled the start of the third quarter.

Players from Tōō and Seirin stepped onto the court.

Tōō’s lineup:
Center: Kosuke Wakamatsu
Power Forward: Daiki Aomine
Small Forward: Yoshinori Susa
Shooting Guard: Ryo Sakurai
Point Guard: Shoichi Imayoshi

Seirin’s lineup:
Center: Rinnosuke Mitobe
Power Forward: Taiga Kagami
Small Forward: Shinji Koganei
Shooting Guard: Junpei Hyuga
Point Guard: Shun Izuki

In the stands.

Ryota Kise noticed that Tetsuya Kuroko wasn’t on the court, and a puzzled look crossed his face.

“Kuroko’s not playing? Is that really okay? That’s Aomine we’re talking about!”

Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied calmly,

“His misdirection has probably stopped working. He didn’t sit out at all in the first half.”

“But even if he went in now, it wouldn’t change anything. The opponent is Aomine.”

“We couldn’t pull ahead even when Aomine wasn’t on the court. Now that he’s playing, their chances are even slimmer.”

Ryota Kise’s expression grew tense.

Midorima was right. Seirin couldn’t defeat Tōō even without Aomine. Now that he was back on the court, their odds looked almost nonexistent.

On the court.

Daiki Aomine glanced toward the bench at Tetsuya Kuroko, slightly surprised.

‘Huh? Not coming in? Did you play the entire first half?’

‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter. You guys still can’t beat me.’

‘At best, you might make things a little fun.’

Taiga Kagami locked his eyes onto Daiki Aomine, battle spirit blazing.

Aomine looked completely unmotivated, yet the aura radiating from him only grew stronger.

That overwhelming presence sent a thrill through Kagami.

‘So this is the ace of the Generation of Miracles… He’s incredible!’

“Beep! Tōō ball!”

The whistle blew. Tōō took possession.

Kosuke Wakamatsu inbounded the ball and immediately ran toward the baseline in the frontcourt.

Shoichi Imayoshi received the pass and dribbled up, heading in the same direction as Wakamatsu.

All four of Tōō’s other players shifted to the right side of the court.

Only Daiki Aomine and Taiga Kagami remained isolated on the left.

In the stands.

Ryota Kise’s expression turned serious.

“They’re attacking right away? Little Aomine…”

It was the classic one-on-one setup.

Clear out the space. Pull everyone else away. Leave the ace to handle it alone.

A strategy that required absolute faith in your star.

On the court.

Seeing the spacing was ready, Shoichi Imayoshi passed the ball to Daiki Aomine.

Aomine caught it and muttered lazily,

“Seriously? Giving me the first possession? I was hoping to take it easy for a bit.”

Taiga Kagami’s expression hardened.

Aomine looked disinterested, but the moment the ball touched his hands, his presence shifted.

It intensified.

‘Damn it… The instant he got the ball, everything changed. Is this the ace of the Generation of Miracles?!’

Aomine held the ball loosely with both hands.

“Well, since you gave it to me… guess I’ll play.”

He didn’t even look at Kagami.

No unnecessary movements.

Dribble. First step. Drive.

In one seamless motion, Aomine blew past Kagami.

It happened in an instant.

Kagami froze.

‘So… fast!’

‘In just a split second, I…’

On the side, Shun Izuki’s eyes widened in shock.

‘How is that possible?! Kagami didn’t even have time to react!’

Junpei Hyuga had been tracking their positions the whole time. The moment Aomine got by Kagami, he rushed over to help.

Seirin’s first-year reserves shouted excitedly.

“Help defense! Captain got there so fast!”

They were all cheering—

Except Tetsuya Kuroko.

His expression was grave.

Because he knew.

Junpei Hyuga… couldn’t stop Daiki Aomine.

Sure enough, Aomine didn’t slow down at all. With a quick change of direction at full speed, he left Hyuga behind just as easily.

Hyuga couldn’t even react before he was beaten.

‘No way… He’s that fast?!’

With both defenders behind him, Aomine drove straight to the basket and leapt, preparing to finish with a layup.

Rapid footsteps thundered from behind him.

Kagami had chased him down.

He sprinted back at full speed and jumped, reaching to swat the shot.

Aomine caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

‘He made it back in this situation? Not bad.’

The corner of Aomine’s mouth lifted slightly.

Mid-layup, he suddenly pulled the ball back.

His body curled up in midair.

Kagami’s eyes widened.

‘He adjusted in midair?!’

Still suspended, Aomine extended his left hand and scooped the ball in from the side.

A double-clutch layup.

He had turned an ordinary layup into a double-clutch midair, slipping past Kagami’s block attempt.

The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

A faint smile tugged at Aomine’s lips.

“Looks like you can give me a little entertainment after all. But that’s it.”

He turned and jogged back on defense.

Kagami clenched his teeth.

‘Not just speed… even his reactions and body control are beyond anything normal!’

On the sideline.

Riko Aida nervously chewed on her fingernails, her thoughts in chaos.

‘Not just his speed… even his reactions and adjustments are that fast?’

‘The Generation of Miracles… they’re monsters!’

Now, more than ever, she truly understood the overwhelming strength—and terror—of the Generation of Miracles.

But what frightened her most was…

The one who stood above even the Generation of Miracles.

The one they all looked up to.

The one they chased after.

[Magic Cube].

Miyamoto Tokima.

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