Chapter 180 - 181
Chapter 180: Seeing Through!
“Miyamoto Tokima… just how strong are you…?”
Riko Aida murmured under her breath.
In her mind, Miyamoto Tokima was the one who truly intrigued her.
The Generation of Miracles were already overwhelmingly powerful.
So just how strong was Magic Cube Miyamoto Tokima—the one who made even the Generation of Miracles feel fear, the one they set as their ultimate goal?
The question lingered in Riko Aida’s heart like a shadow.
But the answer… would only come later.
...
On the court.
Seirin quickly steadied themselves and prepared to organize their offense.
After crossing half-court with the ball, Shun Izuki began scanning the floor.
Rinnosuke Mitobe had solid position in the paint—but it wasn’t a spot he was comfortable operating from.
And Kosuke Wakamatsu seemed to know that, deliberately conceding that space.
‘What’s going on? Do they have another strategist who knows us inside out?’
A subtle shift crossed Shun Izuki’s expression.
He had sensed it since the first half.
Tōō seemed to understand Seirin’s system far too well. Every time Seirin ran a set, Tōō responded with the exact counter.
It felt as though an invisible hand was guiding them from the shadows.
Shoichi Imayoshi caught the change in Izuki’s demeanor and immediately understood.
‘So you finally noticed? Should I call that quick… or slow?’
A faint, dangerous smile curved on Shoichi Imayoshi’s lips, his narrowed eyes glinting.
‘Still… I really have to thank Makoto Hanamiya.’
Before the match, Shoichi Imayoshi had gone to Kirisaki Daiichi to seek out Makoto Hanamiya.
He brought along Seirin’s game footage and asked Hanamiya to analyze their style of play.
Back in middle school, Imayoshi had already seen how terrifying Hanamiya could be.
With his exceptional intellect, Makoto Hanamiya could break down an opponent’s entire system after watching just once and formulate precise countermeasures.
However, unlike Satsuki Momoi, Hanamiya couldn’t predict how a team would grow. If the opponent evolved or shifted the tempo, he would have to adjust mid-game rather than foresee it in advance.
After negotiating a small price, Makoto Hanamiya agreed and handed Imayoshi a complete tactical breakdown.
Originally, Tōō should have been able to overwhelm Seirin in the first half using those counters alone.
But Imayoshi hadn’t expected this—
Junpei Hyuga had grown, unveiling moves he had never used before.
And the rest of Seirin had improved as well.
That caused slight discrepancies in Hanamiya’s plan.
Shoichi Imayoshi had to keep adjusting on the fly to match Seirin’s changes.
He didn’t possess the near-abnormal analytical power of Makoto Hanamiya or Satsuki Momoi, so it took him time—nearly two full quarters—to recalibrate.
(Note: Shoichi Imayoshi’s strength lies in psychology. He excels at reading expressions and movements, not pure IQ.)
‘You guys really are troublesome. It took me two whole quarters to adapt to your growth.’
‘But it doesn’t matter anymore.’
‘You’ve already fallen into the abyss.’
A wicked smile spread across Shoichi Imayoshi’s face.
In his mind, Seirin no longer had any hope of winning.
Part of that confidence came from their now-refined tactics.
But most of it—
Came from Daiki Aomine.
Their true ace.
“Ball!”
Just as Shun Izuki hesitated, Taiga Kagami stepped forward and called for it.
With no clear offensive angle available, Izuki passed him the ball.
At the top of the arc, Taiga Kagami faced Daiki Aomine.
Holding the ball firmly in both hands, his eyes locked onto Aomine with unwavering intensity.
Daiki Aomine crouched slightly. His expression remained lazy, but something in his eyes shifted—subtle, sharp.
Kagami’s gaze hardened.
He slammed the ball down and drove to the right.
Aomine reacted instantly, cutting off his path.
Kagami wasn’t surprised. He had expected Aomine to recover.
He immediately shifted direction, attempting to shake him off.
But to Kagami’s shock, Aomine didn’t follow.
Instead, he suddenly burst forward.
‘What?!’
Before Kagami could process it—
“Taiga Kagami! Watch out!”
Shun Izuki’s warning rang out.
“Hey, isn’t that a little late?”
Smack!
The instant Izuki finished shouting, another voice—one that didn’t belong to Seirin—sounded by Kagami’s ear.
At the same time, the ball was stripped cleanly from his hands.
Kagami froze.
His palm felt empty.
‘How…?’
He turned in disbelief.
‘Why are you here…?’
Shoichi Imayoshi stood there with a faint smile, his right hand still extended from the steal.
‘Just like Hanamiya said. Once Aomine is on the court, Taiga Kagami won’t be able to resist challenging him one-on-one.’
‘All I had to do… was wait for the right moment.’
Though some of Makoto Hanamiya’s analysis had required adjustments, his data on Taiga Kagami was perfectly accurate.
More than that—
Hanamiya had even predicted Kagami’s likely follow-up actions.
That part had genuinely surprised Imayoshi.
Yoshinori Susa picked up the loose ball and immediately launched a long pass toward the frontcourt.
On the sidelines.
Riko Aida shot to her feet.
A cold sense of dread rose in her chest.
‘This is bad!’
‘Why does it feel like we’ve been completely seen through?!’
In the stands.
Shintaro Midorima’s expression turned grave. His eyes never left the court.
“How… Could it be… Did she make a move?”
Ryota Kise blinked in confusion.
“What’s wrong, Midorima? What happened?”
Shintaro Midorima pushed up his glasses, his voice low and serious.
“If I’m not mistaken… that familiar presence…”
“Satsuki Momoi…”
(Don’t overthink it. Don’t mix in reality.)
...
Chapter 181: The Terrifying Satsuki Momoi
.........
“So, Momoi, you gave Tōō a bit of guidance?”
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi walked hand in hand down the street.
Each of them held an ice cream cone.
Even though today was Tōō’s match against Seirin, that didn’t stop them from going on their date.
Satsuki Momoi took a small bite of her ice cream, her face lighting up with satisfaction.
“Yeah. I didn’t even know about it at first. I just happened to overhear Hanamiya-kun and Haizaki-kun talking.”
“I got curious, so I asked Hanamiya-kun for the game footage.”
“Then my professional instincts kicked in, and I casually pointed out a few things. I’m just not sure whether Hanamiya-kun actually passed what I said on to Tōō.”
“Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. Either way, it’s none of my business. Hehe.”
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
Back in the United States, Satsuki Momoi had never been idle. Nearly all the opponent data for the Black Dragon Team had been analyzed by her through endless hours of game footage.
It was no exaggeration to say that her analytical ability now was even more monstrous than in the original story.
Forget Seirin—even if you handed her footage of Rakuzan, Satsuki Momoi could break down a complete set of countermeasures.
.........
Meanwhile.
At the Seirin vs. Tōō arena.
Daiki Aomine caught the pass and looked at the wide-open hoop in front of him.
A faint smile curved his lips.
‘I wonder how you’re doing now… but I still remember… the first time we met!’
‘Then let me… finish this play… with your very first dunk!’
With a gentle smile on his face, Daiki Aomine exploded toward the basket. He leapt off his left foot, spun a full 360 degrees in midair, and hammered the ball into the rim.
BOOM!!!
After landing, he remained where he was, his expression slowly changing.
The smile on his face widened, growing more and more intense until it turned into unrestrained exhilaration.
‘Miyamoto! I will… defeat you!!!’
The next second, Daiki Aomine turned and headed back on defense.
The moment he turned around, his expression returned to its usual lazy look.
The crowd showed no hesitation in their applause.
They cheered loudly for Daiki Aomine.
“Amazing! That’s Aomine for you!”
“A 360 dunk! I think the last time I saw one was… well, the last time!”
In the stands.
Ryota Kise looked completely confused and quickly asked,
“Midorima, who’s Satsuki Momoi?”
Shintaro Midorima took a deep breath. After a brief pause, he replied in a low voice,
“Satsuki Momoi was our advisor at Teikō Middle School. She was also the only girl there.”
“And she’s… Miyamoto’s girlfriend.”
Ryota Kise’s expression gradually turned serious.
He knew how strict Teikō Middle School’s selection standards were. Even for boys, making the first string was incredibly difficult.
For a girl to stand above everyone else and become the team’s advisor, she had to possess talent on the same level as theirs.
The difference was that their talent was in basketball.
Hers was elsewhere.
Analysis.
Shintaro Midorima, unaware of what Ryota Kise was thinking, continued,
“Back in our first year of junior high, Satsuki Momoi helped us a lot. As a teammate, she was an incredibly trustworthy strategist.”
“But as an opponent… she’s a terrifying data monster.”
“With just one game, she can analyze an opponent’s offensive system, scoring methods, even… their habits.”
The more Ryota Kise listened, the more shocked he became. He muttered in disbelief,
“One game? That’s all it takes? Not even someone who knows you inside and out could do that!”
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses and said seriously,
“But she can. If I use your metaphor, she’s probably even more precise than that.”
Ryota Kise twitched awkwardly.
“Hey, hey, who talks about a girl like that?”
Black lines practically appeared over Shintaro Midorima’s head as his voice rose.
“Idiot! You were the one who said it first!”
“I was just making a comparison!”
“And you still said it first!”
Ryota Kise sighed and waved his hands in surrender.
“Fine, fine, my fault. Sorry. But even if she’s scary, it shouldn’t scare you to this extent, right, Midorima?”
Shintaro Midorima took another deep breath and said something startling.
“That’s true. If that were all she could do, she’d just be troublesome.”
“But she… is far more than that.”
Ryota Kise’s mouth fell open.
“Wait, Midorima, you’re not joking, right? What else could possibly be that terrifying?”
Shintaro Midorima thought for a moment. It seemed there really was…
He coughed lightly and hurriedly pushed aside the inappropriate thoughts that flashed through his mind, then said gravely,
“Satsuki Momoi has another frightening ability…”
He paused briefly before continuing,
“She can predict an opponent’s future growth after just one game.”
“If I’m not mistaken, she’s probably already figured out the strength I’ve been hiding…”
.........
Meanwhile.
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi were still strolling through the streets on their date.
Now each of them held a flatbread, eating as they walked.
“By the way, Tokima, you mentioned before that Midorima-kun seems to be hiding something.”
“What do you think he’s hiding?”
Satsuki Momoi asked sweetly, holding her flatbread.
Miyamoto Tokima held her hand with his right and the flatbread with his left, replying with a question of his own,
“Momoi, haven’t you already analyzed it? Why ask me?”
Satsuki Momoi smiled gently.
“I just want to hear your answer, Tokima. What if I got it wrong?”
Miyamoto Tokima’s lips twitched.
Got it wrong?
Up to now, Satsuki Momoi’s analyses in the United States had almost never been off.
She had even accurately predicted the future growth paths of every member of the Black Dragon Team.
The only person she had never been able to fully predict…
was—
Miyamoto Tokima!
...........
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