Whoosh!
With the sharp whistle of the basketball cutting through the air, Midorima Shintaro suddenly pulled back a shot in midair and passed the ball to Takao Kazunari.
"Wha—?"
Kagami Taiga, airborne and ready to block the shot, froze in shock.
"A pass? That guy actually—"
Swish!
Using himself as a decoy, Midorima created an opening for his teammate. Takao easily penetrated the inner court and scored.
Shutoku added two more points.
"Impossible… Midorima actually—"
Kise Ryouta's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the court.
A pass?
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Kise could hardly have imagined that the usually solo-oriented Midorima Shintaro would one day deliberately pass to initiate a team offense.
But after the initial shock, Kise's expression shifted into something more complex. He murmured quietly, "Something feels different… Midorima."
Akashi Asuka glanced at him. "Really?"
Kise's mind raced. "Of course. Back in Teiko, something like passing was almost impossible for any member of the Generation of Miracles—"
Before he could finish, Akashi rolled his eyes and interrupted. "Isn't that obvious? Midorima lost both matches right after school started last semester, and he didn't even make it to the main tournament. If he doesn't change, he'll lose again this semester."
==========
Kise's words faltered.
The strangely sentimental mood evaporated instantly.
Though Kise knew Akashi had a point, it still sounded so wrong somehow.
What do you mean 'lost both matches right after school started'?
What do you mean 'didn't make it to the main tournament'?
Don't make our Generation of Miracles' top shooter look like a rookie, okay?
"Eh? Kise, Akashi-kun, Tsugawa-kun, you're here to watch the match too?"
Just then, as Kise fell into awkward silence from Akashi's words, a group of people passed behind them and suddenly stopped.
The three turned around.
Kise: "!!!∑(Дノ)ノ"
Aomine Daiki: "(_)"
Akashi: "(￣□￣;)"
Exactly.
The group behind them was none other than the Tōō team, who had just finished their match.
Though Aomine Daiki was one of the more easygoing members of the Generation of Miracles, no matter how relaxed someone was, facing an opponent who had previously defeated them made absolute calm impossible.
"You all seem pretty relaxed!" Aomine said.
"Of course. As the champion, I don't even have to fight for a spot in the preliminaries. Right, top eight!" Akashi grinned.
Satsuki Momoi: "—"
Kise: "—"
Why does he feel even sassier than in summer?
Aomine: "(▼皿▼#)"
"Don't get cocky. We'll take revenge for summer in this Winter Cup."
"Heh~~ then I'll be waiting in the main tournament. But don't get careless. If you sink in the preliminaries, that would be interesting."
"No need for you to worry. That lot can't stop Tōō anyway."
"Is that so? I hope you're right!"
Akashi looked at Aomine, his gaze suddenly taking on an odd intensity.
Kise and Momoi could only stare, feeling like they were witnessing two elementary schoolers squabble, immature to the extreme.
"By the way, Momoi! Has your 'ace' been shouting anything like 'the only one who can beat me is myself' recently? If you ask me—"
"Shut up!"
Even Aomine couldn't help but blush at the mention of his past arrogance. He interrupted Akashi loudly before the sentence was finished.
Pfft~~
Seeing this side of Aomine for the first time, not even Kise or Momoi could keep a straight face, they couldn't help but laugh.
Aomine, already dark-skinned, grew even redder in the face.
"Winter Cup… I'll be coming for you!"
With that, Aomine tossed the words at Akashi, grabbed his backpack, and turned away.
The rest of Tōō greeted them briefly before leaving the area to find seats and continue watching Seirin vs. Shutoku.
Once they were out of sight, the smiles on Akashi and Tsugawa's faces quickly vanished, replaced by solemn expressions.
"Aomine-kun—"
"Ah! I know, I've seen it," Akashi replied.
The embarrassment on Aomine's face had disappeared, replaced by seriousness, but unlike others, his eyes now glowed with excitement and burning intensity.
Honestly, I was worried he'd catch up to me too quickly! But now… matches are only fun when there's a strong opponent!
Even without playing, strong players could sense each other just by looking.
Last semester, most of the Generation of Miracles couldn't read Akashi's strength because he had completely concealed his aura, a skill learned from his past world.
This time, however, Akashi's overwhelming aura was easily sensed by Aomine and Momoi.
This wasn't a sign of weakening.
On the contrary, Akashi's rapid improvement over the summer caused his aura to overflow, making it impossible to fully conceal.
"Aomine, I'm glad you have the drive, but our next opponent isn't Seirin. Understand?"
The Tōō coach reminded him, concerned Aomine might ignore the next match.
"I know. I won't lose a second time—"
Meanwhile, the Shutoku vs. Seirin match was nearing its end.
This game didn't differ much from the original story, Kuroko displayed his "Vanishing drive" technique, astonishing many spectators.
But neither Aomine nor Akashi were impressed.
In the end, the result didn't change much. Perhaps it was the world's inertia, this game concluded in a draw.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria