Shuzo Nijimura paused, his expression stiffening as he looked toward Miyamoto.
"You're not thinking of…"
Miyamoto continued walking forward without stopping, a faint smile on his lips.
"Don't you want to see Aomine and Little Murasakibara go head-to-head, Nijimura-senpai?"
Shuzo Nijimura thought about it for a moment.
…Yeah, he actually did.
"Alright then. Looks like Murasakibara's about to feel some pressure."
"But Miyamoto, should Haizaki and I still step in to support later?"
Miyamoto replied calmly,
"Of course. Aomine's habit of playing solo hasn't been fixed yet, after all."
...
The break ended quickly.
Players from both teams gradually returned to the court.
Off the court, Junpei Hyuga watched the two teams walk in and said in a low voice,
"They're coming."
The rest of Seirin looked toward the court.
At that moment, the atmosphere within Tōō Academy was strangely tense. Ryo Sakurai kept repeating, "Sorry, sorry."
Kosuke Wakamatsu glared at Daiki Aomine with obvious resentment.
There was no communication within the team at all. The air was heavy and oppressive.
In contrast, on Kirisaki Daiichi's side—
Miyamoto walked at the front, leading the team onto the court, and the players behind him showed almost no signs of nervousness.
The difference between the two teams' states was stark.
Miyamoto also noticed Tōō's condition and frowned slightly.
They didn't… start arguing, did they?
Both teams took the court again.
Daiki Aomine walked up to Miyamoto and asked,
"Miyamoto, who's my opponent this time? Nijimura-senpai?"
His tone was full of excitement, completely different from the cold attitude he had shown during the argument in the locker room earlier.
Kosuke Wakamatsu clenched his fists when he saw this.
Shoichi Imayoshi placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice restrained.
"Calm down. This is a match."
Kosuke Wakamatsu reluctantly loosened his fists.
Even if he couldn't beat Aomine, it still pissed him off.
Meanwhile, Miyamoto told Aomine who his opponent for this quarter would be.
Atsushi Murasakibara.
Aomine tilted his head slightly and looked toward Murasakibara, who was standing under the basket in a daze.
"Still the same as always… lazy as hell."
Miyamoto followed his gaze and smiled.
"He is a little lazy. But that's exactly what makes Little Murasakibara who he is."
Murasakibara seemed to notice Miyamoto looking at him and flashed him a smile.
It looked surprisingly cute.
Miyamoto smiled back, then turned to Aomine.
"Alright, Aomine. Get ready. Little Murasakibara might give you a surprise later."
Aomine waved his hand casually.
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."
...
"Beep! The third quarter begins! Players to the court!"
On Tōō's side, nothing had really changed.
Since they had basically been running back and forth the entire first half without controlling the ball, their stamina hadn't been drained much.
But Kirisaki Daiichi made a substitution.
Dicky Anthony was taken out.
Makoto Hanamiya stepped onto the court.
Hanamiya wore a dark smile as he adjusted his jersey before slowly walking forward.
On the court, Shintaro Midorima frowned and glanced toward Satsuki Momoi, who was sitting on the bench.
What exactly are you planning, Momoi?
...
On the court.
Shoichi Imayoshi also noticed the substitution, and his expression changed slightly.
Still, he walked forward and greeted him.
"Well, well. Long time no see, Hanamiya."
Hanamiya grinned.
"It's only been a few days, Imayoshi."
Imayoshi froze for a moment, then continued smiling.
"Please take care of me."
He even extended his hand, intending to shake Hanamiya's.
Hanamiya glanced at the outstretched hand and sneered.
Smack!
A crisp slap rang out as Hanamiya slapped Imayoshi's hand away and mocked,
"Take care of you? Not likely. You won't even get the ball anyway. In your team, you're nothing more than a useless accessory. Hahaha."
Hanamiya laughed loudly as he walked toward the backcourt.
On the sidelines, Momoi stared at Imayoshi. When she saw his darkened expression and silence, she nodded slightly.
"Hanamiya did pretty well."
On the court, Miyamoto smiled faintly to himself.
Hanamiya really is good at stirring up emotions.
The game resumed, with Tōō in possession.
Kosuke Wakamatsu inbounded the ball.
After receiving it from the referee, Wakamatsu's first glance went to Aomine.
When he saw that Aomine wasn't asking for the ball, he cursed inwardly.
Good. Even if you did ask, I wouldn't pass it to you.
He then passed the ball to Imayoshi, who was ready to receive it.
Suddenly—
A shadow flashed across the court.
The ball was intercepted mid-air.
It was Daiki Aomine.
Wakamatsu immediately shouted,
"Aomine! What the hell are you doing?!"
Aomine caught the ball and dribbled as he replied coldly,
"I already said it. If you want to attack, go grab the ball yourself."
With that, he charged toward the frontcourt.
Murasakibara knew this quarter was his turn.
So he decisively stepped out to the perimeter, preparing to defend Aomine.
As for Kirisaki Daiichi's center this quarter…
It was Miyamoto.
Aomine quickly arrived in front of Murasakibara.
Looking at the tall purple-haired boy who still seemed somewhat absent-minded, Aomine asked,
"So… you're the one playing this time?"
Murasakibara didn't answer.
Instead, unlike his usual lazy demeanor, he lowered his stance seriously, clearly preparing to stop Aomine's drive.
Aomine smiled slightly.
"You suddenly getting this serious… feels kinda weird."
"But anyway… here I go."
His eyes sharpened.
The basketball pounded rapidly against the floor as his body began swaying left and right.
This time, he didn't enter the Zone.
He didn't activate Animal Instinct either.
The reason was simple—saving stamina.
After all, in Aomine's mind, Murasakibara simply couldn't keep up with him.
Murasakibara kept shifting along with Aomine's movements, his gaze fixed on the basketball in Aomine's hands.
Finally—
After a quick feint that threw off Murasakibara's balance, Aomine instantly accelerated, blowing past him and driving toward the paint.
Seeing this, Shuzo Nijimura muttered helplessly,
"That speed… Murasakibara's really got it rough."
As he spoke, Nijimura stepped forward to help defend.
Shogo Haizaki followed him as well.
The two formed the second defensive line against Aomine.
A second line that was just as solid…
...
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