The third quarter began amidst the anticipation of all.
Seirin High substituted #6 Koganei Shinji for #11 Kuroko Tetsuya.
Fukuda Sogo, in turn, replaced #12 Kimura Tosho—the star of the previous plays—with #9 Fukuda Sasaki.
The court seemed to revert to the state of the first quarter… but was it really the same?
Sasaki defended Kuroko, Haizaki Shogo guarded Taiga Kagami, and the ball made its way to Hyuga Junpei. Without hesitation, Hyuga shot—the three-pointer swished cleanly through the net.
The whistle confirmed: three points.
Seeing Seirin attempting a comeback, Shogo's expression remained calm, neither happy nor angry—completely unmoved.
Fukuda took the ball. Shinichi Harano brought it across midcourt, passed inside, and Karasu Suzuran soared for an easy dunk.
At that moment, Shogo, who had just glanced to see if the ball had gone in, immediately noticed that Kagami was nowhere in sight.
Shogo's eyes glimmered like candle flames—soft, mysterious, thoughtful, and insightful.
Then he saw Izuki quickly pass to Hyuga, who launched the ball forward. Kuroko, with Sasaki, dashed at lightning speed.
The ball approached rapidly. Kuroko extended his palm, forcefully redirecting the ball. Under Kuroko's acceleration, the ball's speed and power surpassed that of any ordinary pass.
"Fssshhh!"
The ball sliced through the air and landed in Kagami's hands, who had positioned himself under the rim early. With a leap, he violently slammed the ball through the hoop.
"BANG!"
"Aha!"
That dunk seemed to release all the pent-up energy within his body, violent and exhilarating.
Seirin's players cheered, spirits stirring.
On the bench, Aida Riko and the substitutes leapt to their feet, waving and shouting encouragement.
An accelerated pass had appeared. Shogo thought he'd have to wait until the fourth quarter to witness it—a pass that only the Generation of Miracles could normally handle.
Without a word, Shogo walked back to his half. Calm, yet like a brewing storm.
In Fukuda's bench, the unusual, incredible pass drew frowns from Shimizu Rena and Coach Ichiro Kudo.
Shimizu was amazed—this was exactly Shogo's "Easter egg," extraordinary as promised.
Coach Kudo, however, worried that Seirin's surge in momentum might drag the game into a tense, competitive balance.
Shogo's teammates, following him back to their half, were both surprised and astonished.
"That pass… totally unexpected!"
"So this is the Phantom Sixth Man of the Generation of Miracles."
"Amazing. That frail-looking body can actually deliver that pass."
"Captain…"
"No worries. Keep playing—crush them."
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In the stands, Midorima and Kise's eyes twinkled at the pass.
The twinkle was like a memory, or perhaps a quiet satisfaction.
Nearby, Kasamatsu and Takao were dumbfounded by Kuroko's sudden high-speed pass, unable to speak.
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Back on the court, Fukuda moved into Seirin's half. The ball landed in Shogo's hands. He looked at Kagami and tossed the ball high.
"BANG!"
Karasu Suzuran leapt, caught it, and slammed it through the hoop.
A perfect alley-oop silently showcased Fukuda's overwhelming strength.
Shogo glanced at the retreating Kagami but didn't follow.
Meanwhile, Seirin, after a fast inbound, passed again to Kuroko, who unleashed another acceleration pass. The ball sped across the court—before even reaching half, a large hand intercepted it.
"Kuroko, did you think I don't exist?"
"Though I haven't received many of these passes, I've caught enough. Don't underestimate me!"
Shogo stood firm, raised his hands, and spun the ball in a high arc. It swished cleanly through the net.
The swish echoed, painfully sharp, ringing in the ears of every Seirin player.
Kagami, like a monkey, still waited under the hoop for a ball that would never come.
This scene repeated three times—Shogo gave Kuroko a harsh, painful lesson.
The score gap widened to a nearly hopeless level.
The whistle blew—Seirin called a timeout.
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In the stands, four friends watching together reached consensus:
Seirin had no hope. The overwhelming despair threatened to leave a psychological scar.
Midorima stood, calling to Takao:
"Let's go. The outcome is decided. No chance of a comeback—the point gap is too wide."
"Shin… alright!"
Midorima left the stands with Takao, ignoring Kise—there was no need.
Kise whispered to himself: "Let's at least watch it through. Leaving now would feel… incomplete."
Kasamatsu, who had planned to leave, stayed silent, watching alongside the first-year ace. Respect and trust shown.
========
The whistle blew. Fukuda players still heard Coach Kudo's sharp command from behind:
"Now! Crush them completely!"
The rest of the game became meaningless. No matter how much Seirin resisted, failure awaited.
The remaining time was Fukuda's to exploit—each player performing beautiful, effortless scoring.
In the fourth quarter, Coach Kudo rotated players constantly, letting everyone "squeeze" the freshly exposed soft spots.
Kagami, under Shogo's defense, had no room to act. He was thoroughly suppressed until the final buzzer.
When the final whistle blew, the usually silent Shogo said to Kagami:
"Your light… compared to Aomine, is truly weak!"
A statement validated by the brutal scoreboard: 116–28.
Shogo turned and walked back to Fukuda's bench. Shimizu Rena handed him a towel, which he used to wipe sweat.
The final ceremony? Neither Shogo nor Kuroko participated formally.
Instead, Shogo spun around holding Shimizu, while Kuroko slouched, towel over his head, sulking.
Something seemed to fall, drop by drop.
Victory had passed. Defeat had arrived. Promises broken, faint light, shadows dim—where to go now?
A hand rested on Kuroko's shoulder. A low voice spoke:
"Kuroko, we can't make Nationals. But we still have the Winter Cup. Keep going!"
"Let's go, Kuroko. Together, we'll be reborn through defeat, and find Nirvana in our tears!"