The first quarter came to an end.
Rakuzan led Fukuda Sōgō 27 to 22.
The gap wasn't huge, but anyone watching knew—there was little hope left for Fukuda Sōgō.
The player they relied on most, Haizaki, had been completely dismantled by Akashi—on both ends of the court.
So what now?
No one had an answer.
Fukuda Sōgō was facing a problem not unlike what Kaijō had faced.
They had no way to counter the twin captains of Teikō—no solution for their eyes.
The Eye of Heaven, the Emperor Eye.
Seirin's members stared silently at the TV screen, thinking hard about those two sets of eyes.
They wanted to find a countermeasure.
But in the end, they realized—they couldn't even comprehend the world that Tendou and Akashi saw.
They couldn't see the future.
What kind of scenery did Tendou and Akashi witness through those eyes? They had no clue.
As for Haizaki, he sat on the bench with a cold expression.
To lose to the one person he never wanted to lose to—it felt worse than anything.
But he wasn't out of options.
He had something in common with Akashi: when a problem arose, he believed in solving it at the source.
And if the source was Akashi—then he'd just have to eliminate Akashi.
So when the second quarter began, Haizaki's first play was aimed straight at the man himself.
"Now that's what I call a smart player!"
Hanamiya Makoto slapped his thigh in delight.
That's right—if you can't beat someone in basketball, there's always the other kind of fight.
Finally, someone with brains in this national tournament.
But—
Akashi took a light step with his right foot and narrowly sidestepped Haizaki's full-speed charge.
The distance? Just one foot. Perfectly calculated.
"To defy me to this extent… kneeling alone won't earn you forgiveness."
Akashi reached out and, like lightning, slapped the ball right out of Haizaki's hands.
In the next moment, he grabbed the ball and dashed toward the frontcourt.
Haizaki grit his teeth and chased after him, constantly trying to close the distance, but Akashi evaded every attempt, predicting his moves in advance.
Akashi glanced to the side, then twisted his wrist.
The basketball spun rapidly under his control, moving like a taut string winding tighter and tighter.
Thump—!
The intense spin caused the ball to scrape violently against the floor, making it difficult to judge the rebound angle.
But Haizaki figured it out—
The ball was flying straight toward his face at an insane speed.
BANG!
The spinning ball smacked him right in the face.
His grimacing expression twisted further as Akashi calmly regained control and charged into the paint for the score.
"This is a warning, Haizaki."
"The first—and the last."
The arrogant young noble's retaliation was swift and merciless.
And if Haizaki still didn't get it, no one doubted Akashi would keep punishing him.
But here's the problem—was Haizaki the type to obediently back down?
Of course not.
So by the time the second quarter ended, both he and Akashi looked like they'd just gotten out of a fight with Ip Man.
"Why does it look like they just brawled backstage at a kung fu movie?"
Even the notorious punks at Kirisaki Daiichi had to admit—
They respected Haizaki.
A talent like this—what a shame he wasn't playing for them.
Akashi walked off the court expressionless.
The vice-captain of Teikō had made a memorable debut—unveiling a terrifying sense of dominance.
As for Haizaki?
He didn't even bother showing up for the second half.
What was the point? He couldn't win.
He returned to the locker room, packed up his gear, and left.
First, he stopped by a nearby sporting goods store and bought a baseball bat.
Then, he headed back to the stadium and set up an ambush along Rakuzan's exit route.
If he couldn't beat Akashi on the court, then he'd just solve things… the other way.
But just as he was preparing to strike—a bright light flashed, nearly blinding him.
"Injuring the sole heir of the Akashi Conglomerate would be… a very serious matter."
Haizaki shielded his eyes from the glare.
When the light faded, he saw who it was.
"Tendou? You here to stop me?"
He couldn't care less about some rich kid.
Today, he was determined to take Akashi down.
Not even God could stop him. His words.
"Of course not. I prefer to settle things on the court, but I've got better things to do than play hero," Tendou said, seated on his motorcycle.
He tossed Haizaki a box.
"Catch. A little something I brought for you."
Haizaki opened it.
Inside was a brand-new pair of basketball shoes—and a Kirisaki Daiichi jersey.
"A baseball bat doesn't suit you. These do."
"But you're not going to beat Akashi like this. So come with me instead."
"I'll show you what the view from the mountaintop looks like."
"You don't really hate basketball, do you?"
Did he hate basketball?
Haizaki wasn't even sure himself.
He definitely wasn't like Aomine, or Midorima—especially not that loser Kise.
But to say he truly hated it… that didn't feel right either.
Still, before he could argue back, Tendou interrupted.
"Don't bother denying it. If this was just about revenge, you'd have gone straight to Rakuzan and ambushed Akashi—so why fight all the way through the qualifiers and make it to nationals?"
"Face it, Haizaki. A part of you still wants to play."
"Tch. Don't talk like you know me." Haizaki scoffed and looked away.
But he didn't throw the stuff away.
That meant something.
Tendou could see it—Haizaki was on the edge.
He just needed a little push.
So Tendou gave it to him.
He stepped off his bike, cracked his knuckles, and said:
"Stop whining like a little girl. Let's settle this."
"One-on-one. If you lose, you transfer to Kirisaki Daiichi."
A fight?
Haizaki was already burning with rage—perfect timing.
"And if you lose?"
"I won't. I'm the strongest."
"The strongest, huh…"
Haizaki gave a cold laugh, then tossed the bat aside and swung a fist.
But Tendou was faster.
He reached out in advance—
And clamped his hand over Haizaki's face.
Just like back at Teikō Basketball Club.
Once again, Haizaki found himself slammed into the ground by Tendou—
Only this time, it was concrete.
Poor guy.
Just got beat up by Akashi—and now this.
His nose might've actually gotten broken this time.
No one knew how long he lay there, flat on his back, staring up at the moon.
Tendou dusted off his hands, got back on his ride, and called out:
"Alright, it's settled. You're transferring to Kirisaki Daiichi tomorrow."
This was the perfect moment to recruit Haizaki.
After being humiliated by Akashi, he'd have no face to act out at the new club.
He'd have to fall in line.
VROOOOM—
Tendou's motorcycle roared away into the night, not even bothering to offer Haizaki a ride.
His bike didn't tolerate other men.
Haizaki lay there a while longer, then slowly got up, spat out some blood, and pulled out the box.
He looked at the shoes. Size 41.
"That idiot. Like hell I wear size 41."
Still, he packed everything into his bag, gritting his teeth as he limped off toward the hospital.
"Damn it. That bastard really did a number on me…"
...
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