"Seven seconds left on the clock! Midorima receives Takao's pass—let's see what he chooses to do…"
"After a quick jab step — he drives! Step-back from the top of the arc, fading away for a deep three— this is max difficulty!"
"Kagami jumped high, but he still couldn't block it! Midorima's shot — it's good!!!"
"113 to 112! In the final seconds of the match, Midorima hits a buzzer-beating game-winning three! A one-man miracle! Shūtoku takes the North District's No. 1 seed — congratulations!"
Bobo's passionate commentary boomed from the livestream room.
With this match over, all teams qualifying for this year's Winter Cup main bracket were officially decided!
Since Rakuzan and Kaijō had automatic byes, both the East and West regions lacked their usual powerhouse guardians. As a result, many new faces advanced from those areas.
The South remained the same old story — Yōsen crushed everyone and easily took first place.
And although the fiercely competitive North was much calmer due to Tōō's automatic qualification, the battle for the top seed between Shūtoku and Seirin still drew massive attention.
Kota and Kise were among the viewers.
Kota cracked sunflower seeds as he shook his head.
"Midorima's threes are actually insane. When we face him, we better be careful. Don't ever give him the chance to hit a game-winner."
With his current 100% accuracy from insane ranges, as long as conditions were right, Midorima could recreate a "T-Mac Moment" whenever he wanted.
Kise nodded seriously in agreement—then suddenly turned his head.
"Oh yeah, Kota! I went to hang out with Aomine today. Guess what I saw!"
He leaned close, eyes sparkling with mystery, like he was about to reveal a national secret.
Kota perked up, popping another seed into his mouth.
"Don't tell me he got caught watching those magazines again?"
"Yeah—wait, no! What are you even saying?!"
Kise glared at him, then explained:
"Aomine was… seriously training! And someone who looked like a personal coach was standing next to him, guiding him through passing drills!"
Kota had already lost interest—until he heard the last part.His expression froze.
"That guy is still practicing passing? I've watched him train for half a year, and he still hasn't mastered a basic chest pass. He should just give up."
"What's wrong with being a pure scoring monster? Why force himself to practice passing? That's not his thing."
Kota clicked his tongue, genuinely feeling pity for Aomine's stubbornness.
Kise stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Speaking of which… I think I've seen that personal coach before. When the basketball association was registering the U-18 roster! He's one of their assistant coaches!"
"Aomine got invited by Japan's basketball association too. And he already agreed. Next spring he'll join me for national team training."
Kota wasn't surprised. He had watched the footage of Vorpal Swords — even Murasakibara, who performed the worst due to being shut down by Silver, was still fully qualified for the national team.
Except for Kuroko, who lacked presence and physicality, Kota estimated that every member of the team had probably received an invitation.
"Besides you and Aomine, who else? I mean who's actually planning to join training."
Kise thought for a moment.
"Kagami is joining too. Akashi and Murasakibara both declined. Midorima hasn't answered yet, but knowing his personality… I doubt he'll choose basketball over his family obligations."
Midorima came from an elite household. He grew up alongside Akashi—kids from families on the same level. While not as powerful as the Akashi family, the Midorimas were still far from ordinary.
If Midorima abandoned the family path for basketball, his parents would probably drag him home by the ears.
Kota's expression twisted.
"So right now, only three of you plan to join the Japan national team?"
"If that's the case… meeting Kise's group at the World Championship… might not be impossible to win against."
Kota's mind immediately began calculating.Kise instantly saw through him.
"Why do I feel like——you're looking down on us?!"
He rolled up his sleeves dramatically.
"Let me introduce you to the future starting point guard of the Japan national team: me!"
Kota: "???"
Before Kota could ask, Kise continued proudly:
"The head coach told me himself! He asked if I could play point guard. I told him I can play anywhere, so he said I should develop into a PG!"
Kise might only be about 187 cm tall, but with his "Perfect Copy" ability, he was basically a universal tool — plug him anywhere and he'd work.
"Putting Kise at PG also solves the position conflict between Kagami and Aomine, letting all three start together… honestly, not a bad idea. I'd do the same."
Just a moment of thought was enough for Kota to realize that making Kise a point guard wasn't nonsense at all—it perfectly solved the compatibility issue.
Aomine and Kagami were both natural power forwards, though Aomine's speed meant he could easily shift to small forward. But then he'd clash with Kise, who also normally played SF.
And if Aomine played point guard…
Absolute disaster.
A guy who passed less often than he dunked?As a PG?? Impossible.
"So if you three actually adapt to each other… you really could make something happen?"
Kota was surprised to find that if they synergized well, and if the remaining two national team slots weren't garbage, Japan might actually do well at next year's World Championship.
"Damn… my own team needs extra training too…"
Kota frowned, already planning how to discuss strengthening the lineup with Sun.
He didn't believe in "participation is what matters". If he was going to the World Championship, he was going for the title.
While Kota was deep in thought, Kise suddenly tapped his shoulder.
"Kota, look! The matchups for the main bracket are out!"
"We're right here… Kaijō vs… Kirisaki Daiichi… hey Kota, this team's name… sounds familiar!"
Kise held his chin, racking his memory.
Kota dusted himself off lazily.
"It's fine, no matter who we play it's a win—wait. Which team?"
He looked up.
The moment he saw "Kirisaki Daiichi," his expression froze.
"Kirisaki Daiichi… Hanamiya…"
"…No way. We got matched with the one team I least wanted to play."
He stared with dead-fish eyes.
Due to Tōō's automatic qualification, the North District had one extra seed—one that unexpectedly fell to Hanamiya.
Unlike Haizaki — who had already been "educated" — Hanamiya had yet to be corrected. And at this rate… something was going to happen to him.
"Damn… I'm an adult now. If I punch someone on the court… do they arrest you for that???"
First-round matchups were generally kind. The teams of the Generation of Miracles avoided early civil wars. Most drew weak opponents. Even Haizaki's Fukuda Sōgō looked ready to stroll into round two.
Kaijō vs. Kirisaki Daiichi was scheduled fairly early. After Rakuzan wiped out their unlucky first match opponent, it was Kaijō's turn for their Winter Cup debut!
Match day — At the arena
Kise was thrilled by the crowd's cheers. He would occasionally grab a ball off the floor and explode into a thunderous dunk, earning screams from the audience.
Meanwhile, Kota lazily warmed up while squinting toward Kirisaki Daiichi's bench.
There sat a thin, shadowy-looking guy, playing with his bangs. Harmless appearance. Snake-like aura.
Hanamiya Makoto.
As someone who knew the original story, Kota wasn't fooled by his weak appearance. Last year's worsening of Kiyoshi's injury? All Hanamiya's doing.
You better not try anything dirty with me… Hanamiya.You play mind games, I play for your life.
Kota licked his lips. His combat talent flickered faintly, as if whispering to him.
Kota really wanted to use it. But with thousands of spectators watching, punching a guy on the court wasn't ideal.
Even if Araki could bail him out of jail, Kota didn't want to trouble her—or anyone.
"As long as you don't cross the line, I'll let things slide…—but touch my bottom line…"
Kota slammed the ball into his palm, tucking it under his arm.His gaze toward Hanamiya grew colder and colder.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The sharp whistle echoed.