"Hm?"
The Shimanami Academy center froze for a moment.
Hey! I'm still on offense here—what's with that backing-away attitude?
He couldn't make sense of it, but he wasn't about to waste such an opportunity. He dribbled once to adjust, then hooked the ball toward the basket.
Yet in the very next instant!
A dark shadow suddenly swooped in from behind, followed by the thunderous sound of a swat!
His pupils contracted sharply.
With a deafening boom, the ball was slapped away.
Shigure Akihito's palm smashed into it with such force that the ball seemed to dent inward on contact. For a brief moment, it wasn't as if he struck a basketball—it was like he had crushed a mass of cotton, soft yet bursting with compressed energy. Then the ball slammed into the hardwood with such power that it warped under pressure before springing up violently, bouncing all the way into the second-floor stands!
"Oi, oi, oi!"
"What was that just now?!"
"What kind of block has that kind of force?"
"You're kidding me, right? Something like a cannon shot, and you're calling it a block?"
The spectators, eyes wide and jaws slack, stared at each other in disbelief. If they could help it, none of them wanted to label what they'd just witnessed a "block."
But facts were facts. No matter how much they refused to believe it, the truth was right there—the ball had been swatted all the way into the second-floor seating.
The sheer impact of that play left every Shimanami player stunned.
Wild instinct, fused with the skill [Kiyota Nobunaga – Shunpō: Leaping Block]—that airborne rejection felt less like a block and more like Shigure Akihito intended to annihilate both the ball and the man who dared to shoot it.
The Shimanami coach's face darkened.
Never in his wildest thoughts had he expected Teiko to be this ruthless. This was supposed to be a practice game, yet they had unleashed a weapon like Shigure Akihito…
Why on earth did Shimanami Academy deserve to face this monster?!
They had never even gotten a chance to face him at the All-Japan Middle School Tournament, and now, in something as trivial as a scrimmage, here stood the nation's strongest—and stronger than ever since advancing to third year!
This couldn't continue. No way…
But while the coach wrestled with his emotions, Shigure had already stolen the ball again and was flying up the court.
From midcourt, he simply rose and shot. His opponent couldn't even react—by the time they realized, the ball had already left Shigure's fingertips.
Like an arrow, the basketball streaked clean through the air, piercing straight into the net without the slightest resistance.
Since subbing in, Shigure had played only two proper possessions outside of that initial steal.
Two dunks, one three-pointer, two steals, one monster block. In just those short minutes, most of the stat sheet was already filled, missing only rebounds and assists.
The gap was just too overwhelming.
The audience had fallen utterly silent. Even as an opponent, Kise couldn't help but pity Shimanami. Against this "Great Demon King" of a senpai, they simply had no chance.
Shimanami Academy called for a timeout.
Five out, five in.
Shigure didn't care whether that was their way of declaring surrender, or trying to reset their broken morale. With how disgustingly dirty Shimanami had played all game, he had already decided—he would go all out until the very end.
…
By the final buzzer, the score was clear:
Teiko vs. Shimanami — 101 to 79.
In just a few minutes, under Shigure Akihito's full-force dominance, Teiko had ballooned their lead.
As Shigure walked off the court, the stares that followed were filled with awe, or fear. It was the instinctive reaction of humans faced with a being so far beyond their reach.
He had seen those eyes countless times before, back at the Nationals, enough to have grown numb. But so what? That was the nature of sports.
It was simple—he was just that strong. Shigure smirked inwardly at his own chuuni thought.
The Teiko second-string coach nodded in deep satisfaction, while Shimanami's coach glared resentfully at Teiko's bench.
This was bullying.
Sure, Shimanami's style was dirty. But fielding Shigure Akihito against them—wasn't that going too far?
This wasn't even human!
…
As everyone left the gym, Shigure walked in front with the coach, followed by Kise and Kuroko, with the rest of the second string trailing behind.
"Ugh, what kind of basketball was that from Shimanami?"
"They were filthy, I got elbowed in the chest more than once!"
"Good thing Shigure-senpai was on court—those guys couldn't even keep up long enough to try cheap tricks."
"Don't forget the one who grabbed his jersey, only to get flung onto his backside—priceless!"
"By the way, Kise, nice job out there. Especially your first-time coordination with Kuroko. Outside of a handful of first-stringers I've seen, you might be the best match for him."
"Kuroko, your playstyle… yeah, it's still as incredible as ever. That fourth-quarter comeback was all thanks to you and Kise."
Kise had been watching Shigure with admiration, but hearing the praise behind him, he felt a little embarrassed and turned toward Kuroko.
"I think I'm starting to get what you mean now. But there's one thing I can't accept—sacrificing yourself for the sake of the team. Even if I knew it was the right thing, I could never do that."
"No matter how amazing you are, Kuroko… is that really fun?"
Kuroko lowered his head in silence for a moment.
Kise thought he knew the answer. In his mind, this was exactly why Kuroko was so strong—because he would never think of sacrificing himself.
But to his surprise, Kuroko spoke.
"…It isn't fun."
His gaze lifted, following Shigure's back.
"After watching Shigure-senpai's basketball, who could possibly not be moved?"
"But… I know that's something I could never do."
"Compared to not being happy…"
"Losing is far worse."
"And with the skills I have now, I can help my team win."
"That's enough."
Kise Ryōta: "…"
As expected of Teiko's regulars.
Even behind that calm, unreadable face, Kuroko Tetsuya's heart beat with a pure hunger for victory.
"…By the way, what's with this 'Kuroko-chibi' thing?"
"Oh, I call everyone I respect that way."
"Please don't."
"Aw, but it suits you~"
"Anyway, Kuroko"
"Hm?"
"I think… I've fallen in love with basketball!!!"
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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