The next morning.
Dragging his tired body into the First Team gym, Kuroko Tetsuya greeted his captain with a soft, "Good morning, Captain Akashi."
Still dribbling as he turned, Akashi replied calmly, "Morning. You worked hard yesterday."
Murasakibara lumbered over, towering as always. Seeing Kuroko's weary state, he pressed a massive hand on his head, easily covering it entirely. "Heeey~ You threw up yesterday, right? You gonna puke again today…??"
Kuroko brushed his hand away. "Probably not…"
"Are Aomine and the others late?"
Akashi shook his head. "No. Aomine, Kise, and for some reason Shigure-senpai, who insisted on going, all went out with the team for a scrimmage against the Second Team."
"By now, they should already be in the middle of their game."
At the match against Kito Junior High.
The stands were packed with Kito students.
But…
The gym was deathly silent, the air heavy with despair.
In that eerie stillness, Kise's voice trembled with excitement.
"Daiki…"
"Isn't this just way too insane…?!"
The scoreboard on the sidelines glared back: Teiko vs. Kito, 114–42!
A 72-point lead!
For the Second Team, even when one or two starters from the First Team joined in, such a lopsided score was unheard of.
Clearly, the problem lay with that black panther tearing through the court.
Aomine Daiki.
His dribbling was dazzling, his speed sharper than ever, his raw athleticism overwhelming. He sliced through Kito's defense as if no one were even there.
And now—he drove past everyone for a one-man fast break, hammering down a dunk!
"Ah-Dai…"
"…He's already at 52 points…!"
On the sidelines, Momoi Satsuki, keeping stats, blinked in disbelief. She knew Aomine had grown even stronger since moving up to second year, but this… This was on another level.
On court, Aomine pumped his fist, exhilarated.
Of course.
Right now, the one in the best condition, the one at the absolute peak
Was him.
Even deep into the fourth quarter, he remained locked in, still burning to defend and attack with full intensity.
But when he glanced back after scoring, what he saw was the bowed heads of defeated opponents, their eyes dim, their spirits crushed.
Their expressions whispered like the devil's murmur:
"We can't stop him…"
"He's a monster. What can we do?"
"Just give up already."
"Should've never stepped on the court to begin with."
Not an illusion—he could actually hear them muttering it.
The words froze him in place. The light in his eyes flickered out.
And in that moment, confusion swelled.
Then
"Aomine!"
The sharp voice of his senpai cut through, making him snap his head toward the bench. Shigure Akihito had risen, flashing him a thumbs-up before clapping.
"Nice work! Keep pushing. Show me your limit."
Suddenly, the fire in Aomine's eyes reignited.
Of course, it wasn't just that simple cheer.
No
It was because, in that instant, he felt… basketball was still fun.
Aomine started again.
Smack!
He picked the ball effortlessly off the opponent's lazy dribble.
Every step I take toward the peak, every rung on this ladder of glory, must be flawless, must build the perfect record.
He remembered Akashi's words describing Shigure-senpai.
And with that, he attacked
Past one defender!
So that when I look back one day, I'll be satisfied with the glory I built.
Past two defenders!
And you
You're just another stepping stone beneath my feet.
Past three defenders!
This game? I won't even remember it. Just a cold number in the record books, flashing past in memory.
Past four defenders!
At most, I'll just think: "Yeah, I played perfectly that day."
Colliding with their center, he forced his way through—SLAM!
And in the heat of that dunk, he recalled every lesson Shigure-senpai had drilled into him, every word and every action, perfectly fitting this very moment.
"Tch."
"Someone so scared he gives up on basketball isn't worthy to be my opponent."
"At best, he'll be another line in my records."
"Aomine…"
"Daiki!"
Kise's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh… what's up?"
"You okay? You've been spacing out."
"Just wondering if Shigure-senpai ever scored this much in a game." Aomine answered casually.
Kise, oblivious, grinned. "Well today you're almost at 70 points all by yourself! More than half the team's score! Amazing!"
"But…"
"Senpai could definitely do it too, right?"
"…Eh?"
"No wait. Senpai always had to split shots with Nijimura-senpai. And you guys too, right?"
Aomine nodded. "I meant in practice matches. But doesn't matter—senpai always treated outside games like a chance to try new tricks anyway…"
At that moment, Shigure Akihito stepped forward from the sidelines, folding his arms.
"If I felt like it, I could hit a hundred too. Who do you think I am?"
"The strongest in middle school!" Kise exclaimed with envy.
Aomine: "…"
"Not you."
"Why are you the one getting excited?"
With Kise and Shigure messing around, Aomine stopped overthinking.
After all…
Once you stepped onto the court, once you took that first stride, the answer had always been obvious.
"Hey, Aomine…"
"You're not actually thinking something arrogant, are you?"
"No one's dumb enough to think dropping less than seventy points on Kito is impressive, right?"
"No way, right?"
"No one's foolish enough to think they've got no rivals left, right?"
"That the game's gotten boring, right?"
"…"
Cold sweat trickled down Aomine's forehead. Nijimura always said Shigure-senpai was sharp. He was dead right. Even though Aomine hadn't spoken a word, Shigure had seen straight through him.
Truth was
Back when Shigure suddenly cheered for him earlier, he had already noticed.
Aomine stayed silent for a moment.
From his senpai's point of view…
Yeah, he was being arrogant.
After all
He still couldn't beat his senpai. So what right did he have to brood about problems his senpai had never even complained of?
"Aomine!"
Shigure's voice snapped again, making Aomine flinch.
"Senpai…"
"…I already know I was wrong…"
But Shigure ignored him and continued.
"You've got NBA channels at home, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Hmm~~~"
That long, drawn-out hmm made Aomine scratch his head.
Really…
Senpai had already seen right through him.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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