Akashi's lips curved faintly. The very next moment, he made an unexpected pass, sending the ball sharply to the side.
The basketball arced through the air, cutting an impossible right angle, and in a whoosh, it landed in Aomine's hands beneath the hoop—temporarily filling in as center for Murasakibara.
Bang!
Aomine rocketed upward as if launched, his body blasting off like a missile, and hammered the ball straight through the hoop.
The dunk was spectacular.
But no one's eyes lingered on Aomine. Every gaze was locked on the pass that had just happened.
"Just now…"
"What on earth was that?!"
"How did the ball—?!"
On the Teiko bench, the players shot to their feet, pumping their fists. Across from them, Kamata Nishi's rhythm was shattered, their momentum broken. More importantly, their players frowned in disbelief. They simply couldn't comprehend what they had just seen.
Ever since Kuroko had stepped onto the court, his nearly invisible presence had turned his misdirection passing to the maximum. The ball zipped across the floor like lightning, each delivery finding a Teiko player with uncanny precision. In just moments, the score gap widened again.
"You…"
"Are you seriously fired up today—passing to me of all people?" Haizaki muttered at Kuroko's side.
"Yes."
Kuroko's eyes swept across Teiko's bench, his expression unwavering.
"I want our senpai to look at me too. This is my last chance."
Haizaki smirked.
"Heh… what, you think it's such an honor to be noticed by that violent maniac?"
"Idiot."
"Tch~ fine, then pass to me more often too."
…
Among Kamata Nishi's twins, No. 8 was the more hot-headed. Seeing the situation spiral, his voice sharpened with visible rage.
"Damn it…! At the very least, we need to force one-on-ones!"
"One-on-one?"
Midcourt. Midorima raised the ball high, posture unmistakably set for isolation play. He looked down on his opponent with disdain.
"Today, my luck is excellent, though there will be slight turbulence."
"But my lucky item…"
"…is Senp—Fukasaya's headband, which I'm wearing right now."
"?!"
What the hell are you even saying…?
No. 8 lunged at him.
Midorima went into a between-the-legs dribble, then spun left. Just as his opponent cut across to block, Midorima suddenly shifted to the right instead.
"Wha—on that side?!"
"Wrong guess."
With a crisp display of skill beyond his famed three-point shooting, Midorima strung together feints, then stopped abruptly, stepping back into a pull-up jumper.
"Your reactions are decent, but you picked the wrong opponent!"
Watching his defender stumble clumsily, Midorima felt a wave of contempt. These simple moves—barely passable by his senpai's standards—were enough to break this opponent's stance completely.
His eyes brimmed with disdain.
"No. If you can be called an opponent, then that would be an insult to my senpai. You don't even deserve the title."
Swish!
The rainbow arc of his shot soared from half court and drilled cleanly through the hoop.
From the start of the third quarter, Kamata Nishi's foul-drawing tricks collapsed. Panic spread through their ranks.
"Damn it!"
A pass was cut off by Akashi.
"Get back!"
"Stop them no matter what!"
Akashi advanced with calm precision, scanning the court. When the defense rushed him, he dished the ball to Haizaki. As No. 9 closed in, Haizaki's wild speed erupted.
"Tch! You embarrassed me earlier, bastard! You ready to pay me back?!"
"Go to hell!"
His opponent thought he had him figured out. Haizaki's speed was monstrous, but if they could bait him into another foul like in the first half—well, with four fouls already, he wouldn't last long.
But this time, Haizaki didn't rush headlong.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His dribbling thundered like rolling storms, but they were only feints—loud, rhythmic crossovers without true penetration.
Left?
Right?
A sudden spin—no, wrong again!
Kamata Nishi's No. 9 bit hard, stepping right.
"Pathetic…"
In that instant, Haizaki pivoted, whipping the ball behind his back in a brutal direction change.
The defender's ankle buckled mid-step, his momentum collapsing into a chain reaction. His front leg twisted, the rear couldn't catch him, and he collapsed into an awkward split before crashing painfully to the floor.
"Pathetically weak."
"And to think you fooled me in the first half."
"Hmph."
Haizaki slashed into the lane, smashing through contact with raw violence. Shouldering aside the opposing center, he rammed the ball into the hoop.
Boom!
The center toppled hard onto the court.
The gym exploded in deafening cheers.
By the end of the third quarter, Teiko had regained their rhythm. With Kuroko's phantom passing and relentless isolation plays, the game returned to the familiar dominance that had defined their season.
"Damn it!"
"They're just too strong…!!"
On Kamata Nishi's bench, substitutes and coaches gathered anxiously. The twins, sweat-soaked, heaved for breath.
But No. 8 muttered darkly, "Still… after a whole quarter, I've gotten a feel for their rhythm."
Beside him, No. 9 sneered. "Next quarter—we'll land the finishing blow."
…
"Fourth quarter, begin!"
On the bench, Aomine nudged Kise.
"Oi, don't you dare foul out."
Kise grimaced.
"I know, I know! You and Haizaki already set the worst example!"
Haizaki, subbed out for Murasakibara, scowled at Kise.
"Who said you could call me that? After this game, I'm putting you through hell in practice—just like Nijimura, that violent maniac."
Smack!
Nijimura casually cuffed Haizaki on the back of the head.
Nearby, Shigure patted Murasakibara's shoulder.
"Do your best, Atsushi. One more quarter, then you can go raid the snack shop."
Murasakibara's eyes lit up.
"Smiley-senpai, will you come with me~?"
Shigure chuckled.
"If you're treating, then sure."
"Eh…? Well… today, maybe that's fine~"
Seeing Teiko sub out their two most dangerous scorers, the twins' faces paled.
How could they… switch now?!
Kamata Nishi's coach had gambled everything on drawing fouls from Aomine and Haizaki—both foul-heavy, both close to fouling out. If they could've forced those two off the floor, even just mentally, Teiko would've taken a blow.
But instead, Teiko rotated them out safely. It was shameless.
"Alright. Don't get careless until the very end," Akashi ordered calmly.
"Ha~ you only bring me back in the last quarter," Murasakibara sighed.
"Didn't I just say not to slack off?" Midorima glared at him.
…
159:30.
For the final minute of the championship, Akashi and Coach Sanada finally subbed in Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo.
The crowd erupted, showering the departing seniors with cheers.
…
The entire Nationals ended just like that.
Smooth, relentless, Teiko's dominance remained unbroken. Their only turbulence had been in the final, and even then, they stamped it out with overwhelming might.
The announcer's voice rang through the gym.
"Teiko wins!"
"And with this… they complete the National Triple Crown!!!"
The arena thundered with applause.
"…We did it!!"
Kise, who had stayed on the court till the end, practically bounced beside Kuroko, exhilarated. It was his first taste of victory this sweet.
"Hah…" Midorima exhaled, while beside him, Murasakibara muttered, "Now I can finally eat snacks, right~~~?"
"…Go ahead," Midorima sighed—surprisingly indulgent.
"Eh?! Really?!" Murasakibara blinked in shock.
Akashi let out a soft breath, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Hey, Blackie. Why're you spacing out?"
Aomine felt a nudge at his back. Haizaki smirked as always, but for once, Aomine didn't feel like snapping back.
"…That was the last one. Our senpai are leaving."
"From now on…"
"…junior high basketball's gonna be boring."
Haizaki only chuckled coldly.
"Smart ones are already preparing for high school teams. Only idiots like you sit here daydreaming."
"Tsk, tsk."
"…The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think?"
"Oi! Spit it out, bastard Haizaki!"
On the court, Nijimura watched his teammates with a sudden pang of emotion.
Shigure looked at the seven rainbow-haired boys and smiled faintly. In his chest surged the reckless joy of youth, a fire rekindled even at the end.
"Shigure…"
"What is it, Captain Nijimura?"
"Captain? Akashi's the captain now."
Shigure shook his head.
"He's not there yet."
"…Heh. I'll take that compliment as my graduation gift."
Shigure smiled, held out his fist.
"With this, the handover's complete."
"Not yet. One last step."
"Yeah. Let's go."
In their first year, it had been Captain Ōzora leading them to bow before the cheering Teiko supporters. Now, in their final year, it was Nijimura Shuzo's turn.
"Thank you for supporting us!"
"Truly…"
"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!"
"OUUUHH!!!"
"Captain Nijimura! Shigure-senpai!"
"Undefeated!!"
"Undefeated!!"
The Teiko crowd roared. Nijimura and Shigure froze, overwhelmed. Then they exchanged a glance
And together spread their arms wide.
"Reiji!"
"Shinji 3.9!"
"Akashi—get over here!"
"Group photo!"
The first-years hesitated. Until now, this position had always belonged to the seniors.
But Aomine strode forward first. Haizaki swaggered after him, then Murasakibara, puzzled as ever. Soon Midorima, Kise, and finally Kuroko followed.
"Wooo!"
"Awesome!!"
"Snacks! They're throwing snacks to me!" Murasakibara cheered.
"Pfft—ahaha~"
And so, the gears of Teiko kept turning.
Even as Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo's generation stepped down, their leadership had meshed the team seamlessly. The potential cracks among the Miracles were soothed, for now, under their steady hands.
The Miracles knew it too. Their senpai were leaving, but this was far from the end.
…
The summer passed.
On the afternoon of the new semester's opening day
Nijimura, Shigure, and the other third-years retired from the team.
No tears. No regrets. No hesitation.
With unprecedented honors in their wake, they left the gym they had fought in for three years—calmly, and with pride.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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