In the blink of an eye
another summer had arrived.
For Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo, this year's national tournament journey would never again be the quiet, ordinary path it once was—not with the Generation of Miracles now on the scene.
And for another group…
Compared to their former glory…
The fact that they fell in the semifinals this year—ending their national journey far too early—and even more absurdly, that they had just finished their special training camp at this time of year…
Teiko's new era had suffered a jarring blow.
"Alright!"
"Everyone's here? Let's go."
"Thank you very much for taking care of us!"
Led by Sanada Naoto, all the current Teiko starters lifted their luggage and said goodbye to the owner of the training lodge, then began their trip home.
Moments later—as they escaped that hellish camp—one player finally dared to breathe again, wincing as he stretched his back.
"Huuhhh… finally… FINALLY it's over…"
Even though they were Teiko's first-string players, this was their first time experiencing training of this intensity. They sneaked a glance at Coach Sanada—and couldn't help whispering among themselves:
"I still can't believe I'm alive. There were several moments I thought I was done for."
"We can't help it…"
"The very first year after our seniors left…"
"And… we lost."
The moment those words fell
Silence blanketed the group.
And within that unspeakably heavy atmosphere—just when the bus should've been taking the familiar road back to Teiko—Sanada Naoto had the driver turn onto a different route.
"Huh?"
"Where are we going?"
"Wait… don't tell me…"
"Are we… still in training camp?"
"No way, right?"
At that moment
Sanada spoke, face expressionless:
"You think Tokyo doesn't have training facilities? Then why do you think we came all the way out here?"
Everyone: "?"
"Because this year's Interhigh Nationals… is being held right here!"
Teiko's new captain, froze, quickly pulling out his phone.
Sure enough
"The opening ceremony ended yesterday…"
"And today is the first round…"
"Our seniors…"
"And our super-seniors are all playing today. We won't make it in time for Captain Akashi's match, but the final game of the day…"
All of Teiko's 927 squad crowded around him
and their faces immediately turned into pure shock.
"...!!!"
Because on the matchup list, it clearly said—
National High School Comprehensive Athletics Tournament
Today 16:00~
First Gymnasium – Round 1, Game 6
Kaijō High (Kanagawa) VS Tsumuro East High (Kōchi)
Seeing that the players already understood the plan—and recalling the match they were about to witness—Sanada's eyes flashed with nostalgia and excitement.
"That's right."
"Today, we're going to watch—
Teiko's Twin Stars."
Teiko's starters stepped off the bus one by one.
But the pressure weighing on them wasn't from the brutal training camp they'd just survived
It came from the fact that today, they would witness with their own eyes
The very symbols of Teiko's glory.
The Twin Stars.
And very quickly
That suffocating pressure multiplied the moment they stepped into the arena.
Before them
A terrifying wall of Kaijō support.
And filling the air—thunderous chants of names they knew too well:
Shigure Akihito, Nijimura Shuzo, Kurokami Shinji, Fukasaya Reiji…
Just hearing their legendary predecessors' names shook them to their core.
And on the court—Kaijō was warming up.
But even their warm-up…
Was terrifying.
At that moment
A towering figure casually tossed a ball toward the rim.
Bang!
It hit the backboard and bounced out
And instantly
BOOM!
Another figure—moving far faster than someone his size should—sprang into the air, his black hair cutting a streak across the sky as he hung from the rim with one arm!
His head nearly hit the hoop.
The crowd erupted.
And unlike the first- and second-years who admired the Generation of Miracles, the third-year Teiko players instantly recognized the two figures—even from afar.
One of the two absolute pillars who defined Teiko's golden era.
The silhouettes they once looked up to as first-years alongside the Miracles.
And shockingly
Aside from their height, they were exactly as they remembered.
Still the white jersey.
Still the number 4.
On court
Nijimura Shuzo dropped from the rim with a sharp gaze, while Shigure Akihito accelerated from a slow stride into an impossible burst of speed—far too fast for someone that tall.
Then
Nijimura's pass lasered forward.
BOOM!
Free-throw line.
Takeoff.
Catch in midair.
Windmill.
CRASH!!
The slam's violent roar struck straight into Teiko's hearts, making their scalps tingle.
Teiko's starters: "..."
This was it…
This was the real deal.
Vice-captain Shuzo…
Still in jersey number 5—
Still a walking monster.
While Teiko's new generation shook under the pressure of their super-seniors, Kaijō's opponents—Tsumuro East—were suffering even more.
Their players stared in horror as after 4 and 5 finished, Kaijō's 6 and 7—Fukasaya Reiji and Kurokami Shinji—began dunking next.
Every player remembered their coach's earlier words:
Do your best…
Everyone: "..."
How…
How are we supposed to "do our best" against THIS?
Their captain swallowed hard and whispered to his center:
"Inside… we can only try attacking Kurokami Shinji. That's the only possible entry point…"
"As for Shigure Akihito…"
"Don't even think about it."
The center hesitated.
"Captain… how do you know he's even playing inside this match…? What if he's running point guard?"
"..."
"…Just adapt on the fly."
Soon
The defending champions Kaijō and Tsumuro East tipped off.
Kaijō's starters rose from the bench.
And at Tsumuro East's bench, whispers exploded, their coach murmuring under his breath:
"I heard that during the Kanagawa round-robin, Nijimura Shuzo led every game and Shigure Akihito didn't appear at all… Yet he's leading again at Nationals?"
"But…"
"They swapped leaders—Shigure Akihito is leading today?"
"And…"
"Kaijō is running a full bench lineup besides him…"
Even so, the coach didn't dare relax
if anything, he looked more nervous.
He glanced at Kaijō
seeing Takeuchi Genta calmly instructing the players, stern even while speaking to the monstrous Shigure Akihito.
As expected of a championship coach.
Genta sensed someone staring, looked up, briefly met the opposing coach's eyes—and then turned back with a smile before immediately snapping into a strict tone at Shigure:
"Shigure~"
"It's all yours~"
That tone and expression… really didn't match at all.
"No problem."
Since he skipped most of the Kanagawa round-robin, Shigure owed Nijimura a few matches anyway—especially since he enjoyed watching Seirin vs. Tōō live.
Kaijō's starting lineup took the floor.
The classic arrangement
but with Shigure Akihito taking the spot of Ryōta Kise.
Kasamatsu Yukio.
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro.
Moriyama Yoshitaka.
Kobori Hiroshi.
And Shigure.
BEEP!
The whistle blew.
The referee tossed the ball
WHOOSH!
This year Shigure had barely grown—only 1 cm—but he soared early, far earlier than anyone expected.
Far, far too early.
The Tsumuro East center stared in disbelief.
That timing was impossible.
Jump too early and you should hit peak height before the ball even reaches its apex—which means you can't touch it until it descends!
But
It was Shigure Akihito.
The strongest in the nation—perhaps in history.
And just as fear crept into him
the man opposite him kept rising.
"!?"
Still rising!?
So that dunk earlier WASN'T his limit?!
What kind of monster
PAH!
Shigure tapped the ball gently to Kasamatsu.
Kasamatsu pushed forward.
Tsumuro East—well-trained as the No.2 seed from Kōchi—quickly organized their defense.
"Watch Kaijō's shooting guard!" their captain called out, seeing Moriyama cut.
But he couldn't figure it out
What was Shigure Akihito doing?
Kasamatsu didn't hesitate
If Shigure was on the court, he passed to Shigure.
If Nijimura was on the court, he passed to Nijimura.
Today—Shigure was here.
SWISH!
The ball flew to Shigure.
PAH!
Shigure caught the ball
and instantly rose for a jumper right in the defender's face.
[Legendary Sakuragi—
Ball-Receive Shooting Special Training]
[Glorious Moment – Savior State:
All catch-and-shoot skills gain faster animation, higher lift, and extended usable range.]
In the next instant
Shigure rose with an insane catch-to-release speed.
The height of his jump made spectators fear his knee would smash into the defender's face.
SPLASH!!
A perfect swish.
Kaijō opened the game with a brutal, physical statement from Shigure Akihito
A shot that told Tsumuro East unmistakably:
You can't stop me.
Not even a little.
Whether the ball goes in or not
depends solely on me.
And just like that
With the game progressing into the second quarter
PAH!
Another Tsumuro East attack was stuffed by Shigure opening his Glorious Moment.
[Glorious Moment – Genius State]
[Extreme Sky-Soaring Block:
Massively enhanced defensive coverage with reduced stamina cost.]
His defense wasn't extending in range
but in efficiency.
Where he once needed speed skills to close distance, now his explosive leap alone covered ground that looked physically impossible.
From the stands
it looked like after merely two charging steps
that monster could burst from the paint to the three-point line and still block the shot.
A player of Tsumuro East scrambled for the blocked ball
failed
and it skittered away.
Hayakawa let out a hyena-like howl and grabbed it!
Kaijō launched a fast break
Kasamatsu scored the layup!
"Nice!"
"Vice-captain Kasamatsu—so fast!"
Kaijō's bench roared.
Meanwhile
Tsumuro East gasped desperately for air.
Especially with Shigure Akihito
who had barely attacked after the opening minutes but had relentlessly devoured them on defense
He looked like a beast protecting its territory, ready to consume anyone who stepped inside.
Merciless.
Greedy.
And refusing to let even one prey escape.
END OF CHAPTER
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