"Wooooooahhhh~~~!!"
"Nice one, Seirin!"
"That was amazing! They actually beat the King Shutoku!"
============
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the entire arena erupted into thunderous cheers that shook the rafters.
The crowd was on their feet, celebrating the victors. Only two groups remained silent amidst the sea of noise, Shutoku… and Seiho.
For Shutoku, it was because they'd lost.
For Seiho, it was because they felt… embarrassed.
Getting their "flag" slapped in the face was nothing new, embarrassing, sure, but tolerable. After all, they weren't the ones who had just been crushed by a dragon diving straight onto their heads.
Still, watching Shutoku's loss made the players of Seiho start to question something deeply important.
Should they… abandon this so-called "dignity of kings"?
There was no doubt in anyone's mind about what had caused Shutoku's downfall.
It was precisely that dignity.
If they hadn't clung to it in the final moments, they never would've shown an opening. The opponent wouldn't have read their intentions, and the score wouldn't have flipped.
As one of the "Three Kings of Tokyo," Seiho's basketball club had long shared the same philosophy as Shutoku. They had even taken pride in it.
But after witnessing what happened today… they suddenly realized something,
Maybe a "king" didn't need dignity at all.
"Alright, it's decided." Matsumoto Yukinori clapped his hands once, tone firm. "Between dignity and victory, I'd say Seiho's basketball club needs victory more."
"What do you guys think?"
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
"No objections whatsoever!"
In that single moment, the entire Seiho team reached a level of unity never seen before.
And just like that, within less than three seconds, a proud tradition that had lasted for years was officially abolished.
============
On the court, Seirin's players were still celebrating their hard-earned victory.
In the stands, the crowd began to disperse. Near Seiho's seats, a tall blond young man, his model-like face instantly recognizable, rose to his feet and followed a sharp-eyed upperclassman out of the venue.
As they passed Seiho's group, Akashi Asuka briefly met the blond's eyes.
The man's expression shifted subtly, a flicker of recognition glinting in his gaze.
============
Outside the arena.
The sharp-eyed senior noticed his junior's distracted look. "What's wrong, Kise?"
"Nothing much, Kasamatsu-senpai," the blond replied, scratching his cheek. "It's just… one of those guys felt kinda familiar. Like I've seen him somewhere before."
That blond, of course, was none other than Kise Ryouta, one of the Generation of Miracles.
"Probably from a magazine."
The man Kise called Kasamatsu-senpai, captain of Kaijo High, frowned thoughtfully. "Those guys were from Seiho High. They've been national regulars for over a decade, same as Shutoku. You've probably seen an article or something."
"Yeah… maybe," Kise said uncertainly. Though something still felt off, he didn't dwell on it.
Just as Akashi Asuka had predicted earlier, only members of the Generation of Miracles could leave a lasting impression on each other.
No matter how strong the impression Asuka once left during middle school, years had passed. For most of Teiko's former prodigies, his image had long faded into a blur.
And since his appearance had changed quite a bit since graduation, there were few among the Generation of Miracles who could recognize him at a glance.
Of course…
If they ever met on the basketball court again, that would be another story.
After all, for many of those idiots, a person's basketball was far easier to remember than the person himself.
============
Shutoku Locker Room
Midorima Shintaro had disappeared again.
As a member of the Generation of Miracles, suffering two consecutive losses within only two months of starting high school was a crushing blow.
Outside, rain had begun to fall, cold, relentless. But even the chill of the storm couldn't compare to the cold inside Midorima's heart.
He'd already tasted defeat once before, but this time… it hurt worse.
It felt like countless sharp blades were stabbing straight into his chest.
"Yo."
A deep voice called out.
Through the curtain of rain, a tall figure approached, holding an umbrella.
Midorima looked up, and saw Akashi Asuka.
"Did your Seiho team win?"
"Yeah," Asuka said with a faint smile. "Came to scout the competition, but I ended up witnessing quite the surprise. Anyway… aren't you worried about catching a cold like that?"
"Well, never mind. I was actually planning to lend you an umbrella, but I guess that's unnecessary now. I'll head off first."
With that, Asuka turned and walked away, following his team.
A moment later, Takao Kazunari appeared, holding an umbrella of his own.
"Oi, Shin-chan! Come on, let's head back. Everyone's ready to leave."
"I'm coming."
Midorima glanced at Asuka's departing figure before walking toward Takao.
"Who was that guy just now?" Takao asked curiously.
"No one," Midorima muttered, pushing up his glasses. "Just another annoying person."
When the two finally returned to the locker room, they were greeted with silence.
Empty benches. No teammates.
Both froze.
"Uh… Shin-chan, don't tell me we lost the group?"
Thanks to Midorima, the cart duo had officially gotten separated from their team.
Outside, the rain worsened, accompanied by strong gusts of wind. With no choice, the two ducked into a small tamagoyaki shop nearby.
But the moment they opened the door,
They froze.
Everyone inside froze too.
Because sitting right there in the cozy shop were none other than Seirin's entire team, fresh off their victory… along with Kaijo's Kise Ryouta and Yukio Kasamatsu.
Awkward silence filled the air.
=============
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