Silence.
A deathly silence.
A large vein bulged on the forehead of Moichi Taoka.
His blood pressure seemed to shoot straight to 180.
"You… you're that red-haired monkey from Shohoku High School Basketball Team?!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"This is Ryonan's tactical meeting!"
"Are you a spy?!"
Coach Taoka's roar thundered through the bench.
"What spy?! That sounds awful!"
"This is called gathering military intelligence!"
"It's strategy! Strategy! Do you even understand strategy?!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi stood up righteously with his hands on his hips.
"You idiot!"
Before Taoka could explode—
A massive fist descended from the sky.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed.
A giant smoking bump instantly swelled on Sakuragi's head.
Takenori Akagi, face dark as iron, grabbed Sakuragi by the collar and dragged him away like a dead dog.
"My apologies, Coach Taoka."
"Poor discipline at home. I've made a fool of myself in front of you."
"Let go of me, Gorilla!"
"I heard their top-secret tactics!"
Sakuragi flailed wildly in midair.
Watching the chaotic farce, Juro yawned and poured the last mouthful of sports drink into his mouth.
"So energetic…"
He rubbed his slightly sore shoulder.
"But the first half dragged on a bit too long."
"If this keeps up, I'll miss tonight's JoJo rerun."
Makino Juro stood up and rolled his wrists.
Looks like he'd have to trouble old man Taoka a little.
Second Half
The game resumed.
The teams switched sides.
Ball possession: Ryonan.
As expected, Akira Sendoh stopped holding back.
He advanced with the ball.
Facing the defense of Kaede Rukawa, Sendoh executed a highly deceptive pump-fake hesitation, shaking Rukawa's center of gravity before accelerating straight into the paint.
"Help defense!" Akagi roared.
But in midair, Sendoh performed a smooth double-clutch, avoiding Akagi's block and gently finishing with a reverse layup.
52 : 45
The movement was smooth as flowing clouds—elegant and effortless.
"WAAAA! SENDOH! SENDOH!"
Cheers from the Ryonan crowd exploded like thunder.
Shohoku Offense
The ball reached Makino Juro.
Defending him was still Sendoh.
"Looks like you still haven't woken up," Sendoh teased, looking at Makino Juro's half-lidded eyes.
"Yeah… I'm exhausted."
Makino Juro sighed. His body looked loose and relaxed as he lazily dribbled the ball.
Suddenly
Without any warning—
Makino Juro's eyes changed.
The laziness vanished instantly, replaced by a wild, beast-like intensity.
[Aomine Daiki · Super High-Speed Dribble]
BOOM!
The basketball slammed into the floor with a heavy impact, echoing like a hammer striking wood.
Makino Juro's body tilted at an almost impossible angle as his speed exploded from 0 to 100 in an instant.
"What?!"
Sendoh felt his vision blur.
This wasn't a normal drive.
The acceleration.
The change of rhythm.
The direction shift that seemed to completely defy human biomechanics—
Too fast!
Juro shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, instantly tearing apart Sendoh's defense.
He charged into the paint.
Facing the rotating defense of Jun Uozumi—
Makino Juro didn't slow down.
Instead, his body leaned backward.
While losing balance in midair, he casually tossed the ball toward the backboard.
[Aomine Daiki · Formless Shot]
The ball kissed the glass and dropped into the hoop.
52 : 47
On the sidelines.
Coach Taoka's tactics board slipped from his hands and clattered onto the floor.
His mouth hung open, his eyes practically popping out.
That move just now…
Was that something a human could even do?
Maintaining such delicate touch while moving at that speed—
"Th-This is impossible!"
Taoka was completely stunned.
[Mission Progress: 1 / 3]
"Nice shot!"
Shohoku's bench erupted with excitement.
Juro landed and casually rubbed his wrist.
Without even glancing at Taoka, he turned and ran back on defense.
"First one."
Tug-of-War
Over the next several possessions, the game turned into a fierce tug-of-war.
Sendoh demonstrated the strength of a true ace, scoring repeatedly.
On Shohoku's side, Akagi and Rukawa fought back just as fiercely.
The score climbed back and forth.
58 : 56
Shohoku ball again.
Makino Juro held possession.
This time, Ryonan had learned their lesson.
Kicchō Fukuda and Hiroaki Koshino rushed in as well, forming a three-man trap to seal Makino Juro's driving lanes.
"A triple team?"
A faint smile appeared at Juro's lips.
"Then let's try this."
He held the ball with both hands, taking a passing stance.
But the motion looked strange.
Not a push.
Not a throw.
Instead—
Like clapping his hands, his palm slammed violently into the ball.
[Kuroko Tetsuya · Ignite Pass]
BOOM!
A muffled blast echoed.
The basketball shot forward like a cannon shell, leaving a straight afterimage in the air.
Koshino only felt a sharp gust of wind brush past his face.
Before he could even see the ball's path—
It had already pierced through the defenders and rocketed toward Akagi near the baseline.
The moment Akagi caught the ball, his palms went numb.
"What power!"
But his reaction was lightning fast.
He spun, jumped—
SLAM DUNK!
BOOM!
58 : 58
The score was tied!
"What was THAT just now?!"
Coach Taoka sprang from his chair, clutching his head.
"That passing speed…"
"Was that a pass?! That was attempted murder!"
The power.
The precision.
Taoka felt shock flood him once again.
His heart pounded violently as a strange emotion spread within him.
Fear.
Just how many hidden cards did this Makino Juro still have?!
[Mission Progress: 2 / 3]
The Climax
The game reached its boiling point.
Ryonan's resilience exceeded expectations.
Sendoh seemed tireless, repeatedly tearing open Shohoku's defense.
Ryonan regained the lead.
64 : 62
66 : 64
Ten minutes remained.
Shohoku led by 2 points.
Ryonan attacked.
Sendoh drove and dished.
Uozumi powered up under the basket and drew a foul from Akagi.
Two free throws.
He made one.
67 : 64
Only a three-point difference!
The tension reached its peak.
The air felt frozen, every breath burning hot.
Shohoku Offense
This time, Ryonan's entire team retreated on defense.
Sendoh stared at Makino Juro with unprecedented focus.
"You're not getting past me again."
He spread his arms wide, sealing every possible path.
Makino Juro looked at the wall in front of him and sighed softly.
"What a hassle…"
"Guess I'll have to use that move."
Makino Juro dribbled slowly.
Very slowly.
His gaze swept across the court.
He looked at Rukawa.
He looked at Akagi.
He looked at Sakuragi.
Everyone's attention unconsciously followed the direction of his eyes.
And in the exact moment Sendoh's focus shifted slightly to anticipate the passing lane—
Makino Juro moved.
But it wasn't a drive.
Nor a pass.
He simply—
disappeared.
[Misdirection · Universal Type — Vanishing Dribble]
In Sendoh's vision, Makino Juro's figure seemed to blend into the background, turning vague and indistinct.
By the time Sendoh reacted—
Makino Juro was already behind him.
"Wh—?!"
Sendoh whipped his head around, disbelief written all over his face.
Where did he go?
How did he get past?
There had been no sign at all.
Makino Juro finished with an easy layup.
67 : 66
On the sidelines.
Coach Taoka's legs went weak, and he collapsed back into his chair.
His trembling finger pointed at Makino Juro on the court, his lips shaking.
"Magic…"
"This is magic…"