Around twenty minutes later, all thirty-two teams had finally assembled, and the Winter Cup opening ceremony officially began.
First came the speech from the Ministry of Education representative. It was official language—endless official language, the kind that sounded important while somehow saying absolutely nothing. Many players were already fighting off yawns.
Then came the organizer's speech. More formalities. More empty rhetoric. Haizaki Shogo listened for a while before eventually giving up. He honestly had no idea what they were talking about.
The sponsor representative stepped up next, and instantly, the atmosphere changed. Players who had looked half-asleep suddenly straightened up because, unlike the previous speeches, this one involved actual rewards.
To put it simply, teams finishing in the top three would receive free basketball equipment for an entire year. Teams in the top ten would receive limited sponsored supplies, while participating schools would receive smaller bonuses. Now those were real rewards—things students could actually see and touch.
As for the larger battles over educational resources and institutional prestige... that had nothing to do with them. Students only needed to do one thing: play basketball and win games.
After the sponsor finished speaking, a figure in Rakuzan's white uniform calmly walked onto the stage.
Akashi Seijuro.
As the student representative, his appearance immediately ignited the arena. Countless eyes locked onto him, and everyone waited expectantly. After all, this was Akashi Seijuro. No one expected ordinary words from him.
"...As players, we are the protagonists on the basketball court. Every action we take reflects not only ourselves, but also our schools, and ultimately represents our character and spirit..."
The arena remained silent as Akashi continued, "At the same time, where there is victory, there is defeat." He paused, his voice remaining calm and absolute. "In this world, victory is everything. Winners are affirmed. Losers are denied. Therefore, we must pursue victory at all costs."
"And if you want to win..." His red eyes narrowed. "You must become even more merciless toward your opponents."
Haizaki ignored most of the speech, but those last words entered his ears perfectly.
Victory is everything. Winners are affirmed. Losers are denied. To win, become merciless.
Haizaki nearly snorted.
Yep. That's Akashi, all right. Peak middle-school syndrome. Cold reality. Brutal truth. Completely Akashi-style.
Soon enough, it was Haizaki's turn. Step by step, he walked toward the podium with complete calmness, his face devoid of expression and hesitation. Reaching the microphone, he casually tapped it twice.
Tap. Tap.
After confirming it worked, he looked over the packed arena. Then he opened his mouth and instantly detonated a bomb.
"Hm... if you want the championship, beat me first." He paused as a faint smirk formed on his lips. "If you're even qualified."
The entire arena exploded with gasps and shocked cries as countless brows furrowed immediately. That was arrogant. No—being arrogant wasn't enough. That was arrogance reaching the heavens.
Then Haizaki calmly added another sentence.
"If you run into me, you'd better hide." His eyes swept over the crowd. "Otherwise, I'll crush you. The championship still belongs to Fukuda Sogo Academy."
Silence.
Then chaos.
The entire stadium erupted into noisy chatter, but Haizaki ignored all of it and calmly walked offstage beneath countless burning stares.
By the time he returned to his team, Shimizu Rena was already glaring at him with wide rose-colored eyes.
"Shogo-kun!" She puffed her cheeks. "That was so arrogant, so overbearing..." She paused before adding, "...and so shameless!"
Haizaki burst into laughter.
"Haha. Shimizu-chan, even your insults sound nice."
Around them, Fukuda Sogo's players stared at Haizaki with worship in their eyes, while every rival team looked ready to murder him. If looks could kill, Haizaki would already be dead several thousand times over. If stares could become arrows, he would have been pierced through by a storm of blades.
But so what?
That was genuinely how Haizaki felt. It was a little childish and a little over-the-top, yet undeniably cool because beneath all the arrogance lay only one truth.
He intended to win.
No matter what.
No matter who stood in front of him.
After all that, sending Haizaki to draw the tournament lots had become a terrible idea. At some point, he had apparently become Public Enemy Number One, so everyone unanimously pushed Shimizu Rena forward instead.
About twenty minutes later, she returned carrying the bracket sheets and freshly printed tournament schedule. The entire team stared at her with gleaming eyes, waiting for good news.
Shimizu smiled, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and announced, "Our first opponent... is Iizumi High."
The entire team exhaled in relief. As long as they didn't immediately run into a Generation of Miracles team, things were manageable.
Soon, the schedule reached Coach Kudo Ichiro and Haizaki. Both examined it carefully before, after a while, Haizaki finally spoke.
"With this bracket, if we beat Iizumi High, we advance into the Top Sixteen. Then we face Morien Kita Academy for the Top Eight." His eyes narrowed slightly. "After that... Yosen High."
The room fell silent. Yosen—the defensive fortress led by Atsushi Murasakibara.
After a brief pause, Kimura Tosho raised his hand.
"What about after the semifinals?"
Everyone stared at him in silence.
Haizaki looked over.
...Idiot.
The question itself made no sense. With Haizaki's current strength, Fukuda Sogo could bulldoze through much of the bracket, so predicting their own path wasn't difficult.
But predicting everyone else's?
That was another matter.
From what Haizaki could see, Rakuzan and Shutoku would likely clash before the semifinals. Even he couldn't confidently predict that outcome because Midorima Shintaro was terrifyingly strong right now.
Then there was Tōō and Seirin.
Aomine Daiki. Kagami Taiga. Kuroko Tetsuya.
Would fate repeat itself? Would Seirin once again challenge Aomine?
Haizaki wasn't entirely certain.
Kaijo, meanwhile, had a relatively smoother path. If they defeated Josei High in the quarterfinals, they could reach the Final Four.
And if that happened...
Haizaki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Fukuda Sogo versus Kaijo. Me... against Kise Ryouta. Just like in the original flow of events.
For a brief moment, Haizaki fell silent.
Could some things truly remain unchanged? Could only small details be altered?
As the brackets spread throughout the arena, discussions erupted everywhere. At the same time, the first match of the Winter Cup was about to begin.
Seirin High versus Kirisaki Daiichi.
Haizaki frowned slightly. There was something strangely familiar about this.
He lowered his eyes and checked Seirin's bracket again. If Seirin defeated Kirisaki Daiichi, their next opponent would be Wakai High, a relatively unknown school. There would be no surprise there, and Seirin would almost certainly win.
Then came the quarterfinals.
Waiting there...
Tōō Academy.
Aomine Daiki.
Once again, fate seemed determined to force them together.
Haizaki slowly inhaled before exhaling once more. His expression gradually returned to calm, and at this moment, he truly felt detached from everything around him.
Strong or weak, let them come. The mountain remains while the wind passes. The river flows while the moon watches.
By the time he lowered the tournament sheet, Haizaki Shogo had once again become still water—calm and unshaken.
The first game was scheduled for the morning, while Fukuda Sogo's match wouldn't happen until the afternoon. So naturally, there was time to watch.
And Hanamiya Makoto of Kirisaki Daiichi was more than qualified to test Seirin's true strength.
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