"Ah~~ I'm so tired!"
Hyuga Junpei stretched his aching body, still feeling the exhaustion from yesterday's battle against Rakuzan.
Though the clash seemed like it had just ended, time had already flown into the next day.
The energy spent the previous day hadn't fully recovered overnight, but this was common in tournament. If even this level of fatigue weren't challenging, the Winter Cup wouldn't be taken so seriously by all the elite teams.
At most, Seirin's exhaustion was slightly worse than usual, they had just faced Rakuzan yesterday, after all.
Yet the excitement of reaching the finals allowed every player to temporarily ignore their physical fatigue.
"We finally made it this far!"
In the Seirin locker room, Aida Riko couldn't hide the spark of excitement in her eyes as she looked at the team in their uniforms.
The cost of getting here had been enormous for Seirin.
"Yeah!"
Kiyoshi Teppei nodded, then a flash of determination appeared in his eyes. "No matter what, this is our final game. Let's just enjoy it!"
"Yeah!!!"
The team responded in unison.
Without hesitation, they strode out of the player tunnel.
·····
"Ohhhh~~~"
"Seirin! Seirin!"
Inside and outside the tunnel felt like two completely different worlds.
The moment Seirin stepped out, the previously silent arena erupted into a deafening roar.
Though not new to the Winter Cup, the atmosphere of this final was unlike anything Seirin had experienced. Even the battle-hardened team couldn't hide a hint of nervousness.
[First to appear: this Winter Cup's rising star, Seirin High in white uniforms.]
[No. 4, Captain, Hyuga Junpei...]
[No. 5, Shun Izuki...]
[No. 7, Kiyoshi Teppei...]
[No. 10, Kagami Taiga...]
[No. 11, Kuroko Tetsuya...]
As Seirin entered, the announcer passionately introduced each player.
To Seirin's surprise, and slight unease, Kuroko's entrance triggered a roaring cheer, just like during the match against Rakuzan.
"Seirin's in trouble!"
More spectators had come for the finals tonight, not just the Generation of Miracles, but office workers and high school students coming after work and school.
Even teams that had been defeated by Seiho or Seirin, Ryo, Yosen, Shutoku, Rakuzan, Kaijo, came with coaches and full rosters to observe.
The eyes of these potential champions were sharp and discerning, spotting Seirin's weaknesses even before the game began.
The most obvious flaw: Kuroko Tetsuya.
In junior high, Kuroko was always hidden behind the five Generation of Miracles, their brilliance masking his presence.
This was why Kuroko's existence was mostly rumor in junior high.
But at Seirin, even though Kuroko still played the shadow role, Kagami alone could no longer hide him.
Especially in the later stages of games, Kuroko had to shine for the team's victory, exposing his own light.
Since the preliminaries against Shutoku, when Kuroko used Vanishing drive, his original "shadow aura" had been shattered.
Though he temporarily restored his presence against Rakuzan using Vision Guidance and his boosted abilities, it didn't matter much.
In fact, the more Seirin defeated strong teams, the more visible Kuroko became.
"Seiho already had a strategy for handling Kuroko, but now…"
Mid-sentence, Midorima Shintarou was interrupted by an even louder cheer.
·····
"Ohhh~~~"
"Finally, Seiho appears!"
"Champion team, the ultimate Demon King!"
Amid cheers even more intense than Seirin's entrance, a team in black uniforms, exuding a smoky aura, emerged from the tunnel.
Leading the way was Tsutomu Iwamura, wearing No. 4.
But the spotlight was on Akashi Asuka at the center of the team.
[Now appearing: Interhigh champions, Seiho High...]
[Leading: No. 4, Captain, Tsutomu Iwamura...]
[No. 5, Kasuga Ryuhei...]
The announcer continued the introductions according to protocol. Being the finals, the ceremony was more formal.
Once both teams completed warm-ups, the coaches shook hands at center court, then the players took their positions as announced.
At last, the Winter Cup finals officially began.
·····
"Yo, finally meeting on the court again."
Looking at Kagami, Akashi spoke first.
Kagami cracked his shoulders, responding with excitement and icy resolve: "Yeah! Finally. This time I can properly repay you for last time."
"Oh, good luck then!"
Akashi's nonchalant attitude made the veins on Kagami's forehead bulge. "You… still look down on me as usual! But Seirin now isn't what it used to be."
"Looking down on you? Hardly… it's just that, purely in terms of skill, you're still a bit behind."
Akashi's words instantly angered Seirin. Taken literally, it seemed like he was underestimating them.
But he was speaking the truth.
If Seirin hadn't "exploded" their abilities, any team with a Generation of Miracles could have easily beaten them.
The only reason Seirin survived was their frequent bursts of overpowered performance.
Since last semester's Interhigh, whenever Seirin faced a Generation of Miracles team, victories came by a single-point margin, and losses were often double or triple that.
Such extreme contrast was almost painful to watch.
Seiho's teammates were surprised to see Akashi deliberately provoking the opponent before the game even began. But knowing his cunning nature, they assumed he had a strategy.
So, with Seirin's anger rising, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.
Beep~~~
The ball soared into the air, and the noisy arena instantly fell silent.
Only Kagami's powerful roar echoed through the court.
"Ooooooh~~"
Akashi didn't understand why players always roared at tip-off. Did yelling louder make you jump higher? Yet today, Kagami seemed to leap higher than usual.
Boom!
Both hands collided with the ball mid-air. The force sent the ball flying off course in an unexpected direction.
"Evenly matched!!"
Aida Riko and Kitayama Yuzuki exclaimed in unison, eyes wide with shock.
The difference?
Aida's shock was excitement.
Kitayama's was dread.
Until now, Akashi had only lost the jump ball once, to Murasakibara Atsushi.
Even Aida didn't expect Kagami to challenge Akashi in this way. Height alone wasn't enough, jump timing and experience mattered more.
Originally, Aida planned to let the jump ball go, avoiding a Kagami-Akashi clash.
But Kagami requested a position switch with Kiyoshi, allowing him to contest tip-off.
This decision led to today's surprising result.
"How did Kagami do that?"
After the initial shock, Aida wondered. Kagami's jump alone shouldn't have matched Akashi's skill. His advantage lay in hang time, not height. The highest point of his jump still didn't surpass Akashi or Murasakibara.
The answer soon became clear.
Because Akashi and Kagami were evenly matched in the jump ball, the ball flew in an unpredictable direction.
Luck favored Seirin: Izuki caught it.
He immediately sprinted for a fast break, Seirin's specialty. But he was too slow this time.
After barely five meters, Kasuga Ryuhei caught up and blocked him.
Unfazed, Izuki tossed the ball to an empty space. What seemed like a bad pass became perfect as Kuroko appeared.
Kuroko didn't plan to drive with it, he intended to pass, but suddenly a figure shot in front: Tsugawa Tomoki.
Wearing a provocative grin, he said: "This path's blocked!"
Kuroko hastily secured the ball, shocked by Tsugawa's appearance. Even Seirin hadn't expected it.
Neither had Seiho's other former Generation of Miracles teammates.
"Tsugawa defending Kuroko?"
"Impossible… last match he ignored Kuroko completely, now he's focused?"
"No, Kise… the question isn't how Seiho values Kuroko, but how Tsugawa detected him. Even with reduced presence, locking onto Kuroko from the start isn't easy."
As Seiho's "second defensive wall," Tsugawa's skill rivaled the Generation of Miracles. Any team would find him formidable.
Yet now, he was sent specifically to defend Kuroko, unexpected even for Aida Riko.
"Kuroko, over here!"
Finding no passing lane under Tsugawa's defense, Kuroko readied Vanishing drive, but a familiar voice called from the right.
Without hesitation, he passed the ball.
Tsugawa sighed, disappointed: "Ah, I wanted to see your amazing dribble… such a shame."