"Aida, hurry up, hurry up~~"
"What's the rush, Satsuki? If you want to watch the game, why don't you just come by yourself?"
"What are you talking about? Today's first match is Akashi versus Haizaki! We were teammates once, don't you want to see the result?"
"Huh? Are you kidding me? That guy's match has nothing to do with me! Besides, thinking about him just makes me angry!"
"Then what about Akashi?"
"Same difference! Who would willingly come watch the person who beat them play?"
At the entrance of the Tokyo Sports Arena, Satsuki Momoi practically dragged a groggy Aomine Daiki inside.
Lately, Aomine's state hasn't been great.
Though he always craved worthy opponents, the string of consecutive losses, including failing to even pass the qualifiers, was far from what he had anticipated.
Momoi had noticed his low morale, so she intentionally brought him to the Winter Cup arena, hoping a change of scenery would lift his spirits.
That was her original plan.
But the moment they entered and saw the score of Seiho versus Fukuda Sogo Academy, their attention was instantly captured.
"Hey, hey~~ I guessed Haizaki might struggle, but this score is ridiculous!"
Aomine and Momoi's eyes widened. Following their gaze, the massive electronic screen above Court A displayed a shocking score: 43–12.
Momoi rubbed her eyes, checked several times, and finally confirmed she wasn't imagining it.
"After two and a half quarters, Haizaki has only scored 12 points?"
Momoi's jaw dropped. At the same time, Aomine added: "It's not just that. Seiho has only scored 43 in all that time. Sure, Seiho is defense-oriented, but that guy's offensive power shouldn't be this limited."
"So… he hasn't even participated in the offense?"
Aomine squinted at Akashi Asuka on the court. For the first time in a long while, he felt a pressure emanating from him.
This was extremely rare.
Even when Tōō Academy lost to Shutoku or drew with Seirin, Aomine hadn't felt any oppressive aura from players like Kagami Taiga or Midorima Shintaro, they were at best equals.
Throughout his life, since Aomine's talent bloomed, only one person had made him feel such pressure: Akashi Seijuro.
Even then, Akashi's presence only gave a faint, subtle pressure.
The difference between that and Akashi Asuka now, tens of meters away yet radiating overwhelming presence, was worlds apart.
"Tch… another evolution? Haizaki, I don't know whether to call this lucky or unlucky."
"Lucky? Unlucky?"
"Nothing… just talking to myself."
Aomine waved off Momoi casually.
Truthfully, he was slightly envious of Haizaki. Just sensing Akashi's aura made his hands itch with excitement, a feeling he hadn't experienced in years.
The last time was probably before his second year of junior high, when every challenge against a strong opponent sparked a similar thrill in him.
·····
The match continued.
Satsuki's earlier comment was slightly off. In the two and a half quarters so far, it wasn't Haizaki who scored 12 points, it was all other Fukuda players. Haizaki himself hadn't scored a single point yet.
Seiho's defense was relentless. Not only did Tsugawa closely guard Haizaki, but Akashi's help defense also specifically focused on him.
As a result, Haizaki's face had darkened to the color of a skillet.
"Damn it… you're really pissing me off!"
Haizaki glared at Tsugawa and suddenly accelerated, seemingly intending to force a breakthrough. But before he could build momentum, Tsugawa dropped low and sat on the court.
BEEP~~~
"White #6, offensive foul."
"What?"
Haizaki slammed the ball to the floor, eyes flashing dangerously, and strode toward the referee. "Are you blind? Which eye of yours saw me commit a foul?"
"White #6, please show some respect. This is your first warning."
"Calm down, Haizaki! Don't lose your head!"
Seeing Haizaki arguing with the referee, Fukuda's players rushed over to intervene. They knew his temper well; if he got too angry, he might actually strike the referee.
After all, basketball was just a toy to Haizaki. Losing eligibility didn't matter to him, but it certainly mattered to the rest of his team.
The disturbance drew attention from the spectators.
From Seirin's stands, Hyuga Junpei's eyes darkened as he observed. "Tsugawa's technique is getting more refined."
"Yeah! Last time against Seiho, just his 'drawing fouls' move limited our offense severely… especially Kagami."
Aida Riko glanced at Kagami Taiga, whose face turned embarrassed. He couldn't deny it, last time against Seiho, he'd received four fouls before the game ended, nearly forcing him off the court.
"With this foul, Haizaki has reached three already, right?"
"Exactly."
"Fukuda's in real trouble now. But think about it: Haizaki hasn't even faced Akashi yet, and one Tsugawa alone has him stumped… His skill is impressive, but he still doesn't feel on par with the Generation of Miracles."
Hyuga's doubt reflected the thoughts of many spectators. Haizaki's performance was solid, technically skilled and physically capable, but somehow, he didn't yet match the legendary Generation.
"It's not like that…"
Before Hyuga could finish, Tetsuya Kuroko spoke seriously: "Haizaki hasn't shown his true strength yet. Or rather, Seiho set the strategy to neutralize him from the start."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria