The next day was the decisive moment of the final league, determining who would advance to the next stage of the Winter Cup!
Two critical games were scheduled for the day: Shutoku vs. Senshinkan and Seirin vs. Kirisaki Daiichi.
Midorima stepped onto the court and couldn't help but glance at the neighboring court, where Seirin would face off against Kirisaki Daiichi.
Takao approached from behind, his casual posture and curiosity evident as he asked, "Something on your mind?"
Midorima adjusted his glasses and responded, "You're kidding, Takao..."
His sharp eyes swept across Seirin's players, and he couldn't help but fixate on Kagami, who seemed remarkably composed.
"...There's something different about him," Midorima sensed a change, a newfound strength in Kagami. He wore a more serious expression as he quietly acknowledged, "...He's Tsuna's fellow disciple for a reason, huh?"
Takao, curious about Midorima's muttered comment, asked, "What did you say just now?"
Midorima dismissed the matter, looking away from Kagami. "It doesn't matter. The game on the other court is over."
Takao was taken aback.
"Wait, how do you know that?" he inquired.
The question was echoed in the audience among the Kaijo and Too Academy players who came to watch the game.
In Kaijo's section, all eyes turned to Kise for an explanation. Kise, who had noticed Kagami's transformation, turned to Kirisaki Daiichi and said, "It seems like they're feeling down for some reason."
Kasamatsu, having observed the expressions of Kirisaki Daiichi's players, commented, "You're right, they do seem a bit down."
He had always seen them as sneaky and underhanded, so their expression didn't surprise him at first, but now he noticed something more in their eyes.
At Too Academy, Imayoshi mentioned the same thing and elaborated, "It looks like Hanamiya still can't shake off the fear from last time."
Sakurai, puzzled, asked, "Fear? Is it related to when the Fukuda Sogo captain met them in the corridor?"
As Imayoshi mentioned Tsuna, both Aomine and Momoi redirected their focus towards him, their curiosity piqued.
Imayoshi expressed his surprise, saying, "It's rather surprising that both of you didn't know about this."
Momoi, still intrigued, asked, "So, is Tsuna connected to that person's strange reaction yesterday?"
She remembered Hanamiya's fearful response upon seeing Tsuna as if he had encountered a ghost.
Aomine displayed his interest by raising an eyebrow, signaling that this was new information to him.
Imayoshi nodded and observed Hanamiya's somber demeanor as he continued, "I was wondering why you weren't there during the game three years ago. But in that match, Hanamiya employed his infamous tactics against Kazama."
"Ah, that game. We were on a school trip at the time. Tsuna decided to skip it, which allowed him to attend the game..." Momoi's eyes widened as the realization struck her.
"I see, it's all coming together," Imayoshi nodded, grasping the situation. He continued, "The Teiko players were so furious that their captain was nearly punched Hanamiya in the face. Luckily, Kazama intervened in time."
Momoi and Aomine acknowledged that this incident likely influenced Nijimura's decision to step down as captain and pass the role to Tsuna.
"Kazama managed to pacify and took control of the team as he defeated us. But the story doesn't end there," Imayoshi said, his eyes slightly widening as he fixed his gaze on his team.
Imayoshi's usual polite smile vanished as he continued, "After the game, we discovered Hanamiya beaten up in a restroom, utterly terrified. We suspected Kazama was behind it, but we had no concrete proof."
Momoi's eyes widened in shock, and she instinctively covered her mouth in disbelief. Aomine, on the other hand, simply shrugged, convinced that Hanamiya must have done something deserving of such treatment, given Tsuna's character.
"What? That guy did such a thing?" Wakamatsu couldn't hide his surprise at the revelation.
The others in Too shared similar sentiments.
Sakurai said fearfully, "Eh? I thought he appeared decent, even if he had a somewhat intimidating presence. That was surprising..."
Imayoshi couldn't help but scoff at Sakurai's comment. "Surprise? Fukuda Sogo Academy was a pretty rough school, you know..."
He had conducted some research after discovering Tsuna's affiliation with the school and was quite taken aback by his findings.
"And that guy, Tsunayoshi Kazama, pretty much ran the whole show there. Nijimura, who was essentially in charge, was like his right-hand man," Imayoshi added.
Upon hearing this, Momoi's expression shifted to one of concern for Tsuna's well-being. However, the subsequent revelation brought some relief. Nevertheless, she couldn't resist texting her worries to Tsuna.
Sakurai's face paled as he said, "Wow, they were all delinquents?"
"Well, that's interesting..."
Aomine nonchalantly spoke, capturing everyone's attention. He noticed their stares and frowned, asking, "What's with the looks?"
"...Aomine, you bastard. You didn't seem to be surprised by that?"
Wakamatsu couldn't hide his surprise as he looked at Aomine, who appeared rather nonchalant.
Aomine just shook his head and turned his attention to the basketball game that had just started, stating, "Why should I be surprised? Tsuna was always a formidable fighter back in Teiko. Him taking down some troublemakers doesn't shock me..."
Imayoshi also found Aomine's lack of surprise interesting.
He shook his head and focused on the game, reflecting, "Some troublemakers? He practically ruled the whole school, though..."
He couldn't help but feel goosebumps as he continued to watch the match, thinking, "Even someone as formidable as Akashi from the Generation of Miracles didn't wield as much influence over the entire school as Kazama does."
Back in the game, Shutoku swiftly gained the upper hand, and there was a noticeable surge in Midorima's energy.
Otsubo observed Midorima returning to his position after making one of his signature long-range three-pointers. He wondered, "He's really pumped up for some reason. What could it be?"
The rest of the Shutoku team shared Otsubo's curiosity, and they were clueless about the source of Midorima's newfound enthusiasm.
However, Takao, who had heard Midorima predict Seirin's victory solely based on Kagami, had some insight.
He leaned over and shared with Otsubo, "He's on fire because of Kagami."
They then glanced to the other side of the court, where Seirin was playing against Kirisaki Daiichi. Their eyes widened in surprise, catching something unexpected.
"...18 - 4 already?"
The game had just entered the midway point of the first quarter, and those scores surprised them. Still, their scores were already trailing at 21 - 8, but that was because of their main source of points, Midorima.
On the Seirin side, everyone's eyes were fixed on Kagami with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
The entire team was brimming with energy, and even their captain, Hyuga, seemed to have caught the fervor. He was taking shots repeatedly, though most were not finding their mark.
But something was amiss...
"...Since when did he become so level-headed?" Hyuga wondered aloud, surprised by Kagami's unusual calmness on the court.
Kagami's transformation was not just a newfound composure but a complete shift in his approach. He effortlessly maneuvered through Kirisaki Daiichi's dirty tricks and fouls.
Kuroko couldn't hide his astonishment as he watched Kagami's intense determination. He couldn't help but smile and mutter, "As expected, you truly deserved to be my light, Kagami..."
Midorima, who was on the court, and Kise and Aomine, along with their respective teams in different parts of the stadium, couldn't contain their smirks as they witnessed Kagami's outstanding performance.
Their excitement was palpable, and it fueled their anticipation for the next stage of the tournament.
"The Winter Cup is quite exciting, huh?"
Midorima thought to himself, a satisfied smile gracing his face.
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