"...Could you not embarrass me in front of my team, Kagetora?" Takeuchi sighed, grumbling about not being that fat but just a bit chubby.
Kaijo's players were on the verge of bursting into laughter, especially when their coach mentioned being chubby. Hayakawa, the power forward, couldn't contain himself any longer. His face turned red, and he stood up, apologizing, "Excuse me, nature calls."
He hastily exited the audience area, but the sound of uncontrollable laughter followed Hayakawa, causing Takeuchi's expression to darken even more.
One by one, the rest of the players couldn't resist and joined in the laughter.
Kagetora watched the scene with an amused expression, thoroughly enjoying Takeuchi's disgruntled face.
Takeuchi sighed again, turning to the main culprit behind it as he asked, "So, what brings you here this time? Surely, you're not that bored, right?"
"Why? Just wanted to see how my students were doing..." Kagetora shrugged, smiling lightly as he observed the ongoing game.
"Students?" Takeuchi widened his eyes in surprise, glancing at Seirin.
"So, they were your students, huh?"
Kagetora smiled, adding, "Well, I only taught them briefly, though..."
Meanwhile, in the game, Kuroko approached Aomine, leaving him puzzled.
"...What's this, Tetsu?"
However, Kuroko didn't reply.
As Izuki passed the ball to him, he went into his stance. The ball sailed right in front of him, and with a swift motion, he pushed it with his palm, spinning his arm and wrist in a circular motion.
The ball, now with a unique rotation, waved through the court, heading straight for Aomine.
"Passing it in front of me, what a ridiculous move..."
Aomine frowned, lightly raising his hand to catch the incoming ball. However, as he made contact, his eyes widened in shock. Reacting quickly, he adjusted, realizing he was careless. Instead of catching it, he redirected the ball with just enough force, sending it towards Wakamatsu, who watched wide-eyed as the ball approached him with unexpected intensity.
Kuroko's usually impassive demeanor betrayed a flicker of surprise as he witnessed Aomine's lightning-quick reaction to his pass as a bitter frustration crept over Kuroko.
"...How could he react that fast?" Hyuga wore a thoroughly taken aback expression.
The unexpected turn of events had caught everyone in Seirin off guard, leaving them grappling with the swiftness of Aomine's response.
"Kuroko's Ignite Pass Kai couldn't make it?"
Aida's voice mirrored the astonishment reflected on her face as she stood up in a surprised expression.
Kuroko's advanced version of the Ignite Pass, the Ignite Pass Kai had a force so potent that normal players found it nearly impossible to stop or receive. Yet, Aomine, who had initially appeared careless, demonstrated an uncanny ability to change his stance in a split second.
With impeccable precision, he redirected the pass, turning what should have been an unfavorable situation into a possibly favorable one...
However...
"...Why the heck did you send it my way out of all people!"
Despite the ball heading towards him, Wakamatsu felt a pang of frustration.
He gulped, attempting to catch the ball with both hands. However, the force behind it proved too much to handle. Fumbling, he lost control, and the ball sailed out of bounds once again.
"...This pass wasn't in the data," Imayoshi noted with a serious expression.
Kuroko's unexpected new move added a layer of complexity for Too Academy. Imayoshi then shifted his gaze to Aomine, who examined his palm, seemingly grazed by the surprising pass.
"...Back in the day, Aomine wouldn't have been able to stop that."
Aomine, however, wore a grin, and Imayoshi couldn't help but chuckle at the confidence radiating from him.
"He's not the same Aomine you used to know..."
"...Unfortunately for you, that pass won't catch him off guard anymore. Aomine is fully aware of it now," Imayoshi confidently declared.
Kuroko felt a tinge of bitterness, instinctively knew full well that his pass wouldn't be able to make it against Aomine anymore.
Suddenly, a comforting hand patted Kuroko's shoulder, and he turned to see Kagami, who offered a reassuring nod. "It's just the beginning, Kuroko..."
Kagami walked to his position as the game prepared to resume. Kuroko's tightly clenched fist relaxed as his frustration was replaced by determination. His eyes gleamed with resolve as he thought, "This time, no matter what, we'll win!"
As the game pressed on, Izuki smoothly passed the ball to Kagami, who confidently dribbled forward—Aomine, determined and unyielding, closely applied defensive pressure.
Kagami's demeanor remained composed, with his forms relaxed, surprising Aomine, who, in response, eased up on his defensive stance. Kagami executed a sharp crossover to the right, a move Aomine had anticipated.
His hand extended to swipe at the ball, but Kagami, seemingly prepared, stepped back.
In a rapid move, Kagami sent the ball to his right, where Kuroko appeared unexpectedly as if he had just emerged from Kagami's shadow.
Aomine was caught off guard, widened his eyes and quickly moved to block Kuroko's pass. Despite his efforts, he was a fraction too late, and with a frown, he rotated his body, chasing after the ball.
Kuroko swiftly pushed the ball into the air using Ignite Pass, directing it with precision towards Kiyoshi, who was making a determined sprint to position himself perfectly.
Seeing the flawless pass, Kiyoshi grinned and exerted force beneath his feet, propelling himself into a leap to catch the ball.
Seirin's bench erupted with excitement as players stood up, urging, "Put it in, Kiyoshi!"
However, Wakamatsu wasn't about to let it happen.
"I won't let you!"
With determination, he shouted as he leaped to block Kiyoshi from making the basket.
Kiyoshi, suspended in mid-air, poised the ball for an alley-oop dunk.
Wakamatsu tried to thwart his move, but he was a fraction too late, frustration etched on his face as he clenched his teeth.
Suddenly, Aomine materialized beside Wakamatsu, swiftly raising his hand to block Kiyoshi's attempt. This unexpected interference made Kiyoshi furrow his brows.
However, in a quick adjustment, Kiyoshi transformed his dunk into a pass, redirecting the ball towards Aomine's back. Kagami had strategically positioned himself beneath the basket, ready to receive Kiyoshi's pass.
Aomine clicked his tongue when Kagami went for a dunk. Landing swiftly, Aomine jumped up in an instant, determined to block Kagami's move.
"Not in front of me!"
Aomine shouted, perfectly timed this time.
Kiyoshi was surprised at how quickly Aomine responded, making another powerful jump like that was no easy feat.
However, Kagami remained calm. He subtly rotated his body to the left, shifting the ball into a hook shot position. Imayoshi's eyes widened in shock, realizing, "...That was Aomine's trick!"
Aomine's eyes widened as he realized Kagami's intent.
Despite Aomine colliding with Kagami mid-air, Kagami released the ball with a hook shot, scoring into the basket. The referee called a foul, granting Seirin a free throw.
Seirin unexpectedly secured the first points of the first quarter, eliciting cheers from the crowd. The audience had anticipated Too Academy taking the lead, but Seirin had taken them by surprise by getting ahead.
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