Daiki, who received the ball, narrowed his eyes and carefully assessed Shōgo in front of him.
In his mind, the previously arrogant and overbearing Shōgo merged with the person emitting a terrifying gray aura in front of him. This fusion ignited Daiki's passion and soul.
"I say, what have you been through in the past half year to grow to such a terrifying level?"
"Studying, writing, boxing, swordplay, flirting, and boasting. Recently, I suddenly felt invincible."
"Invincible, hahaha! Do you think you're invincible? Have you asked me about it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, that terrifying acceleration was activated. With a simple feint, he glided past Shōgo.
"Bang!"
With a one-handed windmill dunk, the posture was handsome and the momentum was imposing.
The rim shook, and not only the rim but also the hearts and blood of the spectators around the court trembled.
Daiki, landing easily, turned to Shōgo, who seemed carefree, and said, "Hey hey hey! You should take it more seriously. I don't think you're that dull."
"Hahaha, Daiki, your speed is incredible. It excites me!"
As they spoke, Daiki threw the ball to Shōgo, clearly indicating that it was his turn.
Shōgo received the basketball, dribbled the ball, and said to Daiki, "Daiki, that move was pretty good, I like it!"
The terrifying acceleration activated again, with a fake move to get past Daiki, and another one-handed windmill dunk, just as stylish and imposing as Daiki's.
This scene shocked the entire audience, including Satsuki.
In Satsuki's impression, Shōgo's plundering ability was not this terrifying. Now, he gave her an incredibly eerie feeling.
Her big eyes widened, staring unblinkingly at Shōgo on the court as if trying to reevaluate him.
Seeing Shōgo's series of movements, Daiki became more relaxed, but excitement and passion were burning inside him, and his momentum was becoming fiercer.
"Hahaha! This is more like it! I look forward to you, Shōgo!"
"Yeah! I'm also looking forward to you, Daiki!"
Just now, Shōgo finally understood why the anime version of Shōgo couldn't plunder the special skills of the Generation of Miracles like Ryōta could.
The reason was simple; it was due to his lack of physical conditioning and basketball training.
Agility and strength, switching between ball sense and basketball skills, these elements were not keeping up. Wanting to plunder the Miracles' skills was too naive without these foundations.
But even Ryōta's Perfect Copy could only be used for a short time because the skills heavily taxed his physical conditioning.
After receiving the basketball from Daiki just now, Shōgo said with a cold tone, "Daiki, that move belongs to me."
Shōgo dribbled the ball before starting a spin, turning to take a shot, and the basketball entered the net.
The whole court fell silent, and the breathtaking Satsuki covered her mouth with her hand, dropping the bag of cherries she was holding.
What did she just see? How did Shōgo-kun do it?
Daiki was also stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, looking up at the evening sky.
"Hey hey hey! Did you hide your true strength, or was Seijūrō blind?"
"Both, I suppose. Shall we continue?"
"Why not?"
In an instant, the battle resumed, and the two figures, one blue and one gray, fought for the ball on half of the court, showing great passion.
On the edge of the court, Satsuki, who had already picked up the bag of cherries, looked at the two people who were once teammates but were now fighting with all their might, with her eyes shining.
This scene was so familiar and moving; she hoped that Daiki and Shōgo-kun would always be so happy!
Much later, the two exhausted individuals lay on the ground and looked at the twilight sky.
"Today's match is a draw. We'll continue the day after tomorrow."
"Okay, let's continue the day after tomorrow. Wear shorts instead of long pants; they're too obstructive."
Shōgo stood up and pulled Daiki to his feet. The two walked toward Satsuki.
"Satsuki, let's go. We'll treat you to ice cream. We're thirsty!"
"Okay! Okay!"
As the night arrived, the three of them parted ways at the convenience store entrance. Satsuki and Daiki watched as Shōgo boarded the tram and disappeared at the end of the road.
"Daiki, you seemed to have a lot of fun today."
"It was alright. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"Daiki, Shōgo-kun seems to have changed, and his basketball skills have become terrifying."
"Hahaha! Isn't that something to be happy about, Satsuki?"
"That's true, but why did Seijūrō want Shōgo-kun to leave the team?"
"How would I know? But when they see Shōgo again, they'll be shocked."
Thinking about the shock he experienced today and the horror and astonishment others would feel in the future, Daiki felt a burst of excitement. It felt so good.
"I know, but I won't tell you. You can experience Shōgo's terror for yourself! Hahaha!"
"Daiki, why are you laughing?"
"Nothing. By the way, Satsuki, don't mention Shōgo's situation to others."
"Why? Daiki."
"No reason, but don't you think we should keep Shōgo's secret?"
The lively Satsuki glanced at Daiki, then at the bag of cherries and ice cream in her hand, and vigorously nodded her head.