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Outside the locker room...
Momoi stood hesitantly at the door, unsure whether or not to knock.
She had made two servings of honey lemon today.
Because neither Aomine nor Tendou were the type of guy who could—or would—cook, she had to step up and take care of them herself.
But… considering her current position, wouldn't randomly showing up like this be wildly inappropriate?
While she was still lost in thought, Hara Kazuya opened the locker room door, heading out to buy some drinks—and was surprised to see a familiar pink-haired girl standing there.
"Momoi?"
After all, they'd had hotpot together once. He hadn't forgotten this incredibly adorable girl.
In fact, the whole team still mistakenly thought Momoi was Tendou's girlfriend.
"What are you doing here? We're opponents, remember?"
"Haha, yeah, but there's no rule that says rivals can't visit, right?"
She had a point.
Who knew how many locker room fights had nearly broken out thanks to Hanamiya's foul mouth?
The fact that guy was still alive was a miracle.
"Fair enough. You here to see Tendou? Wanna come in?"
"Nah, I'll just leave this with you."
This was actually made for Tendou, but anyone could eat it—it wasn't that intimate.
She handed the container to Hara, glancing into the locker room for a quick peek.
There she saw him—Tendou, and her childhood friend Aomine.
Both of them were just sitting quietly... and their expressions were unnervingly intense.
Their eyes looked scary.
Hara waved goodbye to Momoi and returned inside.
"What's this?"
"Honey lemon slices from Momoi."
"Man, she's great. Maybe we should get ourselves a female manager too. A locker room full of dudes and not one can cook—that's tragic."
Seto Kentarō and the others gathered around.
Honey lemon was a good thing—it helped replenish energy and fight fatigue.
They eagerly opened the container, expecting golden slices of citrus.
Instead, their expressions twisted into visible horror.
"What... are those?"
Inside the container were two whole lemons floating in honey water. Leaves still attached.
Not slices. Not peeled. Not even cut.
"Didn't you say she brought lemon slices, Hara?"
"...Maybe Momoi messed up?"
"Messed up? This isn't a mistake—this is attempted murder. She's trying to poison us so Tōō can win!"
"What a vicious woman! I was wrong about her!"
The bad boys of Kirisaki Daiichi had no idea how to even begin processing what was in front of them.
This thing was practically a biological weapon. If it detonated in their locker room, they'd all be dead.
"She's not trying to poison us," Tendou finally spoke, snapping out of his trance.
"That's just how bad her cooking is."
"Huh? This is cooking?" Hanamiya looked disgusted.
A little honey, a splash of water, and two uncut lemons dumped inside—he could do that too.
What kind of idiot didn't even know how to slice a lemon?
"This is totally normal. Pretty girls and kitchens just don't mix."
Tendou's deadpan roast had the comment section rolling.
The camera cut to Momoi, who was still outside smiling shyly—clearly excited to see how Tendou would react to her "improved cooking."
『Wait—this is after improvement?』
『She's the final boss of the Dark Cuisine Kingdom!』
『Tendou's savagery strikes again! 'Pretty girls can't cook'—he really said that with his whole chest!』
『Hey! I'll have you know, even tanks can cook if they try!』
『Bro… sounds like you have a story to tell.』
...
Meanwhile, Seirin's crew had gone out for drinks during halftime.
They were still reeling from the match.
"Man… the Generation of Miracles are insane."
"Yeah. Just watching them is enough to feel their strength—you don't even need to play against them."
"So wait… you really beat Kise's Kaijō and Midorima's Shūtoku?"
Kiyoshi Teppei asked the question calmly.
The others froze, reflecting on the earlier part of the tournament—and began to doubt themselves.
"I guess… we did?"
"Don't doubt it, you idiots," Aida Riko snapped.
"We did beat them. Fair and square."
They still hadn't shaken off the psychological damage from seeing Tendou and Aomine go all out.
"We're strong too. It's just that Tendou and Aomine… are stronger."
Even Riko had started learning how to cook up some motivational speeches.
Her words lifted the team's spirits a bit.
"Still... who do you think will win this game?" Koganei asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Tendou will win."
"Kirisaki Daiichi will win."
Teppei and Riko answered in unison.
"Huh? How can you be so sure?"
"Because we've been watching."
Riko had spent the entire first half closely analyzing both players.
Every time Aomine raised his level, Tendou matched it instantly.
It was as if Tendou could scale infinitely—like he had no ceiling.
Aomine's performance, as impressive as it was, came from pressure. He had to be pushed into that state.
Tendou, on the other hand, entered that level of performance at will.
Her father—a professional coach—had taught her that only seasoned pros could reach this state.
The ability to adjust your form mid-game.
You might think a star player was invisible for the whole first half—but by the end, somehow, he still racked up 20+ points.
That's what adjustment ability really meant.
"Exactly. I still haven't seen where his limits are," Riko concluded.
The team nodded. They believed her.
After all—this was her specialty.
...
Back on the court, the second half was about to begin.
As the two teams re-emerged, the audience erupted in applause and cheers.
Aomine stepped onto the floor, taking off his warmup jacket—and immediately, a strange aura surrounded him.
The beast from the first half was gone.
In its place was… silence. Stillness.
And that calmness was even more terrifying.
"Showtime's back on, Hanamiya."
"Huh?"
"This is only the second time I've seen Aomine like this. And I owe it to your team's ace."
Hanamiya was confused for a moment—but then he turned to look at Aomine.
His pupils dilated.
"This damn disgusting feeling…"
He would never forget it.
The way Tendou had once singlehandedly destroyed all five of them.
...
Tōō had possession.
Per jump-ball rules, the team that wins the tip gets the 1st and 4th quarter opening possessions. The other team gets 2nd and 3rd.
Everyone was waiting to see how this half would unfold.
Wakamatsu inbounded the ball—to Imayoshi.
But in the next instant—
BZZZT!
The screen briefly glitched—flashing blue, like a virus sweeping across the court.
Viewers watching at home were caught off guard.
Before they could process what was happening, Aomine's figure exploded onto the screen, intercepting the pass meant for Imayoshi and streaking downcourt like a black bolt of lightning.
『Wha—?!』
『HE'S IN THE ZONE?!』