Kuroko's face turned pale as he hurriedly shouted, "Kagami-kun!"
At that moment, Kagami was completely boxed in by Kobori and Kasamatsu, making even receiving the ball almost impossible.
Izuki stood at the top of the key, starting to panic. With both Kuroko and Kagami locked down, he had no idea what to do.
"What now... Should I shoot? But with my skills..."
"Pass it to me, Izuki!"
Hyuga had managed to shake off his defender and was calling for the ball at an open spot.
Izuki snapped out of his daze and quickly passed it to him.
Hyuga caught the ball, bent his knees, and looked ready to jump — but then his body suddenly froze.
" Damn it. My legs... they've hit their limit, huh?"
Frustrated, Hyuga turned his back to the defender, protecting the ball. Right now, even jumping was hard, let alone making a three-pointer.
After a long, high-paced game, Seirin's players were completely drained. With both Kagami and Kuroko contained, they couldn't even manage a decent offensive play.
Kota stood in front of Kuroko, shaking his head playfully.
"It's over, huh~"
BEEP—
Seirin's 24-second violation.
Hyuga lowered his head, clenching his fists and biting his lip.
"I couldn't even get a shot off..."
On the sidelines, Riko shook her head in frustration. Seirin had used up all their timeouts — they were completely out of options.
...
Kota slowly brought the ball up the court at his usual relaxed pace. Even though there were still about forty seconds left, the game was essentially over.
Looking at Seirin's defeated posture — no real defensive movement anymore — Kota could tell they had already given up.
He didn't even bother attacking, simply dribbling until the shot clock expired. After all, there's no joy dunking on someone who's already mentally out of the game.
....
"Thank you for the match!"
Both teams stood at midcourt, bowing to each other respectfully.
At that moment, a system notification popped up for Kota:
"Host has defeated a Generation of Miracles-level opponent. Rewards will now be issued based on performance."
Kota froze mid-bow, quickly straightened up, and sprinted toward the coach. Making up some excuse about family matters, he gave his teammates a quick wave and left early.
Before leaving, Kota could feel the gazes of Kagami and Kuroko burning into his back. He turned and gave them a small, cheeky wave and a wide smile.
"This guy's smile is so annoying!"
Kagami rolled his eyes.
Kuroko just stared thoughtfully after him.
"In that final moment... he completely shut me down."
...
Jogging back home, Kota couldn't help but grumble internally:
"What kind of dumb system doesn't even have telepathy? Made me run around like an idiot looking for a private spot!"
Still muttering complaints, Kota kicked off his shoes and flopped onto his bed."Alright, show me the reward!"
[New Talent Acquired: Trash Talk King!]
When an opposing player makes a mistake, you can use trash talk to disrupt their mental state. The effect depends on timing, your own verbal skills, and the opponent's mental toughness.
I might not outplay you, but I'll definitely outtalk you! Hah!
[New Tactical Talent Acquired: Horns Offense!]
Deepens your understanding of the "horns" offensive set.
When two armies are deadlocked, horns break the tie.
Kota's eyes lit up.
"Tactics, huh?"
In this world, tactical play wasn't really a major focus yet. Back in his previous life, Kota was a strong amateur player, but never a pro. He knew many famous plays, but never truly mastered them.
Now he could see a clear path — a way to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Generation of Miracles. Talent-wise, Kota knew he had already hit the human limit. Meanwhile, the Generation of Miracles were basically superhumans born under a lucky star.
But armed with high-level tactics from his past life, Kota was confident he could clash with those monsters. Especially since, later on, those Miracle kids would start doing ridiculous stuff like soloing entire teams. At that point, without a serious advantage, Kota figured he'd be stuck clinging to Kise's coattails... and he absolutely refused to let that happen.
"Wait... so rewards only come from beating really strong opponents? No freebies from beating scrubs?"
Kota stroked his chin thoughtfully
"I need to research this more..."
...
"Today's horoscope says Gemini's luck is at rock bottom... and yet, you still managed to win" a cold voice said.
Rinsing his face, Kise immediately looked up at the familiar voice.
"You came to watch, Midorimacchi?"
Adjusting his glasses, Midorima replied coolly,
"I wouldn't be happy no matter who won. As for Kuroko... finding a weak team and thinking they could beat us... utterly naive."
Kise wasn't offended by Midorima's sharp tongue — he knew Midorima was just a tsundere who never said what he really meant. Deep down, he cared about Kuroko too.
"Kuroko didn't choose a weak team. He's found some amazing teammates."
Kise thought of Kagami, of Seirin's squad standing firm against Kota.A small, genuine smile crossed his face.
Midorima's face stayed frozen in his usual scowl — very Kuroko-like, actually. Tossing Kise a towel, he added
"Not that it matters. Dunkers like you will never be chosen by fate."
Kise caught the towel, his expression deadpan.
Midorima pushed up his glasses and went on:
"Ever heard the saying, 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate'? Only those who give everything are blessed by destiny. That's why I follow my lucky items religiously. Speaking of which, today's lucky item is a toy frog. With it, my shots will never miss."
Kise couldn't help but mentally sigh.
"Every time... it's like Midorima's speeches end with the weirdest nonsense. How the heck is this guy the top shooter of the Generation of Miracles? Does horoscope luck really affect basketball?"
"By the way... aren't you going to talk to Kuroko?"
Midorima shot him a look.
"I'm B-type blood. He's A-type. We're incompatible. I just came to scout because we'll probably face them in the qualifiers. Seeing him on such an unknown team... not even worth worrying about."
Kise didn't bother correcting him.
"Can't wait to see Midorima's face when he sees Kagami and Kuroko's combo play."
"MI-DO-RI-MA! You idiot! You made me bike here because of traffic!!"
Takao was furiously pedaling a tricycle (again). Ever since they met, his daily cardio had skyrocketed because, somehow, Midorima never lost at rock-paper-scissors.Meaning... Takao was always the one pedaling.
Midorima adjusted his glasses coolly,
"Well, I'm leaving now."
Takao stared in disbelief.
"HEY! I just got here! You're leaving already?! What am I, your Uber driver?!"
But Midorima didn't even glance back.
Watching their receding figures — well, the tricycle more than anything — Kise couldn't help but chuckle.
"I hope you don't underestimate Seirin too much, Midorima... or you're going to have a very bad time."
...
"Coach, I understand the gap between me and Kota now. Please assign the positions however you want — I have no objections."
Inside the gym, Kasamatsu approached Coach Takeuchi with a calm voice, his head bowed.
Takeuchi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Any assignment, huh, Kasamatsu?"
"Yes, sir! No complaints."
"Good. Then you'll be our shooting guard."
"Got it, coac— wait, what?"
Kasamatsu's head snapped up in shock.
"Shooting guard?!"
Takeuchi nodded.
"That's right. Kota suggested it, too. He said your shooting is excellent. Kaijō needs your firepower."
"Kasamatsu... I want you to stay close to Kota. Watch how he plays. See if you can keep up with Kise. See what heights he can really reach."