"Players from both sides, gather and bow."
"Please guide us!"
At center court, Kaijō's players and those from Kirisaki Daiichi bowed to each other.
Kota stood with his hands behind his back. In the instant he lowered his head, he shot a deep, piercing glance at Hanamiya.
It had been more than a year. Suppressed again and again by three powerhouse "Miracle" teams in the North, even though he was one of the Uncrowned Kings, Hanamiya hadn't even qualified for the main tournament last year.
Now that he finally had an opportunity this year…There was no way Kota believed Hanamiya wasn't desperate for a win.
Returning to Kaijō's half, Kota rested both hands on his knees, quietly waiting for the match to begin.
With another whistle, the jump ball officially started.
Hayakawa let out his signature battle roar. His explosive vertical speed kicked in, winning Kaijō possession on the first play.
"Nice one."
Kota smoothly took the ball and raised his hand, signaling the team into motion.
Overall, Kaijō might not match the firepower of the Chinese national team, but more than a year of constant teamwork made Kota's orchestration run effortlessly.
A standard Horns set opened Kaijō's offensive rhythm.
Kise pulled heavy defensive attention after a crossover screen with Kota. At the same time, Yuki was cutting toward the baseline, ready to strike.
Kota glanced over—no hesitation—feeding the ball straight into the paint to Hayakawa. Thanks to Kise and Yūki distracting defenders, Kirisaki's interior was left wide open.
The pass angle was perfect, and dependable Hayakawa didn't disappoint—catching the ball cleanly and banking it in right over the opposing center, scoring Kaijō's first basket.
"UWAAAAHHHH!"
The referee signaled the basket as good, and Kojima pounded both fists on his chest like a gorilla, roaring at the top of his lungs!
This Winter Cup was the final tournament for many third-years. And as Kaijō's only third-year starter, Kojima's condition today was downright monstrous.
Strictly speaking… he was a little too hyped.
Hayakawa charged back to their half and scooped Kota into a massive bear hug.
Kota, who assumed Kojima came for a high-five, was stunned. Realizing what was happening, he immediately smacked the guy's back and shouted:
"Put me down! They're already on offense!"
"Huh?"
Unfortunately, Hayakawa reacted one beat too slow. By the time he set Kota down, Hanamiya had already slipped through the half-built defense and scored a quick layup.
Kirisaki Daiichi, two points.
Kota: "…"
Kaijō players: "…"
The crowd: "…"
In the livestream, Bobo — who had just finished analyzing Kaijō's Horns set—was frozen, then burst into a helpless laugh.
The chat was filled with a wave of "HAHAHAHAHA."
The mistake was hilarious and low-level, but Kaijō fans were not even slightly worried.
Two points? Not a problem. Even twenty points?S till not a problem.
Fun fact: ever since Kaijō finalized their lineup last year, their Interhigh win rate was 100%.
If their opponent were a monster team like Rakuzan, fans would be tearing Hayakawa apart for that blunder. But this was just Kirisaki Daiichi.
Although their point guard had been famous in middle school… that didn't matter.
No one believed Kaijō would lose today.
And reality matched everyone's expectations.
By the end of the first quarter:
33–18. Kaijō led by 15 points.
"This one is basically decided. The only real question is how long Kirisaki can survive under Kaijō's offense."
Even the eternally-neutral Bobo had already declared GG for Kirisaki.
Meanwhile, the chat spammed Kota's iconic meme:
"I'm already thinking about our next opponent."
…
"Hey Kota, this match feels pretty easy, doesn't it?"
Kise swung his legs casually, completely relaxed.
And the spectators weren't imagining things — players on the court felt it even more clearly. If Kirisaki didn't bring out something new, the match could be decided before halftime.
But unlike Kise's carefree attitude, Kota's expression turned slightly serious.
"Dial it back a bit in the next quarter. Cornered dogs bite."
Kota rested his hands behind his head, voice meaningful.Kise, clueless, looked shocked.
"No way, Kota — since when are you the type to play 'give face on the court'? I've never seen you act like that!"
Kota bonked him with a hand chop.
"Look at that guy's face—he's pulling a donkey expression. He's obviously planning to get dirty."
"You went full throttle in the first quarter. If I were him, I'd elbow you twice for sure."
Kise followed Kota's finger and indeed saw Hanamiya on the bench, face dark and gloomy — like he was attending a funeral.
Kise clapped his hands.
"Oh right! That guy used dirty plays even back in middle school! A bunch of people got injured because of him!"
Kota patted his head.
"Didn't think you could put that together. Good job."
"So in the second quarter, be careful. If I'm right… his target is you."
…
Second Quarter
Players returned to the court. Since Kaijō had opening possession, quarters two and three belonged to Kirisaki.
Hanamiya stood inside the arc. He received the inbound and began dribbling forward—eyes locked onto Kise, not even pretending to survey the court like a real point guard.
Kota narrowed his eyes, reading every movement.He stepped forward to take the lead defense—
—but was body-blocked by another Kirisaki player.
A screen?
Kota turned his head to judge their offensive choice—
— only to see Hanamiya attacking Kise directly.
Kota's pupils shrank.
"Kise!!"
Kise was about to apply pressure when Kota's shout made him flinch. He remembered their earlier conversation and immediately halted, pulling his foot back and staring at Hanamiya cautiously.
"Tch…"
Hanamiya clicked his tongue softly — disappointed that Kise didn't bite. He casually gathered the ball and rose up for a three.With all that space, he drained it.
At that moment, Takeuchi sensed something was wrong. He stood from the bench, watching Kota's reaction, hand ready to call a timeout.
Kise's defense was clearly abnormal. Who deliberately gives a point guard a wide-open shot?
But since this was Kota's decision, Takeuchi relaxed and sat down.
"Good defense. Keep it like that."
Kota patted Kise's shoulder. He didn't care one bit about giving up a three.
Just three points.Take them.Kise's safety mattered infinitely more.
Hanamiya hadn't made a move yet, but Kota had already completely read this Bad Boy.
A screen followed by immediately targeting Kise? Ridiculous. No real point guard chooses to attack the opponent's ace head-on.
Well… aside from blue-haired muscle-brain Aomine and red-haired firecracker Kagami.
But for a normal guard, deliberately picking the toughest matchup was nonsense.
Which meant—there was only one explanation:
Hanamiya wanted to use an "ordinary foul" early in the second quarter to force Kise out of the game.
"You wanna play dirty? Fine. Then don't blame me later…"
Catching the ball, Kota rolled his neck. His gaze toward Hanamiya sharpened into a smile.
When it came to dirty tricks, who could outplay a guy with the instincts of a 50–60 year old streetball hustler?
The Pro Basketball Player Experience Pack granted Kota far more than refined game sense. It included many specialized techniques for certain situations.
"Clear out!"
Kota licked his lips and signaled for an isolation. Kaijō froze for a moment but raised no objections, clearing out to the baseline to give their commander space.
Kota casually dribbled toward the wing as if taking a stroll. Glancing at Hanamiya, he spoke naturally:
"Hey, Hanamiya… have you eaten?"
"…What?"
Hanamiya blinked. After a moment, he replied reluctantly:
"…Yeah."
"Oh, nice, nice. Good to have food in you."
Kota nodded, then asked:
"So what'd you eat?"
Hanamiya: "…"
"I had curry rice… and some bread. Why are you even asking?"
Kota shrugged.
"Just wondering if… you had anything soft today…"