Inside the seaside gym, after arriving, Midorima Shintarō merely clicked his tongue at Haizaki's taunt and said nothing more. Without a word, he began unwrapping the tape from his fingers—then swish, swish, swish!—he started shooting three-pointers from every corner of the court, covering every possible angle.
"Tch~"
"Show-off…"
"Hey, Tetsuya, I'm telling you—his left hand, the one wrapped up for 'nail protection'? Even without the tape, it doesn't affect him at all. Fortune-telling, lucky items, huh!"
Haizaki snorted.
"What a joke."
On the other side, Midorima paid no mind to the comments, his expression perfectly calm as he kept shooting.
But Kuroko Tetsuya, ever perceptive, noticed something the others didn't—bloodshot veins in Midorima's eyes, like someone who hadn't slept all night.
Kuroko: "…"
Midorima…?
What happened to you?
Swish!
Another perfect hit.
The ball, arcing so high it nearly brushed the ceiling, plunged through the hoop with a sharp snap and bounced off the floor.
"Huff…"
Midorima's heartbeat thundered.
Thump… thump…
Nijimura's block earlier.
His own teammates
Shigure-senpai and Hagioka Kasayuki
Unlike merely watching from the stands, this time he'd felt it firsthand—what it meant to face beings from another dimension.
Thump… thump…
Even the kind of match where only Aomine could possibly keep up—one that he himself had triggered
the battle between Shigure and Hagioka-senpai as they gradually got serious…
Thump… thump…
All of it
happened within just two short games!
Aomine…
Thump… thump…
Shigure… Hagioka… Nijimura…
Thump… thump…
For the first time, he truly felt it—
that even though they stood on the same court, there was a vast chasm between them.
He was just a human who had somehow wandered into a feast for monsters.
Especially when Aomine, even in Zone, was still defeated
that feeling reached its peak.
Even if it lasted for just a moment…
to be honest, it was hard not to feel what Haizaki probably felt when he wanted to complain to Captain Nijimura.
Until
on the court
he caught sight of Fukaya-senpai's eyes once more.
Just a single glance.
But, just like back in middle school, Midorima knew instantly.
And sure enough, he saw Fukaya-senpai step forward and challenge Hagioka Kasayuki head-on—without hesitation.
That senpai didn't have Zone.
He was simply fighting with the full extent of his normal ability
and his own unique weapons.
Whish!
Another three-pointer flew.
Through his glasses reflected the ball spinning away from his fingertips, and his hand subconsciously clenched into a fist.
On this sleepless night, his heart pounded uncontrollably, pulsing with an excitement he couldn't quite name.
Immersed in that feeling, Midorima couldn't tell what was happening to him.
Especially the instant he'd seen Fukaya-senpai's eyes earlier
In the past, he'd only felt respect toward him.
But now…
there was something new
a rush, an unfamiliar thrill!
Was it because
what had started as a simple belief in three-point shooting had evolved?
He had built an entire system centered around it
a structure of techniques to enhance his three-point dominance.
But now, deep down, something had changed.
Did it mean…
he'd finally found an opponent he couldn't beat?
To the point that
he finally understood something he never had before
A human…
challenging a god…
A forbidden thrill.
A guilty kind of excitement.
And yet
why did it feel so good?
Better than landing any three-pointer…
He chuckled inwardly.
"I really am hopeless, huh? Three-pointers are supposed to be the strongest."
Three points.
Two points.
Such simple numbers
and yet, everyone thinks the same way, don't they?
Clap
Clap
Clap
Bang!
A sudden noise echoed from across the court
something that definitely didn't belong in a Midorima practice session.
Haizaki and Kuroko both turned their heads
and froze.
Because before their eyes
Midorima Shintarō was hanging from the rim…
with one arm.
He had dunked.
Midorima: "..."
So this is it, huh.
A dunk.
Shigure-senpai, Nijimura-senpai—they'd both already set the perfect examples.
Even Fukaya-senpai, with his flawless timing and touch, wasn't bound by being "just a shooter."
Nothing in this world is something you like before you start it, right?
Sometimes, all it takes to begin… is a bit of curiosity.
Those words
the ones Fukaya-senpai had once said to Murasakibara back in middle school—
rang clearly in Midorima's ears once more.
Midorima: "..."
Was I too arrogant before?
Three-point shooting…
Failing at it wasn't because my path was wrong
but simply because I wasn't strong enough.
So this is what I've been
complacent?
Hanging from the rim, Midorima's thoughts drifted back to earlier that night, before he'd left the dorm.
When he first stepped out, he hadn't had any destination in mind.
But as he passed one of the rooms, he heard the faint sound of a video playing
and voices.
He glanced at the door.
It was the room of Fukaya and Kurokami Shinji.
He was about to knock
but then heard his own name mentioned from inside.
"Let's watch it again. Midorima's three-pointers are insane—honestly, even crazier than Shigure's. He can shoot from the baseline across the court! If I could shoot like that, I'd be too hyped to sleep!"
"Shinji," came Fukaya's calm reply, "if that's what counts as outrageous offense, then Shigure and Hagioka-senpai must've already lost sleep—and probably died from it."
The moment he heard the voices, Midorima recognized them instantly.
The first belonged to Kurokami Shinji;
the second, steady one, to Fukaya Reiji.
"…"
Senpai wasn't wrong.
Then came another chuckle—Kurokami's teasing tone.
"Midorima and Shigure are different. Shigure's a monster, after all."
"Hm?"
"Monsters are meant to be defeated, aren't they?"
Silence followed inside the room.
Then—
"Hah~"
"As expected of you… Teiko's hidden number one beneath the Twin Stars."
"Don't kid me. That was ages ago—what, second year of middle school? Back when those brats were still first-years who hadn't grown yet."
"Yeah. That championship issue of the monthly magazine—I still have it, you know."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because back then, everyone had a title—except me. 'National-level Center, Kurokami Shinji.' Just that."
END OF CHAPTER
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