"Damn it!"
"Is there really no limit?"
The Teiko head coach was frantic.
He had never encountered such an opponent or player.
Homi Academy's Number 10 was evolving rapidly during the match.
Any move used in front of him once would be deciphered by the next time.
What kind of adjustment ability was this?
What kind of basketball IQ was this?
He was like a Saint Seiya!
Not long after Aomine scored, Yuuto came back, received a bullet pass from Kuroko, stormed into the paint, scored a 2-pointer over the defense, and even drew an And-1!
His condition was unbelievably good, as if he was born wearing that Number 10 jersey to play basketball.
And Aomine.
He was once again forced into a near-turnover by Yuuto's defense.
He jumped out of bounds again, trying to replicate the classic shot from behind the backboard.
This time.
Yuuto didn't remain indifferent; he leaped out of bounds alongside Aomine almost instantly.
"Aomine Daiki!"
"Almost stepping on the line, jumping out—a shot from behind the board!"
"Yuuto!"
"He kept up! Iron-blooded block!"
"Unbelievable! Their battlefield isn't just inside the court, but extends out of bounds!"
People were dumbfounded.
Aomine scoring from outside the court was already absurd.
But then?
Aomine jumping off the court didn't even work; he was stopped by Yuuto.
This was simply showing off skills only to get slapped in the face!
And this was exactly why the Teiko head coach looked so grim.
It was too astonishing.
This talent was truly too astonishing.
Every failure meant an evolution. The longer it went on, the stronger Yuuto became, approaching perfection.
At this rate, Yuuto would sooner or later become truly invincible.
And Aomine?
He was suffering unprecedented pressure.
This pressure made him forget everything, wanting only to find a way to defeat the powerful enemy before him.
He wanted the game never to stop, to keep playing forever.
Just like when he was a child—lose and keep playing, lose and keep playing, until the sun went down.
But...
Beep!
A whistle interrupted his thoughts.
Then the broadcast announced, "Teiko requests a timeout."
...
On the bench.
The thing giving the Teiko coach the biggest headache wasn't how strong Yuuto was or how fast he evolved.
Right now, his biggest headache was Seijuro Akashi, the one he had always trusted most, the one with the most agency.
Ever since the Emperor Eye's prediction was broken by Yuuto, he had been despondent for a long time, seemingly immersed in his own world.
And this state was continuing to worsen.
At this rate, Akashi might be worse than an ordinary player.
Was this still the Akashi he knew?
The carefully nurtured heir of a great conglomerate, the leader of the Generation of Miracles who combined elegance, dominance, and wisdom?
"What on earth are you doing, Akashi?! Are you still awake?!"
He questioned loudly, yet Akashi remained unresponsive.
He looked just like those ordinary people whose basketball dreams he had personally crushed in the past.
At this moment, Akashi had lost the glory on his face.
"Yeah, Akashi-cchi, say something." Kise couldn't help but ask.
This was too strange.
The strong Akashi—how could he not handle such a blow?
"If Aka-chin doesn't want to play, then I don't want to play either." Murasakibara tilted his head back, covering his face with a towel.
"Shut up, Murasakibara! Don't say things like that at a time like this, the game isn't over yet!" Midorima was angry, glaring at Murasakibara.
His life philosophy did not allow him to do such a thing.
"That's just how it is. Anyway, there's no way to beat that guy."
"That guy" naturally referred to Yuuto.
Yes.
The current Yuuto was absolutely the strongest player on the court, bar none.
But that wasn't a reason for them to give up.
If they did... what was the difference between them and the trash they had thrashed in the past?
The Teiko bench was in chaos.
The head coach was struggling with Akashi's problem while the others started arguing.
He missed Kozo Shirogane terribly. He didn't have the ability to control this team.
These five gifted geniuses had never submitted to him from the start.
If a team lost its soul, it meant collapse was not far away.
...
So, he made a difficult decision.
"Akashi, come off and rest for now. Next, we will fully support Aomine. Kise, you play point guard for now."
What?!
Midorima and the others looked at their coach in disbelief.
He was actually going to sub Akashi out?
"Don't joke around, subbing Akashi-cchi out at a time like this!"
"Since it's like this, sub me out too. I'm tired, I don't want to play."
"Shut up! You better know when to stop, Murasakibara!"
They're arguing?
The commotion at Teiko was visible to the Homi Academy team.
Including the audience.
They never imagined that the arrogant Teiko, hailed as the strongest team in history, would show such a side.
...
And the leader of the Generation of Miracles, Seijuro Akashi, seemed deaf, unable to hear his teammates' quarreling.
It was then that a silent sigh echoed in his mind.
Akashi's eyes snapped open. He found he was no longer on the court, but in a space both strange and familiar.
"Who?" Akashi turned around forcefully, looking behind him.
In the shadows, a figure with a physique similar to his sat quietly.
That person said, "Me? I am Seijuro Akashi."
Simple words, yet they caused Akashi's pupils to contract violently.
In that instant.
Memories flooded into his brain like a tide.
There was the strict family training from childhood.
While other children played, he was studying.
While other children played, he learned the violin.
While other children played, he learned etiquette.
While other children played...
His childhood was filled with endless "lessons."
People envied his birth, destined to stand above ten thousand people from the moment he was born.
But few knew that he often secretly looked out the window alone. Watching peers with smiles on their faces.
However.
It wasn't that he never had happy times.
A graceful and beautiful woman appeared in his memory.
That was his mother. She brought him something outside of his lessons.
A round basketball.
...
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