"Oh oh~ the match has already started! Looks like we came at just the right time, Kasamatsu, huh?"
Wearing a sleek school blazer and sporting his signature blond hair, Kise Ryouta excitedly called out to Yukio Kasamatsu as they entered the stands. But the moment both of them looked at the scoreboard, their expressions instantly froze.
"Eh???"
"No way~ seriously?!"
On the board at center court, the score glared back at them, 15:0.
"They haven't even scored a single point? What the hell is Seirin doing out there?" Kise muttered in disbelief, running a hand through his hair helplessly.
"Yeah," Kasamatsu said, eyes narrowing. "They've always been slow starters, but I didn't think it'd be this bad… especially Kagami. Should I say he's out of form, or that guy over there's just too strong?"
Almost without realizing it, Kasamatsu's gaze was drawn toward Akashi Asuka, standing tall under Seiho's basket. When they met yesterday off the court, he hadn't really sensed anything unusual.
But now, seeing Akashi truly on the court, Kasamatsu immediately felt the overwhelming aura surrounding him.
Kise nodded. "Ah, yeah! Just in terms of defense, little Akashi's scary strong. But Kuroko's ability should be the perfect counter to, "
"That's not Akashi who Kagami's having trouble with right now."
Before Kise could finish, a calm yet sharp voice cut in from the row in front of them.
"And you're too loud, Kise."
"Eh, Midorimacchi! You're here too? Wait, are you… disguised right now?"
Kise blinked at the sight of Midorima Shintaro holding a small jack-in-the-box toy while wearing dark sunglasses. The combination was so bizarre that Kise couldn't help but chuckle.
Midorima stiffened.
Damn it. I couldn't stop myself from talking.
"Ahem."
He pushed his glasses up, quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, look carefully. The player marking Kagami isn't Akashi, it's number 10. Even with your dense nerves, you shouldn't have forgotten who that is, right?"
Damn it! Why does it feel like he's insulting me again?
Even though he felt personally attacked, Kise still followed Midorima's gaze toward the court below. When he saw Seiho's number 10, Tsugawa Tomoki, his expression changed instantly.
"That guy joined Seiho too?!"
"Now you get it," Midorima said coolly. "Seirin's problem right now isn't Akashi. Before Kagami can even face him, he has to get past that guy. If he can't even do that, this match is as good as over."
============
On the court.
Kagami Taiga once again drove the ball forward, pushing through Seiho's defensive wall. Seiho's opening tactic against Seirin was their signature full-court man-to-man defense.
However, unlike before, this time they were using a modified formation, a 1–4 full-court press, and the "1" referred to none other than Akashi Asuka.
In short, Akashi was stationed under the basket while the remaining four players executed man-to-man defense across the entire court.
This formation had been designed specifically to counter Seirin.
After all, Seiho had no one capable of directly marking Kuroko Tetsuya. So, after much discussion, they simply decided to ignore him altogether, since the "Phantom Sixth Man" didn't actually pose a scoring threat.
In fact, this was exactly what Seiho did in the original storyline, and it had worked quite well in the beginning.
"Oh! Nice defense, Tsugawa! But if you keep defending like that, be careful not to lose your stamina in the second half!"
"No worries. He's not as strong as you made him sound, Akashi. You might've overpraised him before the match."
Tsugawa's mouth moved faster than his brain, as always.
The moment Kagami heard that, his temper exploded.
"What did you just say, bastard?!"
BAM!
In a burst of anger, Kagami charged forward with the ball. But instead of getting past his defender, he slammed straight into Tsugawa and sent him tumbling.
BEEP!
"Offensive foul! White number ten!"
The referee's whistle pierced the air. Even Seirin's own teammates winced at the sight.
Across the court, even Seiho's players, normally composed, looked slightly uncomfortable.
Tsutomu Iwamura, usually the most serious one on Seiho's roster, gave Akashi a skeptical glance. "Akashi, this is that promising newcomer you mentioned before the game?"
"Ah… well…"
Akashi scratched his cheek awkwardly, speechless for a moment.
After all, this was the protagonist's team. He had slightly exaggerated their strength before the match, just to play it safe in case they pulled off some crazy comeback.
But right now, Seirin's performance was far from normal. And somehow, Kagami Taiga had been playing like a man possessed from the very start.
To make matters worse, Seiho's current defensive matchup had paired Kagami with Tsugawa, the guy whose mouth ran faster than his mind.
Great.
That combination was basically a flamethrower meeting a barrel of gasoline.
And sure enough, before the first quarter was even over, Kagami had already picked up two fouls, both courtesy of Tsugawa's mouth.
If this kept up, he'd probably foul out before halftime.
What a waste, Akashi thought. He's a good opponent, it'd be a shame to lose him so early.
So, after a moment of thought, Akashi decided to calm him down a little.
"Hey~~ Kagami! Don't tell me you can't even handle Tsugawa! And here I thought you were gonna crush me completely today? No way, right? No way?"
Kagami froze for a second, then his rage flared even hotter, as if literal flames erupted behind him.
Akashi blinked in surprise.
Weird. Why didn't that calm him down?
BEEEEEP~~~
Just then, the shrill sound of a whistle echoed across the gym, Seirin had called their first timeout of the game.
=============
108+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Add to Library to support