The match between Seiho and Shutoku had ended.
Unsurprisingly, Seiho secured the spot for the next round.
For Seiho, this was undoubtedly good news. But that night, the players from other teams couldn't sleep at all.
To reduce a team with a "Generation of Miracles" member to garbage time in the fourth quarter, this was unheard of. Not only had there been no precedent, most hadn't even imagined it possible.
Previously, only the "Generation of Miracles" could do that to others. Being on the receiving end of such a dismantling? That was a first.
Even if it was due to attribute advantages, it still highlighted the overwhelming gap between Akashi Asuka and Midorima Shintarou.
·····
"Even Midorima lost so badly? No… calling this a loss doesn't do it justice, it's more like total domination."
Outside, the night was cold but fresh. A waning moon peeked through the clouds, surrounded by tiny stars.
It should have been a quiet, beautiful scene, but Kise Ryouta had no time to appreciate it. His mind was entirely consumed by the Seiho-Shutoku battle earlier in the day, and it wouldn't let go.
After all, according to the next day's schedule, Kaijo's opponent would be Seiho.
Before Akashi appeared, there was a simple belief in the junior high basketball world: only a "Generation of Miracles" could defeat another "Generation of Miracles."
Even the members themselves held this belief.
They hadn't been separated intentionally in high school, except that there simply weren't suitable opponents.
But after last term's Interhigh, when Akashi led his team to victory over all comers, even defeating Akashi Seijuro himself, this idea vanished.
It was arguably a good thing.
For the "Generation of Miracles," tasting defeat reignited their fighting spirit and gave them a target to chase.
A goal was necessary for growth, a simple truth.
But the problem now was that this "goal" felt impossibly far away.
If last term's Akashi had inspired Kise to push himself, today's match left him with a sense of helpless despair.
"Even stronger three-point shooting… a weakened version of [The Demon King's Domain] that doesn't require Zone… and his rebounding, though not shown today, will probably improve even further…"
"His offense and defense are flawless. Facing an opponent like this… it's truly despair-inducing!"
·····
Meanwhile, while Kise worried about facing Seiho tomorrow, elsewhere:
At Aida Kagetora's gym, the evening crowd was in full swing, as it often was in modern society.
The gym was packed, but the basketball court nearby was nearly empty.
Only one figure bounced the ball and practiced layups, the center of Seirin, Kiyoshi Teppei.
After a short while, another shadow appeared at the edge of the court.
"Of course, I knew you hadn't gone home yet."
Kiyoshi smiled faintly, tossing the ball over. "You came too? Tomorrow's the semifinals. If Riko finds out, we'll get scolded!"
Hyuga Junpei caught the ball and casually threw a three-pointer, but it clanged off the rim. He clicked his tongue. "Tch… what else could be the reason? Watching today's match, anyone normal would have trouble sleeping."
Kiyoshi remained silent for a moment, then dribbled a few times and attempted a three-step layup.
CLANG!
The ball hit the rim again.
Hyuga teased, "Not even that went in? Looks like your mind's more scattered than mine! I thought you were called 'Iron Heart', what's with the nerves?"
"Play's play, teasing's teasing. Don't joke with my nickname. I've told you so many times, stop calling me that."
Kiyoshi rolled his eyes and remained quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"To be honest… I am a bit nervous. Even against the 'Generation of Miracles' before, I never felt this way. But…"
He looked at Hyuga. "Maybe others don't realize it, but you understand. Though Seiho defeated Shutoku in the third quarter today, that still wasn't Akashi's true strength."
"Ah, I get it."
Hyuga closed his eyes slightly, silent.
He understood Kiyoshi. Some things couldn't be comprehended by just watching.
Seirin's players had seen Seiho and Akashi's strength today, but hadn't truly experienced it.
Only Kiyoshi and Hyuga had felt that suffocating, despair-inducing pressure firsthand.
Today, Akashi's three-point shooting and man-to-man defense were impressive, but far from his full power.
His real terror lay in the interior game.
Kiyoshi and Hyuga had once gone two-on-one against Akashi in a single duel, and suffered an unprecedented defeat.
That had been shortly after the Interhigh ended.
Now, a full summer later, if his outside shooting had grown this much, how much stronger would his interior game be?
Just thinking about it was enough to feel hopeless.
"Forget it!"
As the basketball court quieted, Hyuga suddenly smiled. "Let's not overthink it. Tomorrow, our opponent isn't Seiho, it's Rakuzan. We might not even get past tomorrow, so why worry about Seiho yet?"
Kiyoshi chuckled. "You're right. I guess I've been worrying unnecessarily. Daydreaming like this isn't good!"
"Exactly! And people staying up the night before a match can't even maintain form, how could they win?"
A voice came from behind them. Hyuga and Kiyoshi instinctively nodded in agreement.
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Uh~~~"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria