Beep~~~
"The game is over!"
"Winter Cup Semifinals: Seirin High vs. Rakuzan High."
"Winner: Seirin High."
"Score: 97–96."
·····
"Oooooh~~~!"
As the final electronic buzzer sounded, the entire arena erupted in frenzied cheers.
But most of the cheering came from the audience outside the court and the Seirin supporters. As for the Seirin team themselves, though their faces were filled with joy, not a single cheer escaped their lips.
Or rather…
It wasn't just their voices, they could barely even stand.
"Hehe~~ unbelievable… I don't even have the energy to feel happy right now," Hyuga Junpei forced a bitter smile.
"Yeah! But at least we made it this far, didn't we?"
Kiyoshi Teppei was slightly better off than Hyuga. Halfway through the match, his intense clash with Nabutani Eikichi had caused an old injury to flare up, forcing him to sit out for a while.
Now, Kiyoshi could barely support Hyuga.
This battle against Rakuzan was without a doubt Seirin's toughest fight since the Winter Cup began.
Not because the opponent was stronger, this time, the enemies they faced were completely different.
Ever since the Interhigh, Akashi Asuka had awakened Akashi Seijuro's first persona. From the start of this match, Seirin faced three fully unleashed Generation of Miracles players, along with a newly evolved, fully realized version of the "Phantom Sixth Man" after being schooled by Akashi Asuka.
Speaking of this new "Phantom Sixth Man", Mayuzumi Chihiro.
In the original story, Kuroko Tetsuya defeated him primarily by exploiting psychological flaws, relying on his own calm logic and years of experience.
In raw skill, Kuroko and Mayuzumi were still a step apart.
But after the Interhigh and the match against Seiho, Mayuzumi had corrected his previous psychological issues. So at the start of this match, Kuroko was almost completely suppressed.
Even his signature moves from the original story were ineffective.
It wasn't until the fourth quarter that Kuroko, with his "cheat," managed to turn the tide.
The same applied to the other players, after their defeats in the Interhigh, Rakuzan's entire lineup had evolved one tier beyond their original versions.
Against such opponents, Seirin shouldn't have stood a chance.
But Seirin themselves had become even stronger than their original selves. Just look at their final counterattack, Shun Izuki had even developed enough to intercept Akashi Seijuro's Perfect-Rhythmed Plays.
You can imagine just how "overpowered" Seirin had become.
But as a result, every player on Seirin was completely exhausted. Even when lining up at the end, Kagami, Hyuga, Kuroko, and other main players could barely stand without assistance.
·····
"Let's go!"
After seeing the final result of Seirin vs. Rakuzan, Tsutomu Iwamura remained silent for a long moment, then turned and left the stands.
To be honest…
It wasn't just Iwamura. Probably over ninety percent of the spectators hadn't expected this outcome.
Just like the previous Seiho vs. Kaijo match.
While in competitive sports you never know the result until the last second, in reality, most outcomes are predictable before the game even begins.
Take Seiho vs. Kaijo, before the match, both sides estimated a roughly 70–30 win probability.
This ratio already indicated a clear favorite, though Kaijo still had a chance.
But the Seirin vs. Rakuzan pre-game predictions were completely different. The skill gap between the teams was even more obvious than between Seiho and Kaijo.
Seiho's initial estimate suggested a 9-to-1 win probability for Rakuzan over Seirin.
What does that mean?
A 9-to-1 prediction meant Seirin had almost no chance of winning, barring a miracle.
And these predictions weren't baseless. They were based on historical performance and player strength assessments.
Rakuzan's lineup was nothing short of luxurious: a Generation of Miracles captain, three "Uncrowned Kings," and a new, fully realized "Phantom Sixth Man."
Seirin, in comparison, was still a new team. Their only nationally notable players were Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga, and half of Kiyoshi Teppei.
As for Kiyoshi and Izuki…
They were by no means weak, capable of reaching first-class nationwide level if in top form.
But they were playing a Winter Cup semifinal against Rakuzan, at this level, even first-class players are only "ordinary tools."
Kiyoshi Teppei was exceptional. In his prime, he might have ranked just below the Generation of Miracles.
But after last year's injury, he lost an entire year of training. Even with summer training, he was just maintaining old form.
Meanwhile, the remaining "Uncrowned Kings" had advanced rapidly.
Plus, Kiyoshi was carrying an injury from the Winter Cup preliminaries, playing while hurt.
Honestly…
Not even against opponents of the same "Uncrowned Kings" level could anyone have predicted Seirin's victory.
Yet somehow, the miracle happened.
"You were right, Akashi," Iwamura said, stepping out into the dimming evening. "Seirin really is a miraculous team. Tomorrow, we absolutely cannot afford to let our guard down."
Since last semester, Akashi Asuka had repeatedly mentioned Seirin's name, but only now did Seiho truly take them seriously.
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria