Two uninvited guests slowly approached Miyamoto Tokima from across the street.
Miyamoto Tokima carefully examined the two men in front of him.
The one on the left had black hair and a gloomy, shadowed gaze. The one on the right had slightly sunken cheeks, pronounced cheekbones, and eyes that were just as dark and unfriendly.
"Hanamiya, looks like we've run into an interesting acquaintance," one of them said.
Hanamiya Makoto curled his lips slightly.
"Indeed. And this acquaintance happens to be a genius."
Only then did Miyamoto Tokima recognize who they were. One was Hanamiya Makoto, a member of the Uncrowned Kings. The other was Seto Kentaro, Hanamiya Makoto's teammate from both middle school and high school.
Hanamiya Makoto might have been dark and twisted in the way he handled things, but his intelligence was undeniable—his IQ was as high as 160. Standing beside him, Seto Kentaro was also a genius with an IQ of 160.
Both of them loved reading, and reading was their shared hobby. However, the classes taught at school were far too easy for them, so they often skipped lessons.
Because of their exceptional intellect, the two could calculate their opponents' passing routes during games and coordinate perfectly to intercept the ball.
Yet despite being geniuses, they preferred using dirty methods to secure victory.
To be honest, Miyamoto Tokima found the two of them rather pitiful.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of them stirring up trouble. He pulled Satsuki Momoi behind him and faced Hanamiya Makoto and Seto Kentaro alone.
"What do you want?" Miyamoto Tokima asked.
Hanamiya Makoto licked his lips.
"Nothing much. We just came to take a look at you in advance."
Miyamoto Tokima caught the look in Hanamiya Makoto's eyes—it was the gaze of a beast sizing up its prey.
'So I'm prey to them? Interesting.'
As that thought crossed his mind, Miyamoto Tokima's eyes sharpened, and the aura around him began to change.
A crushing pressure burst forth from his body—the kind of presence only a predator at the very top of the food chain could possess.
The moment Hanamiya Makoto and Seto Kentaro felt it, their expressions changed drastically, turning pale and stiff.
Their breathing became difficult, and their bodies locked in place. Neither of them dared to move, as if they instinctively felt that taking even one step might mean never seeing tomorrow's sun.
Seeing that they didn't move, Miyamoto Tokima took Satsuki Momoi's hand and walked straight through the space between them, speaking calmly as he passed.
"Next time you choose your prey, make sure you open your eyes. Otherwise, you won't know whether you've locked onto a hunter—or the hunted."
With that, Miyamoto Tokima left with Satsuki Momoi, leaving Hanamiya Makoto and Seto Kentaro standing there in a daze.
After Miyamoto Tokima was gone, the terrifying aura of a top-tier predator gradually faded away.
Only then did Hanamiya Makoto and Seto Kentaro snap back to their senses, both of them gasping for air.
"Huff… huff… huff… Hanamiya, what the hell was that just now?"
Seto Kentaro turned to ask. Even with an IQ of 160, he couldn't understand what had just happened.
Hanamiya Makoto's face was pale, his expression twisted and ugly, anger flickering in his eyes.
He didn't answer Seto Kentaro. Miyamoto Tokima's final words were echoing endlessly in his mind.
[Next time you choose your prey, open your eyes. Otherwise, you won't know whether you've locked onto a hunter or the hunted.]
The words repeated over and over. Feeling deeply looked down upon, Hanamiya Makoto clenched his teeth inwardly.
'A predator, huh? Then I, Hanamiya Makoto, will hunt the predator. We'll see who's stronger—you or me!'
With that thought, he forced himself to calm down. After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Let's go, Kentaro."
Seto Kentaro nodded and followed Hanamiya Makoto as they left.
...
Miyamoto Tokima continued walking down the street, holding Satsuki Momoi's hand. Along the way, he reflected silently.
'Have I been here too long? How did I end up becoming this dramatic?'
"Miyamoto, who were those guys?"
Satsuki Momoi interrupted his thoughts, asking with concern. She was worried the two might retaliate later.
If Miyamoto Tokima knew what she was thinking, he would have laughed. He wasn't afraid of their revenge at all.
Even ten Hanamiya Makotos together wouldn't stand a chance against him in a straight fight. After all, in his previous life, Miyamoto Tokima had been a boxer.
Fighting middle schoolers here was practically child's play.
"It's nothing," he said calmly. "Just two 'geniuses.'"
Satsuki Momoi tilted her head in confusion. This was the first time she had heard the word "genius" come out of Miyamoto Tokima's mouth.
She didn't press further. She knew that if Miyamoto Tokima wanted to tell her something, he would do so on his own. If he didn't, no amount of asking would get it out of him.
Satsuki Momoi was sensible and didn't like prying.
She chuckled softly and teased him,
"I never thought I'd hear you praising someone, Miyamoto."
Miyamoto Tokima turned his head to look at her.
"Huh? I compliment people all the time."
Satsuki Momoi smiled with narrowed eyes.
"Do you? How come I've never noticed?"
Miyamoto Tokima protested,
"Of course I do. I praise people a lot."
"Then praise me. Let me hear it."
"You're really beautiful."
Satsuki Momoi's lips curved upward happily as she waited for more. After a long pause with no follow-up, she asked,
"That's it?"
Miyamoto Tokima nodded blankly.
"That's it."
"..."
Satsuki Momoi looked at him helplessly and complained inwardly.
'Miyamoto really is terrible at giving compliments.'
————
Time passed quickly, and Teikō swiftly finished the early preliminary matches.
The preliminaries weren't very difficult. The strongest opponent had been Fukuda Middle School, but even Fukuda was only slightly stronger than the rest.
In the matches that followed, Miyamoto Tokima barely needed to exert himself before the opposing teams surrendered.
Soon, only the final two preliminary matches remained. Once those were over, the national tournament would begin—the real competition. The preliminaries were merely a way to filter teams.
Inside Teikō Middle School.
After training, everyone changed clothes in the locker room. While changing, Seijuro Akashi spoke up.
"Today is the promotion test."
Daiki Aomine hadn't changed yet. Wearing a black tank top with a white towel around his neck, he asked in confusion,
"Huh? The promotion test is today?"
Seijuro Akashi continued as he took off his clothes.
"Yes. It should be held among the second and third teams. A few players might be promoted to the first team."
Daiki Aomine stood up, a grin spreading across his face.
"Oh? That's great!"