Chapter 134 - 135 – The Time Has Come

Words : 1098 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Kagami stood frozen. Those two offensive and defensive exchanges had left his mind blank. Tendou didn't act often—but when he did, it left shockwaves. Swish! Tendou made the and-one free throw. The point gap widened further. Back on offense, Kagami was clearly unsettled. He wanted to beat Tendou at what he did best. And what Kagami did best... was in the air. After the match with Shūtoku, his jumping ability had hit its peak. He believed that as long as he could reach his zone—around the free-throw line—he could finish the play. "If I can just reach that area—!" His target: right around the free-throw line. But reality hit hard— He couldn't even make it to that spot. The moment he took off, his vision went dark. In a flash, Tendou's presence was already beside him. Smack! The sharp sound of palm meeting basketball echoed in the air. Gritting his teeth, Kagami looked down—he'd lost control of the ball again. In his eyes, Tendou's entire body seemed to be glowing white. And the moment he completed the steal, he looked like something divine. That overwhelming posture etched itself into Kagami's mind. "Damn it!" He refused to give up and gave chase once more. Both of them sprinted past midcourt and the three-point line, racing toward the paint. Near the free-throw line, Tendou made a lightning-fast crossover. Kagami lost his position again. "!" Tendou soared and slammed the ball through the hoop with one hand. That made 7 straight points. The point gap officially reached double digits. Tweet— Aida Riko called her first timeout of the game. Seeing Kagami stuck in an endless spiral of dueling Tendou, she realized he would never give up on his own. So she had to step in to break the one-on-one cycle. "Stop fixating on beating him one-on-one, Kagami. We're a team." Riko's tone was sharp and commanding. "Coach, just give me one more chance—I can—ugh!" Kagami started to protest but suddenly felt a jab in his ribs. "Damn it, Kuroko, are you picking a fight?!" But Kuroko just stood there like nothing happened, meeting Kagami's eyes calmly. "Didn't we agree we'd defeat the Generation of Miracles together?" That was true. They had said that. Kagami opened his mouth to argue but was silenced by Kuroko's gaze. He could only grunt in frustration. "...Fine." That got the rest of the team smiling. "It's good you've cooled down," said Riko, "but this game is still far from in our favor." They were down by 10 points. With Seirin's offense, that wasn't insurmountable. The real problem... was how to stop Tendou. That technique, that athleticism, that composure... He was a complete player in every sense of the word. Just dribbling the ball created suffocating pressure. His presence on the court far exceeded that of Kise or Midorima. Timeout over. Game resumes. As soon as Tendou saw Kagami after the break, he could tell— The kid had cooled off. "Classic Seirin cooldown tactic," Tendou murmured. Teamwork. Camaraderie. All that warm fuzzy stuff. It was woven into every fiber of Seirin's identity. Too bad— Tendou was about to crush all that hope with brutal reality. Seirin's possession. As expected, they returned to team basketball. The ball zipped between all five players, moving rapidly. Smack! At the perfect moment, Kuroko shot out again, intercepting a mid-air pass with his signature Misdirection Cut. The ball rebounded off the floor and flew straight into Kagami's hands, who was cutting into the paint. This time, Kagami didn't recklessly charge at Tendou. Instead, he calmly passed the ball to Mitobe Rinnosuke. Everyone on Seirin let out a breath of relief. Nothing was more reassuring than seeing your ace regain his composure. But— "Dodging me is fine, but what about my bad boys?" From behind, Tendou had seen everything. The moment Mitobe caught the ball, Matsumoto Itsuki crashed into him with an aggressive body check. It looked legal on the surface, But Matsumoto's knee had subtly jammed into Mitobe's calf. Mitobe flinched immediately, his body stuttering in pain. He gritted his teeth but couldn't finish the shot. Rough! It was clear today's referee wasn't calling much. The bad boys of Kirisaki Daiichi had figured that out back in the first quarter. With a lenient whistle, Kirisaki Daiichi's physical defense could shine. Mitobe, pressured and double-teamed after the contact, lost his offensive rhythm. Before he could turn it over, he tossed the ball to a teammate— "Heh~" Hanamiya Makoto appeared with a bright, infuriating smile and intercepted the pass. Tendou was already sprinting ahead. Thanks to the Six Eyes, he could see every inch of the court. "Stop right there, Tendou!" Kagami was locked in, ready to chase. But— Hara Kazuya shoved into him without hesitation. He'd had enough of this loudmouthed freshman from the beginning. "Would you mind not bothering our captain?" They looked like they were just running together, But Hara had veered toward Kagami and used his body to block his acceleration— Kagami couldn't gain speed and couldn't keep up with Tendou. Swish! Another basket. Kagami could only watch the score tick upward in frustration. He couldn't win the duel. And even when he followed his teammates' advice and played team ball, they still couldn't win. The scoreboard kept creeping upward, widening the gap. And then— Five minutes passed. Kuroko was subbed off decisively by Aida Riko for rest. Seirin's double-ace combo was now down to Kagami alone. Tendou saw his chance. He made a hand gesture to the referee—time for a substitution. "Seto, wake up. It's your turn." "Huh? Finally my time?" Seto Kentarō opened his eyes under his sleep mask. He'd been napping for a whole quarter and a half. He pulled out a jar of hair wax from his bag and began styling his hair like a man preparing for a date. "A substitution now? What's he planning?" Riko couldn't make sense of it. Kirisaki Daiichi was in full control—why sub out their center? But soon, she understood. It absolutely made sense. With Kuroko off the court, the entire responsibility for organizing the offense fell on Izuki Shun. Eyes scanning all directions, Izuki faked one way and passed to Hyūga Junpei— Great read. Perfect pass. Didn't matter. "Hehehe~" Hanamiya again. With that infuriating grin, he disrupted Izuki's pass like it was child's play. Kirisaki Daiichi launched another counterattack.

Chapter 134 - 135 – The Time Has Come

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