"Time-out's over. Both teams, back on the court!"
"Eh? Your ace isn't coming back in yet?"
This time it was Kota asking the question, looking genuinely puzzled as he turned to Imayoshi — like he wasn't the one who just baited Aomine into that trap moments ago.
Imayoshi adjusted his glasses with a sigh.
"What can I say? Even aces need to rest. You're up against us next, so try not to go too hard, alright?"
"Nani?! Aominecchi's not coming back in?!"
Kise's eyes widened. He was looking forward to round two with Aomine.
Kota walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Relax, genius. If we widen the score gap enough, that guy won't be able to sit still."
Kasamatsu stood behind them, silently listening to the exchange, thinking both of them were out of their minds. He'd be thrilled if Aomine stayed benched for a while. And yet these two were practically begging him to come back? Are they addicted to getting dunked on or what?
A few minutes earlier…
"Hey, Kotaaaaa~"
Kota shivered at the disgusting tone and turned slowly to see Kise grinning.
Kise chuckled nervously and tried to butter him up.
"Kota, can I go one-on-one with Aomine again in the second half?"
Kota gave him a strange look.
"Of course you're gonna go one-on-one. You think anyone else on our team can match up with him? We'd get steamrolled."
Kise rubbed his nose and kept grinning.
"No, I mean like how we did it in the first quarter."
Kota didn't reply, just stared blankly at him.
Panicking slightly, Kise waved his hands.
"No no, I'm not trying to hog the ball! It's just... I think I'm starting to feel something!"
"Feel something?" Kota raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Aomine's weapons are his insane speed and those unpredictable jump shots, right? When he enters the Zone, those things hit their peak. So I figured… my weapon is copying others. If I push my Copy skill to 100%, maybe I can get into the Zone too."
Kota scratched his chin and looked skeptical.
"So basically, you want to become Aomine. But if you do that, at best you'll be Aomine."
"I know that" Kise replied, eyes sparkling. "But progress comes from trying. If I want to be Kaijo's ace and your Jordan, I've got to keep moving forward!"
Kota blinked. "Do you even know who Jordan is?"
"…Not really. But if you say I'm him, I'll take it."
On the Too bench
Momoi looked anxiously at Aomine. "Dai-chan…"
"I'm fine, Satsuki. Just annoyed I got played like that."
Aomine was sprawled across the bench, eyes locked on the court as Too's offense continued to be dismantled by Kaijo. The chemistry between Kota and Kise was ripping Too's defense apart.
Gritting his teeth, Aomine muttered,
"Relax, Satsuki. I'll fix this. The only one who can beat me... is me."
Momoi bit her lip. She was scared. If they lost... would Aomine go back to the way he used to be? Or worse?
On the court
Kota flashed a hand signal—a "6"—and Kaijo immediately began a coordinated movement. Imayoshi noticed and rushed to cover Kasamatsu, but the horns formation they used created multiple scoring chances in seconds. It wasn't about getting one guy open; it was about breaking down the whole defense.
Kota saw Kasamatsu wasn't open and immediately dished to Kise, who looped around the baseline. Kota then cut into the paint, drawing defenders. Wakamatsu went to help, but forgot all about Kise, who was now wide open on the perimeter.
Kise pulled up and splashed the three. Nothing but net.
Imayoshi bent over, gasping for breath. "How the hell do we stop this play?!"
Halfway through the third quarter, Too was falling apart. The score was 70–56.
Kota stood at midcourt, hands on his hips, staring straight at Aomine on the bench. A grin crept onto his face as he pointed at the scoreboard. The message was clear: "Stay benched any longer and your team's toast."
Veins bulging on his forehead, Aomine turned to Momoi. "I've got to get back in. If we collapse in the third, all the stamina I saved for the fourth won't matter."
Momoi bit her lip again and slowly nodded.
Too substitution.
"Well, well, Mr. Aomine. Long time no see," Kota said with that smug grin still on his face.
"I thought you were gonna hide until the fourth."
Aomine just glared at him, beyond words at this point.
"This guy... He's the reason we're getting stomped."
"What's with the intense stare?" Kota teased. "Careful, if you keep looking at me like that, I might start blushing."
He was having the time of his life messing with opponents.
"Anyway, don't look at me like that. Our ace has been waiting for you for ages" he added, pointing at Kise.
Kise's eyes were sparkling — he was so ready to throw down with Aomine again.
Aomine said nothing. He knew if he opened his mouth now, he'd probably curse Kota out and get ejected. That'd be game over.
Game resumes.
Aomine caught the pass. Across from him, Kise was already in position.
Aomine gave a nod of approval. "You've grown, Kise. That's a veteran's stance right there."
"I'll admit your team isn't completely useless."
He glanced at Kota and added, "But remember — only I can beat me."
The moment he finished, Aomine exploded into motion. His streetball style was back in full force—flashy, chaotic, impossible to predict.
Kise quickly adjusted and managed to keep up for a few steps, but Aomine's speed was on another level. One slick behind-the-back move and a spin later, Kise was in the rearview.
Kise chased hard, knowing just getting beat didn't mean the basket was guaranteed.
Aomine glanced back, then launched himself off one foot for a dunk.
"Not so fast! You're not scoring over me that easily!"
Kise jumped, stretching his arm out.
"Almost… just a little more…"
Right as Kise was about to get the block, Aomine grinned, pulled the ball back mid-air, and switched hands—lefty layup. Smooth.
Kise, already airborne, couldn't stop his momentum and crashed right into Aomine's back.
"An in-air hand-switch, and-1… This guy, man…"
Kota stared in disbelief.
"If I had that kind of athleticism, Kaijo would be renamed Kota High. Kise wouldn't even be the ace—he'd be my sidekick!"
Kasamatsu muttered,
"Is that dude even human? He's a year younger than me, and he's already a freak. What's up with these first-years?!"
Imayoshi wiped sweat from his face but wore a wide grin.
"As soon as he's back on the court, everything feels under control again."
Despite the 2+1, Kise wasn't discouraged. If it were that easy to stop Aomine, there'd be no need to copy him. Anything that valuable is worth chasing.
On the next possession, Kota stuck with the first-quarter game plan — get the ball to Kise — and wandered over to Too's captain for a little chat.
"So hey, what year are you in? How're your grades? Got a girlfriend yet? I've got a great story, you see…"
Imayoshi didn't mind. He trusted Aomine completely and welcomed the distraction. Kota wanted to talk? Perfect. They wandered around the court mid-play like it was a coffee break.
Kasamatsu, watching the two of them chat it up like old buddies, was on the verge of bursting a vein. He wanted to kick Kota across the court, but just like Imayoshi trusted Aomine, Kasamatsu trusted Kota completely. If Kota said "leave it to Kise," then that was that.
The game got weirder and weirder. Kota and Imayoshi started a podcast mid-match, while Aomine and Kise duked it out in an all-star showdown. Everyone else just ran wind sprints.
On another offensive play, Kota casually handed the ball off to Kise and turned back to chat again. But then, a voice cut through.
"If the only one who can beat you is you… what happens when the one in front of you is you?"
Kota froze mid-sentence.
It was Kise.