BEEEEEP—
End of the third quarter.
75:77.
Kaijo takes the lead!
After Aomine exited the Zone, the entire third quarter was completely dominated by Kaijo.
Under their Three-Point Strategy, Kaijo's shooters went wild, raining down shots from beyond the arc. When it comes to catching up quickly, there's nothing faster than hitting threes.
Takeuchi glanced at the scoreboard and couldn't help but smile. In less than ten minutes, the team had scored 30 points in the third quarter. This terrifying scoring efficiency was Kaijo's ultimate trump card.
Kota wiped the sweat off his face, glanced at the coach's grin, and couldn't help but tease,
"Oi oi, coach, why are you smiling like we already won? Game's not over yet!"
Takeuchi cleared his throat, trying to act serious as he looked at his mischievous point guard,
"Right now, Too should be falling apart mentally. A double-digit lead evaporated just like that, and we even overtook them. Their focus has to be shot. We go all-in during the fourth quarter and send them packing."
Then Takeuchi shot a glance at Kota again and asked,
"Think Aomine's gonna enter the Zone again?"
Kota rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment,
"Probably, but not for long. He won't start the fourth quarter with it. He'll save it for crunch time."
...
Over on Too's bench, things were exactly like Takeuchi predicted—a total mess.
"You've gotta be kidding me. A double-digit lead... gone... just like that?! Who's supposed to stay sane after that?!"
Momoi was practically pulling her hair out. Her brain felt like it was overheating.
"Triangle offense, foul-baiting, now three-point spam..."
"Why is it that every single time we play you guys, you pull out some brand-new tactic?! Are we your training dummies or what?!"
As Momoi scrambled to figure something out, a voice suddenly broke the tension.
"Fourth quarter... hold the score close. In the last five minutes... give me the ball."
Everyone on the Too bench blinked.
"Wait... who said that?"
Imayoshi cautiously turned to look at Aomine.
"Oi... did you... did you just... talk?"
Aomine's face stiffened, and he gave a tiny nod.
Imayoshi looked like he just saw a UFO.
"Did Aomine... ask us for help? Like, politely?!"
Momoi's eyes lit up with pure joy. He actually—ACTUALLY—spoke to his teammates willingly. This must be what witnessing a miracle feels like.
As Aomine noticed the increasingly weird stares from everyone, he scratched his nose awkwardly.
He's always been the lone-wolf type of ace, and even now, "asking" for help basically meant "hold the fort till I come crush everyone myself." But even that tiny step was enough to make Momoi thrilled. Aomine was... finally... acknowledging teammates existed.
Imayoshi looked like he was about to cry.
"Bro... our dictator ace finally speaks... he's not mute after all..."
Noticing how dramatic everyone was getting, Aomine's face turned red from sheer embarrassment. He snapped,
"Stop looking at me like that! I'm counting on you idiots, so just do your jobs! Keep the gap within 10 points for the final five minutes!"
"Relax, Ace. We won't let you down."
...
Fourth quarter.
The whistle blew.
Kasamatsu stood at the sideline and passed the ball to Kota. Kota received it, glanced up at Aomine—No Zone yet. Just as planned.
Kota kept a poker face, casually passed to Kise, and kept running the game at the rhythm of their three-point offense.
"Before Aomine activates the Zone... we stretch the lead. Big. As big as possible. So big, even God can't save them."
...
In the stands...
Kagami frowned,
"Why isn't Aomine attacking? Don't tell me... he gave up? No way."
Kuroko shook his head calmly,
"Aomine-kun would never give up."
Hearing this, Takao scratched his head and turned to Midorima,
"Oi, Shin-chan... any clue what Aomine's thinking?"
Midorima adjusted his glasses, and under the arena lights, they reflected sharply—right into Kagami's eyes, who nearly got blinded.
"The luckiest zodiac today is Virgo. It means even if things start bad, fortune will smile upon you in the end."
Takao nodded dramatically like it made perfect sense, while everyone else from Shutoku collectively rolled their eyes. Classic Midorima. Answered without actually answering.
...
Back on the court.
Kota glanced at the game clock.
"Six minutes left. Should be about time..."
Ever since the fourth quarter started, Aomine had completely stopped attacking. He was casually jogging around, conserving energy. Without him, Too's offense looked... well... sad.
91:80. Kaijo leads.
Aomine glanced at the scoreboard and muttered,
"...Can't wait any longer."
Imayoshi was still dribbling, looking for any gap. His mind was crystal clear—Hold the gap within 10. Give the Ace his shot to end it.
Then—
"Alright. Glasses. Ball. Now."
The voice sent chills down Imayoshi's spine. He instinctively passed the ball without thinking.
Aomine caught it. His eyes sharpened. A flash of purple lightning seemed to crackle around him.
In a blink—he blitzed through Kaijo's defense and slammed down a vicious dunk!
Kota wiped a bead of sweat.
"Faster than I expected... this dude's a monster..."
Clapping his hands, Kota shouted,
"No problem! We've still got the lead! Keep the pace slow — control the rhythm!"
He dribbled up the court, but his eyes never left Aomine.
"Can't let him get a steal..."
Kota tapped his temple with three fingers—a signal for the team to reposition.
Kasamatsu shook his defender and sprinted to the three-point line. Kota fired a perfect pass. Kasamatsu glanced—
"Aomine's the closest... but he's far enough... I can shoot this!"
He crouched, raised the ball—
WHOOSH.
A shadow zipped by.
Kasamatsu stared at his now-empty hands.
"...Huh?!"
Whipping his head around—Aomine was already airborne, throwing down another dunk.
"This..."
Kasamatsu stood frozen, ready to apologize, but Kota dashed past him, leaving only a few words:
"Don't stop!"
Kasamatsu snapped back to reality. Looking up—Kise had somehow teleported to the inbound spot.
Kise lowered his stance, sucked in a deep breath — Copy: Full-Court Pass (Kuroko).
A bullet pass zipped straight into Kota's hands.
"Damn, that pass hurts my fingers..."
Kota gritted his teeth, sprinting forward. He shot a look at Moriyama—
"It's 2-on-1. Only Imayoshi's back. Fast break time? Nah... too easy"
But behind them—
Aomine was tearing down the court like a madman.
He reached for the ball — whiffed.
Kota grinned, turning his head back to look at him.
"Oh? Looking for this?"
The ball that had been dribbling in Kota's hands was gone.
In the corner — Kasamatsu had somehow teleported there, already loading a three-pointer.
"That turnover earlier... I'm making up for it now!"
BEEEEEP.
KAIJO THREE-POINTER — GOOD!!
"Sorry, Aomine... but teamwork's kinda better than going solo, ya know? Plus... Kise told me Virgo's the luckiest zodiac today. And guess what... I'm a Virgo."
The lead stretched back to 12 points.
Four minutes left.