The game was over—Kirisaki Daiichi had pulled off a comeback and ultimately defeated the tyrants of Tōō Academy by a margin of nine points.
Afterward, Tendou invited Haizaki and Aomine over. A few of the old teammates gathered at his place for a meal.
Even though they were eating at home, not one of the four could cook.
Momoi was full of enthusiasm, but she was quickly banished from the kitchen by Tendou and Aomine.
So Tendou called for takeout.
At the dinner table, there was no rule about not talking while eating. They picked a topic and chatted casually as they dug in.
"Honestly, Haizaki, I didn't expect you to pick up basketball again."
"After all, you quit the basketball team voluntarily back then."
Haizaki didn't deny it—denying it would only be more humiliating.
He didn't want anyone knowing he was actually expelled from the team by Akashi.
"But it's good that you're back. I wasn't satisfied with today's game. Let's go at it again when we meet in the tournament."
Aomine didn't like overthinking things. As far as he was concerned, the fact that Haizaki was back playing basketball meant one thing:
Guys who truly love the game aren't jerks.
His opinion of Haizaki had improved a lot.
"Has anyone ever told you you're kind of dumb?"
"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?"
Aomine hated being treated like an idiot. Sure, he flunked exams easily, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
It was one thing coming from Tendou—but Haizaki too?
"Alright, alright. No fighting. It's rare that we all get to hang out," Momoi stepped in to smooth things over. "It's enough that you're back, Haizaki."
She glanced at Tendou again. To think that even Haizaki had been pulled back into the fold—Tendou was seriously impressive!
"Let's all give it our best in the Winter Cup!"
"You guys should be cheering for yourselves first," Tendou said with a hint of meaning.
In the original timeline, Tōō finished second and earned direct qualification to the Winter Cup. No need to fight for a spot.
But this time, that automatic qualification had been stolen by Kirisaki Daiichi.
Now they had to fight Seirin and Shūtoku for a place in the main tournament.
"You guys were placed in the same group as Seirin and Shūtoku, right?"
"Damn, didn't think I'd be seeing that guy Tetsuya again so soon."
Aomine was actually looking forward to Seirin.
Besides his old teammate Kuroko Tetsuya, there was also someone else—Kagami Taiga.
He'd noticed Kagami during their first match at Nationals.
Unlike the average players who had their confidence shattered easily, Kagami remained full of fighting spirit even when trailing by a large margin.
The guy was legit. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI~Fire.net
"Don't underestimate Seirin. Their potential goes beyond your expectations."
Seirin's players held their own even against Rakuzan.
"That guy Tetsuya? Didn't Akashi say his basketball would never win?" Haizaki asked. Despite his resentment toward Akashi, he trusted Akashi's judgment.
"He can't win alone, but his team is strong. Be careful not to slip up in the Winter Cup."
"The stronger the opponent, the better!" Aomine said with fierce confidence, almost blurting out, "The only one who can beat me is me."
But with Tendou present, he managed to hold it in.
Tendou didn't say more.
After all, no one could've imagined that in just half a year, Seirin would grow so much they'd go on to defeat every single member of the Generation of Miracles.
Especially their core—Kagami Taiga. In a matter of months, he had caught up to Aomine. Some would even say surpassed him.
His rate of improvement was astonishing.
And just like that, time passed.
The Winter Cup qualifiers officially began.
Tendou didn't pay much attention to the qualifiers. Instead, he focused on running tactical drills with his teammates at Kirisaki Daiichi.
Only during breaks would he occasionally watch games through live streams or animated replays. He casually kept tabs on developments.
As expected, the results were solid.
Once the Winter Cup kicked off, Seirin, Shūtoku, and Tōō raced ahead together, easily winning each game.
It wasn't until the final round of group play that Tōō and Seirin crossed paths.
Tendou put down the basketball in his hands. He decided to head over to the stadium.
"Tendou, where are you going?"
"The match between Tōō and Seirin? We're coming too!"
The players of Kirisaki Daiichi had long grown tired of the monotonous training, enduring it only out of fear of Tendou's tyranny.
Now that the captain was finally stepping out, of course they weren't going to stay behind.
"Then let's go together."
By now, it was already late autumn. The sun was setting earlier than before.
When Tendou arrived at the gymnasium, the sun was already starting to sink. The light had turned cool, no longer warm.
They arrived just in time—both teams were finishing their warmups. The game was about to begin.
Spectators quickly noticed them.
As the reigning national champions, the players of Kirisaki Daiichi were now celebrities—especially in the Tokyo area, their home turf.
"Hey, look! That's Tendou from Kirisaki Daiichi!"
"They showed up too?"
"Well, it's a match between Tōō and Seirin—both are major rivals of Kirisaki Daiichi. It makes sense they'd come watch."
"Wait, why haven't we seen Kirisaki in the qualifiers?"
"Are you stupid? Kirisaki Daiichi are the national champions. They were directly invited to the final bracket."
"Damn, that's lucky!"
"What do you mean lucky? Even if they had to play the qualifiers, they'd get through easily."
"No, wait—don't you think one of those guys looks familiar?"
"The guy with the dreadlocks… Doesn't he look like someone we saw back in the Inter-High?"
"You remember too? I thought I was imagining things."
"Haizaki Shōgo. Rumor has it he was from Teikō, and he's insanely strong."
The crowd murmured excitedly.
Haizaki had appeared on the national stage before—though he was crushed by Akashi, his ability to dominate members of the Uncrowned Kings was undeniable.
Now that he'd joined Kirisaki Daiichi, their chances of winning the Winter Cup looked even better.
"Coach, look over there."
During warmups, the Seirin players also noticed the unexpected visitors.
Riko Aida took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the game ahead.
If they couldn't even beat Tōō, they had no right to dream of challenging Kirisaki Daiichi.
"Don't think too much. Focus on today's match."
Riko followed her player's pointing finger, and her pupils instantly contracted.
Back during Nationals, they had to fight Shūtoku for a single spot out of the group stage.
Haizaki had recently asked Tendou who would win today's game—and Tendou had said Tōō would lose, a surprising answer.
She immediately recognized Haizaki's presence and began calculating how his addition would transform Kirisaki's tactics and strength.
Her team really did get the short end of the stick.
First they had to fight Tōō for first in the group—now it felt like they were on a direct collision course with the Generation of Miracles.
But in her heart, she knew: once a team reached a certain level, continued victories meant they were destined to face the Generation of Miracles. It was inevitable.
"You really think Seirin can win? Tōō has Aomine, you know."