"What the hell... why is this guy like this?"
Tsugawa looked at Kuroko in disbelief.
Kuroko noticed his stare and turned his head.
"Is something on my face?" he asked calmly.
Tsugawa tried to piece together what had just happened.
Iwamura was dribbling at the top of the key when suddenly someone shot out and stole the ball.
When Tsugawa passed to a teammate, the ball's trajectory was somehow redirected mid-air.
And during defense, even when all the passing lanes were cut off, the ball still found its way—like it teleported to another player.
In broad daylight, the bald guy felt like he was seeing ghosts.
102–100.
One minute left. Seirin was down by two.
In the stands, Kota raised his eyebrows.
"Now that players were tired and losing focus, was Kuroko becoming more effective?"
Momoi noticed Kota's thoughts and explained:
"Tetsu's skills depend a lot on how much attention the opponent gives him."
Kota looked at her, intrigued and wanting to hear more.
But Momoi gave a sly smile.
"Wanna know all of Tetsu's secrets? Beg me. Go ahead, beg, and I might tell."
Kota rolled his eyes.
"Nice try. You sound like you've been spending too much time with people who don't shower after games."
Momoi, unable to hold back, puffed her cheeks.
It's annoying to stop a conversation halfway — for the speaker too, especially someone as lively as Momoi.
She pouted and snapped:
"Alright, alright! For example, at the start of a game, Tetsu's misdirection level is like a 10. By the second quarter? It's down to 5. That's why he can't play the full game—physically, he's average. Without his misdirection, he's not even above benchwarmers."
Kise blinked.
"Wow, Momocchi, you really did your homework on Kurokocchi, huh?"
Momoi stuck out her tongue and glanced at Kota.
"And not just that. If there's someone on the team with a huge presence, they'll attract all the attention, making it even easier for Tetsu to go unnoticed. And by the fourth quarter, when everyone's gassed and unfocused—his impact skyrockets."
Kota nodded slowly.
During that previous scrimmage, he'd only noticed Kuroko at the end—and it made sense now. Kuroko had played all four quarters and finally got spotted when he was most vulnerable. Everything Momoi said lined up with his own theory.
Kise was impressed.
"I always knew Kurokocchi could slip past people with misdirection, but I didn't realize there was this much science to it!"
Kota tilted his chin toward the court.
"After all this time, they must've figured it out. It's the final minute. If they can't shut him down, it's game over."
Sure enough, as Kota said, Tsugawa finally realized what was wrong. The game had gone off the rails the moment that deadpan Seirin kid subbed in.
He started tracking Kuroko carefully and finally managed to block his path once during a fast break.
You had to admit— Tsugawa had talent. After just a few minutes against Kuroko, he was already starting to catch on.
Kuroko's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the scrimmage against Kaijo. Same scenario — final moments, misdirection failing, game lost.
Not this time. I won't let it happen again.
Kuroko weaved around Tsugawa and rushed over to Hyuga, who was now Seirin's strongest presence with Kagami off the court.
Hyuga had hit several clutch threes and was getting serious attention from the defense.
Tsugawa stayed glued to Kuroko. As they passed Hyuga, he instinctively glanced at him—just a split second.
But when he turned back to check on Kuroko—
Poof. Gone.
"Wait—he was just here?!"
While Tsugawa was stunned, Izuki sent a pass to an empty corner.
At the same time, Hyuga sprinted toward the baseline, clearly setting up for a three.
Tsugawa reacted instantly.
"Cover him! He's gonna shoot a three!"
Everyone from their team rushed to wall off Hyuga. No way they'd let him be the hero.
Even surrounded by defenders, Hyuga smirked.
Kuroko had already read the whole play.
Hyuga was locked down. The paint had space, sure—but going to overtime wasn't an option.
If this went on any longer, Kuroko's misdirection would lose its effect.
Only one play left.
Kuroko took a deep breath and slapped the ball across the court—Right into Izuki's hands at the opposite corner.
Just a moment ago, Izuki had passed it to Kuroko. With his Eagle Eye, he'd seen through the entire defense. They were focused on stopping Hyuga. So, while everyone chased the obvious threat, Izuki sprinted to the other side.
"Plenty of space. Alright… I've been practicing my threes too."
He calmly adjusted his grip on the ball. Nobody even noticed him. Every defender was looking for either Kuroko or Hyuga.
Perfect.
Dip low. Raise arms. Jump. Release.
It was textbook.
Swish.
103–102. Seirin takes the lead!
The Seirin bench exploded. Kagami literally jumped on a teammate's shoulders, screaming like a lunatic.
Riko didn't celebrate. She shouted from the sideline:
"Defense! It's not over! Ten seconds left!"
Snapped out of his joy, Izuki realized — yeah. Game's not done.
Hyuga sprinted to cover Tsugawa. Izuki glued himself to the Iwamura. Seirin had switched to full man-to-man for the final possession.
"Dang it! Time's running out—someone get open!"
The inbounder was sweating bullets trying to find someone.Suddenly, he saw the bald guy break free.He threw the pass immediately.
Tsugawa grinned. One coast-to-coast fast break. Buzzer-beating hero shot. Today was his moment.
Then the ball… stopped midair.
"Huh? Why's it not moving?"
The smile froze on his face.
He suddenly remembered—There was still one guy on Seirin who hadn't appeared yet in this last play.
Kuroko had been waiting in the passing lane. Reading the inbounder's desperation, he made the decisive steal.
He glanced at the clock. Then casually dribbled toward the sideline.
BZZZT—
Game over.
103–102. Seirin wins.
"Man, Kurokocchi never lets us down"
Kise boasted proudly.
Momoi shot him down instantly.
"Didn't someone just say Aquariuses had the worst luck today?"
Kise's face stiffened.
"Hey! That's not fair—talk like that is usually Kota's thing, not yours!"
Momoi stuck her tongue out at him.
Kota looked at the bickering duo and sighed.
"Enough clowning around. Shutoku vs. Seirin is next. So… who do you think's gonna win?"