The air in the gymnasium was taut with tension. The heat radiating from the ten players on the floor seemed to warp the light of the fluorescent lamps. Several minutes had already passed since Kise Ryouta planted himself in front of Kageyama You. The pressure emanating from his 189-centimeter frame was like a transparent wall. Against Kise's perfect copying ability, Kageyama's Misdirection had its effect erased as thoroughly as mist burning off under the morning sun. "[sarcastic]Sorry 'bout this, Kageyacchi. I've already gotten used to the way you vanish." At Kise's words, Kageyama's handsome features twisted slightly. His jet-black hair scattered droplets of sweat with every movement. On the opposite side of the court, Kuroko Tetsuya watched the scene in silence. His pale blue eyes narrowed faintly. (Kise-kun is going this far...) When Kise played basketball seriously, the usual flippant air vanished from his face. The Kise standing there now was unmistakably one of the Generation of Miracles. Relentlessly, coldly, he shut down every single one of Kageyama's options. On Kuroko's left wrist, a blue wristband swayed gently. (Kagami-kun.) He shifted his gaze. At the center of the court, Kagami Taiga held the ball. His massive 195-centimeter frame stood impossibly still. The wild red-and-black two-toned hair seemed to tremble faintly in the heat that enveloped his entire body. Kagami's eyes were beginning to shift to gold. A sign that the Zone was about to activate. But it wasn't enough yet. Just one more push. Kuroko could see it as clearly as if it were written out before him — Kagami himself couldn't quite force that door all the way open. (He needs my pass.) Kuroko drew a deep breath. His lungs filled with the heat-laden air of the gymnasium. Deep in his chest, something pulsed with warmth. It was slightly different from his passion for basketball — something more personal. He wanted to pass to Kagami. He wanted to deliver the ball to Kagami. That, and that alone, was everything to Kuroko right now. "—Tetsuya!" Kagami's shout echoed through the gymnasium. At the same moment, Kagami launched his drive. A sharp cutback from right to left. The Kaijou player marking him was left behind with almost laughable ease. But under the goal, two other defenders had formed a wall, lying in wait. Kagami's path was completely blocked — or so it seemed. That was when it happened. Kuroko's form vanished from the defenders' field of vision. Misdirection. Complete erasure of presence. (Reach him.) The blue wristband wrapped around his left wrist flickered at the edge of his sight. Kuroko put every ounce of strength into snapping his right wrist forward. Ignite Pass. The pass tore through the air like a bullet. It flew in a straight line, drawn as if by suction toward Kagami's back. On a perfect trajectory, as if it had been there from the very beginning. Thwip. Kagami's right hand caught the ball. In that instant— Kagami's eyes turned a complete, solid gold. "UOOOOOOOOOHHH!!" A roar like a battle cry. Simultaneously, Kagami leapt, utterly undaunted by the two defenders beneath the goal. A jump as if gravity had simply ceased to exist. The ball gripped in his right hand was slammed straight into the rim. BOOOOOOM!!! The moment the dunk shot landed, the entire gymnasium fell silent. And then— "UOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!" Cheers erupted. The students who had come to watch, the team members on the bench — everyone was shouting, leaping to their feet. FWEEEEEEET!! The whistle signaling the end of the match blew. The numbers displayed on the scoreboard showed Seirin's come-from-behind victory. Hyuuga Junpei, his face bright red, yelled out. "[angry]Hold on a second! We were playing a real game too, you know!! We were doing proper defense and rebounding and—" "[laughing]Captain, the stars of this scene are those two right now." When Izuki Shun interjected with his usual calm, a burst of laughter rose from the team members. But that laughter quickly subsided. At the center of the court, Kagami Taiga stood before Kuroko Tetsuya. He was still out of breath. His shoulders heaved violently. The gold had already faded from his eyes, returning to their burning red. But his gaze was more serious than Kuroko had ever seen it — and it was trembling. "[whispers]...Tetsuya." Kagami's voice was hoarse. He tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come. His lips trembled, and deep wrinkles furrowed his brow. It was the face of someone desperately trying to hold back his emotions and failing utterly. Kuroko stood there, unresisting. Expressionless, he looked up at Kagami. A height difference of twenty-five centimeters. That distance felt unbearably frustrating right now. (What is Kagami-kun trying to say?) The moment Kuroko thought that— Kagami's arms wrapped around Kuroko's body. Tightly. So tightly. There was no gentleness in it, none of the care one might use when handling something fragile. It was as if he were desperately trying to anchor a shadow — one that might vanish at any moment — to this world. Kagami's arms circled around Kuroko's back and squeezed with all his strength. The gymnasium fell utterly silent. Everyone held their breath, frozen in place. On the court, two men were embracing. "[crying]...Don't disappear from in front of me anymore." Kagami's voice was practically a sob. "[crying]Stay by my side. Always. You're my shadow, aren't you... So why... why are you going away...? For a whole week, I kept thinking, the whole time. Without you, I... I can't play basketball right..." The trembling of his arms transmitted itself to Kuroko's back. That massive 195-centimeter frame was shaking now like a small child's. Kuroko remained unresisting. His body wouldn't move. His voice wouldn't come out. Only the warmth of Kagami's arms, the trembling, and the hoarse voice seeped into his entire being. (Kagami-kun is crying.) The moment he realized that — the space behind Kuroko's eyes grew hot. His vision blurred. Something warm traced its way down his still-expressionless cheek. One drop, then another. Large tears began to spill from Kuroko's pale blue eyes. He couldn't stop them, even if he tried. (I'm crying.) (I'm crying too.) He didn't know the reason. But he felt that was fine. Someone deep in his chest was whispering that this was what he had wanted, all along, for so long. He had wanted to be needed by Kagami. He had wanted to be by Kagami's side. That simple thing, just that, made him this happy. "[crying]...Me too." His voice was faint. "[crying]I want to stay by your side too, Kagami-kun." It was a voice that seemed about to fade away. But it reached Kagami's ears clearly. The strength in Kagami's arms increased even further. "[laughing]WHOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!" What shattered the silence was a loud wolf whistle from Kise. "[laughing]You did it!! Kagamicchi! Kurokocchi! The greatest couple is officially formed!!" At that shout, the frozen air of the gymnasium thawed all at once. "[surprised]Wha— wha— wha—!? You're doing that at club practice!? Huh!?" Hyuuga stood frozen, both hands pressed to his cheeks. "[whispers]...Look at the coach's face." Izuki murmured quietly. The team members' gazes turned in unison toward the bench. Aida Riko had frozen mid-motion, as if she had been about to stand up. Her brown, semi-long hair swayed faintly. The fingers gripping her clipboard had turned white. (Ah, I see.) Deep in Riko's chest, something dropped with a thud. (Taiga saw Tetsuya-kun that way.) She had known. Her observational eye had noticed long ago. The way Kagami's heart rate spiked every time he looked at Kuroko. The way Kuroko's body temperature rose slightly the moment he passed to Kagami. The data had told her everything. But— (But, I...) Riko bit down hard on her lip. (I, too, about Tetsuya-kun...) A sharp pain lanced through her chest. It was a strange pain — sharp, hot, and yet cold at the same time. Knowing Kuroko's devotion to being a shadow, knowing the passion he kept hidden inside, she had been drawn to him before she knew it. She had realized long ago that it was a love that would never be requited. But even so— "[gentle]...As I thought, my observational eye was accurate." Riko drew a deep breath and put on a smile. Then she rose from the bench. Her legs trembled faintly, but they no longer refused to move. She strode right up to the two of them. Kagami lifted his head awkwardly. His face, a mess of tears and sweat, looked at Riko. "[laughing]Congratulations, you two. ...Geez, nothing but idiots." Riko said it with a laugh. Then she roughly wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "[teasing]Isn't the coach crying too?" Kise pointed it out without missing a beat. "[angry]It's sweat, dammit!! Baka-se!! You shut your mouth!!" When Riko turned bright red and yelled back, another huge wave of laughter rose from the team members. (The faces they make when they're together really are wonderful.) Surrounded by laughter, Riko thought it quietly in her heart. (I noticed first, you know. But — well, I guess it's fine.) As their coach, she recalibrated her next objectives. The Inter-High, consecutive Winter Cup victories. There was a mountain of things to do. She didn't have time to waste nursing a broken heart. —Even so, maybe just tonight, it would be okay to cry a little. Without letting anyone notice, Riko wiped her eyes roughly one more time. The post-game cleanup began. Kise, his Kaijou jersey slung over his shoulder, started walking toward the gymnasium exit. He stopped abruptly, spotting Kuroko alone, pushing a mop. "[gentle]Kurokocchi." Kuroko looked up. His face was expressionless, but the area around his eyes was still slightly red. "[gentle]That's the first time I've ever seen you make a face like that." "[gentle]...Is that so." Kise approached Kuroko, not with his usual flippant grin but with an uncharacteristically serious expression. His almond-shaped hazel eyes gazed directly at Kuroko. "[serious]Take good care of him. Kagamicchi, I mean. I seriously want you to be happy, Kurokocchi. I mean it." Kuroko returned Kise's gaze for several seconds. "[gentle]...Thank you, Kise-kun. For coming, too." At those words, Kise grinned a little shyly, showing his pointed canines. But his expression quickly shifted into something more suggestive. "[serious]But this isn't the end, y'know. Next time, I get the feeling it won't be me — someone way more troublesome is gonna show up." "[surprised]...Someone troublesome?" "[sarcastic]Now, who could that be~" Saying nothing more, Kise clapped Kuroko on the shoulder and headed for the exit. On his way, he passed by Kagami, who was busy cleaning up. "[laughing]Kagamicchi, don't get too dependent on Kurokocchi, yeah~" "[angry]Shut up!! Like I wanna hear that from you!!" When Kagami swung his mop at him, Kise cackled and dashed out of the gymnasium. His blond hair dissolved glitteringly into the sunset light streaming in from outside. (A troublesome person.) Only those words snagged faintly in the depths of Kuroko's chest. —Around that time. Near the gymnasium exit. Kageyama You leaned against the wall, quietly holding a smartphone to his ear. While everyone else was caught up in the cleanup and the commotion surrounding Kagami and Kuroko, the space around him alone was quiet, as if a different flow of time existed there. His jet-black hair absorbed the cold light of the fluorescent lamps. His gray eyes, tinged with purple, stared fixedly at the two figures standing side by side at the center of the court — Kagami and Kuroko. "[cold]The operation was a failure. Kuroko-senpai chose Kagami-senpai." A low voice, stripped of emotion, was drawn into the receiver. Something was said on the other end of the line. "[cold]Yes. However—" The corner of Kageyama's mouth twisted, just barely. It was neither frustration nor jealousy. "[cold]I was able