When Kuroko arrived the next morning, Kise was talking with Kasamatsu in a corner of the gym. Kuroko paused on his way to the locker room to observe. Even though Kise was bowing from the waist, Kasamatsu was still scowling. Kuroko resumed his steps.

At the door to the locker room, he passed Kobori. "Good morning, Kobori-senpai," Kuroko said.

Kobori started, but then he located Kuroko and smiled. "Good morning! I'm glad I didn't overlook you in the locker room after all. I was just looking for you. Here."

Kuroko stared down at the jersey in Kobori's hands, and then looked up at Kobori. "Senpai, am I..."

"Nakamura's starting, but we wanted you on the bench," Kobori said. He flicked a glance towards the gym where Kasamatsu and Kise were. "The way things are going, we'll definitely need you."

Kuroko looked down at the jersey again. Fifteen, the same number he had at Teikou. He wondered whether it was coincidence or intentional. "I'll do my best, but if you'll excuse my presumption, we'll need Kise-kun."

"Oh, I agree." Kobori laid a hand on Kuroko's shoulder. "That was a very heartfelt apology he gave me this morning. You really do get the feeling he says exactly what he's thinking in his heart. It's nice to know guys like that, isn't it?" Kobori looked down and smiled at Kuroko. "I don't think I speak for just myself when I say that both of you make wonderful additions to Kaijou."

Kuroko's hand gripped the jersey tightly. "Thank you, Kobori-senpai."

Kobori patted Kuroko's shoulder again, and then he let go, walking towards Kise and Kasamatsu. Kuroko went into the locker room, his jersey carefully cradled against his chest.

Two minutes later, as Kuroko was tucking his bag into the bottom of his locker, Kise walked in, shoulders slumped. "It's no good," Kise said with a sigh, sitting heavily on the bench. "Kasamatsu-senpai won't let me start anyway, even though I apologized so many times I lost count."

"That's too bad, Kise-kun." Kuroko pulled his shirt off and shook out the jersey.

Kise straightened, his mouth dropping. "Kurokocchi! You made it!" His face broke into a wide grin, and then he slumped again. "Now I really wish I was playing today."

Kuroko thought about Kobori's words. "Put your jersey on anyway," he said. "You can still be the best bench ace Kaijou will ever have."

"Every time I think you're going to be nice to me, you say something mean," Kise muttered, but he pulled his locker open and retrieved his jersey too.

As Kuroko pulled the matching shorts on, his phone buzzed. He reached down into his bag to retrieve the phone. "Oh, it's Momoi-san."

"What, are they here already?" Kise hurriedly changed. "Come on, Kurokocchi, hurry up!"

Kuroko eyed the non-regulation pants Kise was still wearing. "Unlike someone else, I have my full uniform on already."

"Don't underestimate how quickly a model can change," Kise said, already half out of his pants. "Come on, maybe we can greet them at the gates!"

Kuroko shook his head. "I'm going to the gym. We need to gather there."

"Suit yourself," Kise said, dressed and heading out the door. "I'm not playing, anyway, right? I'll show them where the gym is."

Momoi knew how to get to the gym, Kuroko thought but did not say. He put his phone away as he listened to the sound of Kise's footsteps echoing down the hall. Besides, now that Kise had run off, it fell to Kuroko to tell Coach that their opponents had arrived.

"Tetsu-kun? We're here!"

Kuroko looked up at Momoi's cheerful greeting. Momoi was the first Touou member through the doors, but she was closely followed by a crowd of large black-clad basketball players. Aomine ambled in, trailing behind the rest of Touou, Kise chattering away next to him. As the coaches greeted each other, Kasamatsu straightened to face a tall player in glasses. "Imayoshi," Kasamatsu said, a spark in his eyes.

"Kasamatsu," Imayoshi replied, eyes hidden behind glasses and a smile as practiced as Kasamatsu's. "Thanks for the practice match. When Momoi-chan suggested it, our Aomine practically begged to come. It's hard not to be curious about an opponent that can get him so excited."

"Who begged?" Aomine said, glaring at Imayoshi. "I certainly didn't."

"Oh?" Imayoshi raised one eyebrow. "Paying attention and listening to instructions counts as positively fawning when it's you." Imayoshi's lips moved into an imitation of a feral smile, and he turned back towards Kasamatsu. "We're expecting great things from Kaijou."

"Likewise," Kasamatsu said, shaking Imayoshi's hand. "Let's have a good game." The captains nodded at each other and backed away, both turning their backs at the same time.

Kuroko and Momoi walked up to Aomine and Kise. Aomine snorted and shook his head. "Who'd have thought you'd both end up on the same team? Is Kise your idea of my replacement, Tetsu? If you wanted a light so bad, why didn't you just come to Touou?"

"Kaijou scouted me and Touou didn't," Kuroko said.

"What, was this your idea?" Aomine asked Kise.

"I didn't know until Momoicchi told me!"

"Whatever," Aomine said, raising an eyebrow. "I guess I should be thankful. This will make it more fun to beat you."

"We won't lose to you," Kise said as "Right, Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko nodded. Momoi beamed at him.

"You've never won against me before." Aomine grinned. "Don't get cocky just because Tetsu's on your team. Tetsu's got his own way of doing things, but we all know he's no match for you or me." He shifted his weight, turning towards the side of the court where the rest of Touou was gathering. "Hurry up and get on the court so we can start this."

Kise's gaze shifted to Kasamatsu, and then to Momoi, Kuroko, and Aomine. "Oh, yeah... I'm not starting," he said.

Aomine whipped back around again. "What!?"

"We'll beat you even without me," Kise said, attempting the Sunshine Sparkle Smile and not quite making it.

Aomine's jaw dropped. "Satsuki! You never said anything about Kise not playing!"

"What happened, Ki-chan?" Momoi said, her face a mask of concern as she scanned Kise visually.

"Oh, no, no, I'm not injured, don't worry," Kise said hurriedly, backing away as if that would keep Momoi from scrutinizing him like that.

"Kise-kun's being punished," Kuroko said to Momoi.

Aomine snorted. "His punishment can start tomorrow. Unless Kaijou's looking for a whipping?"

Kise set his jaw. "Like I said, we won't lose to you, Aominecchi. Sorry, Momoicchi. Kurokocchi's not starting either. You're going to have to make them put us in!"

"This is a joke, right?" Aomine said, looking at Momoi. "And here I am without a magazine... we passed a convenience store on the way, I'm heading there."

"No, you're not," Momoi said, grabbing Aomine's jersey.

"What the hell, Satsuki?" Aomine turned on her as he shook her grip off. "They're both going to be sitting on the bench instead of being on the court! If Kise's not playing, I might as well have stayed at home and napped. Man, we came all this way for nothing. What the hell is Kaijou thinking?"

"Ouch!" Kise cried out suddenly, dropping into a crouch as he cradled his head.

Kuroko turned to see Kasamatsu, who scowled down at Kise before transferring his glare to Kuroko and the others. "That's for ignoring me," Kasamatsu said. "The next time I tell you to gather around, gather around."

"Why did you hit me and only me?" Kise gave Kasamatsu an injured look. "Besides, how could I ignore you if I didn't hear you? Kurokocchi, why didn't you say something?"

Kuroko hadn't heard anything either, but he wasn't going to gainsay Kasamatsu when Kasamatsu was wearing that expression. He nodded at Kasamatsu, keeping his face neutral, and slipped towards the rest of the club. Kise whimpered as Kasamatsu reached a hand out to him, and then blinked confusedly as Kasamatsu just held it there.

"Hurry up," Kasamatsu said to him. To Aomine and Momoi, he said, "You two should get back to your team. We're starting now."

Aomine glanced at Kise on the floor, back at Kasamatsu, and then smirked. "Yes, senpai," he said, laying more emphasis than necessary on the honorific. "Come on, Satsuki."

Kise whimpered once more, and then reached for Kasamatsu's hand. Kasamatsu pulled him up with a heave, and they headed towards the clump of Kaijou players. Kuroko watched as Aomine sat on the bench sulkily. The Touou coach addressed Aomine as Momoi wrung her hands, but then Kasamatsu called for the club's attention, and Kuroko turned back to his team.

Somehow, the combined efforts of Touou's coach, Imayoshi, and Momoi had managed to persuade Aomine onto the court. Kise managed to get a seat next to Kuroko as the starters for both teams lined up. Aomine eyed Kaijou's starting regulars, cast a look at Kise (and Kuroko) on the bench, and then yawned and stretched. "I'm bored already," he muttered.

Standing next to Aomine, a scared-looking player who looked as if he'd much rather not be on the court turned and began ducking his head in apology. "I'm sorry you're bored!"

"As always, it's not your fault, Sakurai," Touou's #7 said. "Don't worry about it."

Sakurai's eyes widened, and he bobbed his head down. "Sorry, Susa-senpai!"

The tall blond player on Aomine's other side scowled. "I don't care if you're bored. Just shut up and play," he said to Aomine.

Sakurai cowered. "I'm sorry!" he cried.

"Not you, Sakurai," the blond growled.

"I'm sorry I apologized!"

"Leave them be, Wakamatsu," Imayoshi said as the blond player's scowl grew to encompass both Aomine and Sakurai. "It's time for the tip-off."

Wakamatsu faced Kobori with a glower. Kobori smiled at him, eyes narrowing. The whistle blew, and they both leapt into the air, arms stretched up for the ball.

Kobori had the edge; he tipped the ball back towards Kasamatsu, who grabbed it. "Time to greet our guests!" Kasamatsu shouted. "Let's go score first!"

Moriyama, Hayakawa, and Nakamura were already running towards Touou's side of the court. Kasamatsu made as if to pass, but pulled short. Imayoshi gave Kasamatsu a pleasant smile as he guarded Kasamatsu closely, arms stretched wide. Kasamatsu feinted to the left. Imayoshi moved slightly to the left, and then doubled back as Kasamatsu seemed to pause-but Kasamatsu continued moving left.

"Ah, that was nice," Imayoshi said as Kasamatsu lobbed the ball towards Moriyama. "A nationally-ranked player is something else! Unfortunately, there goes Aomine."

Moriyama stepped into the pass, but Aomine was quicker, leaping for it. Aomine landed in front of Moriyama, who immediately shifted into a guarding stance. Aomine dribbled lazily, staying in place, waiting as Hayakawa and Nakamura approached.

"Dear me," Imayoshi said to Kasamatsu. "Three on one against a freshman? You guys sure don't give an inch."

"My mistake, I wasn't aware you wanted one," Kasamatsu replied.

Aomine rolled his eyes as the three Kaijou players surrounded him. "Tch, you took forever getting here. I'm getting old just waiting for you." He crouched, and then exploded into movement, weaving around Moriyama, ducking behind Nakamura as Hayakawa ran forward. As Hayakawa swerved to avoid colliding with Nakamura, Aomine burst towards Kaijou's court. Kobori planted his feet firmly in Aomine's path. Aomine turned, gracefully dodging, reaching up towards the basket-

-and collided with Kasamatsu in the paint right behind Kobori. The ball rolled away as the whistle blew. "Charging," the referee called.

"NICE GUTS, CAPTAIN," Hayakawa cried.

"Shut up, Hayakawa," Kasamatsu shouted back.

Aomine smirked at Kasamatsu on the floor. "Nice work, senpai," he said, reaching a hand out.

Kasamatsu grabbed the hand Aomine extended to him and pulled himself up, not going easy on the weight. "What kind of attitude is that from a first year who knocks a senpai down on the court?" he said, scowling at Aomine. Aomine raised an eyebrow, and Kasamatsu turned away, calling for the free throw.

Thirty seconds into the game, Aomine had scored twice despite Kaijou's best efforts. Kuroko could feel the bench shaking as beside him, Kise vibrated, jiggling his feet to warm up. Kuroko glanced at Kise's face, but Kise was focused on the court, his gaze following the players. Kuroko turned his attention back to the game just as Kasamatsu stole the ball from Imayoshi and broke away.

"That's quite enough of this," Kasamatsu said, making a three-point jump shot. 4-4.

"Yes!" Kise cried along with most of the other Kaijou club members. Kuroko silently echoed them.

Sakurai threw the ball in for Touou, and Aomine prepared himself for another drive. Imayoshi and Kasamatsu kept one eye on each other as they moved to control the middle of the court. Moriyama and Kobori shifted into Aomine's path, but so did Wakamatsu and Sakurai.

"You'(r)e not getting away again!" Hayakawa yelled, running towards Aomine, Susa hot on his tail. Nakamura approached Aomine too, arms outstretched to limit Aomine's range of movement.

Aomine yawned. "This is getting old," he said, tossing the ball backwards into Sakurai's hands without even turning. "Here, Ryou, you can have this for a while."

"I- Yes," Sakurai said, gripping the ball tightly, looking as if he was going to throw up. Hayakawa changed directions and headed for Sakurai, Susa still following him. As Hayakawa approached, Sakurai aimed and fired in the span of two steps, shouting an apology as he did so.

It wasn't going to go in; that much was clear from the ball's trajectory, but Kuroko could tell it wasn't meant to. The ball arced overhead, traveling most of the way down the court, Aomine running it down, Nakamura and Moriyama in pursuit but too far away to do any good. Aomine reached out, fondled the ball (there was no other way for Kuroko to describe it), and then guided it into the basket. The ball went through so quietly Kuroko could barely hear the swish. 6-4.

Nakamura grabbed the ball and stepped out. "Captain!" he shouted.

Kasamatsu received the throw-in, racing down the side, cutting by Susa. He passed to Moriyama, positioned perfectly right outside the three-point line, but then Sakurai was there, and so was Wakamatsu. Moriyama dribbled, pushed back. Kuroko watched as Hayakawa roared and ran down one side of the court and Nakamura silently ran down the other.

Susa cornered Hayakawa. Moriyama passed to Nakamura, but Imayoshi intercepted the pass. "Sorry to disappoint you," he said pleasantly to Nakamura as he turned and passed the ball to Aomine. Kobori tried to cut off the pass, but Aomine sidestepped, slid towards the ball, and cut Kobori off instead. Aomine turned to shoot. Kobori leapt in front of Aomine, shoulders wide, arms pressing into Aomine's shooting path.

Aomine aborted his shot mid-movement, fingers curling around the ball as he pivoted, bringing the ball from high up to down below. His back to the goal, Aomine released the ball from underneath in a one-handed underhand shot. 8-4.

"Good effort, Kobori," Kasamatsu said. He clapped Kobori on the back. "Don't let it get to you. We're holding them down well. Send it to the others if you can."

Kobori nodded, stepping out for the throw-in. He passed to Hayakawa. "It's my turn to shine! KAIJOUUUUU!" Hayakawa shouted, driving down the court.

"NOT WHILE YOU'RE FACING TOUOU!" Wakamatsu shouted back, cutting in front of Hayakawa.

Hayakawa pulled up, took a step back, and turned towards Kobori. Wakamatsu lunged, arms reaching out to cut off a pass-Hayakawa dashed past Wakamatsu, whose center of gravity was too far out to turn back.

From beside Kuroko, Kise cheered. "Go, Hayakawa-senpai!"

Hayakawa dashed into the paint. "WATCH ME, KISEEEEEE!"

Imayoshi and Sakurai darted in, Imayoshi successfully cutting off Hayakawa's approach. Hayakawa smoothly threw the ball backwards to where Moriyama was waiting. Moriyama jumped, arms moving up to shoot, releasing the ball smoothly-

-Aomine jumped, blocking the shot. One dribble, and he was gone, weaving past Hayakawa and Moriyama, past Nakamura and Kobori. He paused in front of Kasamatsu just inside the three-point line, lifted the ball, and shot. Kasamatsu jumped, but the arc was too high. 10-4.

The game continued. Kaijou was fending off the rest of Touou well, putting up a good fight even in the face of Aomine's plays, but Touou was cutting off Kaijou's passes presciently. Perhaps too presciently, considering that in Kuroko's opinion everyone else on the court-with the exception of Aomine-was evenly matched. Kuroko glanced at the Touou bench, where Momoi was smiling, a clipboard hugged to her chest. That reminded Kuroko; the starters were all upperclassmen, and knowing Momoi, she would have been able to find at least a full year's data on most of them; two years in the case of the three seniors.

When Imayoshi shot a three-pointer to make the score 21-4, Kise stood up. "I can't stand this," Kise muttered, heading towards Coach Takeuchi. Kuroko watched as Kise pleaded to be let on the court. "Coach, please, they need a change!"

Coach Takeuchi nodded and stood, signaling to the referee. "Player substitution for Kaijou," he said. Kise bounced on his heels, running to the sideline, lifting his hand to signal. "Not you," Coach Takeuchi said. "Kuroko, take Nakamura's place."

Kise's arm dropped to his side. Kuroko stood, glad he had already put on his wristbands. "Yes, sir."

On the court, Aomine flashed a smile full of white teeth. "Don't use up all your stamina too quickly, Tetsu," he said as he glanced at Kise. "We still have to get Kise on the court. It shouldn't take more than another minute, at most."

"Kurokocchi," Kise whined as Kuroko raised his arm.

Kuroko glanced out onto the court and met Aomine's eyes. "Please sit back down, Kise-kun," Kuroko said.

Nakamura's face was a sea of frustration as he jogged off the court. Kuroko nodded to Nakamura as they high-fived, and then stepped across the sideline and turned towards Aomine. "It's been a while, Aomine-kun."

Aomine's grin sharpened. "I hope you haven't gotten rusty. Kise's not the only one I've been hoping to play against. It'll be interesting to see how your new light compares to your old, won't it?"

"As much as Kise-kun would like to play, I don't mind disappointing him, and there are others on the court, Aomine-kun."

"Yeah, yeah," Aomine said, one hand on his hip, lips curling as he smirked down at Kuroko. "Reliable senpai and all that. Their lights aren't even a flicker. To even have a hope of beating me, you're going to need Kise. Even then, you're not going to win, but if it's you and Kise, it'll at least be interesting."

Kuroko narrowed his eyes. "We'll see, Aomine-kun."

Play resumed with the ball in Imayoshi's hands. He turned, passing to Susa-

-Kuroko stepped in, cutting off the pass. He whirled, lobbing the ball overhead. The pass landed in Moriyama's hands; Moriyama jumped and shot while Sakurai was caught off-balance, reducing the point deficit by three. Wakamatsu grabbed the ball, tossing it to Sakurai, but Kasamatsu intercepted the pass, side-stepped outside the three-point line, and sunk another basket before anyone could stop him.

The score was now 21-9. Amidst the cheers of the rest of the club, Kuroko could hear Kise shouting, "You show them, Kurokocchi!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kuroko noticed Kasamatsu trying to keep in between Susa and Imayoshi as Susa juked to the right and moved to the left to shake him off. Kuroko slipped towards the open right quietly.

Imayoshi tut-tutted from where he stood just outside the court. "Here," he said, throwing the ball into the court, directly at Kuroko.

Kuroko grabbed the ball and pivoted. He just managed to avoid giving Imayoshi a sharp glance. Phantoms were successful because they were unobtrusive; by giving the ball to Kuroko, Imayoshi had made Kuroko the center of attention, effectively unveiling him, and if Kuroko didn't pass soon, someone would probably attempt to steal from Kuroko (and succeed.) Hayakawa was nearby, but Wakamatsu was too close. Moriyama and Sakurai were still jockeying for position. Kuroko sensed movement, glanced, and saw Kasamatsu racing down the side. He aimed towards where Kasamatsu would be in two steps-

-but Aomine was there in one. "I've been waiting for you to show me something good, but you're still the same as you were in middle school," Aomine said, intercepting the ball and tossing it behind him with the briefest of backwards glances. The ball swished through the net. 23-9.

Aomine turned to Kasamatsu. "I'm bored, and I'm getting impatient. I suggest you tell Kise to get out here now, if you please, senpai."

Kasamatsu lifted his chin. "With this kind of point difference? You have a very high opinion of yourself, first-year brat."

Aomine raised both his eyebrows. "Oh, is that what it'll take?"

As the whistle blew and they filed off the court for the first break, the scoreboard read 34-15. Kise paced restlessly behind Coach Takeuchi. He gave the upperclassmen-especially Kasamatsu-a pleading glance. "Senpai," he said, not quite begging, but very close.

Kuroko dropped his weight on the bench and guzzled the contents of his bottle. Over the sounds of his team-mates' tired sighs and conversation, he could hear Aomine say, "You guys don't need me. I'll just take a nap right here. Wake me when they decide Kise's playing."

"Stop whining," Momoi said, smacking him with her clipboard.

"Can it, Satsuki. It's boring and I don't feel like playing any more!"

"Now now, Aomine-kun," Imayoshi said in a voice clearly meant to carry. "You need to learn some manners. When someone hands you a gift, you don't complain, you accept it gracefully and thank them for it."

With his back to the Touou benches, Kasamatsu clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and then let his breath out. Kuroko mentally counted up slowly; before he got to ten, Kasamatsu said, "Their ace had his chance. It's time for our ace to return the favor."

As they assembled for Kasamatsu's instructions before the second quarter, Kise stood beside Kuroko, still bouncing on his heels. His expression was serious, and there wasn't a hint of a smile on his normally sunny face. Kise looked down, noticing Kuroko's scrutiny. "What is it, Kurokocchi?"

"With this score, we'll need to be serious from the beginning," Kuroko said.

"I know." Kise glanced over at the Touou benches, where Aomine had just noticed Kise and was standing up with a huge grin on his face.

Kasamatsu cleared his throat obviously. Both Kise and Kuroko turned their full attention on him, which earned them a nod. Kasamatsu met each of their eyes in turn, and made sure to include those on the bench as well. "This time we're not holding anything back," he said, nodding at Kise. "We still haven't welcomed our guests properly, and that's not the way we do things around here, is it?"

Moriyama was looking at Touou's bench, a dreamy expression on his face. "Got it. I'll make sure to sink a few spectacular three-pointers for Momoi-san's sake!"

"DO YOU WANT ME TO SWITCH YOU OUT!?" Kasamatsu yelled at him.

"Good luck, Moriyama-senpai," Kise said with a laugh. His eyes sharpened as he gazed over at Touou. "Leave Aominecchi to me."

Kuroko jabbed a finger in Kise's side. Kise winced, doubling as he pulled away from Kuroko. "What was that for?"

"You're not the only one on the court," Kuroko reminded him.

"I remember, I remember!" Kise straightened, rubbing his side as he looked over at Aomine again. "It's just, Aominecchi's not the only one on the court too. Kurokocchi and the rest of the team will have to deal with the others, though; I don't think I can take my focus off Aominecchi today."

Kuroko looked up as Kasamatsu laid a quelling hand on Kuroko's shoulder. "Do what you have to," Kasamatsu said to Kise. Kuroko felt Kasamatsu squeeze his shoulder. He met Kasamatsu's eyes. "We're here to support our ace," Kasamatsu said, looking straight at Kuroko. "Right?"

Kuroko nodded.

Aomine gave them a feral grin as Kaijou's players returned to the court. "Finally I can play some basketball," he said.

"I'm not going to lose today, Aominecchi," Kise said, the glint in his eyes matching Aomine's. Then Kise glanced down at Kuroko and added, "Kurokocchi and I are going to beat you."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Teamwork suits Tetsu; he's too weak to hold his own. You and I, though... other people would only slow us down. Don't you dare hold back on me."

"Remember you said that when we win," Kise said.

Aomine snorted. "I'm looking forward to that," he said dismissively. "I'm sure it'll happen some day."

Kuroko said, "Today, Aomine-kun."

Both Kise and Aomine looked at Kuroko. Aomine shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Say that when you beat me."

Despite an earth-shattering roar from Wakamatsu, Kobori won the tip-off. Kasamatsu grabbed it and passed to Kise. "Show them a Kaijou greeting, Kise!"

Kise received the ball gracefully and dribbled down the court. He stopped short as Aomine darted in front of him. Aomine crouched, guarding Kise closely. Kuroko held his breath with the rest of the spectators. Both Aomine and Kise tensed at the same time. Kise dashed forward and to the right, sliding past Aomine's left.

"He did it!" someone in the spectators shouted.

Aomine turned smoothly, jabbing at the ball; it bounced away from Kise towards Sakurai.

"It's a steal!" someone else shouted.

Kuroko darted in front of Sakurai and tapped the ball, diverting it towards Moriyama at the last moment. Moriyama made the three-point jump shot despite Wakamatsu lunging towards him. 34-18.

"First points!" Hayakawa shouted.

Wakamatsu growled at him. "You're still almost twenty points behind," he snarled. "Besides, just shut up already, you're way too loud!"

Kuroko watched Imayoshi and Kasamatsu glance at each other and raise an eyebrow simultaneously before shaking their heads.

Susa threw the ball in, and Wakamatsu grabbed it. Kuroko wasn't the only player who gave chase as both Susa and Wakamatsu drove the ball towards Kaijou's goal. Wakamatsu aimed as if to shoot, but Kobori blocked off the path to the goal. Wakamatsu glanced around and passed it to Sakurai, a clean bounce on the opposite side of the court and too far away for Kuroko to intercept.

Sakurai grabbed the ball, transitioning into a shooting stance. "Excuse me!"

Moriyama jumped, arms outstretched, blocking the path, but it was too late; Sakurai had already released the shot. 37-18.

The ball swished through the net and bounced off Hayakawa's head. Hayakawa grabbed it, stepped out, and threw with all his might. "KISEEEEE!"

Kise received the ball at mid-court but barely had a chance to dribble as Aomine immediately guarded him. Kise transitioned into Sakurai's shooting stance, releasing the ball.

"Still copying others, I see," Aomine said, jumping higher than Moriyama had. His fingers touched the ball.

"REBOUND!" Kasamatsu shouted.

Kobori, Wakamatsu, Hayakawa and Susa were already under the goal. All four of them jumped, their arms tangling in front of the basket. The ball bounced off the backboard and hit the rim, ricocheting into someone's hand-Kuroko couldn't tell whose. Whoever it was, they tipped the ball into the net. 37-20.

"NICE, KOBORI-SENPAI!" Hayakawa shouted. Kobori gave Hayakawa a thumbs-up.

Susa stepped out for the throw-in; Kuroko diverted it to Kise. Aomine was there again in an instant, guarding Kise closely. Both Aomine and Kise locked gazes. Kise glanced away to the left. Aomine lunged for the ball as Kise turned; the Kaijou spectators groaned as Aomine broke away with the ball. Kise ran after Aomine, both of them outpacing the other players in just a couple of steps. At the three-point line, Aomine side-stepped and shot. Kise's outstretched arm swiped through empty air; the ball went into the basket. 40-20.

Kuroko was waiting under the basket. Kasamatsu and Moriyama began running back towards Touou's goal; Kuroko grabbed the ball, stepped out, and threw an underhanded pass as far as he could.

Eyes on the ball, Imayoshi and Kasamatsu jockeyed for position. Imayoshi reached up and over Kasamatsu, using his height to intercept the ball. He brought it down and dribbled once; Kasamatsu speared the ball away and burst towards Touou's goal. One step, two-Imayoshi swiped at the ball, but Kasamatsu stepped back in a fadeaway and shot. 40-23.

"Don't stop, keep attacking!" Kasamatsu shouted. "We won't let them score, so just keep going!"

Kise ran up, a huge smile on his face. "Senpai, that was amazing!"

"You!" Kasamatsu punched Kise's shoulder. "After begging to be put in, this is all you do? Stop letting Aomine beat you up!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry!" Kise wailed, putting on a burst of speed to get out of Kasamatsu's reach. Kuroko suppressed a smile before it could break free.

Kaijou's players spread out; Kuroko guarded Susa as Wakamatsu threw the ball towards Imayoshi. Susa ran forward; Imayoshi passed. Kuroko had been waiting for this; from behind Susa, he reached in between Susa's arm and body, pushing the ball towards Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu dribbled down the court, Aomine and Kise in hot pursuit. Hayakawa was already waiting beneath the basket. Kasamatsu prepared to shoot; Aomine loomed before him. Kasamatsu smirked at Aomine, completing his shot-backwards towards Kise. Aomine burst into a blur of speed, shot past Kasamatsu, and grabbed the ball as it left Kasamatsu's fingers. He didn't stop, continuing down towards Kaijou's goal. Kise stepped into Aomine's path. Aomine didn't pause; he side-stepped and kept running-

-straight into Kuroko. Kuroko landed with a painful wince as the whistle blew.

Aomine laughed. "Fool me twice, shame on me," he said as he pulled Kuroko up with a glance at Kasamatsu. "Is Kise's copying rubbing off on you, Tetsu?"

Kuroko ignored the comment, letting go of Aomine's hand as soon as he was up. Kasamatsu nodded at Kuroko. As Kuroko bounced the ball, standing at the free-throw line, he noted Hayakawa and Kobori's positions under the basket. He took careful aim and shot.

He was disappointed when it hit the rim and tipped outside.

"(R)EBOUND!"

Hayakawa grabbed the ball, beating out Wakamatsu. He tried for a shot, but Wakamatsu blocked it and sent the ball towards Imayoshi. Imayoshi grabbed the ball, surveyed the court, and sent the ball flying down the court with a long pass. Kuroko was already running, but the ball was just out of reach above him even as he jumped with all his might. In front of him, Susa grabbed the ball from well above Kuroko's reach, turned, and shot.

Kise jumped, blocking the shot like Wakamatsu. The ball bounced into Moriyama's hands. Moriyama turned and passed backwards-

-Aomine grabbed the ball mid-air and shot it into the goal without landing first. 42-23.

As the others ran back down the court following Moriyama's throw-in, Kuroko hung back, trying to catch his breath. He looked up as Aomine paused beside him.

Aomine glanced at Kise's back. "You shouldn't have come here, Tetsu," he said, eyes narrowing. "You've ruined him."

Before Kuroko could find a response to that, Aomine jogged down the court.