The ball hung in the air, spinning gracefully as it arced toward the basket. The gym was dead silent—everyone's eyes locked on the final shot.
Souta's heartbeat thundered in his ears. Please go in…
The ball kissed the rim—
Bounces once.
Bounces twice.
And then…
Swish!
The net rippled as the ball fell through.
Tie game. 43-43.
For a moment, everything was still. Then, the second-string players erupted in cheers.
Souta exhaled sharply, his body trembling from exhaustion. He'd done it. He had pushed back against the first string.
But—
"Tch. Game's not over yet."
Aomine snatched the ball from under the net and bolted down the court.
No Time to Celebrate
The scoreboard read three seconds left.
For most teams, that was too little time to get a good shot off.
But this wasn't just any team.
This was Teikou's first string.
Aomine moved like lightning. He crossed half-court in a heartbeat, defenders struggling to react.
"No way, he's going for it!?" Souta's body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to sprint after him.
With a powerful leap, Aomine soared past the three-point line, fading backward mid-air.
Souta barely managed to lunge, arm outstretched—
But Aomine had already released the shot.
The buzzer blared.
The ball sailed toward the basket.
And then—
Clank!
Missed.
It bounced off the rim as time expired.
Aftermath
Souta collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. His entire body ached, but a rush of adrenaline kept him alert.
"That was… insane," he muttered.
Kuroko offered a hand. Souta took it, pulling himself up.
The final score stood:
43-43. A draw.
The second-string hadn't lost.
It wasn't a victory, but against Teikou's monsters, this was already more than anyone expected.
Even the first-string players seemed surprised.
Aomine clicked his tongue. "Man… if I had one more second…"
Kise grinned. "That last move you pulled was cool, Fujimura-kun. I might copy it next time."
Midorima adjusted his glasses. "A fluke," he muttered, though he looked slightly annoyed that his team hadn't won outright.
Murasakibara just yawned. "I want snacks."
Souta was too tired to respond.
He had survived.
More than that—he had proven himself.
Coach's Decision
The players gathered as Coach Sanada approached, clipboard in hand.
He scanned the exhausted second-string players. Then, his sharp gaze landed on Souta.
"Fujimura."
Souta tensed. "Yes, coach?"
The entire gym fell silent.
Then—
"Starting next week, you'll be training with the first string."
A hush swept through the room.
Souta's breath hitched. Did I hear that right?
Even Aomine and the others looked slightly surprised.
The coach turned to the other players. "This scrimmage proved what I needed to see. Some of you have potential, but you're not ready yet."
He looked back at Souta. "Fujimura, you still have a long way to go. But today, you showed me something—you don't break under pressure."
Souta swallowed. "Thank you, sir."
Coach Sanada gave a firm nod before addressing the rest of the second-string players. "That's all for today. Dismissed."
A New Beginning
As the gym emptied, Souta lingered, still trying to process everything.
"I made it… I really made it."
His heart pounded. From this point on, he would train alongside Teikou's strongest players.
"Yo, Fujimura."
Aomine's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
The ace leaned in with a lazy grin. "That last shot was nice. But next time, I'm not gonna let you get a single point."
Souta smirked, adrenaline still pumping. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
Kise clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You better keep up, Fujimura-kun. We don't go easy in first string~!"
Midorima scoffed. "Hmph. Just don't hold us back."
Even Kuroko gave a rare nod of approval. "I look forward to practicing with you."
Souta grinned. He had stepped onto a new battlefield.
The road ahead wouldn't be easy.
But one thing was certain—
This was just the beginning.