"What an idiot."
In the stands, both Kise and Midorima shook their heads.
Kagami's reckless elbow wasn't just poor form—it was a clear sign of Seirin's complete mental collapse.
Even with Kuroko back on the court, it wasn't enough to stabilize the team.
This... this was the prelude to a total breakdown.
"But I can't really blame Kagamicchi," Kise sighed.
"The whole game, he and his teammates have been taking hits from Kirisaki Daiichi."
"Yeah. And playing against someone like Tendou... can really drive you to despair."
No one understood that better than Kise.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd challenged Tendou in middle school, convinced he'd improved—only to be crushed again.
That feeling of helplessness... it was devastating.
...
"Decent force. Poor accuracy."
Tendou didn't care about Kagami's elbow.
In fact, he even offered a bit of unsolicited feedback, like a coach giving notes.
Kagami could only look down in guilt.
He couldn't believe he'd sunk to the level of the Kirisaki Daiichi thugs.
And even worse—
He'd done it to the wrong person.
Tendou had never once played dirty this entire game.
And yet, Kagami had lashed out at him like he was just another goon.
Tweet—!
"Seirin calls for a timeout!"
Riko Aida had no choice but to stop the game again.
She had to get her star player under control.
"Are you crazy? Are you even thinking?! Do you realize what you just did?!"
Three rapid-fire questions landed like punches.
Kagami couldn't even lift his head.
His clenched fists were the only sign of the storm raging inside him.
Seeing him like this, Riko didn't scold him further.
But her gut told her: something was very, very wrong.
The whole team was fraying at the seams.
They were already trailing by 22.
Now they were psychologically cracked and physically battered by Kirisaki Daiichi's rough tactics.
But for now, she had to focus on the most urgent problem.
"Kuroko, do you know anything about Tendou's eyes?"
Both Hyūga and Izuki had mentioned them before.
Those uncanny eyes that seemed to see everything.
Kuroko nodded.
"They're called the Eyes of the Heavens. Also referred to as the Six Eyes."
"Eyes of the Heavens...? Six Eyes?"
Riko searched her memory—
She'd never heard of any ability like that.
That meant it had to be Tendou's unique gift.
"What do they do?"
"360-degree vision. No blind spots."
Everyone sucked in a breath.
Tendou had already shown off no-look passes multiple times in this game.
Not as part of any set play—just pure reaction.
"It sounds like Shūtoku's Takao and his Hawk Eye."
Takao also had full-court vision without blind spots.
"It's not just that," Riko said, brows furrowing.
"If it were, it wouldn't be called something as grand as 'Eyes of the Heavens.'"
"His dynamic vision is off the charts. He sees things normal people miss."
"And?"
Kuroko hesitated.
"I'm not entirely sure, but back in middle school, we had a theory:
Tendou can determine what kind of player you are at a single glance."
"What?! Like my Data Eye?" Riko asked, stunned.
"It's even stronger," Kuroko said.
Riko's Data Eye could measure a player's stats—
But it couldn't analyze tendencies, preferred moves, or dominant hands.
Tendou could see all that—and more.
"So the moment he laid eyes on us, he already knew everything?"
"Most likely."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
No wonder their best efforts couldn't stop him.
To Tendou, they were open books from the first whistle.
"And... there's more."
"More?!"
At this point, Hyūga and the others were practically collapsing.
Was each of the Six Eyes its own ability?!
No blind spots.
Unmatched dynamic vision.
Unreal analytical power…
"There's a rumor," Kuroko continued slowly, "that after awakening the Six Eyes, Tendou started... experimenting."
He recalled Teikō's final year at nationals.
Tendou had briefly displayed inhuman physical control—
His speed, strength, passing, shooting, flexibility, and balance all elevated beyond what anyone thought possible.
Teikō had whispered back then that he might be testing the limits of his body.
"Total control over his body?!"
"You're telling me... this isn't even his final form?!"
"Right. He's gone beyond this before—back in middle school."
"PLEASE STOP TALKING."
Everyone in Seirin looked like they were about to cry.
They couldn't even handle this version of Tendou.
And he wasn't even using everything he had?!
How were they supposed to win the second half?!
"Alright, alright," Riko clapped her hands.
"No matter what—we haven't lost yet. The game's not over."
She quickly changed the topic, trying to rally her team.
With limited coaching experience, she didn't know how else to encourage them.
So she used an old Seirin tradition:
The rooftop yell.
Back when the team was first formed, every new member had to go to the school roof during morning assembly and shout their goal in front of the whole school.
Just remembering that moment worked like a charm.
The players straightened up.
The fire wasn't out yet.
...
Game resumed.
Kirisaki Daiichi's ball.
Because of the technical foul, they got one free throw and possession.
Tendou hit the free throw.
Then received the inbound and brought the ball up himself.
"Sorry, Tendou."
Kagami stepped up and bowed slightly, sincere in his apology.
"No need," Tendou said simply.
"I'm not like Kuroko, Kise, or Midorima.
Basketball was never a game to me."
"This is a battlefield.
Only the one who stands at the end... survives.
If I were in your shoes, I probably would've thrown that elbow too."
"Huh...?"
Kagami blinked, stunned.
He had braced himself for a scolding.
Instead, Tendou had... understood him?
"Still," Kagami muttered, "I'm sorry."
"I told you, it doesn't matter."
"And besides—" Tendou said with a smile—
"I already prepared your return gift."
Return gift?
Kagami's stomach dropped.
Before he could ask, Tendou had already begun to move.
No more lightning-speed crossovers.
No, this was different—
A calm, smooth progression forward.
Like water flowing downhill.
Kagami followed instinctively—
But suddenly felt like a puppet on strings.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
He felt like a pair of eyes were staring straight through him—
Piercing every layer of his being.
Slowly, his legs began to shake.
"Kneel."
Tendou's voice echoed, low and final.
Kagami's knees buckled.
Thump!
He dropped to the floor in front of Tendou for the second time.
"KAGAMI?!"
The Seirin bench jumped up in alarm.
And in the real world, the viewers?
『WHY DID YOU MESS WITH HIM?』