On the training court of Teikō Basketball Club, the high-pressure furnace continued to burn. Akashi Seijūrō's Extreme Imbalance Pressure Test had been a cruel baptism, allowing Bai Ze You to touch the Sanctuary of Balance through agony—but at the cost of aggravating the injury to his right knee. When Bai Ze You left the court supported by Momoi, the atmosphere inside did not ease. Instead, because another pair's relationship had irreparably collapsed, an even heavier, colder cloud of despair settled over the gym.
The intrasquad match continued. The Red Team (Murasaki-bara Atsushi, Kise Ryōta, and Kuroko Tetsuya) faced the Blue Team (Aomine Daiki, Midōrima Shintarō, and the substitutes).
Kuroko Tetsuya was like a silent ghost, drifting soundlessly across the court. Deep in his blue eyes lay the bottomless anxiety and confusion that had accumulated over the past several days. Aomine Daiki's complete rejection and indifference were like cold blades, repeatedly cutting into the foundation of his existence as a "shadow." Akashi's high-pressure training and extreme pursuit of "efficiency" made the basketball born from "trust" and "connection" feel even more out of place—even... unnecessary.
Yet the instinct carved into his bones, along with his lingering love for basketball, still drove Kuroko to search for an opportunity. He saw Aomine trapped between Midōrima and a substitute player. Although Aomine's brutal ferocity had temporarily kept him from losing position, an extremely brief but absolutely fatal gap had appeared in the passing lane!
An opening!
A faint glimmer flashed through Kuroko's eyes. Even after being rejected countless times, even with his heart sunk to the bottom, his body's instinct and his lingering obsession with his "light" still made him react! Like a ghost who had foreseen the future, he quietly appeared along the extension of that gap. His wrist flicked, and a Phantom Pass