"We agreed on this, okay?"
"Yeah."
"You have to beat Aomine until he's utterly defeated!"
"Got it."
In the end, Momoi was convinced by Tendou's warped logic.
That heavy weight she'd been carrying on her chest suddenly felt like it vanished.
With both hands behind her back, she flashed a bright smile at Tendou, who sat on his motorbike.
"I'll head back then, bye-bye!"
"Take care."
Tendou started his bike and zipped away into the night.
...
Meanwhile—
After leaving the basketball team, Haizaki went right back to his usual antics—wandering the streets looking for trouble.
Whenever he saw a girl with good looks, he didn't care if she had a boyfriend—he'd just go up and hit on her.
Thanks to his overwhelming physical strength, he had become infamous around the neighborhood—feared like a street demon.
One day, a delinquent who'd had his girlfriend stolen by Haizaki gathered a group of like-minded friends and dyed all their hair green to come settle the score.
"Haizaki, there's no escape today. Prepare yourself!"
"You're here for revenge? Who even are you?"
"You don't remember me?! I'm the guy whose girlfriend you stole—left heartbroken and devastated!"
"Oh, it's you…" Haizaki squinted at him, finally recognizing the guy. Seeing that green hair, he muttered, "Still, dyeing your hair green? Isn't that a bit much…"
He couldn't help thinking of Midorima and sighed.
As the group came charging, Haizaki turned around for a second, then spun back with a punch, striking first.
Not long after, he sat atop their unconscious bodies, face bruised but victorious, and spat blood from his mouth.
"Some 'true love.' If she was so easily stolen, what's the point of fighting over her? You guys are supposed to be delinquents—this is pathetic."
To him, girls who could be stolen that easily weren't worth it. There'd always be more.
Just as he stood up to leave, he spotted a familiar figure leaning against a motorbike in the distance, grinning.
"Tendou?"
What the hell is he doing here?
"Yo, delinquent boy. Been a while. What's with this sorry state?"
Of all people to witness this scene—why him?
Soon after, the two of them were sitting in front of a vending machine.
Unfortunately, the machine had the nerve to eat Tendou's coins without spitting anything out.
Without missing a beat, Tendou gave it a swift kick, and—clack—two cans rolled out obediently.
"So? Why'd you come find me? We're not exactly friends."
"Exactly. No one's friends with you. You probably don't have a single one."
"...You little—"
Haizaki was already pissed. Ever since he got kicked from the team, his mood had been crap.
He still remembered the way Akashi looked at him like trash—it stung.
"So why did you come?"
"Just happened to see you. Wanted to ask—are you really not interested in playing ball anymore?"
"Playing ball?" Haizaki scoffed. "You really think I'm that naive? Basketball was just a joke. I gave it up, and I'm not picking it back up—especially not with you."
Two years spent constantly getting overshadowed by Tendou had left him fed up.
Tendou always shined. He had that natural charisma Haizaki never could replicate.
"Huh. I thought you actually liked basketball."
Tendou looked at him over the rim of his sunglasses, eyes glinting under the lenses.
Those eyes felt like they could see right through him.
Haizaki quickly turned his head, avoiding the gaze.
"If that's all you've got to say, then scram already, superstar."
"Alright, I won't waste your time."
Tendou slid his sunglasses back on.
"But after this year, the team's going their separate ways. You've got one more year left. If you change your mind, come find me."
"I'll take you to crush those bastards. You hate Akashi's guts, right? Come with me and we'll wreck him."
"Like hell I'm gonna tag along with you! If I do get revenge, I'll do it with my own hands!"
Pfft—
Tendou couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Give it up, Haizaki. You're weak." Tendou waved dismissively.
"True strength looks like this."
He pulled off his sunglasses—and the moment his eyes were revealed, cold light flared out.
Haizaki froze, drenched in invisible pressure.
Those eyes—just a glance was enough to freeze him solid.
"If you ever change your mind, come find me."
Tendou slid his sunglasses back on, started his bike, and roared off into the distance.
Haizaki stood there, stunned for a long time, still shaken by the chill in Tendou's gaze.
...
The next day.
Tendou arranged a full intra-squad scrimmage.
Even Aomine showed up, dragged in by Momoi.
Tendou didn't play—he stood on the sidelines to observe.
Partly to watch the evolution of the Generation of Miracles,
But more importantly—because his eyes could now read movement.
It wasn't like Akashi's Emperor Eye, which predicted movements through tiny muscle twitches.
Instead, Tendou's vision let him analyze—break down play styles, tendencies, reactions—and mentally simulate every possible outcome.
What his eyes saw, his brain would dissect and compute in real-time.
In a way, it was very similar to the original Six Eyes.
Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes could instantly read cursed energy and techniques—never missing a single detail.
"Catch-and-shoot three-pointer, huh…"
He murmured just as Midorima caught a pass and launched a long-range shot.
Swish!
The ball cut through the air and swished through the net before slamming onto the court.
"Yeah… different paths, same goal.
This vision can see everything."