KNB: I'm Actually Not the Boss?!

"Good thing you're not Kuroko."

Kota lifted the ball, eyes locked on the rim, muttering under his breath. Then he jumped backward hard, crashing straight into Mayuzumi's chest, flicking his wrist at the same time.

Right as the final buzzer sounded.

Before everyone's eyes… Kota's shot was absolutely awful. We're talking full-on brick, airball, three feet off target. A shot so ugly it should be illegal.

"I've been watching you the whole time. If you were that ghost Kuroko, there's no way I'd have seen you coming this easy."

Kota stumbled on the landing, caught himself, then looked at Mayuzumi with a big grin like it had all been part of the plan.

BEEP—

"Foul on Kaijo #2!"

Three-point shot foul. Three free throws!

Mayuzumi stood frozen, looking completely lost. What he didn't realize was… Kota had his eyes on him the whole time, even when he was doing his "invisible man" routine.

With just two seconds left, when Kota caught Kise's pass, he already knew this sneaky guy was lurking behind him. That's when Kota cooked up his master plan.

Look, Kota knew himself. Hitting a contested, fadeaway three over a 6'4" power forward? Possible... but let's be honest… not likely. So he went all-in for the foul instead. Good acting, good flop mechanics, and thank God the ref was feeling generous today. Now here he stood… with three shots that could decide the championship.

Kise raised an eyebrow and casually walked over to fist bump Kota. No worries, bro. Full trust.

Kobori ran over from the paint and gave Kota a literal bear hug. After all those pick-and-rolls they'd run together, he was practically molded into Kota's shape at this point.

Hayakawa jogged over for a loud high-five.

Kasamatsu? Different approach. He crept behind Kota and chopped him on the shoulder like a karate master. Dead serious voice,

"Miss even one and I'm breaking your legs."

But his shaking hands kinda gave away how nervous he really was.

They were really about to win this thing!

"Knock 'em down, Kota!"

"Let's go, Kota!!"

The Kaijo bench couldn't sit still anymore, all standing on the sidelines, screaming their lungs out.

Takeuchi was crouched down, hands on knees, staring at Kota like a predator eyeing its prey. If Kota dared to miss… the coach looked ready to jump him right there on the court.

Even Rakuzan's players couldn't look away from Kota now. No one even bothered yelling at Mayuzumi for the foul. Akashi's eyes were bloodshot, pupils spinning like crazy, mentally begging for Kota to miss.

Even "God" was praying at this point.

Kota shook his head, stepped up to the free-throw line, and took a deep breath.

Every single eye in the arena was locked on him. The air felt so tense you could cut it with a knife.

Kota didn't like this atmosphere at all.

Teammates, opponents, audience—every single person looked like they were at a funeral.

"Jeez, why's everyone so serious? Can't anyone crack a smile?"

Catching the ref's pass, Kota pulled a goofy face toward the stands.

Kise was the first to crack up. Out of everyone on the court, Kise was the chillest right now. Honestly, he probably trusted Kota more than Kota trusted himself.

"Idiot, free throws have a time limit. Hurry it up."

Didn't even need to look—Kota knew that one came from Kasamatsu.

Kota shrugged. Three free throws. Two makes and they'd win it. Sure, shooting with the whole country watching was stressful, but hey, he'd handled worse.

First shot… swish. Nothing but net.

The crowd went wild. The whole gym roaring Kaijo's name. They were already mentally celebrating the championship.

On the court, the mood was totally different. Ten players plus the refs… all laser-focused on Kota. Everyone holding their breath.

Second shot…

Kota took a deep breath again, raised the ball like he was going for it… and halfway through the motion, he suddenly paused and pulled back, making an exaggerated "Oops, not yet!" face.

The whole stadium froze. For one second: Total silence.

Kise doubled over laughing.

Kasamatsu rubbed his face like he was trying to scrub the stupid out of Kota's head.

Takeuchi? The man looked like he was about to keel over from a heart attack. He was already taking off his shiny leather shoes, aiming one right at Kota's grinning face.

Kota quickly got serious again, squared up, lifted his elbow, and—

Second free throw… nothing but net again.

No cheesy "miss both and go to overtime" drama today. Nope. Straight buckets.

The arena erupted. Fans screamed. Kaijo's name echoed everywhere. Even though there was still one shot left, everyone already knew the outcome.

128–127. Kaijo had just won the national championship.

Every Kaijo player's face loosened with relief. After such a brutal game, their nerves were shot.

Coach Takeuchi slowly put his shoes back on, already thinking about how he'd look in the post-game interview.

Kasamatsu tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, fighting off tears. He'd finally fulfilled the dream of all the seniors before him.

Kise smiled wide and shouted at Kota:

"Let's go already! One more free throw then time for the trophy!"

Even though the game was decided, the refs still made Kota take the final shot.

They tossed him the ball.

Kota winked, scanned the Rakuzan squad, then stepped up to the line and...decided to finish with style. With a dramatic fadeaway motion, he let the ball fly. It danced around the rim, teasing for a moment… then bounced out.

Just then—BOOM—

Confetti cannons went off. The whole gym burst into color.

The announcer's deep voice echoed,

"Let's hear it for Kaijo High School — this year's InterHigh Champions! And special credit to Kaijo's #2, Kota, for sinking the clutch free throws that sealed the win!"

Winners celebrate, losers lick their wounds.

Mayuzumi couldn't hold back anymore — two lines of tears streamed down his face. If it weren't for that foul, who knows? Maybe Kota would've missed… maybe Rakuzan could've taken the title.

Akashi walked over to him and said quietly:

"Chihiro, it's time. Let's line up."

Mayuzumi blinked. Hearing Akashi call him that… weird. But when he looked over at his teammates, none of them blamed him. Just frustration… but no anger.

"During the game, I'm the captain. Now that it's over… I'm still your junior. Thank you for everything"

Akashi smiled faintly, then turned to the rest of the Uncrowned Kings and said:

"They beat us fair and square. No shame in that! Time for our final task tonight… Let's give them the applause they deserve. And when Winter Cup comes… we'll pay them back with interest!"

Saying all this lifted a huge weight off Akashi's shoulders. He felt lighter already.

"You played great, Kise… You too, Kota."

He'd lost. He wasn't the untouchable Emperor Eye of Teiko anymore. Not the undefeated, untouchable prodigy.

Now… he was just Akashi Seijuro, captain of Rakuzan High School.

He'd lost a championship… but maybe finally lost his dictator complex too.

Rakuzan would rise again. Just wait, Kaijo.

After shaking hands and offering words to all the Kaijo players, Akashi gave Kota one last long look… then led his team down the tunnel and off the court.

On the court, the tournament organizers rolled out the trophy and handed out medals: InterHigh Champions — Kaijo High.

Kota gave Kise a playful shove toward the trophy. Kise didn't need telling twice — he grabbed the trophy with both hands and hoisted it high overhead. Cameras flashed nonstop.

Kota pulled Kasamatsu over, leaned into Kise, and threw up a goofy peace sign. Kobori and Hayakawa stood behind them, grinning like idiots. The rest of Kaijo's bench squad ran around the court yelling like cavemen on caffeine.

The refs just stood there, twitching with secondhand embarrassment. But the game was over. No one's getting ejected now.

Takeuchi stood with hands behind his back, posing like a hero for the cameras.

The shutter clicked… capturing this exact moment.

A photo that people would laugh and gossip about for years to come.

The year Kaijo's championship dynasty was born.