Suddenly, the buzzer went off when time was up, ending the fourth quarter. Kagami and Midorima let the ball go, and it bounced a few times before the hall immediately fell into silence. Whispers and murmurs were heard when they saw the scores of both teams. "It's a tie." said Yasu.

'That last free-throw...' thought Kiyoshi bitterly while trying to catch his breath. 'If I had just made it...'

"Kiyoshi!" called Hyuuga.

The said boy turned and saw his teammates coming towards him. They tried to give him high-fives at the same time, but he fell onto the floor. "You guys are brutal." he said. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to blame me that much."

"Blame you?" repeated Hyuga questioningly, looking as confused as the other three. "Those were high-fives."

"What?" responded the surprised Kiyoshi.

"Don't be stupid." scolded the captain. "We made it this far because of you."

"No one took it easy." said Izuki, smiling. "It's no one's fault."

"Besides, we didn't lose." added Kagami.

"We did the best we could." said Kuroko with a smile. "I have no regrets."

Kiyoshi looked at his teammates with surprise written all over his face, before smiling at them. "You're right." he agreed.

"Kagami." The team turned to see Midorima standing across him. "Surely you're not satisfied with this."

"Of course not." said Kagami with a grin. "We'll settle things later.

"There will be no ties at the Winter Cup." said Takao, standing in front of Kuroko. "Let's settle things then."

"I couldn't ask for more." said Kuroko.

The audience began to clap for the good game both teams did. "With a score of 104 to 104, it's a tie!" announced the referee. "Bow!"

"Thank you very much!" said the players in unison.

Back at the locker room, Kuroko had left to search for Nigou. Everyone else had left, except for Kiyoshi, who was gripping his right knee tightly and wincing in pain. "You sure are good in hiding your pain." commented a melodious voice. He turned to see Yasu standing at the doorway. "It was unnatural for you to miss that shot."

"You knew?" he asked sheepishly.

Yasu sat across him with a concern look on her face. "I thought something was up." she said. "I bet Hyuga-senpai knew as well." She looks down while biting her bottom lip, knowing how he would react when she said the next sentence. "Don't play against Kirisaki Dai Ichi in the next game."

"No!" he snapped, making her wince at the sudden change of volume, as he shot up from the bench. "This year is probably my last chance. Even if it destroys my knee, I'm playing."

"But what if you get hurt?" she argued, standing as well. "Who knows what they could have done to you?"

"Ya-chan, I need to come back to the game against them." he said. "I need to protect by teammates from being hurt!"

"I can't afford to see you get hurt again, Tep-nii!" she suddenly yelled. Kiyoshi snapped out of his thoughts when he saw tears streaming down Yasu's cheeks. "I know you need to protect them, but please..." She looked down as she continued to sob. "Think about yourself. I can't afford to see any of the people I care for get hurt."

Kiyoshi looked at her, and immediately remembered the time she cried like this in front of him. He felt a pang of guilt in his heart when he finally understood that she was only looking out for him. She knew he loved basketball as much as she did, and it hurt her to tell him not to play with the next opposing team.

Gently, he pulled her into him and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry, Yasu," he apologised in a soft tone. The girl said nothing, and only returned the hug. Unbeknownst to them, someone was standing outside listening to the entire conversation.

That evening, Hyuga was walking home with Kuroko and Kagami. Kagami was silent throughout the journey. Kuroko looked at his partner with concern. "What's wrong, Kagami-kun?" he asked.

The said boy stopped walking. "Captain." he called. Hyuga and Kuroko halted in their tracks and turned to look at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" responded Hyuga.

"I know it's bad to listen to other people's conversation." began Kagami. "But what was that about? Why did Kiyoshi-senpai tell Yasu this year was his last chance?"

"What?" said Kuroko, surprised at his question.

Hyuga's eyes widened when Kagami had known what Kiyoshi was going through. After a few seconds of silence, he stared ahead with a serious look. "You heard them?" he asked, earning a nod from the ace. "Fine, then. Considering his condition, you'd have found out eventually." He walked towards the railing and leaned on it before telling the entire story to them.

~Flashback~

Kiyoshi had always felt out of place wherever he went. He was big for a toddler, and the others would think he was a giant as his height often intimidated them. He thought his height was nothing but a hindrance in his daily life, especially when came to befriending someone. But all of that changed when he met someone. A girl, who was willing to befriend him.

It was another evening when Kiyoshi walked home alone from kindergarten. He was passing by the park when he noticed how children were playing with each other, and could only watch with envy. How he wished he had a friend to play with and not tease him for his height. But he knew that was impossible and continued walking. His thoughts were interrupted when something bumped into his leg. He looked down and saw a basketball, picking it up as he stared at it

"Hey, can you pass the ball back?" asked a voice, causing he look up to see a girl with short, light brown hair and olive green eyes. But what struck Kiyoshi about the girl was that exuberance emitted from her, as he was immediately attracted to her warm smile. This was the first time he had felt this way towards someone.

"S-Sure." he said when he had finally found his voice, handing her the ball.

"You look lonely." noted the girl, which surprised him. She gave him a closed-eye smile and asked, "Would you like to play basketball with me?" Kiyoshi thought he was dreaming. All this time, he had been wanting to have a friend, and his prayers had been heard. There standing in front of him was a girl who invited him to play with her. When his voice deceived him again, he nodded to reply her.

A wide grin formed, and she held his hand to drag him towards the outdoor basketball court. "My name is Yasu." she introduced when they stood next to a bench where she had placed her belongings. "What's yours?"

"Teppei." he stammered after a few seconds of silence and shock.

She gave him another grin and said, "Well, then. Let's have some fun, Teppei-kun!"

Ever since then, the two of them would play basketball, with the girl teaching him the basics. As time passed, Kiyoshi realised that he loved basketball as much as she did, and had so much fun playing with her until dusk when they had to part. She would walk with him home and sometimes meet his grandparents. And on some days, he would accompany home and meet her family, though her brother would glare daggers at him for getting close to Yasu. Kiyoshi thought he owed basketball for bringing him and Yasu closer, and that was when he found his love for basketball.

However, time passed, and the girl had to move away. He was as upset as her, for his only friend was leaving him. But he thought asking her to stay would be selfish of him, and had to let her go. Few years later, he enrolled in Shoei Junior High, an elite school with a strong basketball club. After being invited by one of its members named Taichi, he remembered his love for basketball after playing with Yasu when they were younger, and decided to work hard by making full use of his strength and height. When people started to acknowledge that in him, he was known as one of the Uncrowned Kings - Iron Heart.

But the team had to face Teiko Junior High, where they had a team of all-star players. Kiyoshi and his team was totally crushed, as well as his morale. Kiyoshi dragged this trauma further along in his life, and it got to the point where he wanted to throw away his basketball shoes. But what stopped him was his memories with the little girl who had opened the door for him to enter the basketball world. He remembered that whenever he felt like giving up, she would encourage him, saying it was not the end of the world, and there was always room for practice to become stronger. "Become stronger because it's you who wants to, not because it's for someone else," she would say.

When he enrolled in Seirin High School due to the distance from his grandparents' house, Kiyoshi wanted to enter the basketball club, as a chance to get in touch with the sport he loved. When walking through the hallway to deliver his application form, he ran into Hyuga. Hyuga was in the same basketball team as Izuki back in middle school, and would also train intensively at Aida Sports Gym where he knew Riko. Unfortunately, due to the lack of strength in the team, they didn't manage to get any victories despite his outstanding shooting abilities. Like Kiyoshi when he was defeated by the Generation of Miracles, Hyuga was left traumatised and decided to quit basketball, and dyed his hair blond, something that Izuki and Riko could never get used to.

Kiyoshi apologised to Hyuga and accidentally saw the latter's cellphone wallpaper when he dropped it on the floor, which was a picture of a player from the infamous NBA team - Golden State Warriors. Excited that he had found someone who shared the same passion as he did, Kiyoshi asked him if he enjoyed basketball too and told him that they were the same. He then introduced himself to Hyuga and suggested that they deliver their application forms together. However, Hyuga had no intentions of entering the basketball club, and told Kiyoshi that there wasn't a basketball club in the school. That was when Kiyoshi suggested to create one with Hyuga, who then refused and told him he had quit basketball.

It was later revealed that Kiyoshi was Hyuga's classmate, and that he kept trying to persuade the latter to play basketball, which was when Izuki said that he would like to play basketball. Hyuga had enough of him and left, giving Izuki the opportunity to know more about the infamous "Iron Heart". They were then approached by Koganei and Mitobe, with the former saying that they want in on the basketball club. Kiyoshi accepted and said that they had five members now, counting Hyuga.

Izuki suggested they ask for a manager and said he might know someone who was perfect for the job - Aida Riko. However, when they asked her to join the basketball team, she instantly refused, proceeding to tell them that she only had the intention of joining a club that was determined to get to the top, and she wouldn't settle for anything less.

Later, the newly-formed basketball club went for dinner in the Maji Burger where they discussed their positions. Kiyoshi said that he really wanted Hyuga to join them and at that moment, the latter entered the restaurant, but fled when he saw Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi hurried after him and caught up before taking him to a street ball court where he and Yasu often played, and challenged him to a one-on-one, saying that if Hyuga scored one basket, he would stop trying to get him on the team.

That irritated Hyuga, who said to not look down on him. They begin playing, but Kiyoshi dominated Hyuga and blocked every shot. The latter failed in scoring, and Kiyoshi told him to let it go, that he was wrong to give up on basketball. He then said that Hyuga liked basketball as much as himself, then saying that he tasted despair after playing Teiko, but he didn't give up. Hyuga yelled at him to stop, saying that he already knew he loved basketball.