So.......... out of absolutely nowhere, ABEMA just decided to make this duo introduction series for a 14-year-old anime and casually describe Midorima and Takao's relationship as 絶対的な信頼の絆 (the bond built on absolute trust), even using this phrase 阿吽の呼吸. The auto translation says it means "perfect harmony," and it's in fact an idiom that literally means "breathing in sync," to particularly describe two people who understand each other so well that they seem to know what the other is thinking and can coordinate effortlessly without a single word. Considering the Sky Direct 3-Pointer, I believe that's exactly what MidoTaka are.
Again, the reason I strongly believe Midorima had trust issues from what happened in his past is because "trust" was always emphasized in every stage of his character development. From the way he decided to pass to his teammates to the way he entrusted the success of his 3-Pointer entirely to Takao. I mean when seeing his development, the first reaction from everyone on the court, even the people who had known him for years, was never "he's back to how he used to be." It was always the "Midorima has changed, he really trusts his teammates now" kind of talk. That's what makes it so easy for me to believe he'd never trusted anyone in quite the same way before.
What Midorima said in the second panel was often translated as "I'm not worried anymore" but actually the word he used here was 不安 (which refers more to a lingering sense of anxiety or insecurity than simply being worried about one specific thing) and it really makes me wonder just how much Midorima had been carrying inside all this time that made him eventually think like that...
Still, I'm not sure whether the manga makes it explicit enough or not, or if this is simply my own interpretation. And since I'm not the type to assume my interpretation is 100% correct, seeing official material always suddenly line up with what I think about MidoTaka bond in a normal Thursday afternoon like this feels just like a blessing. And I'm sure that's one of the reasons why I still can't move on from KnB no matter how many years have passed...
