Clap, clap, clap!
Amidst the encouraging applause and under the captain's rallying cry, the players of Heishi Middle School regrouped with renewed determination.
"Everyone!"
"Forget that last play!"
"Focus on this next offense!"
"That's right!"
"Let's run a solid offense first!"
After Shigure Akihito's free throws, it was Heishi's turn on offense. The team forced themselves to forget the shocking block just moments ago, trying to refocus.
But then,
Boom!
Near the free-throw line on Teiko's side, a flash of white streaked past, his uniform fluttering like crashing waves, as it surged toward the right wing, outside the 45-degree arc.
Heishi's shooting guard had just finished cutting off a screen when he took the shot, only to be completely swallowed by Shigure Akihito's monstrous defensive coverage. The ball was swatted all the way from the frontcourt into the backcourt!
In that instant,
Every player from Heishi froze on the spot.
Shigure's block was absurd. The ball shot out like a volleyball spiked at full power.
And the only player on the court who could possibly keep up with it… was Teiko's monster of perception and speed, Shuzo Nijimura.
"Tch…"
"There he goes again…"
Unleashed.
Boom!
As Nijimura's figure blasted past the stunned Heishi players, he looked like a wild storm, or a lion sprinting after prey, his eyes locked onto the ball sailing ahead.
Roar.
Lock on.
Right before the ball reached the baseline, Nijimura caught up.
Takes flight,
SLAM!
Inside Heishi's paint, or rather, their entire half-court, only one figure remained:
Nijimura.
He soared in with a clean, powerful dunk for two points. As the ball hit the floor with a loud thud-thud, the Heishi players were just crossing the three-point line.
Teiko vs. Heishi: 5–0.
Even Heishi's captain was beginning to sweat. A thought flashed unbidden through his mind:
"That block… That speed… It's insane!"
He had expected Teiko, last year's champions, to be strong.
But this?
This was beyond belief.
Shigure Akihito, nonchalantly stepping up to the free-throw line, playing defense like he was going to crush the entire court by himself.
And Nijimura, a lion on the hunt, making cold, calculated reads, then erupting with speed like a storm.
How are we even supposed to stop this?!
In the crowd,
"He smacked that thing across the whole court!"
"So strong!"
"Shigure didn't even guard his matchup, he just stood at the free-throw line!"
"We saw this last year, Shigure Akihito's full-court defensive coverage."
"But now that he's taller..."
"Is he planning to defend the entire arc by himself?!"
"Huh?!"
After a brief silence, the stands exploded with excitement. Among the matches going on simultaneously, all eyes turned toward Teiko vs. Heishi.
Turning around, Heishi's captain noticed the anxiety building on his teammates' faces.
Sure, he was stunned too.
But as captain, he was the first to regain composure. Just like always, he did his best to stabilize the team's spirit, hoping it wouldn't affect their performance.
"Don't get discouraged..."
"Everyone..."
"We still, "
His shaky encouragement echoed toward the bench, where Atsushi Murasakibara lazily reclined. One hand casually fiddled with Haizaki's frizzy hair.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"Tch. They should just give up already. Still so fired up at a time like this... If Smiley-senpai gets too excited, it's only gonna get worse for them"
He thought back to Shigure during practice.
Murasakibara's frown deepened.
Smack!
"You bastard, Murasakibara!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Huh?"
Looking down at a handful of gray hair he'd unknowingly yanked out, Murasakibara feigned confusion and quickly hid it behind the bench.
"Wasn't me"
"Right, Haizaki?"
Back on court.
Heishi's offense resumed.
Their captain, wearing number 4, tried a cross-over dribble, completely ineffective. It was easily shut down by Seijūrō Akashi.
At this stage, Akashi's defense looked nothing like what Shigure remembered.
Without the "Emperor's Eye," Akashi focused on positional stability.
He relied on speed to stay in front and constantly disrupted the opponent's rhythm with subtle hand movements.
Whoosh!
Amidst that pressure, Heishi's point guard managed to get a sloppy pass into the post. Thankfully, he'd wisely avoided the zones patrolled by Shigure and Nijimura, otherwise it would've been a sure steal.
The center took the ball.
Makuro Kurobe guarded him tightly.
But the Heishi center could only groan internally.
Outside, Shigure Akihito was patrolling like a hawk, his wingspan so wide, he could block a shot from the free-throw line to the arc.
Damn it!
With that kind of defense, Heishi's perimeter offense was completely shut down!
Which meant...
As the power forward was matched up against Nijimura, the responsibility fell solely on him.
Faced with the 192 cm Kurobe, Heishi's center, who was about the same height as Shigure, didn't dare force it. He began with a cautious post fake.
Kurobe raised an eyebrow, unmoving. As usual, he glanced up at the free-throw line.
Of course. That guy was itching to move again.
Tch.
"You're not getting this one, Shigure!"
But just as Kurobe thought that, the center spun forward, clean, no gather step.
One arm lifted high.
Left arm shielding.
Hook shot,
Kurobe was about to jump when his face suddenly twisted.
"Idiot. Too far out."
He merely raised his arms to contest.
The Heishi center was confused for a second.
BOOM!
From behind,
A shadow descended, so massive it seemed to swallow the overhead gym lights in total darkness.
Before he could even react, a deafening whomp tore through the air, followed by the echo of a ball slamming into the court.
His eyes snapped to the corner three-point line.
There, someone with bangs covering his eyes had just caught the ball mid-run, somehow turning a messy catch into a beautiful between-the-legs dribble.
Heishi's center: "...?"
What was that...
A circus trick?
No, wait,
How did the ball even end up over there?!
He turned around, only to meet the eyes of the Teiko player wearing jersey number 5:
Shigure Akihito.
What he saw was a wild grin, and in his mind, it conjured the terrifying image of a charging elephant.
On court.
Shigure Akihito, sharp-eyed and relentless, stared down his stunned opponent. The moment seemed to freeze, and then,
The crowd erupted.
A full-court fast break, finished with a simple layup by Reiji Fukaya, who had held back just enough to conserve stamina.
Fukaya glanced up at the cheering crowd with mild confusion.
"Seriously…? It was just a layup."
"No way that deserved this much applause."
"Woooaaah!"
"Akihito-senpai!"
"That block was crazy!"
"Tch…"
"That monster... he's already in full form today."
Fukaya: "…"
That damn Shigure…
As Fukaya passed the bench, weaving through the cheers for Shigure, he was surprised to hear someone else call out to him:
"Go get 'em, Fukaya-senpai!"
He turned.
It was Shintarō Midorima, the first-year prodigy shooter, waving earnestly from the sideline.
Fukaya blinked.
He wasn't sure why…
But lately…
That kid had been oddly respectful toward him.
Fukaya nodded quietly in return.
End of chapter...
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