At the sound of Shigure Akihito's voice, Aomine Daiki snapped out of his momentary daze. It was only then that he realized he'd missed a prime opportunity for a fast break.
But…
Just as his senpai had said,
This opportunity was never meant to be his. Perhaps letting it slip by was for the better.
Possession shifted.
The ball was handed off to Akashi, who began bringing it up the court.
Prior to the match, both Akashi and Shigure Akihito had been given specific instructions from Coach Shirogane. As such, Akashi was methodical, carefully tilting the offensive rhythm in Aomine's direction.
Inoue Tomoya kept a vigilant eye on Aomine Daiki's movements. The moment Aomine received the pass from Teiko's No. 8 point guard, a subtle smile tugged at his lips.
The basketball danced nimbly between his steps and fingers, becoming the very axis around which the court seemed to spin, like lightning weaving through traffic cones.
Then,
He dropped his stance, faked with a step forward on his left foot, and cut through in a scissor-step drive.
However, this time, the audience noticed something different: Inoue Tomoya didn't fall for the same bait again. He had adapted. He no longer overreacted to Aomine's dazzling ball handling or the sudden shifts in pace.
Instead, he seized his moment, closed in, and gave Aomine no space to breach the perimeter.
Back and forth they went.
Attack and defense,
Entwined in rapid succession.
The squeak of sneakers against the polished floor echoed in tight rhythms. Then, as the 24-second shot clock ticked under ten, Aomine suddenly made his move.
But here, "made his move" didn't mean just any shot,
It meant dominance.
Control.
He shattered the balance.
Inoue narrowed his eyes.
Something had changed.
Aomine's steps, his dribbles, everything that screamed speed just moments ago, had subtly decelerated.
Was it fatigue?
No.
Impossible.
Inoue resisted the urge to go for the steal. Something felt off.
And sure enough,
The very next second, Aomine executed a controlled back drag dribble. As the ball bounced back from the floor, he didn't immediately drive. Instead, he came to a deliberate halt, a sudden freeze in motion.
In that moment, it was as if someone had hit pause on the court.
Only Aomine's eyes moved, glancing left, just slightly.
His weight shifted, barely perceptible, in the same direction.
Just as Inoue instinctively stepped in to match, his pupils constricted in alarm.
No!
That was a feint!
The real drive,
Was to the right!
Boom!
Aomine exploded to the right like a bolt, from a dead stop to a lightning-fast burst. Inoue had misstepped by a single instant, and it was already too late to recover.
"...!"
What terrifying technique.
The subtle changes in eye movement.
The nuanced control of rhythm.
And how he lured his opponent into syncing with his slowed tempo, only to detonate into top speed with inhuman agility,
It was a masterstroke.
Swish!
Aomine's shot was clean, fluid, and unshakeable.
The match continued. But as the minutes ticked away, the coach of Kamizaki Middle School grew visibly tense.
Despite Inoue's offensive consistency, more and more, he had to rely on his teammates' support to stay in the game.
And worse,
Aomine Daiki's one-on-one offense was getting sharper. His rhythm now fully attuned to the game, adapting effortlessly to Inoue's repertoire of attacks, which had nearly reached their limit.
But the real danger,
Was Shigure Akihito.
Even though it was clear he only operated within the paint…
That paint,
Was Kamizaki's primary offensive zone.
Once forced out of it, their scoring efficiency would nosedive.
And trying to attack the paint?
That was another nightmare altogether.
Just like earlier, even if Inoue managed to break through Aomine with help from his teammates, the moment he entered the paint, that man, the one anchoring Teiko's defense, would erase everything.
With a single block,
All effort turned to dust.
From how things were progressing, they wouldn't need to wait for the second half. The match was approaching its breaking point. Soon, their offense and defense alike would crumble.
But,
The Kamizaki coach had underestimated Shigure Akihito's true horror.
The second half?
They wouldn't even get that far.
The first quarter ended.
After subbing out, Shigure Akihito personally concluded that Aomine Daiki had won the latter half of the first quarter against Inoue Tomoya.
And then,
Out of consideration for his juniors,
Shigure calculated what it would mean to contribute just one-fifth of the team's offensive load, without stealing their spotlight.
And within that mere one-fifth...
He unleashed his full power.
With a sharp whistle, the second quarter began.
The players returned to the court, but now, with drastically different expressions.
Kamizaki's players were stunned to see Aomine Daiki, who had been guarding their ace for the entire latter half of the first quarter, now benched.
Replacing him was Teiko's towering first-year center, Murasakibara Atsushi.
And standing in front of Inoue Tomoya now,
Was Shigure Akihito.
For a brief moment, Inoue's heavy mood lifted. After all, standing across from Shigure-senpai was like being acknowledged.
But as realization set in, his face twisted into a grim expression.
Aomine had been subbed out…
That meant only one thing.
Despite that guy's frustrated expression when leaving the court, what it signified was unmistakable,
Shigure-senpai had recognized that Aomine had beaten him.
Inoue found it hard to disagree.
In the latter half of the first quarter, though he'd shifted toward perimeter play to avoid Shigure in the paint, things only grew harder.
In contrast, Aomine's all-around offense grew more and more refined, leaving no doubt he had taken control.
Even if Aomine were still on the court, the result wouldn't change.
Eventually, he would have completely unraveled Inoue's attack.
And then,
He would lose.
On the court.
Kamizaki's point guard brought the ball up and passed it to Inoue Tomoya, just as they'd done in the first quarter, still placing complete trust in him.
"No matter what, even if their strength far exceeds what we'd consider 'monstrous', this is exactly why…"
"We give the ball to our ace!"
The point guard muttered as he passed the ball, his gaze firm on Inoue. But facing them, Akashi suddenly gave a gentle smile.
Warm, yet tinged with pity.
"I'm sorry, senpai from Kamizaki Middle."
"Although it's unfortunate…"
"The stage that belonged to Kamizaki…"
"After Shigure-senpai graciously gave you one quarter."
"...ends now."
As the Kamizaki point guard's eyes widened, reality struck, just as Akashi had said.
In Teiko's very first defensive play of the second quarter, Shigure Akihito overwhelmed Inoue Tomoya with superhuman,
Pressure.
Steals.
Disruption.
Speed.
And defensive instincts honed through relentless training alongside Nijimura Shuzo.
Even with teammates screening for him, Inoue found himself relentlessly smothered, step by painful step, until he was cornered.
The Kamizaki point guard, sensing danger, rushed over to support.
But,
Inoue's court vision was razor sharp.
In that instant,
Through the legs!
A pivot!
A sudden lean-in!
Even though he hadn't created much separation, he used the rebound to carve out just enough space. Then, with a subtle twitch of his arm,
A brilliantly disguised pass!
Whoosh!
At the same time, the point guard cut behind Shigure from the weak side, ready to catch the pass and drive into the paint.
But the very next second,
Shigure's right leg burst with power as he launched backward.
Pivoting with shocking reaction speed, he spun, reached out,
And snatched the ball with a reverse grip.
"You looked calm…"
"But you passed the ball this close to me, right in front of my face."
"I doubt you'd underestimate me."
"So…"
"What were you really thinking?"
Shigure Akihito's eyes locked onto Inoue Tomoya.
And then,
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
End of chapter...
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