While Reo Mibuchi, Kotarō Hayama, and Eikichi Nebuya—three of the Uncrowned Kings—were being relentlessly drilled on the court by Rakuzan's "Kyoto Emperor," Hagioka Kasayuki…
Meanwhile, far away in Kanagawa, at Kaijō High
things were playing out in the exact opposite way.
The upperclassmen were being overwhelmed by their own first-years.
"Eh?!"
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"Even if it's Shigure Akihito, the strongest player of middle school… this is just too much!"
"An alley-oop three-pointer, and not just a single trick, but an entire offensive system built around this outrageous ability!"
On court, Fukasaya Reiji passed the ball to Shigure Akihito, his expression twisted in disbelief, as though he were staring at some strange new toy.
At the same time, the pass he sent
was very high.
Slap!
Once again, Shigure Akihito soared into the air and caught the ball mid-flight. Earlier, Kaijō's Yoshitaka Moriyama—181 cm tall—had already been forced to switch defensive assignments with their 190 cm center, Tatsuo Kashikawa, just to deal with Akihito's 196 cm frame.
But it made little difference.
As the Kaijō players muttered from the sidelines, Shigure Akihito's unlocked potential had transformed his alley-oop three-point shooting into a complete offensive arsenal.
Like this possession
Mitsui-style Alley-Oop Shooting.
Talent
Catch-and-Shoot Step-Back!
At the instant he caught the ball midair, Akihito formed the shooting posture, but he didn't release. Since it counted as a pass reception, he was still free to dribble after landing.
So
the moment his feet hit the floor, he exploded backward into a sudden step-back jumper.
Swish!
Three points. Nothing but net.
The Kaijō players fell into stunned silence.
At this point, they weren't even shocked anymore. The first-years had already shown so many variations in just one quarter—every form of high-ball, alley-oop, catch-and-shoot attack Akihito could devise.
Including but not limited to
Catch-and-shoot step-back,
catch-and-shoot fadeaway,
catch-and-shoot set shot,
catch-and-shoot fake into behind-the-back drive,
the standard alley-oop shot,
and the most absurd of all
the drifting alley-oop three-pointer!
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes today, no one would have believed alley-oop threes could evolve into drifting jumpers… and still go in!
When Akihito caught a pass while drifting wildly sideways beyond the arc, and calmly buried the three, everyone's worldview collapsed.
The only one who remained composed on court was Nijimura Shuzo.
After all…
the moment Akihito gained this new ability, just like in the past, he immediately ran off to provoke Nijimura, eagerly waiting for that crack of surprise to break his senior's usual stern expression. It was a game Akihito never grew tired of.
This time, noticing Akihito's mischievous gaze, Nijimura raised a brow in exasperation.
And then
in Kaijō's next offensive possession,
he suddenly burst into action!
Bang!
A ferocious clash, targeting the weak spot in Yukio Kasamatsu's between-the-legs crossover!
Slap!
A clean steal!
Spinning on his heel, Nijimura turned to Akihito.
"That's enough."
"Carrying this on any further is meaningless."
Hearing that, Akihito nodded lightly.
"You first?"
"Or me first?"
In response, Nijimura simply closed his eyes.
And then
the ornate doors buried deep within his heart, submerged in that dark, still lake, cracked open. Blinding light surged out, flooding the shadows of Nijimura's inner world
illuminating everything.
He drew a deep breath…
Crackle…
Snap!
Crackle…
Snap!
At the instant he opened his eyes, rainbow-colored sparks exploded from his gaze. In the next heartbeat, Nijimura drove the ball forward—not as the team-oriented player who always considered everyone, but as a one-man army launching into raw, unrestrained offense!
In the blink of an eye
his figure vanished right in front of Kasamatsu.
The sound of air ripping apart filled the court!
The sheer violence of his acceleration
stood in stark contrast to Kasamatsu's frozen defensive stance, and his eyes wide with shock, unable to react at all!
This possession, in Nijimura's eyes, didn't even see the defense.
Kasamatsu Yukio.
Masaaki Tomokawa.
Osamu Mori.
Yoshitaka Moriyama.
Tatsuo Kashikawa.
They posed no resistance whatsoever. Nijimura's raw instincts unleashed his full physical potential, and before anyone realized it, he was gone from Kaijō's line of sight.
Swish!
Gasps filled the air as everyone whipped their heads around.
The sound of the ball sliding through the net, and the sight of Nijimura casually laying it in, struck simultaneously. In that moment, everyone—on court and off—seeing Zone for the first time, trembled at its overwhelming power.
The scoreboard read
First-Years 69 : 27 Kaijō.
"He… he just cut through the defense like it was nothing."
"I couldn't even tell what happened."
"No way…"
"This has to be a dream…"
"The starters couldn't even get off a single effective defensive move against him…"
On the court, under countless stunned gazes—
Fukasaya Reiji stood solemn, staring at Nijimura once again, utterly enthralled by the power of Zone.
Zone.
A state where every unnecessary thought is stripped away, the mind wholly immersed in the game, achieving a level of focus beyond human limits. Even among elite athletes, entering Zone is rare
reserved only for the most gifted.
It is a realm only the truly honed may approach
and even then, one must wait for the door's mercy, for that fleeting, miraculous opening.
But Nijimura…
With his natural talent already blooming at seventy percent, combined with the desperate pressure of this final showdown against Akihito, he had, even as a third-year in middle school, forced open that door with his own hands.
That…
was Zone.
Perhaps each person has a different key.
For Nijimura, it was sheer willpower. For me—competition. As long as my opponent gives me pressure, that pressure becomes the key that helps me push the door open.
Logically speaking, an opponent too weak to pressure me means Zone is unnecessary. An opponent strong enough to pressure me—well, Akihito's key is almost the same as mine. He can nearly open that door at will.
But in the end, Nijimura's talent within Zone
to move freely through that realm by his own power
that was something even Shigure Akihito himself could not do.
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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