Chapter 029
After Haizaki received the ball, he immediately pushed the pace with a quick dribble attack. Hanamiya felt internal shock waves as he thought: 'That kid—when did he appear there? None of us noticed him at all...'
"Get back on defense!" While Shoichi Imayoshi was equally surprised internally, his immediate concern was preventing this scoring opportunity.
"Haizaki-chin, pass it to me!" Murasakibara called out to his teammate.
Haizaki immediately lobbed the basketball high in the air toward Murasakibara, setting up his signature move.
Nebuya watched the airborne ball and struggled to establish position, but Murasakibara's strength was overwhelming—he simply couldn't compete.
"You're trying so hard," Murasakibara said with growing irritation at the persistent resistance. Using his superior strength, he forcibly spun around and caught the ball with both hands while airborne.
'Damn it! Another dunk attempt? I have to stop you this time!'
"HAH!" Thor's Hammer directly penetrated Nebuya's defense, slamming ferociously against the rim and launching Nebuya backward.
Looking at Nebuya sprawled on the ground, Murasakibara said with obvious contempt: "Oh, sorry. The force seems to have been a bit excessive. You should be careful—it's just a game, and it wouldn't be good if someone got injured."
Hearing Murasakibara's words, Nebuya could only grit his teeth fiercely: "Bastard."
"What a terrifying dunk! Even that muscle freak couldn't stop it," Kotaro Hayama looked genuinely shocked.
Shoichi Imayoshi frowned and commented: "Yeah, I was worried he might rip the entire basket down!"
Score: 17-14.
"In the second quarter, Team MiracleCreator scores again, extending their lead back to three points. Time for Team Nocrown to mount a comeback!"
Shoichi Imayoshi passed to Hanamiya: "Alright, let's get this possession back first!"
"Everyone pay attention to that number nine kid. The steal he made from Hayama earlier has me concerned," Hanamiya said with a slight frown. He'd felt something unsettling about that player before—obviously very weak, yet somehow giving off a dangerous vibe.
Imayoshi agreed: "Right. Even though I don't understand what happened with that steal, anyone standing on this court with them definitely can't be underestimated."
Hanamiya dribbled the ball while looking at Murasakibara defending him, a hint of amusement crossing his face: "Oh, so you're the one guarding me this time? Interesting."
Murasakibara's tone carried obvious displeasure, his eyes showing murderous intent: "Is that so? Your cocky attitude really irritates me. I'm going to destroy you completely."
'So they're preventing me from shooting threes? But with you out here, is there really no problem with your inside defense?' Thinking this, Hanamiya's mouth curved slightly upward as he passed to Shoichi Imayoshi.
The moment Imayoshi received the ball, Haizaki immediately pressured him: 'This time you won't get away like before. Don't think you can just walk past me.'
'Oh really, I can't find any openings at all! The previous trick definitely won't work, but still...'
Shoichi Imayoshi pulled up for a jump shot, and Haizaki sneered internally: 'You want to use that same move again? This time I'm going to block you completely.'
'What incredible jumping ability!' Imayoshi looked surprised. Seeing Susa positioned to his left, he thought: 'This guy...'
Imayoshi immediately adjusted his movement mid-air and decisively passed to Susa Yoshinori, but the next moment, his characteristic dark smile froze completely.
Because Kuroko's slight figure had appeared in front of Susa without anyone noticing. 'What's happening? Just like before—why is he there?'
Susa's pupils narrowed slightly. This situation was exactly the same as the previous possession—Kuroko had appeared before them without anyone being aware.
Kuroko touched the ball without holding it at all, immediately redirecting its trajectory and passing to Aomine. After receiving it, Aomine took a standard shot, scoring 2 points for Team MiracleCreator.
Score: 19-14.
"Beautiful work, Tetsuya!" Aomine ran over with obvious enthusiasm, extending his fist to bump with Kuroko's.
Haizaki looked on and smiled slightly: "Finally, we've turned the momentum around a bit. Now we have a real advantage."
"Well done, Kuroko-chin. Just keep playing like this," Murasakibara came over to ruffle Kuroko's hair with a smile.
Kotaro Hayama gritted his teeth tightly: "What the hell is going on with that transparent-looking kid? Why don't any of us notice him? Damn it!"
"He's obviously weak as hell, and losing to someone like him would be absolutely humiliating," the hot-tempered Nebuya said with even greater frustration. He'd already been heated enough by Murasakibara's dominance on the boards, but he acknowledged Murasakibara's superior strength. However, being outplayed by such a seemingly weak kid was genuinely infuriating.
Hanamiya smiled slightly: "Hehe, I finally understand what kind of technique that kid is using."
"You know?" Kotaro Hayama asked with surprise.
Hanamiya smiled coldly: "Well, I didn't expect someone would actually use this in basketball. There are two reasons we can't see that kid: one is that his natural presence is extremely low."
"The other is misdirection."
"Misdirection?" "What's that?"
Shoichi Imayoshi smiled darkly: "I see. No wonder—he uses visual cues to shift our attention to the ball or other players. Combined with his naturally low presence, we completely ignore his existence."