Chapter Fifty-Six: Up to This Point
"Aida-senpai, which team do you favor to win?" Nakamura looked at the intense court battle, couldn't help asking.
Aida Yayoi watched the game intently, gently shaking her head: "Still too early to say. But personally, I hope Ryonan wins."
"Ah, I know!" Nakamura said belatedly. "It's because senpai's brother is on Ryonan's basketball team, right?"
"Not because of that." Aida shot him an annoyed look, her gaze unconsciously following that graceful figure on court. "Don't you think Sendoh Akira has a special leadership quality?"
"???" Nakamura looked at this senior with confusion.
"And that recruit called Yagami too..."
"This..." Nakamura had a revelation, muttering quietly: "As expected, even career-oriented women like senpai can't help being influenced by good looks when watching games..."
"Nakamura—" Aida narrowed her eyes, voice carrying dangerous meaning. "What did you just say?"
"N-nothing! I mean senpai's analysis must be very professional!" Nakamura quickly waved his hands, wisely changing topics.
On court, both teams were evenly matched, the score tight.
Ryonan's offensive system used Yagami Sorato as the initiating point, Sendoh Akira as the primary scoring option, with Fukuda Kicchou as the secondary scorer waiting for opportunities.
On Kainan's side, Maki Shinichi organized the entire team, Jin Soichiro continuously sought three-point opportunities from outside, while Muto handled facilitation and secondary scoring.
Ryonan 10 - Kainan 12
Through Jin's two three-pointers, though both teams had equal field goal numbers, Kainan still held a slim advantage.
Ryonan's ball.
Yagami first used his scoring threat to draw Maki left, then delivered a precise crosscourt pass finding Sendoh.
Without Maki's help defense threat, Sendoh executed a simple crossover to easily break through Kiyota's defense.
Kainan's wing defender Muto had to rotate quickly.
After drawing the double-team, Sendoh threaded a sharp pass through the defense, accurately finding baseline-cutting Fukuda.
Uozumi boxed out Takasago's position.
After catching, Fukuda didn't hesitate, sprinting and leaping to violently slam the ball through the rim!
Ryonan 12 - Kainan 12
Offensive transition. Maki dribbled across halfcourt, gaze locked on Yagami before him.
"First-year, your technique and judgment are both excellent." Maki's voice was steady. "But on the basketball court, some gaps can't be overcome with technique alone."
Yagami's heart sank. He understood where their biggest gap lay.
Sure enough, before the words finished, Maki suddenly exploded, his powerful frame bulldozing toward the interior like a tank.
Yagami gritted his teeth, using his body to stay with his opponent. But facing absolute strength disparity, he was bumped backwards repeatedly, each step taken with extreme difficulty.
Can't stop him! Complete physical dominance!
Yagami's expression darkened. These past two months he'd invested most training time on strength work, but it was still too short!
He could clearly feel the pressure transmitting from his opponent—power like solid substance.
Two months' accumulation simply wasn't enough to counter Maki's tempered physique forged through countless battles.
"Damn!"
Despite absolute disadvantage, Yagami showed no retreat.
He knew clearly—if giving Maki space to build momentum, even Uozumi in the paint might struggle to resist.
"Commendable willpower." Maki praised, then using strength advantage, forcibly muscled to near the free throw line.
Three steps!
Yagami grimly memorized this number.
After establishing position, Maki used his body to lean on Yagami, then executed a clean turnaround jumper!
Yagami, who'd been suppressed by strength and unable to fully jump, could only watch the basketball fly overhead.
"Clang!"
Fortunately, Maki's shooting touch was off. The basketball hit the back rim heavily and bounced up.
"Rebound!"
Under the basket, Uozumi prepared to jump but discovered Takasago using full strength to pin him firmly behind.
"They never planned deciding this at center from the start?" Uozumi instantly understood Kainan's intent.
Takasago's mission wasn't rebounding at all—rather, tying down his tallest player at any cost!
Sure enough, after Takasago successfully contained Uozumi, Muto and Fukuda jumped simultaneously.
"Watch out!"
But the real threat wasn't Muto!
Maki had already charged to the basket, securing this offensive rebound himself!
Without any pause, Maki's peripheral vision had already spotted Jin waiting long outside, forcefully whipping the ball out.
"Smack!"
Jin caught the ball, barely needing adjustment—jumped, shot, motion flowing seamlessly.
"Swish!"
The basketball swished cleanly through!
Ryonan 12 - Kainan 15
Jin had already hit three three-pointers in the first quarter!
"Tweet!"
"Ryonan requests timeout."
Players quickly walked toward the bench. Sendoh wiped sweat with a towel, looking at Yagami beside him with some teasing: "How does it feel?"
"Maki-senpai is like a raging bull." Yagami rubbed his stuffy chest, saying with displeasure. "But it's fine. Their playing style was within expectations."
"Then proceed with the original plan?" Sendoh raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, first collapse their interior." Yagami's eyes became sharp. "As for Jin-senpai's three-point show—that should end here too."
"Since you proactively proposed using Maki to test recent training results, I won't interfere much." Coach Taoka looked at Yagami, saying heavily. "But understand clearly—his physical confrontation ability at the guard position ranks top-tier even nationally."
"You don't need to force yourself too much over this."
"I understand." Though Yagami agreed verbally, he mentally considered whether his training plan could catch up enough to return the favor next meeting.
Coach Taoka arranged zone defense and each player's defensive assignment, voice suddenly rising: "First quarter still has half remaining. We must seize court initiative!"
"Understood!"
"Tweet!"
Timeout ended. Play continued.
"Ryonan substitution, number 5 Ikegami Ryoji in, number 6 Koshino Hiroaki out."
Ryonan launched their counterattack.
After seeing his new opponent, Yagami couldn't help sighing. Turned out not only Ryonan adjusted defensive strategy—Kainan did too.
Facing Sendoh's first-half threat, Maki switched onto him. As for Yagami, he faced clear-eyed, simple Kiyota Nobunaga.
"Honestly, like a college student." Yagami sighed lightly.
"Hmm? You also acknowledge I have super-high-school-level talent?" Kiyota said excitedly. "But even if you flatter me, I won't go easy!"
Kiyota even struck a self-satisfied pose.
"Super-high-school-level comedy talent?" Yagami thought expressionlessly.
Immediately following, a swift crossover into spin successfully shook Kiyota off behind.
"Hey, damn!"
Kiyota chased from behind.
Kainan didn't underestimate Yagami. Though Kiyota boastfully guaranteed he alone could defend Yagami, Kainan still made other arrangements.
Yagami broke through near the free throw line. Kainan's interior collapsed quickly.
"Compensating interior disparity with numbers?"
Yagami whipped the ball out. Sendoh caught beyond the three-point line.
Maki's defensive awareness was excellent. The instant Yagami passed, he'd already rotated to Sendoh's front.
Rather than forcing a shot, Sendoh lobbed inside.
After catching, Uozumi roared lowly, backing down Takasago before rising for a dunk!
Muto rotated quickly but was already too late.
"BOOM!!"
Uozumi hammered the ball through. Arriving Muto seemed like a background prop.
Ryonan 14 - Kainan 15
Kainan's offense. Maki's front defender had become Sendoh, while Yagami now guarded Jin.
"What? That kid gave up?" Maki taunted.
Sendoh smiled, responding easily: "If you say so, maybe he'll defend you next possession."
Hearing this, Maki thought briefly before deliberately saying: "As long as it's not both at once."
Kainan players actively moved in the interior. Muto established position under the basket. Half a quarter in, he'd discovered obvious positioning flaws in Fukuda's defense—one reverse cut could shake him off.
For fundamentally solid Kainan players, treating him as the breakthrough point was optimal.
Maki understood immediately. After accelerating through to draw defense, he timely passed to cutting Muto under the basket.
Muto caught and rose smoothly, preparing to finish a wing layup.
"Uozumi-senpai!"
Though not participating in defense, Yagami kept tracking Kainan's movement.
Uozumi, like an awakened giant beast, leaped skyward, swatting the ball away with a clean rejection!
The basketball flew toward the sideline. Kiyota secured possession but was boxed out by Ikegami, unable to escape the boundary.
"Nobunaga!" Jin ran to open space during Yagami's distraction, receiving for support.
Perhaps facing his middle school teammate, Jin felt his touch exceptionally hot today, even experiencing a "fired up" feeling with stronger focus than usual.
However, the instant he caught the ball, Yagami directly stripped it from his hands.
"Smack!"
A clean steal!
After getting possession, Yagami didn't pause, immediately launching the counterattack.
Sendoh charged frontmost like an arrow from a bow. Maki followed closely, not leaving an inch.
In a flash, Yagami had crossed halfcourt, charging straight to the basket.
Sendoh brought the ball to the wing. Jin caught up to Yagami already at the basket, about to reach for disruption.
Yagami lightly tossed the ball backward-sideways, quickly running clear himself.
Jin followed the basketball's path, seeing the already airborne Fukuda!
"BOOM!!"
Fukuda caught with both hands, posterizing Jin to violently hammer the ball through the rim!
"WOOO!!"
"Alley-oop poster!!"
"Yagami's pass was brilliant!"
"Fukuda's also amazing!!"
Ryonan 16 - Kainan 15
patreon.com/Twilightsky588 - 40 advanced chapters