Atsushi Murasakibara scored with a [Thor's Hammer].
Daiki Aomine stood near the sideline, repeatedly rubbing his chest with a pained expression.
"Damn it… when did his strength get this ridiculous?! What the hell has that guy been eating?!"
Even Aomine hadn't expected Murasakibara's power to become this outrageous.
The rest of Kirisaki Daiichi immediately turned to run back on defense.
Makoto Hanamiya, however, did not.
He stayed beside Kosuke Wakamatsu, a crooked smile on his face.
"Well, well… looks like our big man here got roughed up a bit."
Wakamatsu was preparing to inbound the ball when he saw Hanamiya standing directly in front of him with his arms spread wide, clearly trying to intercept the pass—while continuing to provoke him.
"What's wrong? Not passing?"
"Let me guess… trying to avoid Aomine?"
"Don't bother. You can't avoid him. After all, you were the one who just got beaten into that sorry state."
Wakamatsu's expression grew darker and darker with rage.
"Shut up!"
Hanamiya instantly knew he had guessed correctly.
So Aomine really did beat him up earlier.
Since he guessed right, he might as well pour fuel on the fire.
"Oh come on, it's just a beating. Just beat him back."
"Wait… don't tell me… you can't?"
Wakamatsu's face flushed red with anger.
"You—!"
Before he could finish, Hanamiya cut him off.
"Oh? Getting mad now? Then why weren't you mad when Aomine was beating you up?"
"Was it kindness?"
"Looks more like cowardice to me! Hahahaha!"
Wakamatsu completely lost control.
He hurled the basketball straight at Hanamiya.
Hanamiya naturally wouldn't miss an opportunity like that.
He immediately caught the ball and hooked it toward the basket.
The ball went in.
The entire crowd was stunned.
"What's going on with that Tōō player?"
"Did he just pass the ball to the opponent?"
"Wait… did he seriously give them the ball?! Is this some kind of act?!"
"What the hell just happened?!"
Seirin couldn't hear what Hanamiya had been saying on the court due to the distance.
Taiga Kagami frowned.
"What just happened? Why did he pass it to the opponent?"
Junpei Hyuga shook his head.
"No idea."
While Seirin was confused, Kaijō understood exactly what had happened.
After all, their captain had once been a victim.
"Damn it… Hanamiya's at it again."
Yukio Kasamatsu glared at Hanamiya viciously.
The rest of Kaijō looked equally serious.
They knew Hanamiya's method well.
Trash talk.
Sure, most basketball players talked trash to some extent.
But someone like Hanamiya—who could insult people without changing expression and hit every nerve perfectly—was something else entirely.
While everyone was still discussing it, the situation on the court escalated again.
After scoring, Hanamiya continued rubbing salt in the wound.
"Oh wow, thank you."
"You're such a good guy. You even passed me the ball when I hadn't scored yet."
"That's great. After the game, if you don't come eat with us, we won't even start the meal."
"Thanks!"
Hanamiya spoke in a deliberately mocking tone, a dark smile on his face.
That was the final straw.
Wakamatsu completely exploded and charged forward.
"You bastard!!!"
Shoichi Imayoshi's expression changed instantly.
"Wakamatsu!!!"
Imayoshi rushed forward and grabbed Wakamatsu around the waist to stop him from doing something reckless.
At that moment, the referee blew the whistle.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! What are you doing?!"
With the referee, coaches, and players intervening, Wakamatsu gradually calmed down.
However, he was also given a technical foul.
Kirisaki Daiichi received a free throw.
For the shot, Miyamoto had Hanamiya take it.
Hanamiya raised the ball and calmly sank the free throw.
After scoring, he looked at Wakamatsu again.
"Oh wow, another point."
"Counting the one earlier that you assisted me with, that makes three."
Then Hanamiya turned to Katsunori Harasawa and Shoichi Imayoshi.
"Oh right, remember to record my assistant's stats."
"His name's Wakamatsu, right?"
"Make sure to give my assistant Wakamatsu two assists."
"Don't let your real star player feel unappreciated. Hahahahaha!"
With that, Hanamiya turned and ran back on defense under Wakamatsu's furious glare.
Imayoshi immediately grabbed Wakamatsu's arm.
"Calm down!"
Wakamatsu clenched his teeth so hard his jaw trembled.
His anger was barely contained.
"Imayoshi! Give me the ball!"
"Switch defense!!!"
Imayoshi's pupils shrank in shock.
"Wakamatsu! Have you lost your mind?!"
Wakamatsu looked almost possessed, his voice dark.
"If Kirisaki Daiichi can do it, why can't I?!"
"Idiot."
A voice suddenly cut in.
Daiki Aomine.
He cursed first, then continued calmly.
"Do you think you have Miyamoto's ability to play from point guard to center?"
"Or Murasakibara's physical talent?"
"To put it nicely, you still need a lot more practice."
"To put it bluntly… what ability do you even have?"
Wakamatsu had already been pushed to the edge by multiple blows throughout the day.
His voice came out hoarse with rage.
"Aomine!!"
Aomine shrugged indifferently.
"Only the weak get angry."
"On the court, the ball does the talking."
"It's not about who shouts louder."
"Remember this—if you want to attack…"
"Go take the ball yourself."
After saying that, Aomine turned toward Yoshinori Susa.
"Susa-senpai, please take the inbound."
"You've seen it too. Wakamatsu isn't in a state to do it."
Susa glanced toward the coach.
Seeing him nod, he stepped out of bounds to prepare the inbound.
Harasawa knew Wakamatsu had become a ticking time bomb.
But he had no choice.
If Wakamatsu was subbed out, the paint would become completely paper-thin.
It was already on the verge of collapsing—but not quite there yet.
However, if Wakamatsu left the court, the inside defense would shatter instantly.
So Harasawa could only try to calm him down.
...
After the conflict settled, the game resumed.
Susa inbounded the ball.
Aomine immediately stepped in front of him and extended his hand.
"Susa-senpai, you understand who's running the game now, right?"
"You don't want us handing this match away."
"So give me the ball."
Wakamatsu shouted angrily,
"Aomine! Didn't you just say—if you want to—"
Before he could finish, Aomine cut him off.
"The strong don't need to fight the weak for the ball."
"Only the weak try to fight the strong for possession."
"And I…"
"am the strong one."
"You…"
"are not."
...