Swish!!!
Three-pointer good!
Possession changed.
On this possession, Miyamoto Tokima moved the ball to Shogo Haizaki at the baseline.
Shogo Haizaki set his feet with a standard shooting form and calmly knocked down the three.
Over the next few possessions, Shintaro Midorima continued using pick-and-roll jump shots to keep the score tight.
But it started to get harder.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki seemed to have adjusted. They could quickly slip past the screens and get right in front of him.
And once they were in front of him, a swipe at the ball was inevitable.
Still, nothing went wrong.
"Beep! End of the first quarter."
With the first quarter over, both teams returned to the bench to rest.
On Shūtoku's side.
Shintaro Midorima sat down on the bench and took a small sip of water handed to him by a teammate.
Then, without turning his head, he called out:
"Takao."
Kazunari Takao looked at Shintaro Midorima in confusion, but then seemed to understand what he meant.
A smile spread across his face.
"I got it, Shin-chan. We're using that move, right?"
Kazunari Takao was excited. The move they had practiced so hard was finally about to be revealed.
Seeing that Kazunari Takao understood, Shintaro Midorima said nothing more.
He turned to look toward Kirisaki Daiichi.
His expression was serious.
Shintaro Midorima knew very well that although the score looked close right now,
Miyamoto Tokima still had not made a move.
The ones who had taken action were only the other members of Kirisaki Daiichi.
Shintaro Midorima clenched his fist, his expression turning grim.
'Is this... destiny...? ...'
His clenched fist loosened slightly. He tilted his head back, sighed, and murmured:
"Do our best... and await fate..."
On Kirisaki Daiichi's side.
Satsuki Momoi put down the tactics board and smiled.
"Did everyone understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"We understood!"
Satsuki Momoi gave Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki a pointed look, clearly unconvinced.
"Nijimura-senpai, Haizaki, are you sure you understood?"
Shuzo Nijimura rubbed his nose and laughed.
"Don't worry, I definitely got it. As for that kid Haizaki, I'm not so sure."
Shogo Haizaki's face darkened as he shouted:
"What do you mean, Nijimura-senpai! I definitely understood too! But whether you understood or not, I wouldn't know."
Shuzo Nijimura immediately hooked Shogo Haizaki's head under his arm, clenched his left fist, and pressed his knuckle against Haizaki's head, grinding it in.
"Ah! You bastard! Let go of me!"
"Stealing my lines again, huh! I'm teaching you a lesson today!"
"Admit you were wrong and I'll let you go!"
"I did nothing wrong!"
"Ah!"
"Say it, were you wrong or not!"
"I did nothing wrong!!"
The rest of Kirisaki Daiichi twitched their lips. Clearly, they were already used to this.
Satsuki Momoi couldn't be bothered to intervene. She let them continue.
At that moment, Miyamoto Tokima asked:
"Babe, do you think Midorima can enter the Zone?"
Satsuki Momoi glanced at her notes, thought for a moment, and replied:
"He can, but it's very difficult."
Miyamoto Tokima tilted his head.
"Explain."
Satsuki Momoi nodded.
"Actually, Midorima-kun already meets all the conditions to enter the Zone."
"But... he's too rational."
"So rational that he can't even tell whether he truly loves basketball."
"Rather than loving basketball, it would be more accurate to say he loves three-pointers."
"And have you forgotten something Midorima-kun always says?"
Miyamoto Tokima thought for a moment.
"Do our best and await fate?"
Satsuki Momoi nodded and continued.
"Exactly. Who plays basketball for the sake of fate?"
"If Midorima-kun only believed in the first half of that sentence, he would have entered the Zone long ago."
Miyamoto Tokima seemed to realize something.
"So... the way for Midorima to enter the Zone now... is to resist fate once?"
Satsuki Momoi nodded.
"Yes. As long as Midorima-kun stops believing in fate and resists it, or even just acts impulsively once, he can enter the Zone."
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
Indeed, Shintaro Midorima was too rational.
Whether in middle school or high school,
he had always been that way.
To put it bluntly, he was like a fortune-teller.
"Beep! The second quarter begins, both teams take the court!"
Shintaro Midorima checked his shoelaces again. After confirming everything was fine, he stood up and stepped onto the court.
Miyamoto Tokima walked onto the court and turned to look at Shintaro Midorima.
Shintaro Midorima turned his head as well, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
At that moment, Miyamoto Tokima asked:
"Midorima."
Shintaro Midorima:
"Hmm?"
Miyamoto Tokima continued:
"Do you still... believe in destiny?"
Shintaro Midorima hesitated for a moment before answering:
"I do."
"I can only fulfill my part first, and then await fate."
Miyamoto Tokima's mouth twitched.
That hesitation meant Shintaro Midorima did have other thoughts.
But... your 'fortune-teller' trait is seriously maxed out.
Miyamoto Tokima sighed. He did not know what else to say, and in the end only managed one sentence:
"Midorima... at least try... to resist fate a little."
After saying that, Miyamoto Tokima stepped onto the court.
There was nothing he could do. This was something Shintaro Midorima had to figure out himself.
He could not help.
He could not exactly say:
[Midorima, stop believing in fate. Start believing in basketball.]
That would be ridiculous.
Shintaro Midorima stood there, thinking about what Miyamoto Tokima had just said.
"Resist... fate...?"
"But... can fate... really be resisted...?"
"Shin-chan! Get ready."
While he was still thinking, Kazunari Takao's voice rang out.
Shintaro Midorima snapped back to his senses, nodded, and ran onto the court to prepare for the second quarter.
The second quarter began.
Kirisaki Daiichi had possession.
Miyamoto Tokima slowly dribbled past half-court.
Kazunari Takao wore a serious expression. The pressure was still there, but he had to learn to withstand it.
Otherwise, this game would become very difficult.
Kazunari Takao endured the discomfort and stepped up to guard Miyamoto Tokima closely.
Miyamoto Tokima was slightly surprised.
Not backing off. Instead, he came straight at him?
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly. With a casual change of direction, he blew past Kazunari Takao completely.
Faced with an open three-pointer, Miyamoto Tokima showed no mercy.
He raised his hand and released the shot.
Swish!!!
...