Three-pointer good!
Kazunari Takao's expression turned a little grim.
There was nothing he could do. Before he even had time to react, Miyamoto Tokima had already blown past him and taken the shot.
It was as effortless as crossing the street, he did not even look like he was taking it seriously.
But Takao quickly adjusted his mindset.
There was no helping it. The other guy was simply stronger.
He could not just stubbornly refuse to admit it.
That would make him nothing more than a sore loser.
Possession changed.
Shūtoku had the ball.
Shintaro Midorima was still being double-teamed by Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki.
Kazunari Takao brought the ball up past half-court.
Shintaro Midorima slowly moved to the right side of the three-point arc.
Then he made a shooting motion.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki seemed to have expected it. They showed no surprise at all.
Shintaro Midorima suddenly jumped.
Kazunari Takao pushed the ball forward with force, sending it flying straight into Shintaro Midorima's hands.
Mid-air, Shintaro Midorima caught the ball, gathered himself, and launched it high.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki simply watched without making a move.
After landing, Shintaro Midorima glanced at the two of them and turned to leave.
Shuzo Nijimura smiled.
"Haizaki, I have to admit, that move did surprise me a bit."
Shogo Haizaki nodded.
"Yeah. I was surprised too."
Shuzo Nijimura waved his hand.
"Alright. Now that we have seen it, we will stop it next time."
Shogo Haizaki nodded seriously.
From the very beginning, the two of them had known that Shintaro Midorima and Kazunari Takao would use an alley-oop three-pointer.
Satsuki Momoi had told them.
Out of curiosity, they chose not to stop that play. They wanted to see what an alley-oop three looked like.
Now that they had seen it, they just needed to shut it down.
As for how. Satsuki Momoi had already explained it.
Miyamoto Tokima yawned on the court and gestured to the referee.
The referee immediately blew the whistle.
"Beep! Kirisaki Daiichi requests a timeout."
Both teams headed to the bench.
Satsuki Momoi looked at Miyamoto Tokima with concern.
"Tokima, are you not feeling well?"
Miyamoto Tokima waved his hand.
"Just a bit sleepy. If that fortune-teller Midorima does not enter the Zone, this is not interesting for me."
"Put Hanamiya in first. I will come back next quarter."
Satsuki Momoi nodded and sent Makoto Hanamiya onto the court.
At that moment, Atsushi Murasakibara timidly raised his hand.
"Um... can I play point guard?"
Everyone froze.
Satsuki Momoi revealed a mysterious smile and said slowly, word by word:
"Of course..."
Atsushi Murasakibara's eyes lit up.
"Not. Allowed."
His expression instantly fell.
His dream of being a point forward was shattered once again.
The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
Seeing Miyamoto Tokima sub out, Shintaro Midorima's expression stiffened.
He seemed to understand something, but there was nothing he could do.
The game continued.
Kirisaki Daiichi had possession.
Atsushi Murasakibara looked unhappy as he passed the ball to Makoto Hanamiya and ran to the frontcourt.
He needed to vent.
As for the target.
Taisuke Otsubo looked miserable.
'Damn it. Why has his strength increased again!'
Taisuke Otsubo was suffering. Atsushi Murasakibara's strength had increased even more, making it extremely difficult for him.
What he did not know was that Murasakibara was already holding back.
Makoto Hanamiya slowly dribbled to the three-point line.
This time, Kazunari Takao felt a bit more at ease.
After all, the pressure Makoto Hanamiya gave off was nowhere near Miyamoto Tokima's.
He immediately pressed up, not intending to let Hanamiya play comfortably.
Makoto Hanamiya used consecutive behind-the-back dribbles to evade the steal, while his mouth kept moving.
"Oh my, quick hands. Practiced last night? Let me guess... were you training with Coach Yamagami?"
Before Kazunari Takao could react, Makoto Hanamiya continued:
"Judging by you, you are a first-year, right?"
Kazunari Takao snapped back:
"What does that have to do with you!"
Makoto Hanamiya gave a strange smile.
"Would I care if you fell?"
Kazunari Takao paused, then answered honestly.
"I would."
Makoto Hanamiya smiled again.
"Exactly. A father taking care of his son is perfectly normal, right? Wouldn't you agree, my son?"
Kazunari Takao froze, then realized what he had walked into. Just as he was about to fire back, Hanamiya spoke again:
"Try not to overdo it usually. It is bad for your body. Look at you now, you look completely drained."
The words Takao was about to say got stuck again. As he tried to organize his thoughts for a comeback.
Makoto Hanamiya had already blown past him.
"Idiot. Spacing out during a game."
After getting past Kazunari Takao, Makoto Hanamiya scanned the court and passed to Shogo Haizaki, who had gotten open.
Shogo Haizaki caught the ball and jumped immediately.
Animal Instinct.
Activated.
"Awoo!!!"
Shogo Haizaki casually flicked his right hand.
The ball hit the rim and dropped in.
[Formless Shot]
After scoring, Makoto Hanamiya slowly turned around, patted Kazunari Takao on the shoulder, and said quietly:
"Getting past you is like crossing the street in the morning."
Then he patted his shoulder twice more and walked away.
Kazunari Takao clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Bastard!"
Possession changed.
Shintaro Midorima remained on the right side, while Kazunari Takao brought the ball up from the left.
Makoto Hanamiya pressed up again, a sinister smile on his face.
"Let me guess. You are about to pass to your boss, right?"
Kazunari Takao frowned.
"Boss? What are you talking about?"
Makoto Hanamiya looked surprised.
"Oh? Is Midorima not your boss? I see you following him around like a little lackey every day. I thought you were his underling."
"Looks like I was wrong. Let me guess again. Oh, I know. You are lovers, right? You two are lovers."
Kazunari Takao's face flushed with anger.
"What the hell are you talking about, you bastard!"
Makoto Hanamiya shrugged and whistled casually.
"No need to get worked up. The way you two act, I really thought you were lovers."
"By the way, are you the top or..."
Kazunari Takao immediately snapped back:
"You idiot! Shin-chan and I are not like that!"
Makoto Hanamiya suddenly gave a strange smile.
"Oh? Really?"
At that moment, Shintaro Midorima's voice rang out.
"Takao. Watch out!"
Kazunari Takao was startled. Just as he was about to react, he felt the ball in his hands disappear.
Shogo Haizaki had already stolen it from behind and dashed forward.
Makoto Hanamiya continued mocking:
"You said you are not lovers, yet Midorima warned you immediately."
"But... where is your [Hawk Eyes]?"
"Do you not have [Hawk Eyes]? How could you not even notice Haizaki's move? Could it be... you are blind?"
"Blind my ass!"
"Getting frustrated?"
"I will show you frustrated!"
...
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