Kentaro Seto and Kojiro Furuhashi slowly walked to either side of Shogo Haizaki.
Shogo Haizaki looked up at Miyamoto Tokima with guilt in his eyes and said, "Tokima-san... I'm sorry..."
"I let you down..."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled and patted Shogo Haizaki on the shoulder.
"Haizaki, you didn't let me down. If anything, you surprised me."
And honestly, who wouldn't be surprised? Something he had casually mentioned, the Limit of Selfless Brilliance, had actually been learned by Shogo Haizaki!
Shogo Haizaki looked up in surprise and asked, "Really?"
Miyamoto Tokima nodded.
"Really. Go to the infirmary and get checked out properly. Don't end up damaging your brain. I'm still counting on you to fight alongside me."
Shogo Haizaki nodded gratefully, then allowed Kentaro Seto and Kojiro Furuhashi to support him as he left the court.
Shogo Haizaki's exit also drew the attention of everyone in the arena.
...
Over on Tōō's side.
Daiki Aomine watched Shogo Haizaki leave the court. He shook his head and muttered, "What a shame. I still wanted to experience that state a little more. Damn you, Haizaki! If I'd known this would happen, I should've forced him to study back in middle school!"
...
Off the court.
On Shūtoku's side.
Shintaro Midorima calmly pushed up his glasses, watching everything happening on the court as he said, "It's a powerful skill, but the current Haizaki still can't control it."
Kazunari Takao nodded and sighed.
"Yeah. The ability to predict the entire court is honestly kind of insane."
...
On the court.
The referee walked to the center of the court with the whistle in his mouth, then blew it.
"Beep! Timeout over. Both teams, back on the court!"
The players from Kirisaki Daiichi and Tōō High took the court once more.
As Daiki Aomine stepped onto the court, Katsunori Harasawa grabbed him and reminded him, "Aomine, preserve your stamina as much as possible. We need you in the second half!"
Daiki Aomine paused, then checked his own condition before nodding.
"I'll be careful, Coach."
...
On the court.
Kirisaki Daiichi had possession.
Makoto Hanamiya caught the ball Atsushi Murasakibara inbounded to him, turned, and slowly dribbled past half court.
He grinned, his smile looking distinctly sinister.
Shoichi Imayoshi watched Makoto Hanamiya get closer and closer, feeling increasingly uneasy.
Given the choice, he would rather face Shogo Haizaki than Makoto Hanamiya.
Because Makoto Hanamiya was just too damn underhanded!
Even more twisted than Imayoshi's mind games!
Back in middle school, it was precisely because Makoto Hanamiya was so underhanded that Shoichi Imayoshi had chosen not to join the basketball team.
"Yo, Imayoshi, did you eat something nasty this morning? Your face looks awful."
His voice arrived before he did.
Makoto Hanamiya had not even reached Shoichi Imayoshi yet, but his words had already drifted over.
After hearing Makoto Hanamiya, Shoichi Imayoshi's expression visibly darkened even further.
"Hanamiya, I really can't stand you after all!"
Shoichi Imayoshi frowned deeply as he spoke.
At the same time, he kept using psychology to analyze what Makoto Hanamiya was thinking.
Unfortunately, Makoto Hanamiya kept that sinister smile on his face the whole time, giving him no way to read his thoughts.
All he could read from him was malice!
Makoto Hanamiya continued smiling sinisterly, his eyes full of mockery as he looked at Shoichi Imayoshi.
"Can't stand me? Funny, I don't remember asking you to."
As he said this, the mockery in Makoto Hanamiya's eyes grew even stronger.
"I'm pretty normal when it comes to choosing people to hang around with. You, on the other hand... that judgment of yours is hard to defend. Hahahaha..."
Listening to Makoto Hanamiya's mocking laughter, Shoichi Imayoshi felt like he was about to snap.
He clenched his teeth and glared furiously at Makoto Hanamiya.
But he did not make a move. Instead, he gritted out, "All you can do is run your mouth!"
Makoto Hanamiya smiled at Shoichi Imayoshi and slowly said, "So what?"
That casual reply completely made Shoichi Imayoshi's blood boil.
So what?
So fuck you!
"Fuck you, Hanamiya! You fucking..."
"Idiot. Losing focus during a game?"
Before Shoichi Imayoshi could finish cursing, Makoto Hanamiya suddenly cursed back. At the same time, he launched a surprise attack and instantly broke past Shoichi Imayoshi.
Shoichi Imayoshi stopped cursing and hurriedly turned to chase him.
But the moment he turned around, he realized Makoto Hanamiya had stopped.
Makoto Hanamiya had already passed the ball...
Atsushi Murasakibara caught the pass and easily scored with a hook shot.
Swish!
After the basket, Makoto Hanamiya slowly turned around, revealing a wicked smile.
"Yo, what's wrong, Imayoshi? Why are you panicking like that? In a hurry? Is your dad waiting up ahead, or is it your mom?"
"Hanamiya! You bastard!!!"
Shoichi Imayoshi instantly flushed red with anger. Furious, he grabbed Makoto Hanamiya by the collar of his jersey, cursing as he raised his right fist.
Just as his fist was about to swing down, a hand suddenly appeared and caught Shoichi Imayoshi's right fist.
The hand belonged to Daiki Aomine!
Daiki Aomine held Shoichi Imayoshi's right fist with a cold expression and said, "Imayoshi, calm down."
Shoichi Imayoshi tried to pull free from Daiki Aomine's grip, but it was obvious he could not.
At that moment, Makoto Hanamiya raised both hands, letting Shoichi Imayoshi keep gripping his collar.
There was still a mocking smile on Makoto Hanamiya's face.
"Hey, Imayoshi, did you skip breakfast? Or have you turned into a complete wimp? You can't even throw a punch?"
Hearing this, Shoichi Imayoshi flushed with rage again. He turned his head and roared at Makoto Hanamiya.
"You fucking piece of shit!"
But his fist still could not swing down, because Daiki Aomine's grip was far too tight.
At the same time, the referee and the Kirisaki Daiichi players also arrived beside Makoto Hanamiya.
The referee quickly separated the two, while the Kirisaki Daiichi players blocked the front of Makoto Hanamiya.
After the referee pulled Shoichi Imayoshi away, he saw the towering Dicky Anthony and Atsushi Murasakibara, along with Miyamoto Tokima, who was giving off a terrifying aura. He finally stopped acting recklessly.
Instead, he stormed off the court in fury.
This time, Makoto Hanamiya's trash talk had truly broken through his defenses.
The referee immediately gave Makoto Hanamiya a warning, then went to discuss what penalty should be given to Shoichi Imayoshi.
After all, Shoichi Imayoshi had clearly intended to throw a punch.
During this time, players from both sides were allowed to leave the court and wait for the decision.
After coming off the court, Miyamoto Tokima helplessly rubbed his forehead.
This whole thing... how should he put it...
Trash talk was normal on a basketball court, but Makoto Hanamiya's trash talk was way too outrageous.
That trash talk really dealt true damage!
...
...
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