Chapter 147: [Magic Cube] Returns
Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, Kirisaki Daiichi’s second preliminary match had arrived.
It was worth mentioning that Kirisaki Daiichi’s regional preliminaries included teams from the so-called [Generation of Miracles] bracket. Within their zone were Kaijō High School and Tōō Academy.
Seirin High was also there—but Seirin would surely be cut down by Tōō, so they weren’t even worth worrying about.
In the end, the only real opponents were Kaijō and Tōō.
...
Kirisaki Daiichi’s second qualifying match.
This time, Miyamoto Tokima personally led the team to the arena.
After changing, they headed straight for the court.
Miyamoto Tokima and Momoi walked at the front, leading the entire Kirisaki Daiichi squad into the gymnasium.
Miyamoto Tokima had assumed that a preliminary match wouldn’t draw much attention.
But once he arrived, he realized there were actually quite a lot of people.
It was nowhere near the crowd sizes from his Teikō days or his time in the United States.
Still, for a qualifier, this turnout was already impressive.
As soon as Kirisaki Daiichi entered, murmurs spread through the stands.
“It’s Kirisaki Daiichi, last year’s champions!”
“If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll advance again this year.”
“I wonder how far they’ll go in the Summer Cup. They only made it to the quarterfinals last time…”
“No idea. Wait—did Kirisaki Daiichi recruit new players? Why don’t I recognize the guy in front?”
Some spectators noticed something was off.
They didn’t recognize the person leading Kirisaki Daiichi.
Others, however, felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they had seen him somewhere before.
“Wait… that—could that be [Magic Cube]?”
Suddenly, one spectator voiced his guess.
With that, more and more people who had found Miyamoto Tokima familiar finally connected the dots.
That was [Magic Cube]!
“That’s [Magic Cube]! And the one behind him is Shuzo Nijimura, Teikō’s former captain! Both of them actually showed up!”
“When you think about it, it makes sense. The [Generation of Miracles] are already in high school—of course they would be too. I just never expected them to join Kirisaki Daiichi!”
“Wait, damn—Kirisaki Daiichi just became instant title favorites! [Magic Cube], Teikō’s captain, and the [Bad Boy]? What kind of god-tier lineup is this?!”
“My god, I’m already hyped. Are we really about to see our city produce its first championship?!”
The previously indifferent crowd instantly exploded with excitement.
They could already see the shadow of a championship.
Miyamoto Tokima and the others ignored the noise and took the court with Kirisaki Daiichi to warm up.
Shuzo Nijimura naturally joined in as well—after all, both he and Miyamoto Tokima would be playing this game.
During warm-ups, Nijimura couldn’t help but sigh emotionally.
“I never thought people would still recognize us. It’s kind of touching.”
Miyamoto Tokima broke into a sweat and twitched the corner of his mouth.
“I’d rather they forget me. Better yet, forget my nickname completely.”
Nijimura immediately turned and took a shot, holding back his laughter.
The airball he threw made it painfully obvious how hard he was trying not to laugh.
Miyamoto Tokima didn’t care. After sinking a three-pointer, he started slacking off.
After spending so long in the United States, matches like this honestly didn’t interest him much anymore.
Still, for this game, he planned to play seriously—at least once, and put on a proper show.
The only unfortunate ones were Yōsen High.
They had come here just to play a qualifier, but thanks to bad luck, they were destined to become stepping stones for Miyamoto Tokima and the others.
The warm-up ended quickly.
Both teams’ starters prepared to take the court.
Before stepping on, Miyamoto Tokima spoke.
“Go all out. A shutout would be best.”
Makoto Hanamiya and the others stiffened, then licked their lips and nodded.
Shuzo Nijimura smiled faintly, silently mourning Yōsen for a few seconds.
Before the tip-off, Yōsen’s players hyped themselves up.
They had lost to Kirisaki Daiichi last year, and this time they wanted revenge.
But the moment they saw Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura, they froze.
In the end, they could only helplessly adjust their goal—from beating Kirisaki Daiichi to simply trying not to lose by too much.
The starting lineups took the court.
Kirisaki Daiichi’s lineup:
Point Guard: Makoto Hanamiya
Shooting Guard: Miyamoto Tokima
Small Forward: Shogo Haizaki
Power Forward: Shuzo Nijimura
Center: Kentaro Seto
Kentaro Seto jumped for the tip against Yōsen’s center.
Under the training arranged by Miyamoto Tokima, Seto’s vertical leap had improved significantly compared to the original storyline.
The tip went to Kentaro Seto.
The ball dropped into Makoto Hanamiya’s hands.
Hanamiya didn’t hesitate, immediately passing it to Miyamoto Tokima.
The crowd started buzzing.
“Here it comes! I haven’t seen [Magic Cube] play in almost two years!”
“Yeah, I’ve missed him so much. But wait—who’s that small forward? I don’t recognize him.”
“He looks kind of familiar… must be my imagination. Forget it, just watch [Magic Cube]!”
On the court—
Miyamoto Tokima caught the ball without the slightest hesitation.
He couldn’t even be bothered to take an extra dribble, bursting forward instantly and blowing past Yōsen’s shooting guard as if he were a training cone.
Charging into the paint, he completely ignored Yōsen’s center.
He leaped powerfully—actually clearing the rotating defender—and smashed the ball straight through the rim.
A poster dunk.
Yōsen’s center froze on the spot, unable to process what had just happened.
He had watched Miyamoto Tokima jump—
And jump over him—
Over him…
Less than a minute into the game, Yōsen’s center’s mentality had already… collapsed.
Yōsen’s entire team was stunned. The audience was stunned as well.
After all, Yōsen’s center was 1.98 meters tall—nearly two meters.
And yet, despite that height, he had been dunked over.
The visual impact was overwhelming.
The spectators didn’t bother holding back. After a brief moment of shock, they erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
“[Magic Cube] is insane!!!”
For Yōsen, though, it was pure misery.
It was only the first possession, yet their fighting spirit had already been shattered.
Even their own center had lost his will to fight.
Seeing no sign of a timeout from the coach, Yōsen’s power forward took the ball and inbounded it, starting their offense.
The Yōsen center followed along in a daze, his mind already a tangled mess.
As soon as Yōsen’s point guard crossed half court, Makoto Hanamiya stuck to him, applying intense pressure.
Kentaro Seto began reading the situation.
Suddenly—
Seto lunged forward with a sharp step.
The Yōsen point guard’s passing motion froze, and he hastily redirected the ball toward the small forward—
Smack!
...
Author's Note
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