Chapter 222 - 227

Chapter 222: Speculation

After activating his Animal Instinct, Atsushi Murasakibara’s strength surged dramatically.

He began relentlessly backing Jason Silver down, driving into him again and again.

But Jason Silver stood there like a mountain, not budging even slightly.

“Hahahahaha! Kid, put some more strength into it!”

Jason Silver laughed loudly, shouting in English.

Atsushi Murasakibara couldn’t understand English, so he had no idea what Jason Silver was saying.

All he knew was that his strength seemed completely ineffective against Jason Silver.

Yet strangely enough, that very fact brought him a trace of enjoyment.

Jason Silver looked at the dazed Murasakibara with confusion, unable to figure him out for a moment.

‘This kid… zoning out in the middle of a game?’

‘Whatever. I’ll just teach him a lesson.’

Jason Silver swung out his right hand and cleanly stole the basketball.

Only then did the distracted Murasakibara realize the ball had been taken.

He immediately rushed forward, trying to regain control of it.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of the ball.

“Lucky.”

Allen smiled faintly, scooped up the basketball, and burst forward.

Seeing this, Shogo Haizaki immediately chased after him.

But as he kept running, Haizaki quickly realized something was wrong.

‘So fast!’

Just as he was still shocked, a massive figure suddenly shot past him.

Haizaki’s pupils shrank violently, as if he had just seen a ghost.

‘H-how… how is that possible?!’

The figure was Jason Silver.

He instantly overtook Shogo Haizaki and rushed up right behind Allen.

Allen also noticed Jason Silver closing in. As he neared the basket, he tossed the ball upward.

Jason Silver exploded into the air from behind, grabbed the ball mid-flight, and slammed it down with a thunderous dunk!

BOOM!!!

The entire arena erupted.

Shogo Haizaki and the others were completely stunned.

Makoto Hanamiya stared in disbelief.

A center… running faster than Shogo Haizaki?!

What kind of monster was that?!

Even Shuzo Nijimura, who already knew how strong Jason Silver was, couldn’t help wiping away cold sweat.

‘You’ve got to be kidding… Silver has become even more terrifying.’

Watching Jason Silver’s overwhelming power, a faint smile appeared on Atsushi Murasakibara’s face.

Even he didn’t realize it himself.

Possession switched.

This time, Makoto Hanamiya didn’t pass the ball to Murasakibara. Instead, he sent it to Shuzo Nijimura.

In his eyes, the best option right now was to let Nijimura handle it.

After all, Shuzo Nijimura was currently the strongest player on their team.

But Nijimura had no intention of attacking.

This entire game had been designed for Atsushi Murasakibara.

So after finding an opening, Shuzo Nijimura passed the ball to the well-positioned Murasakibara.

Without saying anything, Murasakibara grabbed the ball and immediately began applying pressure to Jason Silver again.

Jason Silver felt the surge of force and froze for a moment.

‘His strength increased?’

Nash Gold’s eyes narrowed when he saw the faint smile appearing on Murasakibara’s face.

Without hesitation, he activated the [Belial Eye] and began examining the changes in Murasakibara’s stats.

‘His strength data actually increased?! Was he hiding it before?!’

He was shocked the moment he checked.

Compared to the start of the game, Atsushi Murasakibara’s strength had increased by far more than just a little.

‘Is this what Tokima-san meant… the power hidden because he wanted to protect others?’

Thinking of this, Nash Gold gave a mysterious smile.

‘But even so, that strength still isn’t enough in front of Silver.’

Jason Silver could clearly feel Murasakibara’s power growing stronger and stronger, and the aura around him becoming more and more intense.

Jason Silver burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! Good kid! Come on, give it everything you’ve got!”

Murasakibara’s Animal Instinct was fully unleashed now. He no longer held anything back.

After all, it was rare to encounter an opponent who allowed him to release his strength without any restraint.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Murasakibara drove his back into Silver three times in a row.

Yet even then, he only managed to push Jason Silver back half a step.

If this had been the original Jason Silver, he might have struggled against a Murasakibara like this.

But things were different now.

After undergoing high-intensity training, Jason Silver’s physical condition had become explosive.

The current Murasakibara simply couldn’t win against him in terms of pure strength.

With no other option, Murasakibara realized he couldn’t move Silver and passed the ball out.

Shogo Haizaki caught it and immediately activated his Animal Instinct.

“Awooo!!!”

A lone wolf instantly appeared behind Haizaki, and his eyes turned razor-sharp.

Allen showed no sign of panic when he saw this. Instead, he smiled and even clapped his hands in encouragement.

Haizaki’s expression turned serious as he began his attack.

He used streetball-style moves to push forward.

But time was running out.

With no better option, Shogo Haizaki forced a shot over Allen’s defense.

The result was exactly what everyone expected.

The moment Haizaki jumped, Allen directly snatched the ball away.

Once the Black Dragon Team gained possession, they instantly became the engine of the court.

A full-team fast break!

The Kirisaki Daiichi players could only sprint desperately to keep up.

As Allen pushed the fast break, he kept scanning the court.

Suddenly, he realized that the person chasing behind him wasn’t Haizaki.

It was Shuzo Nijimura.

Allen froze.

Wait… Nijimura, why the hell are you chasing me?

Meanwhile, Shuzo Nijimura was thinking to himself:

I don’t care about the others—but Allen! Remember this! I’m blocking you for sure!

Allen, of course, didn’t want to get blocked by Nijimura.

The chances were small, but they existed.

And if he actually got blocked, Nijimura would absolutely mock him about it for an entire month.

So Allen swung his right hand and sent the ball flying to Nick on the perimeter.

Nick caught the pass and glanced at Dicky Anthony, noticing he was still a step away.

Without hesitation, Nick rose up for a smooth jump shot.

Even though Dicky Anthony lunged forward, he was still a step too late.

The basketball flew out, barely grazing his fingertips.

Seeing this, Nick was slightly surprised.

Looks like the former Venom captain is still improving.

After that shot went in, the first half of the game was almost completely dominated by the Black Dragon Team.

Even when Kirisaki Daiichi tried everything they could, scoring was still extremely difficult.

Through the observation of the [Belial Eye], Nash Gold noticed that Murasakibara’s stats had seemingly reached their peak.

He immediately confirmed it.

Atsushi Murasakibara had reached the critical threshold.

All he needed now was a trigger—and he could enter the Zone.

Makoto Hanamiya, panting heavily, looked toward Shuzo Nijimura with confusion.

‘Why… why haven’t Nijimura and Anthony started going all out yet?’

Suddenly, he noticed Nash Gold constantly scanning Murasakibara’s body.

A strange thought surfaced in his mind.

“Could it be…?”

...

Chapter 223: Reminds Me of an Old Acquaintance

‘Are you two putting on a show??’

The thought suddenly flashed through Makoto Hanamiya’s mind.

And once it appeared, it quickly began taking over his thoughts.

From the very beginning of the game, both Shuzo Nijimura and Dicky Anthony had been deliberately—whether obvious or subtle—feeding passes to Atsushi Murasakibara.

Even when Murasakibara was getting completely overwhelmed, the two still kept sending him the ball.

Makoto Hanamiya didn’t believe for a second that Nijimura and Anthony were incapable of attacking on their own.

Meanwhile, Nash Gold on the opposing side had been observing Murasakibara’s movements from the start of the match.

And when he remembered that both Nijimura and Anthony had spent time in the United States…

If everything had been planned, then it all connected.

But what was the goal?

What exactly were they trying to achieve?

Crack!!!

Just as Hanamiya was still thinking about the purpose, a sharp electric crack echoed across the court.

A terrifying wave of pressure spread throughout the arena.

Hanamiya turned his head in confusion—and instantly understood.

‘This… is the goal!’

‘Zone!’

At that moment, purple lightning flickered within Atsushi Murasakibara’s eyes.

The aura surrounding him became overwhelmingly oppressive.

Shuzo Nijimura rubbed his forehead and muttered:

“Finally activated. If it didn’t happen soon, we really would’ve been in trouble.”

The game continued.

Kirisaki Daiichi had possession.

As Makoto Hanamiya dribbled the ball, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was correct.

When Murasakibara entered the Zone, he had carefully observed everyone’s expressions.

He clearly saw the excitement in the eyes of every Black Dragon Team member.

And Nijimura looked like someone whose plan had just succeeded.

From those details, Hanamiya concluded one thing:

This whole thing was a setup!

Since it’s a setup… if I trash-talk a little more, you guys won’t hit me, right?

Acting immediately on the idea, Hanamiya passed the ball to Murasakibara and began loudly trash-talking Nash Gold in front of him.

...

On the other side.

After receiving the ball, Murasakibara’s expression became extremely serious. Purple lightning crackled in his eyes—the signature effect of Zone mode.

Then—

Boom!

Boom!

Two consecutive back-downs.

And this time, he actually pushed Jason Silver back a step.

Jason Silver burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! Now that’s some real strength! In that case!”

Boom!

A savage, bloodthirsty, ferocious aura erupted from Jason Silver’s body.

Everyone on the court looked over in surprise.

Behind Jason Silver, a massive figure suddenly appeared.

A Tyrannosaurus rex.

A true apex predator—the Tyrannosaurus rex!

With his Animal Instinct activated, Jason Silver’s strength skyrocketed.

Murasakibara immediately felt the force pressing back against him.

Jason Silver now looked even more massive and imposing.

Grinning, he said:

“Come on, baby.”

Murasakibara naturally refused to back down. He immediately clashed head-on with Silver.

But even with Zone activated, Murasakibara still couldn’t push Jason Silver back while Silver’s Animal Instinct was active.

The gap in their base physical abilities was simply too large.

Still, Murasakibara refused to give up.

He was fired up now.

It was as if he had locked horns with Jason Silver, stubbornly continuing to back him down again and again.

Meanwhile, time kept ticking away.

Finally, the referee blew the whistle.

“Beep! Offensive time violation!”

The whistle finally snapped Murasakibara out of it.

Annoyed with himself, he lowered the ball and turned to run back on defense.

Nash Gold walked over and asked:

“Silver, how did it feel?”

Jason Silver answered honestly:

“For someone his age, he’s incredibly strong. At least in terms of raw power, he’s way stronger than I was at that age.”

That was true.

When Jason Silver was Murasakibara’s age, he definitely hadn’t possessed this kind of strength.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Miyamoto Tokima, Silver’s current power might not be that different from Murasakibara’s.

Possession switched.

Nash Gold had just dribbled past half-court when Makoto Hanamiya ran up and started spewing trash talk.

“%&% (auto-censored)”

Nash Gold casually dug at his ear and said:

“I honestly didn’t want to deal with you, but…”

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned sharp.

“You’re getting a little too noisy.”

With that, Nash Gold moved.

He performed a between-the-legs dribble, shifting Hanamiya’s center of gravity, then immediately followed with a crossover.

It was such a simple move.

Yet Hanamiya completely lost control of his body and crashed to the floor.

Seeing this scene, Murasakibara froze.

He muttered unconsciously:

“Ak… Akashi…”

Hanamiya fell to the ground with a terrified expression, looking up at Nash Gold.

Nash Gold looked down at him expressionlessly and said coldly:

“You never stop yapping. What are you, some kind of chicken?”

After saying that, Nash Gold passed the ball to Jason Silver.

He actually hadn’t planned to step in.

But Hanamiya had been too loud.

If he didn’t shut him up, his ears wouldn’t get a moment of peace.

Jason Silver caught the ball and shouted at the still-dazed Murasakibara:

“Kid! Snap out of it!”

Silver’s roar pulled Murasakibara back to reality.

But his face still looked confused.

Seeing that, Jason Silver decided to teach him a lesson.

After all, zoning out on the court was a huge taboo.

Jason Silver immediately powered into a back-down.

Murasakibara was still distracted by Nash Gold’s [Belial Eye].

So Silver instantly knocked him flying.

Seeing this, Shuzo Nijimura exclaimed:

“Damn, Silver’s fierce! If Miyamoto saw that, he’d stab you in the butt!”

After being knocked away, Murasakibara finally came back to his senses.

Now there was no “Akashi” left in his mind.

Only anger.

“I’ll crush you!”

Murasakibara sprang up and rushed forward, repeatedly swiping at Jason Silver’s ball.

Seeing this, Jason Silver immediately turned his back to the basket, shielding the ball with his body.

Then—

Boom!

Murasakibara crossed his arms to block.

Boom!

Murasakibara stepped back.

Boom!

Another step back.

Boom!

Three steps back.

It was almost like this: every time Jason Silver powered through with a back-down, Murasakibara was forced one step backward.

Even with Zone activated, he still couldn’t withstand Jason Silver’s Animal Instinct.

Jason Silver bulldozed his way into the paint, then suddenly spun around and jumped.

He clearly intended to dunk right over Murasakibara.

Murasakibara wasn’t about to tolerate that.

He immediately leapt up, clashing with Jason Silver in midair.

Jason Silver grinned, the Tyrannosaurus behind him opening its massive jaws and revealing razor-sharp teeth.

Purple lightning flashed in Murasakibara’s eyes as his expression turned ferocious.

“AAAAAAHHHH!!!”

...

Chapter 224: Feast! Feast!

Jason Silver felt the resistance in his hand and grinned.

Unleashing his full strength, he instantly overpowered Atsushi Murasakibara’s force and slammed the basketball straight through the hoop.

A dunk over the defender!

Atsushi Murasakibara crashed to the floor with a thud.

The crowd immediately erupted in excited shouts.

Some people even rushed up to chest-bump Jason Silver.

Shuzo Nijimura walked over to Atsushi Murasakibara and extended a hand.

“Get up, Murasakibara.”

Atsushi Murasakibara didn’t take it. He simply sat on the floor in silence.

Shogo Haizaki and the others noticed something was wrong and quickly ran over.

“Murasakibara, what’s wrong?”

Shogo Haizaki asked.

Atsushi Murasakibara didn’t respond. He just sat there quietly, unmoving.

With the Belial Eye activated, Nash Gold noticed something immediately.

Atsushi Murasakibara’s stats had dropped.

Nash Gold muttered,

“Did he leave the Zone on his own?”

Zack walked over beside Nash Gold with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on? Why does he look like his fighting spirit just vanished?”

Nash Gold shook his head.

“I’m not sure. Maybe he’s never taken a hit like this before.”

Meanwhile...

Shuzo Nijimura grabbed Atsushi Murasakibara’s shoulders and shook him repeatedly.

“Murasakibara! Snap out of it!”

But Atsushi Murasakibara still didn’t react. He remained silent.

Murasakibara had always had the mentality of a child.

He had always been winning.

Now, being completely crushed like this in the United States created a huge psychological gap that wiped out his fighting spirit.

He didn’t lash out at anyone.

Instead, he simply sat there quietly.

He didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Makoto Hanamiya walked over.

“Nijimura, let me try.”

Shuzo Nijimura stepped aside after hearing that, leaving Atsushi Murasakibara to Makoto Hanamiya.

Makoto Hanamiya looked down at the slumped Murasakibara and said coldly,

“Pathetic.”

Atsushi Murasakibara’s shoulders twitched.

Makoto Hanamiya continued,

“Miyamoto has put in who knows how much effort taking care of you, and this is what you look like now?”

“Did all that food you ate go straight to your tiny brain?”

Murasakibara’s shoulders trembled even more.

Seeing that, Makoto Hanamiya kept going.

“Don’t forget whose team you represent.”

“Do you remember who you represent?”

After saying that, Makoto Hanamiya placed a hand on Murasakibara’s shoulder and suddenly smiled.

“Don’t you want to go back and enjoy a big feast?”

The moment Makoto Hanamiya finished speaking, Atsushi Murasakibara lifted his head.

His eyes were filled with determination.

“I do!”

Makoto Hanamiya’s lips curled upward as he extended his hand.

“Then get up.”

Atsushi Murasakibara nodded heavily and grabbed Makoto Hanamiya’s hand.

Then...

“Nijimura, give me a hand. I can’t pull him up.”

“...Seriously?”

............

Nash Gold had watched the whole thing.

He looked at Makoto Hanamiya with interest and murmured,

“Interesting. A natural persuader, huh?”

Zack chimed in beside him.

“I thought that kid was only good at trash talk. Didn’t expect him to have this kind of ability too.”

“Too bad his strength is a bit lacking.”

Nash Gold suddenly seemed to think of something and smiled strangely.

“No. I think he could take on another role.”

“A role... that would be hated by everyone.”

Zack immediately understood what Nash Gold meant and quickly said,

“Fuck, Nash, don’t even think about it. Miyamoto would slap you flying!”

Nash Gold burst out laughing.

“Haha, I’m joking.”

“In the end, everything is still up to Miyamoto.”

Meanwhile...

Atsushi Murasakibara turned and asked,

“Hanamiya, do you have a rubber band?”

Makoto Hanamiya froze.

A rubber band?

What kind of grown man carries a rubber band when going out?!

“Here.”

Makoto Hanamiya awkwardly held out his hand, his face slightly red.

A rubber band lay quietly in his palm.

Atsushi Murasakibara took it and said,

“Thanks.”

After that, he began tying up his hair.

Suddenly, a voice came from the stands.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Everyone on the court turned to look.

The crowd automatically parted, creating a path.

Through the opening, Miyamoto slowly walked out.

He stepped onto the court and said calmly,

“Let’s stop here. The objective has already been achieved.”

The five members of the Black Dragon Team immediately called out when they saw him.

“Miyamoto!” ×5

On the court, Shogo Haizaki and Atsushi Murasakibara looked completely confused.

They had no idea what was going on.

Makoto Hanamiya, however, wore an expression that clearly said: Just as I thought.

Shuzo Nijimura briefly explained Miyamoto’s plan to everyone.

After hearing it, the group fell silent.

Miyamoto walked over to Murasakibara and smiled.

“You’re not blaming me, right, Little Murasakibara?”

Murasakibara puffed out his cheeks.

“I still want to play.”

Miyamoto rubbed his forehead helplessly and waved his hand.

“Nash, you explain it to him.”

Nash Gold nodded and said to Murasakibara,

“You still want to play?”

“Didn’t you even notice that you’re injured?”

The moment those words came out, Atsushi Murasakibara visibly stiffened.

Shogo Haizaki turned his head in disbelief.

“Murasakibara, you’re injured?”

Murasakibara quickly hid his hand and muttered,

“No.”

Nash Gold pointed at his eyes.

“Tell the truth.”

“You can’t fool these eyes.”

Murasakibara turned his head and looked straight into Nash Gold’s eyes.

A strangely familiar feeling immediately rose within him.

In the end, he stopped hiding it.

“S-sorry...”

It turned out that when Murasakibara landed after clashing with Jason Silver, he had injured himself.

His silence wasn’t only because his fighting spirit had been crushed.

He was also hurt.

But he didn’t want anyone to worry about him, so he stayed quiet.

What he didn’t expect was that even like this, Nash Gold still noticed something was wrong.

And even called Miyamoto over.

.........

Miyamoto patted Murasakibara’s shoulder.

“What are you feeling guilty for?”

“You guys were never going to beat Jason and the others anyway.”

“After all, even Nijimura-senpai among them would still—”

“Miyamoto!!!”

“Hahahaha! Alright, let’s go. First the hospital, then we’ll go eat a big feast!”

When Murasakibara heard “hospital,” his eyes dimmed slightly.

But the moment he heard “feast,” he immediately lit up again.

“Feast! Feast!”

Miyamoto smiled as he looked at Murasakibara, who was acting like a child.

The more he watched, the more adorable he found him.

After that, Miyamoto took Murasakibara to the hospital.

The doctor said it wasn’t serious and that a few days of rest would be enough.

After leaving the hospital, Miyamoto treated both the Black Dragon Team and Kirisaki Daiichi to a big meal.

Kirisaki Daiichi’s Shogo Haizaki even tried asking Nash Gold about their team.

But Nash Gold didn’t reveal anything.

Because Miyamoto had instructed him not to.

After all...

Only a mysterious and powerful opponent could give them the motivation to keep striving forward.

...

Chapter 225: Ball Speed

After everything was arranged, the members of Kirisaki Daiichi returned to Japan with Miyamoto.

Miyamoto’s parents also came back with them.

After that, things returned to normal training.

Japan.

Miyamoto’s home.

Ring, ring, ring.

The phone rang.

Miyamoto picked it up, and a voice came from the other end.

“Hello, is this Miyamoto?”

“Yes, speaking. What can I help you with?”

The person on the other end quickly replied,

“Hello, hello! I’m the coach of Tōō Academy, Katsunori Harasawa.”

“On behalf of Tōō Academy, I’d like to invite you and the players of Kirisaki Daiichi to participate in a joint training camp.”

“If it’s inconvenient, I won’t disturb you any further.”

Miyamoto thought about it for a moment.

A training camp?

It seemed… unnecessary.

So Miyamoto decisively declined and left the team’s training schedule to the professional coaching staff at Kirisaki Daiichi.

As for Miyamoto himself, he took Satsuki Momoi and started traveling around the world.

A proper vacation trip.

Meanwhile...

After being rejected, Katsunori Harasawa didn’t feel resentful. Instead, he sighed with emotion.

“I suppose I was being intrusive. Players at that level must already have specialized training methods.”

Thinking back to the terrifying strength of Miyamoto and Kirisaki Daiichi, Harasawa sighed again.

“This is what talent combined with hard work looks like.”

“I bet Miyamoto is still training right now.”

In reality, Miyamoto had already boarded a plane and was flying off to another country for vacation.

..........

Kirisaki Daiichi Gymnasium.

Atsushi Murasakibara was practicing post techniques under the coach’s guidance.

Ever since being completely dominated by Jason Silver on both offense and defense, Murasakibara had begun focusing heavily on strength training and interior skills.

He didn’t want to lose again.

While he was training, Murasakibara’s bag suddenly started ringing.

Makoto Hanamiya happened to be drinking water nearby and reminded him,

“Hey, Murasakibara, someone’s calling.”

Murasakibara stopped his training, ran over, picked up the phone, and answered.

As soon as the call connected, a voice came through.

“Atsushi.”

The moment he heard the voice, Murasakibara’s expression stiffened.

“Akashi, what’s up?”

Murasakibara had no idea why Seijuro Akashi was calling him.

Akashi explained directly.

“I hope your team won’t participate in the Summer Cup.”

Murasakibara’s expression changed.

“Akashi, that’s not something I can decide.”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

After a few seconds, Akashi said,

“I understand.”

Then he hung up.

Soon after, Miyamoto received a call from Seijuro Akashi.

“Miyamoto, I hope your team won’t participate in the Summer Cup.”

“Reason.”

There was silence on the other end.

Miyamoto didn’t have much fondness for Akashi’s current arrogant personality, so he replied casually,

“I’ll be playing in the Summer Cup.”

“As for whether you participate or not, that’s your business.”

After saying that, Miyamoto hung up.

A moment later.

The phone rang again.

Miyamoto answered impatiently.

“How many times do I have to say it? I’m playing!”

“Really, Miyamoto? Looks like we’re thinking the same thing!”

Miyamoto paused, realizing the person on the other end was Daiki Aomine.

Aomine continued talking excitedly.

“Miyamoto, listen—Akashi just called me too and told me not to play.”

“Honestly, I really want to compete.”

“So I didn’t agree or refuse. I just called you to ask.”

“But now it looks like you and I are thinking the same thing.”

When it came to Aomine, Miyamoto naturally didn’t stay annoyed.

After all, that was Aomine.

After chatting briefly with him, Miyamoto hung up the phone.

‘Looks like the world’s will is still strong. Even after everything, Akashi still wants us to stay out of the Summer Cup.’

Miyamoto looked up at the sky and muttered,

“Is Taiga Kagami actually your biological son or what?”

Miyamoto had a feeling.

Taiga Kagami… might be about to get some kind of power-up.

But even if he did…

It definitely wouldn’t surpass me!

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

The first match of the Summer Cup began as scheduled.

This match had everyone’s attention.

Shūtoku vs. Kaijō.

Miyamoto brought the entire Kirisaki Daiichi team to the arena to watch the opening match.

As soon as they arrived at the stands, they saw that both Shūtoku and Kaijō had already started warming up.

On Shūtoku’s side.

Kazunari Takao ran over with a mischievous grin and nudged Shintaro Midorima with his elbow.

“Shin-chan, you’re playing against your former teammate again. Nervous?”

Shintaro Midorima remained expressionless and casually shot the basketball in his hand.

“Kise’s strength isn’t enough to make me wary.”

“His defeat is already destined.”

Only after Midorima finished speaking did the ball he had thrown cleanly swish through the net.

On Kaijō’s side.

Ryota Kise clearly seemed distracted, constantly zoning out even while warming up.

Yukio Kasamatsu noticed something was wrong and walked over before kicking Kise in the butt.

“Get your head in the game, idiot!”

Kise rubbed his butt and complained,

“Kasamatsu-senpai, can you stop kicking my butt all the time?”

Kasamatsu clenched his fist, veins popping on his forehead.

“That’s the best way to wake you up!”

Then his expression turned serious.

“Kise, don’t lose confidence over a single game.”

Kise thought Kasamatsu was about to give some inspiring speech.

But instead...

“After all, they’re not Kirisaki Daiichi!”

Kise froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Hahaha! I thought Kasamatsu-senpai was going to say something inspirational!”

Kasamatsu’s face darkened as he kicked him again.

“Ah!”

Yoshitaka Moriyama watched the scene with a smile before turning his gaze toward Shūtoku.

In his heart, he murmured,

“This match… I don’t want to lose.”

After the warm-ups ended, the game officially began.

The jump ball was contested by Shūtoku captain Taisuke Otsubo and Kaijō power forward Mitsuhiro Hayakawa.

Kaijō planned to rely on Hayakawa’s explosive jumping ability to fight for the tip-off.

The referee walked between them and tossed the ball into the air.

Otsubo and Hayakawa jumped at the same time.

But once they were in the air, Otsubo realized something.

Hayakawa had jumped higher than him!

…No.

Not higher.

Faster!

While Otsubo was still rising, Hayakawa had already reached the peak of his jump.

‘What kind of jump speed is this?’

However, Hayakawa was too eager to win the tip-off and had jumped too early.

By the time he reached the highest point, he realized he couldn’t reach the ball.

And he had already begun...

Falling.

‘Crap.’

...

Chapter 226: Destiny Lies in My Hands

Because Mitsuhiro Hayakawa descended early, the ball naturally fell into the hands of Taisuke Otsubo, who had jumped later.

Kazunari Takao caught the ball and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately whipped a pass forward.

During the jump ball, Shintaro Midorima had already sprinted to the frontcourt corner behind the three-point line.

It was a gamble.

And clearly, he had won.

Midorima caught the ball and, facing a completely open basket, immediately jumped and shot without hesitation.

“Today Cancer is ranked first in luck. The lucky item is a girl doll. In this first gamble… destiny is on my side.”

“I have done everything within my power. In this game… my shot…”

Midorima released the ball.

The basketball traced a huge arc through the air.

While the ball was still flying, Midorima had already turned and started walking away, saying calmly,

“It won’t miss.”

Swish!!!

The moment the words fell, the ball dropped cleanly through the net.

Yukio Kasamatsu gritted his teeth.

“The Generation of Miracles… they really are troublesome opponents.”

Ryota Kise ran over with a smile.

“It’s fine, Captain. Just give me the ball!”

Possession changed.

Kaijō High had the ball.

Koji Kobori passed it to Yukio Kasamatsu, who dribbled across half court.

After crossing the line, Kasamatsu handed the ball to their ace, Ryota Kise.

Kise caught the ball and looked at the player guarding him.

When he realized it wasn’t Shintaro Midorima but someone with a somewhat similar hair color to his own, he said,

“They’re not letting Midorima guard me?”

Kiyoshi Miyaji broke out in a slight sweat.

To be honest, facing a member of the Generation of Miracles put a lot of pressure on him.

But he would never admit that out loud, so he stubbornly said,

“I’m enough to guard you.”

Kise’s expression shifted slightly.

“Is that so?”

No matter what, Kise was still a member of the Generation of Miracles, even if he was considered the weakest among them.

Not just anyone could stop him one-on-one.

Kise glanced at Midorima, who stood there calmly, and thought,

‘Was this your arrangement, Midorima? You’re really looking down on me.’

Midorima seemed to notice Kise’s gaze and turned his head to look at him.

But after only a second of eye contact, Midorima calmly turned away again, completely ignoring him.

Seeing this, Kise stopped hesitating and began his attack.

“Since you’re underestimating me, don’t blame me if I don’t hold back.”

With that, Kise started his move.

He used several between-the-legs dribbles to shift Miyaji’s center of gravity.

Miyaji knew how strong the Generation of Miracles were, so his focus was extremely sharp.

But precisely because he was so tense and focused, Kise’s probing step easily threw him off balance.

Kise seized the opening and instantly blew past Miyaji, charging straight into the paint.

Seeing this, Taisuke Otsubo immediately stepped up to help defend.

Kise’s eyes sharpened.

He bounced the ball hard, spun around, cleanly slipped past Otsubo, and finished with a layup.

After being beaten so easily, Miyaji could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

“Coach and Midorima really… why did they make me guard Kise?”

Kazunari Takao patted Miyaji on the shoulder.

“It’s fine, senpai. Getting faked out by Kise is normal. Only people who defend seriously get shaken.”

Miyaji twitched his lips.

“I didn’t even fall for it!”

Takao laughed.

“You will sooner or later.”

...

Possession switched again.

After dribbling across half court, Takao was about to follow the coach’s plan and pass the ball when he noticed something.

Kise was now guarding Midorima.

Kise and Yoshitaka Moriyama had switched defensive assignments.

Midorima looked calmly at Kise.

“You made a mistake, Kise.”

Kise laughed casually.

“Don’t say that, Midorima-kun. Your three-pointers are really a headache for us.”

Midorima pushed up his glasses and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Takao revealed a strange smile.

The single finger he had raised with his left hand changed.

Now it was two fingers.

Which meant…

The play had changed.

When Otsubo saw this from the paint, he immediately ran out to the perimeter.

At the same time, Shinsuke Kimura also moved out.

The two spread apart and positioned themselves to Kise’s left.

Seeing this, Midorima began running toward Takao’s position—toward the left side.

Kise immediately chased after him.

But Kimura’s screen stopped him.

Kise quickly dodged around it, preparing to continue chasing.

But then Otsubo’s screen arrived as well.

Kise’s pupils shrank.

“Double screen! Help defense!!!”

Mitsuhiro Hayakawa and Koji Kobori immediately abandoned their assignments and rushed toward Midorima.

At that exact moment, Takao passed the ball.

And the pass went…

To the paint!

‘Crap!’

Kise quickly turned his head and saw Kimura—the player who had set the first screen—cutting straight into the paint.

Catching the pass, Kimura finished with a dunk.

Kise’s expression immediately darkened.

Kasamatsu’s face also became serious.

“Damn it… Shūtoku is actually running plays.”

Having a terrifying outside weapon like Midorima was already annoying enough.

But now Shūtoku was also executing tactical plays.

This drastically increased their offensive threat.

Someone had to guard Midorima on the perimeter so he wouldn’t get comfortable shooting.

But on their team, only Kise could somewhat guard Midorima one-on-one.

No one else could.

And to truly limit Midorima’s shooting space, it usually required two defenders.

But once two defenders stepped out, someone would inevitably be left open.

Shūtoku was a powerhouse team.

None of their players could be underestimated.

Give them an open shot, and they would punish you immediately.

Kasamatsu understood this very clearly.

“So now… the only option is to outscore them?”

In fact, focusing on offense wasn’t a bad idea.

Because Shūtoku didn’t seem particularly serious about defending Kise.

They almost looked relaxed.

Logically, the one guarding Kise should have been Midorima, who was strong defensively.

But instead, Shūtoku had assigned Miyaji to defend him.

This left Kasamatsu puzzled.

In the stands, Satsuki Momoi immediately saw through Shūtoku’s strategy.

While writing in her notebook, she said,

“Not bad… Shūtoku’s coach actually knows what he’s doing.”

...

Chapter 227: Stepping Toward the Abyss of Defeat

Shogo Haizaki looked completely confused and asked,

“Momoi-senpai, is it Shūtoku’s tactic to have Kiyoshi Miyaji guard Kise?”

Miyamoto waved his hand.

“Hanamiya, go explain it to Haizaki.”

After that, Makoto Hanamiya obediently began explaining things to Shogo Haizaki.

After listening, Haizaki looked surprised and suddenly understood.

“So that’s how it works!”

Makoto Hanamiya revealed a sly smile.

“Kise still hasn’t noticed yet. By the time he does, the game will basically be over.”

Not only Ryota Kise—even Kaijō’s coach hadn’t noticed this either.

The game on the court continued.

Kise held the ball against Kiyoshi Miyaji. With no extra moves, a simple change of direction cleanly beat him.

But the moment he got past Miyaji, either Taisuke Otsubo or Shinsuke Kimura would step up to help defend.

This forced Kise to use additional moves to beat both of them before finally finishing the attack.

After scoring, Kise glanced at Shintaro Midorima.

Midorima’s expression hadn’t changed at all.

Calm. Still. Like a pool of stagnant water.

Kise couldn’t help muttering,

“Ah… Midorima’s expression is as calm as ever.”

Possession changed.

Kise still chose to guard Midorima.

Seeing this, Kazunari Takao immediately raised two fingers.

Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura stepped out again.

This time, the Kaijō players seemed prepared.

Finally—

Midorima moved.

Kise followed him immediately, quickly dodging the screens from Otsubo and Kimura, trying to keep up with Midorima.

Koji Kobori initially ran alongside Midorima, trying to prevent him from receiving the ball.

Seeing this, Otsubo set the screen and immediately cut toward the paint.

However, Mitsuhiro Hayakawa had already moved over to help defend.

Just as everyone thought Takao was about to pass to Kimura—

Kimura moved.

He set another screen.

Koji Kobori was blocked off.

Takao immediately passed the ball to Midorima.

The moment Midorima caught the ball, Kise was already there.

After catching up, Kise said proudly,

“Midorima, we won’t fall for the same trick twice. Your play doesn’t work anymore.”

Midorima calmly replied,

“No… it’s already enough.”

After saying that, Midorima jumped without hesitation and raised the ball into a shooting motion.

Seeing this, Kise jumped immediately to block.

But in the next moment—

Kise froze.

Because Midorima had jumped higher than before.

Outside the court, Taiga Kagami nearly ground his teeth to pieces.

‘Damn it… what’s going on? Not only is he jumping higher, but even his release point is higher!’

On the court.

Kise’s fingertips were always just a little short of reaching Midorima’s shot.

In the end, he could only watch as Midorima released the ball.

Knowing how accurate Midorima was, Kise didn’t waste a second after landing. He immediately sprinted toward the frontcourt.

Koji Kobori understood Kise’s plan and immediately stepped out of bounds, ready to inbound the ball once the shot went in.

There was no other choice.

Once Midorima got a clean release, the shot was basically guaranteed to go in.

Almost like a law of nature.

Midorima showed no intention of running back on defense.

He calmly pushed up his glasses and slowly walked back toward the other half of the court while muttering,

“Idiot. Just like in middle school—nothing but hot blood.”

“In the end, the only ones I truly get along with are Miyamoto and Akashi.”

Compared to Midorima’s calm attitude, Kiyoshi Miyaji and Kazunari Takao were far more anxious.

The two had already chased after Kise the moment he sprinted forward.

Miyaji muttered helplessly,

“Why am I the one responsible for guarding Kise…”

Takao shouted while running,

“Because you’re the small forward, senpai! Also, why am I running back on defense with you?!”

“You idiot! I’m your senpai here! Help me out—I can’t stop Kise by myself!”

...

The two bickered as they chased Kise.

Kise stopped under the basket.

At that moment, Midorima’s shot dropped cleanly through the hoop.

Kobori immediately grabbed the ball and threw it forward.

Kise, Takao, and Miyaji all focused and jumped at the same time.

Takao and Miyaji were trying to disrupt the pass.

Kise was trying to catch it.

In the end, Kise got the ball.

Without hesitation, he launched his attack.

Even with two defenders pressuring him, Kise managed to break through them and finish the play.

After scoring, Takao complained,

“Seriously, Miyaji-senpai, I’m never running this fast with you again!”

Miyaji’s forehead filled with veins.

“You brat! I’m your senpai!”

Midorima slowly walked over and said calmly,

“Inbound the ball.”

Miyaji nodded, picked up the ball, stepped out of bounds, and passed it to Midorima.

Midorima glanced at the basket on the opposite side.

That single glance immediately made Kise tense.

‘Crap… I forgot about Midorima’s shooting range!’

However, Midorima didn’t shoot.

Instead, he passed the ball to Takao and ran toward the frontcourt.

Kise let out a small sigh of relief.

“Good… looks like we’ll need full-court defense against Midorima.”

“But why didn’t he shoot just now?”

Just as Kise was wondering about this—

Takao raised two fingers again.

The same play.

The same movements.

Just as the Kaijō players prepared to deal with it the same way as before—

Something changed.

Midorima didn’t run toward the three-point line this time.

Instead—

He ran toward the half-court line.

Right behind Takao.

Kise’s pupils shrank.

‘Crap!’

He immediately rushed outward.

In the next moment—

Takao flicked the ball backward, passing it to Midorima.

At the same time, he shifted his stance and set a screen.

“Hehe… tactics can change.”

Kise was blocked by Takao and completely lost his best chance to defend.

Midorima jumped high and released the shot.

After shooting, Midorima said calmly,

“Kise… your path toward the abyss of defeat has begun.”

...