Chapter 61: If I Can’t Take You Down, I’ll Take Down Your Teammates!
Atsushi Murasakibara stood under the basket with his arms spread wide, ready to stop Makoto Hanamiya.
Facing Murasakibara, Hanamiya didn’t choose a layup. Instead, he went with a floater.
Murasakibara jumped high, trying to swat the shot away, but the arc was simply too high. He couldn’t even touch the ball.
Swish!
Two points.
The score became 20–14.
Eight seconds remained in the first quarter.
Atsushi Murasakibara inbounded the ball to Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima carried the ball past half court. With only three seconds left on the clock, he made his move. Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked into high gear and charged straight for the basket.
Makoto Hanamiya spread his arms, trying to defend Miyamoto Tokima, but it was completely futile.
Miyamoto Tokima was just too fast.
Like a cheetah, he ripped through Meisei’s defense. After breaking into the paint, he rose up and dunked the ball straight over Kentaro Seto.
BANG!!!
The entire rim shook violently, as if it had been struck by an overwhelming force.
Kentaro Seto staggered backward, lost his balance, and collapsed onto the floor.
“Mon… monster…”
Kentaro Seto stared with wide eyes, fear creeping into his expression as he looked at Miyamoto Tokima hanging from the rim.
He had already used every ounce of strength he had, yet he still couldn’t stop Miyamoto Tokima’s power.
“Beep!”
The referee blew the whistle to signal the end of the first quarter.
Score: 22–14. Teikō Middle School led by eight points.
Both teams returned to their benches to rest.
Off the court, the spectators buzzed with excitement.
“So strong! Did you see that? Our Tokima Ace just blew right past them!”
“I saw it, sis! Tokima Ace is amazing!”
“What a shame Midorima didn’t play. I really like watching him shoot threes.”
“Still, Meisei’s not bad. Only down eight after the first quarter.”
“Tch, don’t be fooled by that. They’re definitely going to fall further behind. What can they do besides play dirty?”
...
On the court, the Teikō players drank water to recover their stamina.
“Damn it, can’t they play basketball without using dirty tricks?”
Daiki Aomine cursed angrily.
In the first quarter alone, he’d been stepped on countless times and shoved repeatedly. Right now, Aomine was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
Miyamoto Tokima reminded him calmly, “Aomine, hold it in. You’ll have plenty of time to vent after the game.”
Aomine crushed the water bottle in his hand, then let out a long breath.
“I know, Tokima.”
Shogo Haizaki sat beside Miyamoto Tokima, licking his lips, already looking forward to whatever came after the game.
Atsushi Murasakibara pulled out a bag of chips, opened it, and started eating. Even so, he spoke with an unusually serious tone.
“I’m annoyed too. Tokima, you guys better leave one for me.”
Miyamoto Tokima laughed.
“Relax, Atsushi. You’ll definitely get your share.”
Shuzo Nijimura rubbed his forehead.
‘When did these juniors start going so crooked…’
After complaining silently to himself, Nijimura spoke up again.
“Everyone, stay alert in the second quarter. I’ve got a feeling they’ll go even further.”
Miyamoto Tokima and the others nodded.
Seijuro Akashi added, “By the way, Tokima, I’ve noticed the referees seem to be especially strict with you.”
That immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“Yeah,” Aomine said. “Why are they watching you so closely?”
Miyamoto Tokima looked at their expectant faces, chuckled, and said,
“I told you already. I’ve got a buff.”
At that moment, Kōzō Shirogane interrupted them.
“Alright. Second quarter lineup: Nijimura off, Akashi in. Aomine moves to power forward. Tokima takes shooting guard. Akashi takes point guard.”
“Play it safe.”
The Teikō players nodded.
...
On the other side, at Meisei.
After being subbed out, Makoto Hanamiya angrily snatched a water bottle from a substitute and gulped it down.
When he finished, rage twisted his expression, resentment boiling in his chest.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it! What the hell is wrong with those refs? Is Miyamoto Tokima your dad or something? Why are you watching him so closely?!’
Because of the referees’ excessive attention, Hanamiya couldn’t use any dirty tricks on Miyamoto Tokima. That infuriated him.
The entire point of this game was to cripple Miyamoto Tokima.
But now, aside from one green-haired guy being taken out, everyone else was basically fine.
Meanwhile, on his own team, the small forward had his elbow cracked, and even the coach had been mentally shattered.
Of course, there was nothing that could be done about that. Meisei’s coach was just too stupid. Hanamiya had wanted to get rid of him for a long time already.
Hanamiya grabbed the tactics board from beside the coach and addressed his teammates.
“In the second half, we do it like this… then this…”
He continued laying out the plan. When he finished, his expression turned savage as he spoke in a low, vicious voice.
“Remember this—if you can take them out, then take them out!”
The Meisei players nodded and headed back onto the court.
The second quarter began.
The Teikō players stood up and walked onto the court as well.
When Makoto Hanamiya saw Seijuro Akashi among the players coming in, the fury on his face eased slightly.
‘So they made substitutions. Fine… don’t blame me for what happens next.’
Meisei ball.
Hanamiya dribbled past half court, facing Akashi’s defense.
He didn’t attack right away. Instead, he glanced at the two referees.
Their attention wasn’t on him at all—it was focused on the substitute small forward defending Miyamoto Tokima.
(From here on, we’ll just call him the small forward. All you need to know is that the one who injured people earlier has already been carried off.)
Hanamiya showed a look of realization.
He understood now. For some unknown reason, the referees were clearly protecting Miyamoto Tokima.
If that was the case, then in this game, Miyamoto Tokima was basically untouchable. Unless someone openly attacked him, he wouldn’t suffer even the slightest injury.
That realization instantly threw Hanamiya off balance.
‘Why? Why does it have to be like this?!’
Fury surged through him as his eyes locked onto Seijuro Akashi.
‘If I can’t take you down, then I’ll take down your teammate!’
Hanamiya suddenly accelerated, executing a sharp crossover as he drove past Akashi’s left side.
Akashi reacted instantly, sticking close without losing position, and reached out to steal the ball.
Hanamiya sensed Akashi’s movement. His face twisted as he roared inwardly,
‘I’ve been waiting for this moment!’
Hanamiya abruptly raised his left arm and viciously swung it toward Akashi’s outstretched hand.
‘Die!’
Author's Note
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