Chapter 77: Switch Defenders
Tetsuya Kuroko suddenly appeared in front of Shōei’s point guard and sharply slapped the ball away.
The ball curved midair and flew straight into Daiki Aomine’s hands.
Shōei’s shooting guard hadn’t been paying attention to the original passing direction, only giving a brief glance toward Miyamoto Tokima’s passing lane. Just as he assumed Miyamoto Tokima had made a passing error, the ball unexpectedly bent and landed in Daiki Aomine’s hands instead.
The shooting guard froze in shock, his movements stalling for a split second.
Aomine seized the opening, blowing past him in one step. As Teppei Kiyoshi rotated over to help, Aomine used a hanging layup to finish the play.
After landing, Daiki Aomine turned and jogged back on defense. As he passed by, he reached out and patted Tetsuya Kuroko on the head, laughing loudly.
“Kuroko, that pass felt incredible!”
Kuroko rubbed the spot that had been hit and replied in his usual flat tone,
“Aomine-kun, please don’t hit my head.”
Daiki Aomine scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
“Sorry, sorry. Won’t do it again.”
Shōei’s shooting guard muttered in horror,
“The ball… it bent…”
Teppei Kiyoshi turned to Shōei’s point guard and asked,
“What just happened? Why did the ball curve like that?”
The point guard stood there stunned for a moment before pointing at Kuroko’s retreating back.
“Did you guys… even see him just now?”
Everyone followed his gaze. The instant they noticed Tetsuya Kuroko, Shōei’s small forward exclaimed in shock,
“What’s going on? When did he get on the court?!”
Teppei Kiyoshi’s expression hardened.
“Since the start of the second quarter, we’ve barely noticed him at all.”
The point guard nodded.
“That’s right. His presence is too weak. The mistake just now—and that weird pass—were both because of him.”
The small forward’s mouth fell open.
“There’s… there’s actually a way to play like that?”
Teppei Kiyoshi shook his head.
“I don’t know. But I can’t rule it out. The world’s a big place. Alright—let’s keep playing.”
Everyone nodded, and the game resumed.
Shōei’s point guard brought the ball over half-court and scanned the floor. Once he locked onto Kuroko’s position, he immediately accelerated and drove past him.
Shiroiwa stepped up to help, but the point guard sent the ball to Teppei Kiyoshi cutting toward the basket.
Kiyoshi caught it cleanly and finished with a steady lay-in.
Possession switched.
Miyamoto Tokima dribbled past half-court, deciding to take the play himself.
Facing Shōei’s small forward playing tight defense, Miyamoto raised the ball above his head, lowered his gaze, and smiled faintly.
“You know… guarding too close means—”
Before the small forward could even process his words, Miyamoto Tokima turned into a black blur and blew past him in an instant.
The small forward’s eyes trembled as he spun around, only to see Miyamoto already finishing at the rim.
Teppei Kiyoshi didn’t even have time to rotate before the basket was scored.
Even Kiyoshi himself hadn’t expected Shōei’s small forward to be beaten so easily with a single step.
After scoring, Miyamoto turned and ran back upcourt. As he brushed past the stunned small forward, he spoke calmly,
“It means you’ll get beaten in one step.”
Without waiting for a reaction, Miyamoto Tokima went back on defense.
The small forward stood frozen, lips trembling, unable to recover for a long moment.
For the first time, he felt a deep sense of helplessness. He had done everything he could to stick close, yet still got blown by so easily.
Teppei Kiyoshi quickly walked over and encouraged him.
“It’s fine. The game’s not over yet. Keep it up.”
The small forward nodded and soon regained his composure. With Teppei Kiyoshi anchoring the team, Shōei’s mental toughness was far stronger than most.
As he ran back on offense, Teppei Kiyoshi glanced at Miyamoto Tokima, his expression grave.
‘What a terrifying player.’
Possession changed—Shōei’s ball.
The small forward passed inside to Teppei Kiyoshi. With Shiroiwa defending him in the paint, Kiyoshi backed in with a bump, spun smoothly, and finished with a hook shot.
Shiroiwa jumped with all his strength, trying to contest it, but it was useless. The arc was too high.
Swish!
Two points.
Possession changed again. Shiroiwa passed the ball to Miyamoto Tokima.
The moment Miyamoto caught it, his gaze sharpened. He accelerated to full speed and charged downcourt.
Shōei’s players were still retreating when a black shadow streaked past them. Teppei Kiyoshi reacted instantly and shouted,
“Get back on defense!!!”
All five Shōei players chased, but none of them could keep up.
They could only watch as Miyamoto Tokima slammed the ball through the hoop.
Shōei’s point guard clenched his teeth, his expression dark.
‘What kind of speed is that?!’
After scoring, Miyamoto ignored everyone’s reactions and jogged back alone.
Shōei inbounded the ball again, with the point guard bringing it up.
Miyamoto Tokima moved into the paint and said to Shiroiwa,
“I’ll guard Teppei Kiyoshi.”
Shiroiwa froze for a moment, then nodded and shifted out to the perimeter.
As Teppei Kiyoshi entered the paint, his expression changed slightly.
‘A switch?’
He caught the pass at the free-throw line and squared up, holding the ball with both hands as he faced Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto dropped into a half-crouch, placing his left foot outside Kiyoshi’s right foot and once again adopting a stance that forced him toward his weak side.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An iron wall seemed to rise from the ground, completely sealing off Kiyoshi’s right-side lane.
Teppei Kiyoshi’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly open in shock.
‘So this… this is the Iron Wall?’
Shōei’s point guard stared at the suddenly formed barrier, eyes stretched wide.
‘Is this… the power of the “Magic Cube”?’
Kiyoshi swallowed, quickly steadying his breathing, his gaze turning sharp.
“Huff!”
Exhaling deeply, he dribbled with his left hand and drove to the left.
The right side was completely shut down. His only real options were to drive or shoot.
Taking a shot under Miyamoto Tokima’s tight pressure was clearly unwise.
As for a step-back jumper—Kiyoshi never even considered it.
After all, he simply wasn’t good at three-point shots…
Author's Note
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