Chapter 94: We Don’t Want to Lose
Miyamoto Tokima slowly dribbled the ball until he stopped in front of Reo Mibuchi. Looking at Reo, who was braced and fully alert, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Tokima’s mouth. He decided to give Reo a small taste of Teikō’s shock.
“Hey.”
Reo Mibuchi raised his head in confusion and looked at Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled slightly and spoke at an unhurried pace.
“Have you ever been hit by your own signature move?”
“What?”
Reo Mibuchi voiced his confusion. In that brief moment of hesitation, Miyamoto Tokima suddenly jumped, preparing to shoot.
Reo Mibuchi didn’t dare hesitate for even a second. He immediately leaped up after him, trying to block Tokima’s shooting path.
But the instant he left the ground, something felt wrong.
‘Why… why is he getting farther away?!’
Reo Mibuchi’s pupils shrank as he stared blankly at Miyamoto Tokima, who seemed to be pulling farther and farther away in midair. Disbelief flooded his mind.
‘Th-this is… 【Heaven】!!!’
Reo Mibuchi watched as Miyamoto Tokima executed his 【Heaven】 and cleanly sank the shot.
The Rakuzan coach’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Not just the coach—everyone on Rakuzan stared at the court with eyes wide open, completely stunned.
“Th-that’s… Reo-san’s… 【Heaven】…”
One of the first-years muttered in a daze, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Another swallowed hard and said, “B-but… why can he use Reo-san’s 【Heaven】?!”
No one could answer that question. Only Miyamoto Tokima himself knew the truth.
In the stands, Kotaro Hayama watched everything unfolding on the court. He forced a strained smile. Along with the shock, a sense of sympathy for Reo Mibuchi welled up in his chest.
‘Reo… so you finally understand how I felt.’
On the other side, Teppei Kiyoshi clenched his fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them again.
All his emotions eventually turned into a helpless murmur.
“Teikō…”
After Miyamoto Tokima scored using Reo Mibuchi’s 【Heaven】, the second quarter came to an end. The score on the board read 73–49.
In just two quarters, Teikō Middle School had built a massive 24-point lead over Rakuzan Middle School, leaving the spectators in utter disbelief.
What everyone had expected to be an intense, evenly matched final had instead turned into a completely one-sided game.
Rakuzan Middle School was thoroughly suppressed by Teikō Middle School. What’s more, Teikō’s Miyamoto Tokima had even used the signature technique of Rakuzan’s ace, Reo Mibuchi.
In reality, Miyamoto Tokima hadn’t used any special ability at all—it was simply a standard fadeaway jump shot.
Reo Mibuchi’s two shooting techniques were actually quite straightforward.
The 【Heaven】, which created distance from the defender, was nothing more than a fadeaway jump shot used to pull away from the opponent.
The 【Earth】, meant for head-on confrontation, relied on baiting the defender into jumping first, then jumping afterward to collide with them, drawing a foul and earning a 3+1 opportunity.
Of course, 【Earth】 still required considerable skill. Setting aside whether the opponent could be tricked into jumping, simply colliding with the defender and still making the shot was already enough to defeat most players.
From this perspective, Reo Mibuchi truly could be considered a genius.
However, one question lingered in Miyamoto Tokima’s mind…
Had Reo Mibuchi’s 【Void】 already been developed?
..............
Inside Teikō Middle School’s locker room.
Everyone was resting, doing their best to recover their stamina.
“Didn’t expect the finals to feel this easy,” Atsushi Murasakibara said lazily as he munched on a snack bar.
Seijuro Akashi adjusted his shoelaces and replied calmly, “It really is hard to believe. Almost all of Rakuzan’s points came from Reo Mibuchi. Their other players can’t even compare to our bench.
“By the way, Midorima, Aomine—how’s your stamina?”
Daiki Aomine stood up and bounced lightly in place a couple of times. “No problems here.”
Shintaro Midorima pushed up his glasses and said flatly, “I’m fine as well.”
Kōzō Shirogane cut in, “In that case, Midorima will replace Haizaki, Aomine will replace Nijimura, and Murasakibara will replace Shiroiwa. Tokima, your stamina’s still good, right?”
Miyamoto Tokima was still chatting closely with Satsuki Momoi. When Kōzō Shirogane suddenly called his name, he shook his head.
“No problem, Coach.”
Kōzō Shirogane nodded. “Alright. Then in the second half, Tokima, you’ll continue defending Reo.”
At that moment, Shintaro Midorima suddenly spoke up.
“Coach!”
Kōzō Shirogane turned to look at him. “Go on.”
Shintaro Midorima stood up, his expression serious. “Please let me guard Reo.”
Kōzō Shirogane thought for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. Midorima will defend Reo.”
Shintaro Midorima bowed deeply. “Thank you, Coach.”
Kōzō Shirogane patted him on the shoulder. “Do your best.”
Click.
Shogo Haizaki pushed open the door to Teikō’s locker room and walked in.
Kōzō Shirogane turned his head and asked, “How’s Kuroko?”
Haizaki stepped aside, revealing Tetsuya Kuroko behind him. “He’s awake, Coach.”
Kōzō Shirogane nodded and said nothing more.
Meanwhile.
The atmosphere in Rakuzan’s locker room was extremely heavy. This was both the closest and the farthest they had ever been from the championship.
The moment they thought about the 73–49 score, despair crept into everyone’s hearts. They had fought with everything they had, yet Teikō had crushed them by 24 points in just one half.
Even their ace’s signature techniques had been taken and used against them. A dark cloud hung over Rakuzan’s entire team.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The coach clapped his hands loudly and shouted, “The game isn’t over yet! Get your heads straight! Do you really want to hand the championship to Teikō?!”
Hearing the coach’s words, the Rakuzan players clenched their fists.
They didn’t want that.
This was the first time they had ever been this close to the championship—so close it felt within reach.
And for some of them, this would be the final game of their middle school careers. They didn’t want to leave behind regrets. They wanted to finish this chapter of their lives without remorse.
“No! I don’t want to lose!”
Rakuzan’s point guard shouted first. Then the rest of the team roared in unison.
“Me neither! I want to be a champion!”
“That’s right! Me too!”
The locker room echoed with furious shouts. No one wanted to give up so easily. They wanted to win. They wanted to claim the championship!
Seeing this, the Rakuzan coach clenched his fist and raised it high.
“Everyone! Show your fighting spirit! Let’s go!”
Rakuzan’s entire team raised their fists and shouted together, “Yes!”
The break ended, and both teams returned to the court.
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