Daiki Aomine stared at the small chainsaw sitting on the bench and shouted in shock.
"You can actually bring a chainsaw in here?!"
After changing clothes and putting on his glasses, Shintaro Midorima spoke calmly.
"This is today's lucky charm."
As if words weren't enough, Midorima even picked up the chainsaw and casually swung it twice.
Daiki Aomine immediately dodged away.
"Hey, hey, hey—stop! Don't move it, don't move it!"
Shuzo Nijimura watched the scene with a smile.
That's right—both Coach Shirogane and Shuzo Nijimura were present today.
Midorima didn't make any further moves, quietly holding the chainsaw as he prepared to enter the court.
When everyone finished changing and was about to head out, a staff member stopped Shintaro Midorima.
"Sorry, student. Chainsaws aren't allowed inside the gym."
Midorima halted, hesitating for a moment as if considering whether to say something.
Shuzo Nijimura quickly stepped in and took the chainsaw from him.
"Sorry about that. The underclassman doesn't quite understand yet."
With that, he handed the chainsaw over to the staff. Then he turned to Midorima and said,
"Next time, just leave dangerous items in the locker room."
Midorima remained expressionless. He adjusted his glasses and nodded.
"Look, look! Teikō's here!"
"That aura is intense."
"Hey, isn't that Shuzo Nijimura? The number one power forward in middle school!"
"And Miyamoto Tokima too. Watching his game a few days ago was pure enjoyment."
"I think Shintaro Midorima's amazing too—his three-point shot is absurdly accurate."
Indeed, after several days of competition, the Teikō players had gradually become familiar faces to the audience.
Miyamoto Tokima felt nothing at all toward the attention.
Daiki Aomine, on the other hand, looked completely uninterested. Back in the locker room, he'd already learned that today's opponent wasn't strong.
For someone like Aomine, who only wanted to face powerful opponents, that was practically a fatal blow.
The teams began warming up. Miyamoto Tokima casually took a few shots, all of which were noticed by the opposing small forward.
The opposing school was called Nihashi.
Nihashi's small forward swallowed hard and turned to ask his captain,
"Captain… are you really going to have me guard number seven?"
Nihashi's captain, a center, nodded with difficulty.
He knew his team's level well. Facing a powerhouse like Teikō, defeat was inevitable—even if Teikō was made up entirely of first-years.
But judging from how Teikō's players had treated them earlier, it was obvious these freshmen had already become the true starters, the real core of Teikō.
Nihashi's center now had only one goal: to do everything possible to stop Atsushi Murasakibara—at the very least, not let him score so easily.
The small forward looked at Miyamoto Tokima and muttered rapidly under his breath,
"Don't be scared, don't be scared… it'll be over soon… it'll be over soon…"
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle, and both teams' starters took the court.
"Please take care of us!"
The two teams faced each other and bowed. After all, friendship came first—competition second.
Teikō's players looked calm as usual, but Nihashi was completely different.
Every member of Nihashi's starting lineup wore a grave expression, especially the small forward, who kept muttering to himself nonstop.
Daiki Aomine muttered in boredom,
"What's with this? They already look like they've given up."
Seeing Nihashi's state, Aomine couldn't muster any interest at all. He hated players who accepted defeat before the game even began.
It was worth noting that Coach Shirogane didn't put Shuzo Nijimura on the court, so the starting lineup remained the same five players centered around Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima said nothing, silently waiting for the jump ball.
Both sides took their positions.
The referee stepped between Atsushi Murasakibara and Nihashi's center and tossed the ball high into the air.
Although Nihashi's center jumped with all his strength, Atsushi Murasakibara effortlessly tapped the ball back to his own team.
The ball fell into Miyamoto Tokima's hands. Seijuro Akashi didn't ask for it, instead running straight into the frontcourt to set up.
Seeing Akashi's movement, Miyamoto Tokima shook his head helplessly.
Great… guess I'm running the offense again.
Since he was organizing the play, Miyamoto Tokima intended to do it properly.
He observed the movements and positions of the other nine players, constantly predicting their next actions in his mind.
In the eyes of the other nine, ripples suddenly spread out from beneath Miyamoto Tokima's feet.
Layer upon layer, the ripples expanded, sweeping across the entire court.
Everyone on the floor felt a gaze fall upon them—sharp and penetrating, as if they were being completely seen through.
Nihashi's captain stared in shock.
T-this… no way. What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I've been exposed?
It wasn't just him. The rest of Nihashi's players—and even the four Teikō players—felt the same unsettling sensation.
Daiki Aomine chuckled softly.
"Miyamoto's ability… every time I see it, it still blows me away."
Shintaro Midorima heard him but didn't refute it. Miyamoto Tokima's ability shocked him just as much.
Seijuro Akashi wore a faint smile. At this point, he could genuinely smile for the strength of his friends.
The calmest person on the court was Atsushi Murasakibara. To him, nothing Miyamoto Tokima did was surprising—unless Miyamoto Tokima forgot to treat him to food.
Nihashi's small forward stood in front of Miyamoto Tokima, cold sweat pouring down as his body trembled slightly.
What kind of monster am I even defending?!
He tried his best to steady his nerves and focus on defending, but Miyamoto Tokima didn't spare him even a glance, clearly treating him as nonexistent.
Seeing Miyamoto Tokima seemingly distracted, the small forward tentatively reached out to steal the ball.
The next second, however, he felt as if he were locked in by a piercing gaze.
He struggled to lift his head and met Miyamoto Tokima's eyes.
In that instant, he felt as though everything about him—what he'd eaten in the morning, even what he'd gone to the bathroom for—had been completely seen through.
He immediately pulled his hand back, his body shaking as he muttered repeatedly,
"Sorry, sorry, sorry…"
Miyamoto Tokima was completely baffled.
What the hell? Why is he apologizing to me?
He found Nihashi's small forward utterly inexplicable—he hadn't done anything, yet the guy was apologizing nonstop.
Ignoring him, Miyamoto Tokima raised his right hand and snapped the ball forward.
Swish!
A streak of white light flashed across the court.
Nihashi's captain felt a rush of wind brush past his ear.
Not good!
He reacted instantly, turning to stop it—but Atsushi Murasakibara had already caught the ball and leapt high into the air.
Boom!
The sound of a dunk echoed through the gym.
Everything happened too fast. Before Nihashi's captain could even react, the ball was already through the hoop.
"Seriously? How did the ball even get there?"
"I didn't see it at all. Was that number seven who passed it?"
"That's terrifying. He scored in the blink of an eye."
It wasn't just Nihashi's captain who was stunned. The spectators were equally dumbfounded—after all, they'd only blinked once, and the ball was already in.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser