After the timeout, Daiki Aomine and Miyamoto Tokima swapped positions—Miyamoto Tokima moved to power forward, while Aomine shifted to small forward.
The Nihashi players returned to the court, their momentum clearly different from before.
"Their presence is back already? Their coach really is something,"
Daiki Aomine muttered under his breath.
Nihashi ball.
The point guard dribbled past half court, and the power forward stepped up to set a screen.
Naturally, Miyamoto Tokima switched onto the Nihashi point guard, but he had no intention of pressuring him.
The point guard swung the ball to the power forward near the free-throw line. Catching it, the power forward found himself mismatched against Seijuro Akashi.
With his back to the basket, the power forward leaned in and bumped Akashi once.
At this stage, Seijuro Akashi's strength wasn't overwhelming. Even though he tried to hold his ground, he was still forced back a step.
Feeling Akashi give way, the power forward immediately spun, gathered the ball, and rose for a shot.
Swish!
Nihashi pulled back two points.
"Nice one!"
The point guard slapped hands with the power forward as they fell back on defense.
"It's fine, Akashi,"
Miyamoto Tokima said reassuringly.
Seijuro Akashi merely smiled and shook his head, his expression calm and unbothered.
...
Possession switched. After bringing the ball across half court, Seijuro Akashi saw Miyamoto Tokima raise a hand, calling for it.
Akashi didn't pass. Instead, he gestured for Miyamoto Tokima to come set a screen.
Miyamoto Tokima froze for a moment, then immediately understood Akashi's intention.
He wanted to take the Nihashi power forward one-on-one.
After the screen, Seijuro Akashi forced a switch and found himself facing the Nihashi power forward.
A classic small-versus-big matchup.
Akashi dribbled patiently, searching for his rhythm. Suddenly, he burst left. The Nihashi power forward hurried to cut off his path, stretching out a hand to poke the ball away.
But he underestimated Seijuro Akashi's ball control. Akashi's handle and touch were exceptionally refined.
The instant he sensed the reach-in, Akashi swept the ball behind his back with his left hand, slipping cleanly past the defender.
The Nihashi power forward stared in shock, unable to understand how Akashi had reacted so quickly—and pulled off a behind-the-back dribble in that situation.
Seeing Akashi blow past the power forward, the Nihashi captain rushed over to help.
"You're not scoring this!"
His face was stern, determined to stop the play.
Seijuro Akashi remained expressionless. He had no intention of passing. He gathered the ball and stepped to the right.
A three-step layup?
The Nihashi center immediately slid over to cut off Akashi's right side, ready to swat the shot away.
But in the next instant, Akashi—who had driven right—suddenly stepped left instead.
That single step completely shook the center off.
The Nihashi center froze, disbelief written all over his face.
How—how did he change directions?!
With no one left between him and the basket, Seijuro Akashi flicked his wrist and gently sent the ball up.
Swish!
Blowing past two defenders in succession and finishing with a Euro step, this play proved that Seijuro Akashi wasn't just an elite passer—his offensive ability was more than solid.
The stands fell silent for a brief moment before erupting in thunderous cheers.
"My god, he went past two people in a row! Isn't Teikō's number 29 supposed to be just a passer?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? He broke through two defenders without any trouble—tell me again he can only pass?"
"This year's Teikō is terrifying. All five first-years are monsters."
"Exactly—especially their number 7. That iron wall defense and that ripple-like vision… it's still hard to believe."
...
On the court, possession changed again.
The Nihashi point guard brought the ball up, glancing uneasily at Seijuro Akashi after crossing half court. Akashi's earlier play had genuinely shaken him.
He passed to the power forward, then cut toward the basket himself.
The power forward held the ball one step behind the free-throw line. Nihashi's point guard and shooting guard both began moving, while the center and small forward drifted outward to set screens.
After the Nihashi center blocked off Shintaro Midorima, the shooting guard shook free. The power forward immediately kicked the ball out.
Catch. Shoot.
Atsushi Murasakibara didn't rotate in time—it was already too late.
Swish!
Nihashi pulled back three points.
After hitting the three, the Nihashi shooting guard pumped his fist in excitement.
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses, a sharp, unreadable gleam flashing in his green eyes.
As someone who had played alongside him for a long time, Seijuro Akashi noticed the change immediately.
On the very next possession, Akashi ignored the Nihashi point guard's defense and fired the ball straight to Shintaro Midorima.
Midorima caught it without hesitation, completely disregarded the Nihashi shooting guard, bent his knees slightly, and sprang upward.
"Today's lucky item is a chainsaw. I stepped onto the court with my left foot. Cancer ranks third in today's fortunes. I've done everything I can—so this shot will not miss."
The ball left his hands, soaring high into the air on an exaggerated arc.
Shintaro Midorima had already landed before the ball even began to descend.
He adjusted his glasses and turned to run back on defense without a second thought.
Miyamoto Tokima, already in sync with him, immediately pulled Daiki Aomine and Seijuro Akashi back with him.
The three retreated together.
Seeing all four moving back, Atsushi Murasakibara followed after them.
"Hey, you guys left without even calling me."
He quickly caught up, a hint of grievance on his face.
Miyamoto Tokima laughed awkwardly. "Next time, next time for sure."
Because all five Teikō players retreated together, an amusing scene unfolded on the court.
The Nihashi players hesitated—some stared at the still-descending basketball, others watched the Teikō players already setting up on defense.
The crowd buzzed with confusion.
"What's going on? Why is Teikō already back on defense? The shot isn't even in yet!"
"No idea."
...
On the court, Nihashi's faces darkened.
The ball hadn't gone in, yet Teikō had already fully retreated—an unspoken humiliation.
At the same time, they silently prayed that Shintaro Midorima's shot would miss.
But the ball seemed deaf to their prayers, plunging straight through the hoop.
Swish!
The clean sound of the net echoed through the arena.
The stands exploded.
"My god—it actually went in!"
"How confident do you have to be to turn around and run back without even looking?"
"And it wasn't just one player—Teikō's entire team retreated! That's how much they trust number 11's shot!"
"And the scariest part? All five of them are first-years. I can already see them ruling the middle school scene for the next three years."
As the ball dropped through the net, the Nihashi players' expressions grew utterly grim, their morale sinking to rock bottom.
"Can we… really beat those monsters…?"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser