Taiga Kagami had lost his breath?
So what?
Atsushi Murasakibara certainly wasn't going to wait for him to recover.
Atsushi Murasakibara slammed into him again.
This time, Taiga Kagami didn't even have a chance to brace himself before the impact sent him flying backward.
That's right.
He was literally knocked off his feet.
Where was the whistle?!
Apparently, since he hadn't thrown his hands up looking for a call, there wasn't going to be one.
Seeing Taiga Kagami get sent flying, Daiki Aomine hesitated.
He couldn't decide whether he should rotate over to help.
Because he was worried.
If he went to double-team Atsushi Murasakibara, what if Murasakibara passed the ball to Reo Mibuchi?
Reo Mibuchi was an elite three-point shooter.
Forget leaving him wide open. Even with someone guarding him, he could still force up shots using his three signature shooting techniques.
After knocking Taiga Kagami away, Atsushi Murasakibara turned and threw down a vicious dunk.
BANG!
The rim shook as if it were screaming in agony.
After scoring, Atsushi Murasakibara landed heavily and looked down at Taiga Kagami before holding out his hand.
Taiga Kagami rubbed his chest with his left hand, grabbed Atsushi Murasakibara's hand with his right, and let himself be pulled back to his feet.
Even after standing up, Taiga Kagami was still wincing.
"Damn, Atsushi. You didn't hold back at all!"
"Tokima said..." Atsushi Murasakibara scratched his head. "You have to take games seriously."
Listening nearby, Miyamoto Tokima nodded in satisfaction.
Not bad.
He still remembers my teachings.
He'll get a reward after the game.
"Even though he hardly ever takes them seriously himself," Atsushi Murasakibara muttered.
Miyamoto Tokima's expression immediately darkened.
Reward canceled.
"That's probably because no one's ever managed to force Miyamoto Tokima to go all out," Taiga Kagami said while rubbing his chest.
Miyamoto Tokima nodded approvingly again.
Not bad, Taiga Kagami.
I approve of you.
After the game, I'll have your brother bring you over to sign your life away to my family.
...
Possession changed.
Teikō Middle School's ball.
Seijuro Akashi dribbled into the frontcourt.
Instead of backing away, he went straight toward Miyamoto Tokima.
"You really have changed quite a bit," Miyamoto Tokima said with a smile. "These days, when you run into a problem, you face it head-on instead of backing down."
"People grow," Seijuro Akashi replied coldly. "Besides, the words 'back down' aren't in my vocabulary anymore."
"Then you might want to expand your vocabulary," Miyamoto Tokima joked. "Otherwise, that confidence of yours is going to get you into trouble."
Seijuro Akashi fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.
Footsteps suddenly approached.
Seijuro Akashi spotted Shintaro Midorima rushing out.
Without hesitation, he pushed the ball forward with both hands and passed it to him.
Shintaro Midorima caught the ball and stopped on the spot.
His entire presence became as sharp as a sword being drawn from its sheath.
He rose straight into the air and settled into his shooting form.
Shogo Haizaki charged over.
"Don't underestimate me!"
ROAR!
The image of a lone wolf appeared behind Shogo Haizaki, howling toward the sky.
Shogo Haizaki planted his left foot and launched himself high into the air, desperately stretching his arm toward Shintaro Midorima.
Just as his hand drew closer and closer to Shintaro Midorima's elbow, Shogo Haizaki suddenly noticed something.
Shintaro Midorima...
Was getting farther away.
"No way..." Shogo Haizaki's pupils contracted. "A fadeaway?!"
Shintaro Midorima drifted backward through the air, avoiding Shogo Haizaki's contest before flicking the ball away with his left hand.
The entire motion flowed seamlessly, as smooth and precise as something straight out of a textbook.
After releasing the shot, Shintaro Midorima landed steadily and used the middle finger of his left hand to gently push up his glasses.
"Haizaki," he said calmly, "none of you can stop me today."
Then, apparently deciding that statement wasn't quite accurate enough, Shintaro Midorima added, "Except Miyamoto."
With that, he turned and walked away.
The other Teikō Middle School players turned at the exact same time and headed back on defense.
Shogo Haizaki watched all four of them leave in perfect unison and fell silent.
Swish!
The ball went in.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled helplessly and began running toward the frontcourt.
This time, he intended to let Shogo Haizaki handle the possession.
Seeing Miyamoto Tokima leave, Shogo Haizaki obediently got ready to receive the inbound pass.
"Seriously, one guy shoots and all four of them immediately run back on defense. Do they really have to show off that much?"
Shogo Haizaki muttered under his breath and reached out for the ball Atsushi Murasakibara had already inbounded.
Then suddenly, something felt wrong.
Four?
Four players?
Teikō Middle School only had four people running back on defense!
At that exact moment, the background music kicked in.
Smack!
Like a ghost, Tetsuya Kuroko appeared out of nowhere and intercepted the pass just before it reached Shogo Haizaki's hands.
Under Shogo Haizaki's stunned gaze, Tetsuya Kuroko dribbled into the paint by himself, jumped, and brought the ball up.
Realizing his mistake, Atsushi Murasakibara immediately rushed over and jumped to block the shot.
Shogo Haizaki charged over as well, roaring internally.
Damn that sneaky sixth man!
And damn that announcer too!
Why was he cursing the announcer?
Because the bastard had started playing background music at the perfect moment.
Shogo Haizaki and Atsushi Murasakibara completely blocked Tetsuya Kuroko's view.
Forget seeing the rim.
Tetsuya Kuroko couldn't even see the backboard.
But he had no other choice.
There wasn't a single teammate behind him.
With nothing else to rely on, Tetsuya Kuroko could only take a gamble and force up a [Phantom Shot].
Shintaro Midorima frowned slightly as he desperately tried to remember where Aquarius ranked in today's horoscope...
...
He remembered!
Third place!
Back in the frontcourt, Shogo Haizaki had panicked, while Atsushi Murasakibara had no idea how to properly defend Tetsuya Kuroko's [Phantom Shot].
As a result, the ball somehow slipped past both of their outstretched hands and flew toward the basket.
And perhaps through sheer luck...
It actually went in.
Tetsuya Kuroko let out a quiet sigh of relief.
That shot had genuinely been a gamble.
He hadn't been able to see anything in front of him.
Watching the ball fall through the hoop, Shogo Haizaki completely lost it.
His body trembled as he clenched his fists tightly.
Then, filled with anger and frustration, he exploded.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU SNEAKY BASTARD! FUCKING HELL! YOU DAMN SIXTH MAN! FUCK!!!"
At that moment, Shogo Haizaki finally experienced the ultimate frustration of being blindsided by a sneaky sixth man.
The corner of Tetsuya Kuroko's mouth twitched, and he quickly moved away from Shogo Haizaki.
He's cursing that sneaky sixth man.
That has nothing to do with me.
Right.
He's cursing the sixth man. What does that have to do with me?
I'm the eldest at home!
...