Sneakers squeaked against the polished hardwood.
Kayano leaned forward on the bench, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the court.
"Toshigawa's completely taken control of the game's momentum."
"Yeah. That guy's good. Their coach must've been saving him for this moment."
Kogure's lips curled into a slight grin.
Good. It would've been boring if we already knew we'd win.
Eiji dribbled slowly up the sideline, sweat trickling down his temple as he scanned the court.
Number eleven... I knew he'd be trouble.
Hayato stepped in front of him, his sneakers squealing against the floor as he shifted laterally. He lowered his stance, keeping his arms spread.
"What's the matter?" Hayato asked.
One corner of his mouth curled upward.
"You were all over me earlier. So what's with the hesitation now? Come on, it's your turn!"
Eiji clicked his tongue.
Damn... He's reading me too easily. He wasn't this good before.
As Hayato reached for the ball, Eiji shifted his body and pulled his dribble away from the approaching hand.
Manabu rushed over to Hayato's side and planted both feet firmly.
"Screen!" Takahiro shouted.
Eiji shifted the ball to his right hand before firing a pass toward Ryuu near the basket.
Ryuu caught it cleanly as Yukio stepped forward to block his path. He planted both feet, lowering his center of gravity.
Ryuu pounded the ball against the hardwood, driving forward as Yukio met him head-on. Their shoulders collided. Ryuu kept pushing, forcing Yukio backward toward the basket.
He suddenly spun, gathered the ball with both hands, and raised it above his head.
Not a chance!
Yukio sprang into the air, stretching both arms upward.
Yukio's eyes widened as he looked down at Ryuu stepping through with his non-pivot foot. Ryuu flicked his wrist, sending the ball toward the basket.
A shadow swept over him.
Ryuu looked up.
Number eleven was directly above him.
PAK!
Tetsuo's right hand slammed into the ball, knocking it away.
"What the hell...?"
Ryuu's mouth hung open as he stared at Tetsuo.
How can he jump that high?
Tetsuo and Ryuu landed almost simultaneously, their sneakers squealing against the hardwood. The ball ricocheted off the rim and bounced toward the sideline.
Hayato was already on the move. He lunged forward, stretched out his left hand, and caught the ball before it could go out of bounds.
Without slowing down, he brought it under control and began dribbling down the court.
"He just went toe-to-toe with that musclehead Ryuu at the rim," Kayano said.
Kogure leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Tetsuo.
"That number eleven..."
His voice dropped.
"That block... There's no way he should've been able to reach the ball from that angle. But somehow, he did."
Yukio brushed against Eiji near the top of the three-point line. At the same time, Noboru cut through the lane and headed toward the opposite side of the court.
On the wing, Tetsuo planted his feet and set a screen.
Takahiro slipped past his defender, sprinting along the baseline.
Shit! We fell for it!
Eiji spun around and chased after him, but Hayato stepped across his path.
Hayato swung the ball toward Takahiro.
The ball thudded against Takahiro's palms as he caught it mid-stride. He took two quick steps before leaping into the air and flicking his wrist.
The ball struck the backboard.
Swish!
The scoreboard flickered once.
Yokonan High 18 — Toshigawa Academy 14.
"Hey! What are you guys even doing?! Aren't you supposed to be the best team?!"
A schoolboy leaned forward in the bleachers, both hands gripping the railing. His brows pulled together as he stared down at the court.
"Shut the hell up!!"
Ryuu narrowed his eyes toward the bleachers.
"Ryuu, pass!"
Eiji held out his hand.
Ryuu sent the inbound pass to him. Eiji caught it and immediately swung the ball toward Manabu, who was waiting near the three-point arc.
Manabu caught the ball and turned toward the basket.
His fingers tightened around it. His hands trembled.
Tetsuo stood directly in front of him, knees bent and arms spread. His expression remained unchanged.
There's no way he's better than me. I'll put him in his place.
He started dribbling, crossing the ball between his legs before switching it behind his back. He paused for a split second, then crossed over to his right.
Tetsuo followed every movement, shifting his feet to stay directly in front of him.
Manabu's grip tightened around the ball.
His heartbeat quickened. Sweat trickled down his cheek.
What the hell...? He's predicting every move I make! I can't get past him...
Coach Arimoto narrowed his eyes, the wrinkles around them deepening.
"Who is that kid? I don't recognize him. Which junior high did he come from?"
"Not sure," Kayano replied, glancing toward the court.
Inside the paint, Ryuu and Yukio battled for position. Yukio dug his feet into the hardwood, his muscles tensing as Ryuu pushed against him.
Ryuu glanced over his shoulder.
You bastard...
"Manabu! Calm the hell down and pass!"
Manabu gritted his teeth.
Ever since I came to Yokonan, I've never had to pass when I wanted to score. I'm not starting now!
He crossed over to his left, gathered the ball, and sprang into the air.
POP!
Before the ball could even leave his fingertips, a hand struck it away.
The ball flew backward.
"He stopped me..." Manabu muttered.
"Defense! Get back, now!" Eiji yelled, pivoting and sprinting down the court.
I can't believe it... I can't even get a shot off...
Manabu stared at his trembling hands.
Is the gap between us really this wide?
Tetsuo scooped up the loose ball and dribbled forward.
Eiji lunged forward, bending his knees as he stepped into Tetsuo's path.
I have to stop him! If I don't, Manabu will...
Tetsuo slowed and crossed the ball to his left.
Eiji shifted across, cutting off his path.
Tetsuo gathered the ball with both hands.
Eiji jumped.
Tetsuo leaned into Eiji's body while airborne, absorbing the contact before flicking his wrist.
The ball sailed toward the basket, spinning through the air as the referee's whistle pierced the gym.
SWISH!
The net snapped back.
The scoreboard changed.
Yokonan High 18 — Toshigawa Academy 17.
"Blocking foul! White, number nine! Basket counts! One free throw!"
For half a second, the gym fell silent.
"Whoa!!!"
"They're practically tied now?!" someone shouted.
"That number eleven is amazing! He just turned the whole game around!" a girl from Yokonan shouted, clapping her hands.
Tetsuo let out a slow breath.
"Hell yeah! That's how it's done!"
Noboru slapped him on the back.
Tetsuo stumbled a step forward.
"You just made my jersey stick even more to my back..."
He spoke in a low, flat voice, his expression unchanged.
"Tetsuo..."
Nanaho's lips trembled as she watched him.
"I can almost cry..."
Her eyes glistened.
"Tetsuo's amazing..."
Haruko placed a hand against her chest.
So this is what he's like when he's playing... Everyone around him seems to trust him.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks. She blinked, her eyes still fixed on the court.
"Nice work."
Takahiro raised his thumb toward Tetsuo.
"You really brought us back."
Hayato wiped the sweat from his headband. His expression softened slightly.
"Yeah... I'm glad you're here."
Tetsuo nodded.
Tetsuo stepped up to the free-throw line as the players from Yokonan and Toshigawa took their positions along the lane.
The referee handed him the ball.
Tetsuo dribbled once... twice...
Then he raised it and flicked his wrist.
SWISH!
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
"Looks like we're tied now."
Kayano glanced up at the scoreboard.
Coach Arimoto sank into his chair and crossed his arms. His jaw tightened as he stared at the court, his fingers tightening around his clipboard.
CRACK!
The clipboard snapped in half.
Yukio clapped his hands.
"Alright! Let's take the lead now!"
"Yes!" Toshigawa's players answered in unison.
Nanaho's eyes followed Yukio for a moment. She noticed the smile on his face.
You're having fun, aren't you?
She smiled.
The next few minutes passed in a blur.
Hayato intercepted a pass from Eiji and dribbled down the court. He sent the ball to Yukio, who caught it and flicked his wrist.
The ball struck the backboard before dropping through the net.
On the next possession, Ryuu leaped into the air, his right arm cocked back. Yukio jumped to meet him, extending his arm fully.
POP!
Yukio swatted the ball away.
He grabbed the rebound and passed it to Noboru.
Noboru swung the ball over to Takahiro, who caught it and released a high-arching shot.
The ball struck the backboard and dropped through the net.
The gym erupted with shouts.
Eiji wiped the sweat from his brow as he dribbled frantically.
We need to score fast! Coach's face... He's scary.
"Eiji! The ball!" Ryuu shouted from the paint.
Eiji faked a pass before sending the ball toward Ryuu's outstretched hand.
TAP!
Tetsuo knocked the ball away with the back of his hand.
"What?!" Manabu's eyes widened.
"When did he—"
Tetsuo collected the loose ball and dribbled down the court. Manabu took off after him.
At the last second, Tetsuo gathered the ball and rose for a layup.
Manabu jumped to contest the shot.
But Tetsuo glanced behind him and swung the ball out toward Hayato, who was waiting beyond the three-point line.
Manabu's eyes followed the pass as Hayato caught it.
Hayato rose into the air and flicked his wrist.
The ball spun toward the basket.
CLANG!
It struck the rim, rolled along its edge... and dropped through the net.
The crowd fell silent for half a heartbeat.
Then the whistle blew.
The referee raised one arm.
"That's the end of the first quarter!"