On the court.
Because of Satsuki Momoi's furious shout, Atsushi Murasakibara didn't dare mention playing point guard again.
He obediently took up the center position.
After passing the ball to Miyamoto Tokima, he ran toward the frontcourt, ready to do what a center should do.
Miyamoto Tokima smiled helplessly.
There was nothing he could do. His girlfriend had spoken, so his precious one really couldn't play point guard anymore.
Miyamoto Tokima slowly dribbled past half-court and saw a rather bizarre scene.
Atsushi Murasakibara stood casually under the basket.
Taisuke Otsubo was struggling hard against him, trying to secure better positioning.
But Atsushi Murasakibara seemed completely unfazed. With a slight twist of his body, he casually shoved Otsubo aside.
Shogo Haizaki stood at the left corner three-point line.
Shuzo Nijimura was on the left wing beyond the arc.
As for Dicky Anthony...
He was on the right side of the three-point line, sticking his butt out and watching the show.
Well, with a dominant inside presence like Atsushi Murasakibara, playing like this was perfectly fine.
Miyamoto Tokima walked step by step toward the three-point line.
The closer he got, the more Kazunari Takao began to sweat.
By the time Miyamoto Tokima stood in front of him, Takao looked like he had just crawled out of the water.
'What kind of pressure is this!!!'
Kazunari Takao roared inwardly.
There was nothing he could do. The pressure was just too overwhelming.
Miyamoto Tokima didn't even bother acknowledging the defender in front of him.
He gathered the ball on the spot and released it instantly.
Right in front of Kazunari Takao, he fired off a lightning-quick three-pointer.
Takao didn't even react. By the time he raised his hand, the ball had already swished through the net.
Kazunari Takao stood there, completely stunned.
"Ah... ah??? It went in just like that?"
He knew Miyamoto Tokima was fast, but he never expected him to be this fast.
(Miyamoto Tokima: Please clarify what exactly is fast, or I will sue you for defamation!)
Shintaro Midorima's eyes shifted slightly.
'His shooting speed has gotten even faster. Miyamoto, you really are a monster.'
Possession switched.
This time, Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki immediately applied full-court defense on Shintaro Midorima, completely locked in.
They didn't dare lose focus for even a second.
Because the moment they did, Shintaro Midorima might slip away.
However, Shintaro Midorima had no intention of receiving the ball in the backcourt.
After all, shooting from the backcourt required a setup. Even if he got open, the moment he began gathering power, the two of them would catch up.
So he moved with his team toward the frontcourt.
It was not easy.
After all, he was dealing with two big, physical defenders.
And behind those two, there was a wolf and a shark lurking.
After crossing half-court.
Shintaro Midorima's gaze sharpened, and his body tensed.
He looked ready to start moving.
At that moment, Shogo Haizaki spoke.
"Midorima, you're not getting free now."
"We just got careless earlier. Now there's no way you're breaking out."
Shintaro Midorima pushed up his glasses and said calmly,
"Who said I was trying to get free?"
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki froze. Before they could process what he meant.
Shintaro Midorima suddenly jumped.
In that instant, both of them realized what he was about to do.
Damn it.
He's going airborne.
They tried to jump as well, but it was already too late.
The ball had already reached Shintaro Midorima's hands.
After landing, just as Shintaro Midorima was about to shoot, Shuzo Nijimura immediately reached out to slap the ball.
Shintaro Midorima remained completely calm. He dodged the swipe and jumped again without any shooting motion.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Right as Shintaro Midorima avoided Nijimura's swipe and took off.
Smack.
Shogo Haizaki made his move.
More accurately, he had been waiting the entire time.
Waiting for Shintaro Midorima to dodge Shuzo Nijimura's swipe.
Because Satsuki Momoi had told them from the start.
Once Shintaro Midorima activated his Animal Instinct, he could complete a shooting motion in mid-air.
So the two of them formed a steal duo.
One would go for the initial swipe, while the other waited to strike afterward.
With this setup, unless Shintaro Midorima could pull off a full 360-degree spinning jump on the spot, escaping would be nearly impossible.
After the steal, Shogo Haizaki took the lead and charged straight toward the frontcourt.
Shintaro Midorima immediately turned and chased after losing the ball.
He quickly caught up.
"Awoo!!!"
The lone wolf behind Shogo Haizaki let out a fierce howl.
It lowered its center of gravity, ready to hunt.
Shogo Haizaki did the same. Without slowing down at all, he lowered his center of gravity mid-run.
His body swayed rapidly from side to side.
Just as Shintaro Midorima was still trying to anticipate his next move.
Shogo Haizaki...
passed the ball.
Shuzo Nijimura cut in from the left, caught the pass, and threw down a clean 360-degree dunk.
Boom.
Shintaro Midorima stopped defending and straightened up, his expression unsettled.
He looked at Shogo Haizaki with a hint of confusion.
"Logically, you should have forced a one-on-one. But you passed instead."
"Haizaki, your change is... significant."
Shogo Haizaki let out a breath and said,
"If we can gang up, why bother going one-on-one?"
"Damn it, Haizaki. You stole my line!"
Shuzo Nijimura was shocked when he heard that.
Isn't that my line? How did you steal it from me?
Shogo Haizaki remained completely calm, as if to say, the one who feels awkward is someone else.
Shintaro Midorima ignored them, pushed up his glasses, and walked toward the frontcourt.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki followed without another word.
They both knew their task.
Double-team Shintaro Midorima.
Either deny him the ball or steal it from him.
No matter what, they could not let him shoot.
As Shintaro Midorima walked, his mind worked rapidly to find a solution.
Break free?
Not realistic.
The double-team from Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki was too strong.
Catch and shoot would get him stripped.
A standard pick-and-roll would not hold them back either.
But what about setting a screen after receiving the ball?
The idea formed. Execute immediately.
Shintaro Midorima glanced at Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura.
They seemed to understand and nodded at the same time.
...
On offense.
Shintaro Midorima jumped straight up again, catching Kazunari Takao's pass mid-air.
After landing, he quickly protected the ball and waited for Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura to get into position.
Soon, Shinsuke Kimura arrived.
Shintaro Midorima immediately dribbled toward him.
Shuzo Nijimura reacted instantly, shifting his body to slip past the screen.
Shintaro Midorima's eyes sharpened.
Space had opened up.
This was the moment.
He jumped.
...
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