Chapter One Hundred Seven: Too Damn Accurate
"This is bad. Getting caught at a time like this..."
Coach Taoka couldn't help rising from the bench, his gaze locked onto the court, his palms slightly damp with nervous sweat.
Midorima's abnormally high three-point percentage alone was headache enough. Now he'd demonstrated two stunning transformations and evolutions during this single game.
The growth and metamorphosis of high school players truly was an unpredictable yet fascinating phenomenon.
"But if we let them continue like this, the game's momentum will completely shift." Coach Taoka murmured. "Perhaps I should have Ikegami and Yagami run a double-team defense, completely locking down Midorima..."
Three minutes remained.
Coach Taoka took a deep breath, stepping forward, preparing to call out tactical adjustments to the court.
"Coach." Aida Hikoichi firmly blocked his path. "Trust Sorato. He can definitely stop Midorima!"
Nonsense!
Time was running out. Coach Taoka was about to shout exactly that, but he caught Aida's nervous yet absolutely resolute gaze.
The words died on his lips. His eyes involuntarily shifted toward the court.
Yagami was engaged in the final battle with Midorima. His back was steady, his jersey soaked with sweat. Every movement carried undeniable focus and determination.
That silhouette radiated a reassuring, trustworthy tenacity.
"I understand."
Coach Taoka slowly unclenched his fists. Those were the final words he uttered.
Not simply because of Aida's intervention. In that instant, he suddenly remembered—from the very beginning, this had been Yagami's choice.
Yagami had volunteered, shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending Midorima alone. The game thus far had delivered a satisfactory performance.
If he, as coach, denied that effort and judgment due to momentary wavering, it would represent the ultimate lack of trust.
In the end, Coach Taoka chose to place this weighty trust—along with the game's final outcome—back in the hands of that young man on the court.
---
[Ryonan 94 - Shutoku 93]
A minute-thirty remained. Ryonan's possession.
Sendoh advanced past halfcourt with the ball. Shutoku's defensive formation suddenly collapsed—Miyaji and Takao both stepped up, forming a trap!
Ikegami was left wide open on the wing.
"Should I step up to receive? Or stay in position waiting for the pass?"
Just as he hesitated, Sendoh's pass arrived precisely before him. This was unconditional trust from a teammate!
"Swish!"
Ikegami no longer hesitated. He rose directly from his spot, refusing to give the rotating Takao any chance to contest!
"CLANG!"
Unfortunately, it didn't drop.
The ball crashed off the back iron, bouncing out.
"Rebound!"
The paint instantly erupted into chaos. Otsubo used maximum effort to box out Uozumi. Kimura leaped desperately for the board.
"Watch your back!"
Fukuda exploded from behind Kimura, rising to one-hand the ball viciously toward the rim over the defender!
"The distance is too far, too forced!" Kise immediately assessed.
"BANG!"
The ball crashed off the front iron, bouncing back toward the free-throw line.
Miyaji and Sendoh simultaneously leaped at the landing spot, battling for possession!
"SLAP!"
Someone's hand deflected the ball left. Midorima and Yagami jumped simultaneously!
"Damn!"
Yagami's legs gave out slightly. He couldn't fully elevate—sealing Midorima's shooting all game had pushed his stamina to the absolute limit.
Midorima secured the ball cleanly, about to spin and launch the fast break—
"SLAP!"
Yagami's right hand poked the ball away the instant Midorima gathered!
"At least... stop Shutoku's fast break!"
The ball flew toward the sideline.
"SLAP!"
Ikegami dove desperately, his entire body crashing hard against the floor, yet he somehow scooped the ball back inbounds! He had to recover his own mistake!
"Beautiful!" Yagami quickly stepped up to receive. But Midorima had already pressured right into him.
Precious seconds ticked away. If he got stopped here... suddenly, inspiration flashed.
"Tap!"
His arm flicked upward. A light, precise tap pass sent the ball streaking toward the top of the key—
That trajectory, that technique...
"Kuroko's passing?!!" Kise watched the court in disbelief. "Impossible..."
"This guy told me not to try random stuff in games." Sendoh's lips curved into an amused smile. After catching it, he used a behind-the-back dribble to blow past Takao's pressure, attacking the paint!
"If that's how it is—let's settle this with one possession!"
Sendoh charged into the lane and rose. Miyaji pursued from behind, leaping to contest.
Otsubo had originally only wanted to conservatively raise both arms for disruption. But seeing Miyaji's commitment, Sendoh seemed forced to adjust his layup approach forward.
"There's an opening! I can block this!"
Otsubo made his decision instantly. No more reservations. Maximum elevation!
Front and back, Sendoh was trapped mid-air!
"Heh. Perfect timing."
Sendoh not only didn't evade but instead attacked toward Otsubo's contesting hand. The instant before contact, his fingertips applied force—the ball floated softly upward.
"What?!" Miyaji startled.
"Damn!" Otsubo tried pulling his hand back but was too late.
"SLAP!"
"Swish!"
The hand-check and net-swish sounded almost simultaneously.
"TWEET—!"
"Shutoku number 4, reaching foul! Basket counts, plus one free throw!"
The worst possible outcome!
Not only did Shutoku fail to stop Sendoh's bucket, they'd sent him to the line!
"That was close. Shutoku almost blocked that one." Nakamura had barely dared breathe.
"You thought so too?" Aida Yayoi murmured. In her eyes, the same scene had unfolded, but—
"He did it on purpose." Kasamatsu stated with absolute certainty. "If it was just two points, Shutoku could answer with a three. But Sendoh deliberately drew the foul. If he makes the free throw, Shutoku's pressure becomes completely different."
"Yeah..." Kise's eyes flickered. Whether it was Yagami's pass just now or Sendoh's absolutely confident attack...
Damn it. I want to play Ryonan again!
On the court, Sendoh's free throw dropped cleanly through.
[Ryonan 97 - Shutoku 93]
The gap widened to four points. Pressure hung over Shutoku like a physical weight.
Coach Nakatani shot to his feet. "Damn it. This situation is terrible."
Shutoku still had one timeout. If used now, they'd have no chance for a fouling strategy at the end. But if they didn't use it, and the score widened further... the game might lose all suspense.
"Don't overthink it! Just secure this possession!" Otsubo shouted to his teammates, suppressing the court's agitation.
This was his mistake. But as captain, he absolutely had to stabilize the team's mentality at moments like this!
"Yes!"
---
Change of possession. Shutoku's offense.
"Can't rush. The more you rush, the more openings appear." Takao steadily advanced, reminding himself.
Sendoh immediately applied pressure. Takao still chose to use Miyaji's screen to create separation, relocating to the right wing.
Ikegami's defense immediately rotated over.
"Need an absolutely reliable scoring option. This possession has to go in!" Takao protected the ball, his gaze sweeping across teammates.
"Takao, give me the ball!"
Midorima raised his hand on the left wing. His voice was steady and calm, his face showing no hint of fluctuation.
"Shin..."
Takao hesitated only point-one seconds. Trust overwhelmed everything else. He delivered the pass precisely.
Midorima caught it. Facing Yagami's tight defense, he assumed a standard triple-threat stance. The atmosphere instantly froze.
"You seem pretty confident?" Yagami's center of gravity dropped extremely low, his eyes locked like a hawk's on his opponent.
"That you've reached this level, I acknowledge your ability." Midorima spoke calmly. "But the one who wins this game will definitely be me."
Midorima dribbled left for a testing step. Yagami quickly slid over, sealing his driving lane.
However, Midorima wanted precisely this instant of pressure—he used the momentum to step back, rising without hesitation! He knew he couldn't shake Yagami for a drive, but creating enough time for the shot was sufficient!
"Your legs should already be at their limit."
Before Midorima's words finished, the ball had already flown elegantly from his fingertips.
Yagami clenched his jaw, squeezing out the body's last ounce of strength, desperately leaping. His fingertips barely grazed the ball's underside!
The basketball traced an arc through the air.
"CLANG—!"
A dull clang echoed through the arena. The ball crashed heavily off the front iron, flying away.
"I'm not the only one who's reached his limit." Yagami landed, gasping as he responded.
It didn't go in!
Midorima's elevation had also dropped due to stamina depletion. Yagami completed the critical contest!
This was Midorima's first missed three-pointer of the entire game!
Fukuda crashed into the paint for position. Uozumi secured the rebound cleanly!
"Foul! Quick foul!!" Coach Nakatani shouted.
"SLAP!"
A crisp striking sound rang out—Otsubo showed no hesitation, slapping Uozumi's arm with his palm. This tactic should have been executed by Kimura, but only Otsubo reacted in this moment.
The cost: Otsubo's personal fouls rose to four!
Forty seconds remained.
Coach Nakatani stood on the sideline, brow furrowed.
Now, Shutoku had only one path to victory: First, after Uozumi's two free throws, they must quickly score. Then successfully defend Ryonan's possession. Finally, use the remaining time to hit a game-winner.
Whether those buckets should be twos or a gamble on threes depended entirely on Uozumi's free throw results.
Complete silence filled the arena. Uozumi took a deep breath. First free throw—
"Swish!"
Nothing but net! The first attempt dropped cleanly.
"Uozumi-senpai! So clutch!"
"Uozumi-senpai! Beautiful shot!"
Uozumi felt deeply grateful for his free throw improvement during this period. Who knew free throws could play such a critical role at crucial moments?
However, just as his focus slightly relaxed, the second shot carried too much force.
"CLANG!"
The ball crashed off the back iron, bouncing out.
Otsubo roared, leaping with maximum effort to cradle the rebound firmly!
"TWEET!"
"Shutoku requests timeout."
"At least he made one." Coach Taoka's expression was neutral, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
In any case, they needed to use this moment to set up the final defensive scheme.
---
[Ryonan 98 - Shutoku 93]
Timeout ended. Play resumed.
Shutoku inbounded from the sideline. Unusually, Otsubo didn't position inside the paint.
In the final moment, Shutoku deployed a "five-out formation," choosing to trust Midorima!
Midorima used two solid teammate screens to shake the slightest separation. Catch, rise, release—his motion mechanically precise and resolute!
"Swish!"
Three-pointer!
[Ryonan 98 - Shutoku 96]
"This guy... is he a monster?"
"How many is that? How many three-pointers has he made?" Arena spectators debated frantically.
The gap instantly shrank to two points. Shutoku's hope reignited!
---
Change of possession. Ryonan's offense.
After Sendoh received the baseline inbound, Shutoku applied full-court pressure!
They absolutely couldn't allow Ryonan to drain the clock.
Under pressure, Sendoh advanced the ball to the frontcourt. Fukuda received the pass. A figure immediately pressed close.
Otsubo!
At the critical moment, Shutoku had Otsubo defending Fukuda one-on-one!
Right now, Ryonan's most advantageous matchup was Uozumi against Kimura inside. But without question, the instant Uozumi caught the ball, Shutoku would foul him immediately.
"Give me the ball!" Yagami cut toward the top, receiving the pass.
Fukuda quickly swung it out. After a relay through Ikegami, the ball reached Yagami's hands.
"I won't let you score!" Midorima blocked his path, his tone ice-cold.
"That's not for you to decide."
Yagami executed continuous between-the-legs dribbles, rhythm varying fast and slow. After a convincing drive fake, he suddenly yanked the ball back beyond the arc, rising for the pull-up!
"I knew it!" Midorima leaped almost simultaneously, his long arms completely sealing the shooting lane.
"Damn."
Yagami's elevation was insufficient. He could only lean back as far as possible mid-air, barely avoiding Midorima's fingertips.
"BANG!"
The ball crashed heavily off the backboard, bouncing through the basket!
[Ryonan 101 - Shutoku 96]
"OHHHH!!"
"What?"
"That was definitely luck!"
Game over.
"...What's your zodiac sign?" Midorima couldn't help asking.
"Hm?" Yagami thought about playing horoscope games with Chinatsu Yui. "...I don't really know that stuff. Virgo, maybe?"
Only four seconds remained.
After receiving the baseline inbound in Ryonan's half, Midorima used every last ounce of strength to launch the ball. Yagami stood in place, only symbolically raising his hand. He couldn't jump anyway.
"TWEET—!!"
The final buzzer sounded. The ball still flew through the air.
"CLANK!"
Ultimately, it wasn't meant to be.
The ball bounced high. Midorima's final three-pointer didn't fall.
"I see..." Midorima looked at the scoreboard with disappointment. "That fortune-telling was too damn accurate."
---
Kanto Regional Qualifier Semifinal, Court A Winner:
RYONAN HIGH SCHOOL!