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The game continued.
Ryu walked towards his half of the court, passing the tall center, when he heard him speak.
"Not bad, kid, that's more fun."
Huh?
Ryu turned to look at him, but only saw his back as he walked away.
Ryu didn't think much of it, assuming he was just greeting him.
Soon, Ryu and his team launched an attack.
The opposing power forward charged forward with the ball.
However, upon seeing Ryu, perhaps out of surprise, he reflexively passed the ball to his own center.
Ryu raised an eyebrow, then focused his attention on the tall center.
Facing a behemoth more than a head taller than himself, Nakano Kazuaki couldn't help but swallow hard.
The tall center dribbled the ball, then assumed a very standard triple-threat stance.
However, the tall center quickly shifted his position, turning the triple threat into a post-up game.
Nakano Kazuaki experienced firsthand what a wall was like—a moving wall at that.
He was no match for the wall.
The tall center kept bumping into Nakano Kazuaki until he was inside the paint.
Seeing this, Ryu's lips twitched.
Good heavens, this is too much!
Judging by the momentum, it seemed he was going to force a shot.
Seeing this, Ogiwara Shigehiro quickly accelerated towards the tall center, preparing to put some pressure on him.
But the tall center twisted his arm, aiming the ball at his own shooting guard who had run to an open position beyond the three-point line.
Seeing this, Ogiwara Shigehiro hesitated, preparing to intercept the pass.
Mitsuba Juro's eyes also sharpened, and he took a large stride, blocking the opposing shooting guard.
However, the tall center's lips curled into a slight smile. He turned to face the basket and jumped for a dunk.
It all happened so suddenly.
Nakano Kazuaki never expected his opponent to feint and catch them off guard.
Ryu watched this scene with some surprise.
Wow, a surprisingly agile big man.
An offensive player, huh? So sharp.
2-2 tied.
After the dunk, the tall center turned and went back on defense.
As he passed Ryu, he glanced at him, his smile deepening.
Ryu blinked.
What did that mean? A greeting? A provocation?
It was completely incomprehensible!
No time to think too much.
Ryu had already inbounded the ball.
Ogiwara Shigehiro passed the ball to him.
Upon receiving the ball, Ryu didn't hesitate and dribbled directly towards the opposing half of the court.
Facing the opposing power forward's attempt to block him, Ryu didn't slow down at all.
He switched hands, slowed down, changed direction, and then suddenly accelerated, preparing to break through.
The opposing power forward quickly shifted his weight and turned to block.
But just then...
Ryu suddenly paused without warning, then accelerated and turned, disappearing from the other side of the opponent's court.
The power forward, number 9, was completely dumbfounded.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Ogiwara Shigehiro and the other three were also stunned.
Ryu's stop-and-go attack was incredibly cool.
And the movement was flawless, completely smooth.
The four of them had a new opinion of Ryu; his strength was definitely far superior to theirs.
They absolutely couldn't have pulled off those moves.
The tall center's pupils constricted slightly.
Anyone capable of those moves was definitely not simple.
Just who was this kid?
Without thinking too much, he took two strides and stood in Ryu's path.
Seeing the center, who was significantly taller than him, Ryu didn't slow his charge.
With a quick glance, just as he reached the tall center, he suddenly switched hands, smoothly moving the basketball behind his back and dribbling it twice.
Everyone heard two thuds, and the basketball vanished from Ryu's hands.
What?
The tall center's heart tightened; he had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw a figure that had appeared behind Ryu—it was Mitsuba Juro.
He caught the basketball from Ryu with some surprise.
He quickly adjusted his posture, stood beyond the three-point line, aimed at the basket, and shot.
The opposing shooting guard, who had just arrived, looked utterly helpless.
He was a step too slow and could only watch as the ball was released.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air before landing precisely in the basket.
5-2.
The spectators on the sidelines cheered.
This game was truly spectacular.
Whew…
The tall center let out a long breath, his gaze towards Ryu becoming even more serious.
Offense transitions.
The point guard for team number 9 dribbled past the center line.
Ogiwara Shigehiro stood firmly in front of him, his face serious.
Seeing Ogiwara Shigehiro's earnest expression, the opposing point guard's eyelids twitched.
'It's just an event, why are you taking it so seriously?'
Though puzzled, he wasn't intimidated by Ogiwara Shigehiro.
Though puzzled, he wasn't intimidated by Ogiwara Shigehiro.
He raised his left arm to shield his face, his right hand dribbling the basketball repeatedly, his eyes darting left and right, trying to find an opening in Ogiwara Shigehiro's defenses.
However, all of this looked somewhat comical to Ogiwara Shigehiro.
Sure enough! The difference between amateur and professional is still too great.
Even the visual impression is different.
Ogiwara Shigehiro seized the opportunity and suddenly lunged for the ball.
The number 9 point guard was startled and quickly retreated, firmly protecting the basketball in his hands.
'There's no other way.'
The number 9 point guard's eyes swept across the room and spotted his own center standing under the basket.
A glint of joy appeared in his eyes as he tossed the ball high into the air, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
He didn't consider whether his own center could catch it.
With that height, he could just stand still.
Thwack…
The basketball was firmly caught in the tall center's hands.
Is it really that casual?
Ryu was speechless.
The pass was terrible; it was entirely up to the receiver. Anyone else would have probably dropped it.
He could only mutter, "It's fate."
Outside the game, some things you have to bear yourself.
Ryu was still quite a distance from the paint, so he could only hope for his teammates.
Unfortunately, the height difference left Nakano Kazuaki helpless.
The tall center raised the basketball, and with a slight jump, he shot it into the hoop.
5 to 4.
'I didn't expect him to have shooting ability.'
Ryu was somewhat surprised.
This was far better than Murasakibara Atsushi.
Ryu didn't believe his opponent was just guessing.
Because his opponent clearly had the ability to dunk, but didn't use it.
This showed considerable confidence in his shooting ability.
Time ticked by.
The score remained close.
9-8.
12-10.
18-18.
Ryu scored another three-pointer midway through.
However, Nakano Kazuaki made a mistake, allowing the opposing tall center to capitalize and pull back two points.
This resulted in the opposing team tying the score.
The excitement of the game exceeded everyone's expectations.
The number of spectators outside Court 3 gradually increased.
A good game never lacks an audience.
At this moment, the court had almost become a duel between Ryu and the tall center.
The other players had become mere background figures.
Two minutes remained.
The match had reached a fever pitch.
Everyone eagerly awaited the final result.
Looking at the score of 18-18, Ryu tilted his head back and forth.
'Looks like I'll have to use my real skills, or I might lose!'
He was a stubborn person at heart.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have just argued with Akashi; he would have directly and forcefully subdued him.
Besides, he had already decided to leave the team, and he hadn't yet come up with a reason.
Akashi's actions just gave him that opportunity.
Another reason was that he felt his Hyotei Eye seemed to have changed at that time.
It was just a momentary lapse in concentration, which left him somewhat unaccustomed to it.
If he rashly challenged Akashi to a one-on-one fight, he might very well end up losing more than he gained.
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