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Ryu and the tall center faced off fiercely.
The rest of the teams on both sides instinctively coordinated with their attacks.
There was no way around it.
The difference in skill between them and these two was too great.
Ogiwara Shigehiro watched the two with envy.
He clenched his fists, secretly resolving to continue working hard to improve his skills when he got back.
'Kuroko, I really look forward to meeting you in the finals.'
Ryu was unaware of his thoughts; otherwise, he would have been able to guess who Ogiwara Shigehiro was.
The final two minutes of the game began after team number 9 served.
Ryu's gaze was fixed intently on the tall center, bracing himself for his onslaught.
The tall center also focused his attention on Ryu.
The tall center understood that his biggest obstacle was Ryu.
And in Ryu's eyes, the only one capable of scoring was the tall center.
Everyone else was tightly guarded by Ogiwara Shigehiro and his team.
He could only apologize for that.
It was a temporary team, so it was normal for there to be strong and weak players.
If anyone was to blame, it was bad luck.
The tall center rushed to the three-point line and passed the ball to his team's shooting guard.
He then used his physique to force his way into the paint.
The shooting guard of team number 9 understood the tall center's intention and raised his hand to shoot towards the basket.
The basketball flew through the air, struck the backboard steadily, and then bounced off the rim.
A glint flashed in the tall center's eyes. He pushed off with his legs and leaped into the air.
Ryu watched the tall center leap and sighed inwardly.
'Being tall is really an advantage!'
Ryu knew he couldn't stop that shot.
His current height was only about 183 cm, and the difference in height between him and his opponent was too great.
Ryu walked up to Ogiwara Shigehiro and said,
"Just throw the ball over here."
Before Ogiwara Shigehiro could understand Ryu's meaning, he saw him already running towards the opponent's basket.
Seeing this, he instantly understood Ryu's intention.
A glint flashed in his eyes.
Clang…
A mournful sound from the rim echoed throughout the court.
18 to 20.
The tall center landed back on the ground with a dull thud.
But the moment he turned around, his eyes widened suddenly, alarm bells ringing in his mind, a sense of foreboding rising.
He seemed to see a scene he didn't want to witness.
Sure enough, the next second, his fear became reality.
Ogiwara Shigehiro raised the basketball and threw it powerfully towards the opponent's basket.
At this moment, everyone except Ryu was standing on the other half of the court.
'Too late.'
The tall center thought helplessly.
The basketball traced a long line, heading straight for the basket.
It darted past the center line, crossed the perimeter, and entered the paint.
Ryu's gaze leaped the moment the basketball hit the backboard.
The basketball struck the backboard precisely at that moment.
As the ball bounced back, Ryu immediately seized control with both hands, followed by a powerful dunk.
An alley-oop.
The clanging sound, accompanied by the shaking of the backboard and the hum of the rim, reached the ears of everyone present.
20-20.
The score was tied again.
The spectators outside the court erupted in cheers once more.
"That was amazing! Both sides were doing alley-oops!"
"That's incredible! I can't believe we're seeing such a fantastic game in a place like this."
"Yeah, that silver-haired guy and that big guy are both so good! Are they professional players from some club?"
The cheers from the spectators didn't affect Ryu and the tall center on the court.
Ryu had switched positions with Nakano Kazuaki.
At this moment, his eyes were firmly locked on the tall center.
Because the tall center had already charged towards him.
As soon as the opponent reached the three-point line, Ryu closed in.
He knew his body wasn't as strong as the opponent's, and a direct confrontation would be disadvantageous.
Ryu only chose to stay close, avoiding physical contact.
Strangely enough, Ryu was like glue, sticking tightly to the tall center, yet their bodies never actually touched.
The tall center was also astonished by Ryu's control over him.
This made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
His movement was restricted, and Ryu firmly controlled his passing routes.
Seeing this, the players on team number 9 had only one option: the air.
Yes, the air.
Thinking this, the power forward with the ball raised his hand and threw it towards the heads of Ryu and the tall center.
Seeing this,
Both Ryu and the tall center's eyes sharpened, and they slightly lowered their bodies.
This shot was crucial.
If they defended it, the scales of victory would tip in Ryu's favor.
If they failed to defend it, it would be very disadvantageous for Ryu's team.
The basketball quickly flew above their heads.
The tall center leaped instantly, his long arms effortlessly controlling the basketball.
Seeing this, everyone on Team 9 smiled.
The tall center also smiled.
He had won.
As long as he dunked the ball, he would be the winner.
However, just as he was descending,
a force emanated from the basketball in his hands.
Thud…
The basketball bounced upwards from his hand, followed by a flash of silver.
The tall center's pupils dilated.
What?
Ryu leaped up from below, like Superman, scooping the basketball from the tall center's hands with one hand.
When the tall center landed, his hands were empty.
But Ryu, in mid-air, held an orange-yellow basketball.
Ryu's eyes swept across the room, instantly spotting his teammate.
He raised the ball, aimed, and threw it in one direction.
The basketball grazed the head of the tall center, heading straight for Chizawa Koichi outside the three-point line.
"Chizawa..."
Seeing Chizawa still in a daze,
Ogiwara Shigehiro immediately called out to remind him.
Chizawa finally snapped out of his daze and caught the ball at the last second.
After catching the ball, Chizawa turned and charged towards the opposite basket.
The members of Team 9 saw this and desperately chased after him.
However, the distance was still too great; by the time they caught up with Chizawa, he was already outside the paint.
Feeling the pressure emanating from them, Chizawa Koichi's heart tightened, and he was somewhat at a loss.
He was afraid of wasting this opportunity and hesitated to shoot.
Just then, Ogiwara Shigehiro's voice rang out again.
"Chizawa..."
Chizawa Koichi looked up and saw Ogiwara Shigehiro gesturing for him to pass the ball.
Without thinking, he prepared to pass the ball.
However, before the ball could leave his hand, a hand blocked his view.
It was the hand of the tall center.
Ogiwara Shigehiro's heart also skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.
"Here..."
At this critical moment, another voice reached Chizawa Koichi's ears.
Hearing this voice, Chizawa Koichi felt much relieved.
Because the owner of this voice was Ryu.
"Ryu..."
The instant the ball left his hand, Chizawa Koichi forcibly changed the direction of his body, causing the ball to fly towards Ryu on the other side.
The tall center's eyes widened in surprise.
He hadn't expected Ryu to suddenly alert the opponent at this crucial moment, causing Chizawa Koichi to change the direction of the pass.
He'd been careless.
He had anticipated the ball would reach Ryu.
Although the others also possessed shooting ability, this shot was so important; letting Ryu score was definitely the better option.
He knew the key to the game lay between himself and Ryu.
He'd actually abandoned Ryu to block the pass—a foolish choice.
But did he think he could score so easily just like that?
The tall center's gaze sharpened, then he pushed off the ground with his toes, darting back into the paint.
His speed was astonishing.
Ogiwara Shigehiro and Chizawa Koichi's pupils contracted.
Ryu received the pass from Chizawa Koichi and quickly drove into the paint.
However, the moment he stepped into the penalty area, a sense of unease gripped him, a feeling of impending danger rising within him.
This caused him to pause for a moment.
Then he saw a figure blocking his path—the tall center forward.
What was going on?
'How is this guy so fast?'
Ryu was shocked.
The opponent had been positioned about the same distance from the penalty area as he had.
He had immediately moved towards the penalty area after receiving the ball, but the opponent…
Ryu's mind raced.
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him.
'Unless this guy had sprinted towards the penalty area the instant Chizawa Koichi passed the ball, which explained his rapid arrival.'
Understanding everything, Ryu was astonished.
Aren't tall people supposed to be stupid?
What's going on?
This is different from Murasakibara!
To be able to think of this so quickly and act on it.
This tall center is truly astonishing.
Looking at the tall center before him, Ryu's eyes filled with admiration.
Admiration aside, Ryu wasn't going to let himself be stopped so easily.
In the instant he paused, Ryu switched the basketball from between his legs to his other hand.
As he switched hands, Ryu made a feint to drive.
Seeing this, the tall center took a small step to the side.
A small step, but just enough to cover both offense and defense.
Ryu's pupils contracted.
This guy's professionalism is truly impressive.
Using this tactic to defend against his feint was indeed brilliant.
Ryu was curious about which high school his opponent attended.
Why hadn't he seen anyone with this level of skill in the original story?
This thought flashed through his mind.
His main objective now was to score.
Seeing that his feint hadn't fooled his opponent, Ryu wasn't disappointed.
That last move was a feint after all.
Ryu switched the basketball again, simultaneously changing the direction of his drive.
Sure enough, the tall center reacted immediately, blocking Ryu's path once more.
However, this time, Ryu didn't stop after changing direction; instead, his entire body turned backward.
Ryu drew a C-shaped arc, directly switching to the other side of the tall center.
The tall center's heart skipped a beat, his pupils shrinking rapidly.
He hadn't expected Ryu to have this move.
Having fooled the tall center, Ryu leaped into the air with the ball.
He raised the basketball high, seemingly preparing for a dunk.
However, the tall center didn't seem to want him to score so easily.
Suddenly, a large hand appeared in Ryu's field of vision.
'This guy.'
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryu saw only the tall man's hand in front of him; his body was a body length away.
In mid-air, Ryu's arm, holding the basketball, swung backward in a beautiful circle.
The basketball grazed past the tall center's arm and flew towards the basket.
The tall center was stunned.
He never expected Ryu to react in this situation.
He should have known that his own reactions were even stranger!
Both Ryu and the tall center landed on the ground.
Everyone looked at the basketball in the air.
Only Ryu didn't look up.
A slight smile played on his lips, a confident expression on his face.
Because the outcome was sealed the moment he threw the basketball.
He won.
His shot was the long-unused technique, the "Tightrope Walk."
The arena fell silent instantly.
Under everyone's gaze.
The basketball soared high into the air, very high, over the rim, over the backboard.
But… something seemed off about the basketball's trajectory.
Someone noticed something was wrong.
The basketball veered off the rim, heading towards the edge.
A mistake.
Everyone thought to themselves.
The members of Team 9 smiled with delight.
Ogiwara Shigehiro and his three friends sighed softly, a bitter feeling welling up inside.
Was this game going to be lost?
However, just then.
The basketball reached its highest point and began to fall.
It landed precisely at the edge of the backboard.
Thump, thump, thump…
A series of soft, rhythmic thumping sounds rang out.
The basketball landed steadily on the edge of the backboard, then slowly rolled towards the center.
One second… two seconds… three seconds…
By the third second, the basketball had reached the center of the backboard and then dropped directly down.
Swish…
The basketball seemed to have jumped down on its own, passing precisely through the rim.
22 to 20.
Silence…
The entire arena fell silent.
After the silence came a deafening roar of cheers.
The spectators outside the stadium nearly went wild.
When had they ever seen such an incredible goal?
Everyone was cheering, shouting, and celebrating the goal.
Whistle...
Just then.
The final whistle blew.
The announcement of Ryu's victory came over the loudspeaker.
Ogiwara Shigehiro and his three friends surrounded Ryu and began celebrating.
The tall center forward snapped out of his daze.
His gaze towards Ryu held a mixture of resentment, helplessness, and acceptance.
Finally, he sighed.
They lost.
But he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.
He had done his best.
He walked towards Ryu.
Seeing the tall center forward approach, Ogiwara Shigehiro and the others fell silent.
The tall center forward stood before Ryu, extending a hand.
"You won. You're very strong. I accept my defeat."
Ryu's strength deserved his respect.
Ryu extended his hand to shake his.
"You're strong too. You're one of the strongest centers I've ever seen. Can you tell me your name?"
The tall center didn't hide anything and spoke directly.
"My name is Kazuo Kamimono."
Ryu memorized the name and then said,
"My name is Shirogane Ryu. Today's match was exciting; I had a great time."
"Me too."
The two smiled at each other, and then Kazuo Kamimono and his team left the court.
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