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Bang bang bang…
On the court, the sound of the basketball hitting the ground echoed with Hanafuji Souji's dribbling.
Facing the burly man guarding him, Hanafuji Souji dribbled steadily and calmly.
His glasses flashed with white light.
His hand movements were fluid and uninterrupted.
Switch hands, turn, switch hands again, pass…
A series of movements, highly deceptive.
The burly man guarding Hanafuji Souji didn't react in time, only to find the basketball had vanished from his target's hands.
When he saw the basketball again, it was already in Kuroki Ryuichi's hands.
Kuroki Ryuichi's quick and easy pace allowed him to easily break through the opponent's defense.
Kuroki Ryuichi then drove straight to the opponent's basket.
Jump, layup.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
2-0.
Toho Kotei Gakuen successfully scored a basket.
They conceded such a sharp basket to the opposing team.
The five burly men on the opposite side exchanged bewildered glances.
They realized it.
This opponent was a tough nut to crack, unlike anything they'd encountered before.
Offense and defense switched.
The burly men quickly launched a counterattack.
They weren't fast, and their dribbling wasn't very fluid.
However, their physiques were undeniable.
Kugawa tried to steal the ball, but was forcefully pushed aside by the opponent's body.
Kugawa's lips twitched.
He wasn't a power player.
If the opponent insisted on using their body to protect the ball, he was helpless.
Soon, the burly men reached the three-point line of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
As if they had planned it, the five burly men simultaneously squeezed into the paint.
Creating a space for their teammate with the ball.
Quickly, the burly man with the ball pushed past Kugawa again and then jumped and launched a three-pointer.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
The score was now 2-3.
Seeing this, Kugawa's eyes twitched.
He genuinely hadn't expected the opponent's three-pointer to go in.
Kamimono came to his side, patted him on the shoulder, and said,
"Don't underestimate any opponent; this world is vast."
"I know."
Kugawa smiled helplessly.
He had indeed been careless just now.
Position changed hands.
Hanafuji Souji passed the ball to Ryu.
Facing the burly opponent, he didn't hesitate.
With a quick stop and drive, his movements were swift and decisive, easily bypassing the opponent's defense.
A pull-up jumper at the three-point line.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
3 points secured.
5-3.
Ryu's actions made the five burly men's pupils shrink.
They realized Ryu was no ordinary player.
The rest of the game...
Only Ryu and Kamimono, undeterred by their opponents' physical prowess, managed to block their attacks.
Kugawa, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Hanafuji Souji all suffered from the opponents' strong physiques, allowing them to score several goals.
However, as the game progressed, this disadvantage was gradually overcome.
Kugawa, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Hanafuji Souji were all considered top players in high school basketball.
Facing five opponents whose physical attributes were greater to their own, they quickly found a solution.
The score gradually widened.
…
"That's enough! There's no need to continue the game."
Outside the court.
Looking at the scoreboard, 36 to 13,
Aomine Daiki murmured.
"Hmm?"
Momoi asked, hearing this.
"The match isn't over yet! That's not a good way to say it!"
Aomine said dismissively.
"That's inevitable. Ryu and the others haven't even used half their strength. Their opponents are too weak. Although they have strong bodies, they're too slow, and their technique is terrible. There's absolutely no chance of them winning."
Hearing Aomine's explanation, Momoi couldn't refute it.
She could naturally see the problem.
But as someone who admired Ryu, even knowing the outcome, she still had to cheer for him.
That way, she could show that she was putting in more effort, right?
The halftime break passed quickly.
The second half unfolded exactly as Aomine had predicted.
Having found the weaknesses in the opposing five, the Toho Kotei Gakuen team swept through the competition, relentlessly attacking their opponents' weaknesses of slow speed and poor technique.
The score continued to climb with the help of Ryu and his team.
The five burly, muscular men were now drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted and unable to continue.
Whistle...
The final whistle blew.
Ryu and her group had won the match.
In a corner of the rest area.
A group of five watched Ryu and her team's game with great interest.
These five were the players Ryu and her group had previously suspected of belonging to a certain basketball club.
"They played well, what do you think?"
"Each player has unique strengths, and their teamwork is excellent; they're on par with us."
"Their individual skills seem quite strong too. If I'm not mistaken, they're probably holding back."
"These young people these days are really impressive. We might lose."
"Hahaha... what nonsense! If that's all they're capable of, we can't possibly lose."
"We're professionals, after all. How strong can a bunch of kids be?"
"Alright, it's our turn. Our opponents seem to be college students, and from the basketball club at that."
"Oh... how interesting! Let's see what they're made of!"
...
The conversation ended.
The five of them stood up together and walked onto the court.
Five more people stood up on the other side of the bench.
These five were rather handsome, and looked young, but older than Ryu and his group.
They were members of a university's basketball club.
Their faces all wore confident smiles.
They seemed absolutely confident in facing their upcoming opponents.
When the two teams took their places on the field,
Aomine, who had been absent-minded, suddenly focused his gaze on one of the teams.
The team he had chosen was the one that appeared to be a member of a certain club.
"That team gives me a very strong feeling."
"Huh?"
Momoi was taken aback, following Aomine's gaze and seeing the team as well.
"But they don't give me a strong feeling!"
"What are you feeling, idiot? They have a unique aura that's different from others, an aura I've only seen in professional leagues."
Momoi's eyes widened as soon as Aomine finished speaking.
"Professional...league...? No way! Does that mean they're professional players? Then Ryu and the others are in big danger."
Aomine frowned again.
"I only sensed the aura of professional players from them, but I don't know if they're really professional, and..."
He trailed off.
The reason was that he didn't sense any threat from these people.
If they were strong, he would have noticed immediately.
That unique feeling between strong individuals.
This meant their strength wasn't a threat to him.
But their aura, unique to professional players, couldn't be faked.
Could it be that they were intentionally hiding their strength?
Aomine finally became interested.
He completely ignored the group of college students.
He was now very much looking forward to seeing how Ryu would fare against that team that seemed to be a professional team.
It seemed this trip to Akita hadn't been a waste.
Thinking this, Aomine grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
The result was roughly as expected.
The college team was immediately overwhelmed.
Their previously composed and confident expressions vanished completely.
"Wow! The players' teamwork is flawless. Both their offense and defense are perfectly executed. No wonder they're a club-trained team!"
Hanafuji Souji exclaimed in amazement.
Kugawa said with some doubt.
"But I didn't feel they were that strong!"
Hearing Kugawa's question, Kuroki Ryuichi nodded.
"Me too, but I have a strange feeling that they're not as simple as they seem."
Kamimono, besides Ryu, was the most experienced among those present.
"Because they haven't made any mistakes, and their excellent teamwork makes their individual strength less apparent."
Ryu added.
"They're probably deliberately hiding their strength! Looks like they're wary of us! They're quite cautious! No wonder they're a professionally trained team."
However, his Ice Emperor Eye was never wrong.
While the opponents were hiding their strength, their power level wasn't ridiculously high.
'Using teamwork to cover up their individual weaknesses,'
Ryu thought to himself, his eyes fixed on the game on the court.
Time ticked by.
The score began to widen.
The player leading the group of college students looked grim.
He waved to his opponents, signaling for a pass.
His teammate didn't hesitate and passed him the ball.
Upon receiving the ball, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes, and a wicked smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
That look and that smile...
Instantly, Ryu and the others, Aomine and Momoi, and everyone else on the court who was playing against him noticed something amiss.
This guy's definitely up to no good.
The members of the professional team exchanged glances.
However, their expressions showed no sign of tension or worry.
Ryu watched silently, waiting for what was about to happen.
Just as expected.
The leading college student began dribbling forward rapidly.
When he reached his opponent, his movement abruptly changed. As he switched hands, his elbow deliberately aimed at the opponent's chest.
"How despicable..."
Ryu and his team exclaimed in unison.
However, what happened next made everyone's brows furrow.
The player about to be elbowed in the chest simply took a small step back, then bent down and snatched the basketball from his opponent's hands.
Seeing this, Both Ryu and Aomine's pupils contracted.
"What a sharp steal."
The steal was swift and decisive.
The college team was easily defeated once again.
The rest of the game was a foregone conclusion.
The student who had previously used malicious tactics attempted several more malicious attacks.
However, each one was easily thwarted by the player defending him.
The gap in skill meant that even using underhanded tactics, the university students couldn't achieve their goal.
Ultimately, the university students suffered a crushing defeat against the professional team and were ruthlessly eliminated.
The event continued.
The other advancing teams were gradually revealed.
Ryu and his teammates went through another round of matches and successfully advanced to the final.
Their opponent in the final was, unsurprisingly, a professional team suspected to be from a certain basketball club.
...
"Finally, we're going to meet!"
Momoi murmured outside the fence.
Aomine had already perked up, ready to watch the next match.
...
"You guys advanced too!"
Just as they lined up, the captain of the professional team spoke to Ryu and the others.
Kamimono replied.
"You're the same."
Upon hearing this, the person who had spoken earlier paused for a moment, then laughed heartily.
"As expected of the team I have high hopes for. Of all these teams, yours is the one I'm most optimistic about. You guys don't look very old, are you college students too?"
Hearing his question, Kamimono replied.
"We're not college students, we're high school students."
"Oh..."
Hearing Kamimono's words, the professional team members showed surprise in their eyes.
"That's really unexpected. I didn't expect high school students to be so good these days."
"Um..."
Just then.
Kugawa suddenly interjected.
"Are you professional players?"
Hearing this, the professional team members exchanged glances, then asked in return.
"Do we look like professional players?"
Kugawa shook his head.
"I don't know, but your playing style has the feel of professional players."
The professional team members suddenly realized, and a helpless expression appeared on their faces.
The professional team captain replied.
"Looks like you follow professional players' matches often! But we're not professional players!"
He paused, then continued.
"We're just members of the club, but the person who trains us was indeed a professional player before."
"I see."
Kugawa nodded.
"Then, please guide us, seniors."
Ryu and the others said in unison.
"Hahaha...you too, let me see the spirit of the younger generation!"
The words had barely left his lips...
The referee blew his whistle.
As the whistle blew,
the basketball soared into the air with the referee's swing.
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
Two stomps echoed across the ground.
Two figures leaped into the air simultaneously.
Two large hands slapped at the basketball in mid-air.
Thud…
Both hands struck the basketball almost at the same time.
Under the impact of the two forces, the basketball was instantly deformed, then, as if unable to bear the weight, flew high into the air between their hands.
The first encounter.
The two were evenly matched.
The professional team members and the Toho Kotei Gakuen members were all taken aback.
They hadn't expected their opponent to be so strong.
Experts see the details, laymen see the spectacle.
They could tell at a glance that both sides had been holding back their strength in the previous match.
They were not to be underestimated.
This was the conclusion reached simultaneously by both teams.
...
"They really were hiding their strength."
Aomine muttered to himself.
Momoi had already taken out a notebook and pen and started scribbling.
As the team manager, she could be said to have done a perfect job.
...
On the court.
"Well done, kid, let's try again!"
The professional team's center grinned, then landed and leaped up again.
Kamimono didn't back down either, landing and then leaping up as well.
The two figures clashed in the air for the second time.
All eyes were on the two of them.
The basketball landed just as...
Thud...
Two large hands slapped the basketball simultaneously once more.
The sound of the basketball hitting the court almost merged into one.
The sound was much deeper and more muffled than before.
Just when everyone thought the confrontation would end in a draw, something unexpected happened.
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