"U18?"
"Spare me…"
"Another U20 ace, huh!"
"So then…"
"What's there to hesitate about with players like this?"
"Hagioka Kasayuki's name has been on the shortlist for ages, but back in his second year he turned it down. Said the U20 training camp clashed with the Inter-High…"
"With this level of talent, what's he even doing wasting time at the IH?"
"Didn't understand before, but now I get it. He must've been waiting for Shigure Akihito…"
"And what about this Shigure Akihito?"
"This kid… His background is a little complicated. His father's a Natsukoku-born businessman in Japan, so… when it comes to U18, they're still hesitating."
"Hesitate my ass!"
From the stands, the U20 assistant coach stared hot-bloodedly at Hagioka Kasayuki and Shigure Akihito battling it out on the court. "If you don't grab them now, what the hell are you waiting for? Working with these useless parasites, no wonder basketball's a mess!"
One of those "parasites," the U20 head coach, shot him a look so dark it could kill.
Meanwhile, on the court
Under Shigure Akihito's surprised gaze, Hagioka Kasayuki slowly turned his back.
Thud!
Post-up dribble, shoulder bump!
Shigure's pupils shrank. "You…!"
"What's the matter?"
"Back in junior high, number 16 never got pushed around like this, did he?"
Shigure: "…"
Fair enough.
Boom!
Even though Shigure had won the tip earlier with sheer power and ability buffs, the disadvantage of defending from a reactive position showed itself here. Against Hagioka's immovable, mountain-like post game, he was forced back step by step.
"Oi~"
"Who was it that said deciding things with just strength and height was arrogant?"
"Play like this…"
"You're not breaking through."
Hagioka ignored him, driving with all his might…
And then
Duang!
Duang!
Duang!
The progress wasn't huge, just as Shigure had said, but somehow Hagioka kept powering through, forcing his way all the way up to the three-point line!
And then
All of a sudden
Right at the arc, Hagioka spun around, squaring up to the basket!
Shigure's pupils shrank.
Because…
Black mist was seeping out of Hagioka's body again!
That
The unreadable, shadowy presence!
Through the legs, gather, lift
Shigure: "?"
What, he's… passing up the shot?
Just as Shigure thought he had baited him into a dead end, Hagioka suddenly rose into a shooting motion!
Fake!
(+1)
Another fake!
(+2)
Shigure stayed locked in. No knee bend, no real shot motion—he wasn't buying it.
And yet, the next instant
Whoosh!
Hagioka never left the floor!
But the ball!
From beyond the arc, it tore through the air like a gale straight at the rim!
Shigure's reaction was lightning fast, but paired with "Swift as the Wind" and "Unreadable as the Shadow," Hagioka slipped past the first block attempt, releasing the shot at ridiculous speed!
Swish!
Three points, clean.
Shigure turned his head to the hoop, then sighed and shook his head.
"Hagioka…"
"You bastard…"
No honor left, huh.
Hagioka just grinned. He didn't answer, only backpedaled to defense, raising his brows at Shigure.
Fine then…
"I've got something too."
"Cheap tricks and ambush tactics."
Turning back, Shigure pressed up tightly on Hagioka. Blue bamboo shadows spread out under his feet. At the same time, as his focus sharpened, the mammoth's aura behind him grew fiercer, tusks slashing through bamboo one after another.
His dribble slowed, then gradually ramped up again—two crossovers between the legs, a step forward at an angle, right hand floating like he'd drive.
"Hey~"
Suddenly
Hagioka's vision caught Nijimura Shuzo's movement!
A screen?
With the "Unreadable Shadow" sense, he didn't even need to turn his head. He could feel every detail of Nijimura's screen, easily spinning back into position in front of Shigure.
But then
Shigure actually passed it!
No time for shock
He cut hard without the ball!
Hagioka, drawn by Nijimura's touch on the ball, was a split-second late. By the time Nijimura dished it back, Shigure was already airborne!
An alley-oop three pointer?
Unthinkable, yet perfectly natural here.
Swish!
Following "Swift as the Wind," Shigure answered with a Mitsui-style alley-oop three!
Rakuzan vs. Kaijō—half a quarter vanished in the blink of an eye.
Not just the audience, even the Generation of Miracles, countless high school teams, and U20-level coaches were overwhelmed watching these two clash.
"This duel shakes the heavens…"
"It's like the court only has Shigure Akihito and Hagioka Kasayuki on it."
"No one else can intervene at all."
"An all-out 1v1 shootout right from the tip—are they really going to keep this up?"
"No idea…"
"No winner yet, both breaking through each other."
While the spectators wavered, Shigure and Hagioka silently escalated the battlefield to phase two.
Shigure shifted to an Emperor-style passing game built around Maki Shinichi, with Nijimura as his secondary core
"Hagioka-senpai, Teiko's secret art…"
"Rainbow Connection!"
"Please advise~"
The instant he spoke, Shigure fed the ball to Nijimura, then cut hard inside!
Nijimura, with superhuman vision, captured every detail on the court, processing them at insane speed into sharp predictions. A light touch
In the blink of an eye, the ball dropped into the empty space right in front of Shigure!
Whoosh!
Like a tiger charging down the mountain, Shigure exploded into that spot. One give-and-go, the ball and body splitting defenders—instantly dazzling the crowd!
"Uwoaah!!"
"What—what is this?!"
"Who cares! There's too much we can't understand already, one more won't hurt! Just know he broke through!"
"Finish it!!"
Hagioka and Rakuzan's center Hino Shinya instantly closed in to collapse on him.
But
Zip!
The ball suddenly flew back to Nijimura!
Clap!
First touch, feather-light!
And in that instant, everyone on Rakuzan saw it
A net woven of rainbow light, radiating outward from Nijimura to Kaijō's whole team!
Along one rainbow thread
The ball zipped to the paint's edge, landing in Kurokami Shinji's hands. And as he caught it, he could feel it—this was just like Shigure's mysterious "enhanced" passes…
Exactly the same!
But the passer
Was Nijimura!
No need to adjust—he was already in rhythm, ball guiding him into a shot!
Meanwhile, the arena fell into stunned silence!
"So fast…!"
"That pass was so quick my eyes couldn't even track it…!"
"What the hell…!!?"
Just when it looked like Kaijō's stunning teamwork would finish in Kurokami Shinji's hands
Rakuzan answered with something even bigger.
Chasing Shigure down into the paint, Hagioka suddenly expanded the range of his "Unreadable Shadow." Black mist overflowed, spreading through every Rakuzan player on the court like amplifiers…
Until the darkness engulfed the entire half-court.
Smack!
The ball was swatted away on the other end.
And at the same moment, Hagioka's voice rang in Shigure's ear:
"Okayama's secret art, Okayama Miracle…"
"Please advise!"
END OF CHAPTER
CROWN BEFORE THE MIRACLES
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