Sendo didn't quite understand why Rukawa Kaede was glaring at him as if ready to devour him.
But he didn't mind—on the contrary, he welcomed it. Deep down, he wanted Rukawa to unleash everything he had.
And Rukawa Kaede intended to do exactly that.
Miyagi hadn't even crossed half-court when he noticed Rukawa already set up, silently demanding the ball.
Miyagi exchanged a quick glance with Nango. Seeing him nod, Miyagi fired a bounce pass straight to Rukawa.
From Rukawa's expression, Nango instantly understood—his temper was boiling.
Normally, Nango would never allow Rukawa to be so reckless. But with Fukuda guarding him? This was an opportunity too good to pass up.
Coach Anzai, sipping his tea, made no objections. He knew Rukawa's next move would be reckless, but he also wanted him to learn what it truly meant to be an ace—through his duel with Sendo.
But at this moment, Rukawa wasn't thinking of the team. He wanted nothing more than to crush Fukuda and Ryonan.
Rukawa Kaede… Sendo warned me. I have to be ready.
Fukuda, fully aware of his weak defense, braced himself. Facing a pure offensive powerhouse like Rukawa felt hopeless—but he had no choice but to try.
The other four Ryonan players immediately locked their attention on Rukawa. They didn't expect Fukuda to stop him; they just needed him to stall for a second, long enough for help defense. But even that was too much.
With a single feint to the left, Rukawa blew past Fukuda with ease. Even he was surprised at how effortless it was. He froze for half a second, then accelerated forward.
On the bench, Coach Taoka pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Fukuda's lack of experience is a problem… After the Prefectural Tournament, we'll need more practice games."
Uozumi rushed over to help, but Rukawa had no plans to enter the paint. Instead, he stopped at the exact spot Sendo had earlier and calmly drained a jumper.
"So willful," Nango muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Interesting," Sendo smirked. "Let's see what you've got."
Sendo advanced the ball past half-court, passed to Uozumi at the free-throw line, then suddenly cut hard toward the paint.
Rukawa stuck close, eyes sharp. But without warning, Sendo pulled back, retreating beyond the three-point line. Uozumi instantly returned the pass.
"Swish!" A clean three-pointer.
After scoring, Sendo curled his finger at Rukawa—provoking him with that signature smile.
If Rukawa was angry before, now his fury consumed him. His calm was gone, replaced by a burning need to respond.
Catching Miyagi's pass, he faked a drive, then stepped back beyond the arc.
Kiyota leapt to his feet. "Step-back three-pointer?!"
Jin frowned. "That's too tough of a shot…"
"Bang!" The ball smacked the back rim, bouncing high.
"See? No way that goes in." Kiyota sneered.
But a second later, the ball dropped straight through the net.
"Hey! Sit down already!"
"Yeah, you're blocking the view!"
The crowd behind shouted at Kiyota, forcing him to sit back down, red-faced.
"That kid…" Jin muttered in disbelief.
Even Maki, still relaxed despite Kainan's earlier loss, couldn't help but smile. "Win or lose, this one doesn't let go."
On the court, Coach Taoka immediately reacted. "Ikegami! Switch onto Rukawa!"
Fukuda, clearly outmatched, was pulled away from the assignment. But even Ikegami made him uneasy. After all, Rukawa had humiliated him in their practice game. Now, he was stronger than ever.
Still, Taoka couldn't afford to send Sendo after him yet. Rukawa's one-on-one obsession might just work in Ryonan's favor if it burned Shohoku's rhythm.
…
"Bang!" Rukawa's next jumper rimmed out, and this time, luck wasn't on his side. Sendo grabbed the rebound.
"Tch!" Rukawa clicked his tongue, retreating reluctantly.
"You still don't get it…" Sendo whispered, eyes narrowing.
The scoreboard read 35–26. Rukawa's fiery efforts weren't closing the gap—they were widening it.
Ikegami wasn't shutting him down, but his persistence slowed Rukawa just enough for help to arrive.
On the bench, Sakuragi fumed. He leaned on Coach Anzai's chin again, whining, "Old man! Put me in already! If Rukawa keeps this up, we're doomed!"
Anzai simply chuckled, replying softly, "Things will change very soon…"
Ayako smacked Sakuragi with a paper fan. "Idiot! Sit down and shut up!"
Sakuragi rubbed his head, still pouting. Clearly, he hadn't learned the difference between using one-on-one as a weapon… and abusing it.
Nango exhaled. Enough was enough.
"Senior!" He barked, sealing Sugadaira deep under the basket. The poor forward, too light to fight back, was being shoved around like a ragdoll.
Seeing this, Miyagi didn't hesitate. He zipped the ball inside.
Rukawa clearly disliked it, but he couldn't stop it.
Nango powered in, turned, and banked it in easily.
"This brute again…" Sendo muttered, recalling his own run-ins with Nango's strength.
Coach Taoka grimaced. If Nango kept abusing Sugadaira, Ryonan had no real counter. Worse, Nango wasn't obsessed with one-on-one plays—he could switch up anytime, making him unpredictable.
Still, with the first seed in reach, Taoka refused to give in. Being seeded in Nationals meant a first-round bye, a huge advantage. He had to act.
…
On the next play, Sendo assisted Ikegami, who scored over Miyagi.
That sparked an idea in Taoka's mind. He beckoned Sendo to the sideline.
After whispering instructions, Taoka sent him back in.
Sure enough, Shohoku fed Nango again. He bulldozed Sugadaira as usual. But this time, Sendo suddenly abandoned Miyagi and flew in to double-team, cutting off Nango's options.
"If that's your plan…" Nango smirked, rising up. "…you'll be disappointed."
In mid-air, he whipped a pass to Miyagi outside the arc.
Every eye on the court snapped to him.
Ayako gripped her pen and shouted from the bench—
"Miyagi, shoot!!"
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