After finishing their warm-ups, both teams stepped onto the court and exchanged brief greetings.
Shuzo Nijimura looked around, his gaze landing on the blond-haired Ryota Kise.
"You're Kise, right?"
Caught off guard, Kise blinked before answering,
"Yeah, that's me. And you are…?"
Seeing that he hadn't mistaken him, Nijimura burst out laughing.
"Haha, looks like I got the right person. Let me introduce myself—I'm Shuzo Nijimura."
As he spoke, Nijimura extended his hand.
Kise reached out and shook it.
"So you're the captain from the Teikō days. By the way… who's Miyamoto?"
Nijimura pointed to the person beside him.
"That's the guy you're looking for."
Kise immediately turned his head toward Miyamoto, his eyes lighting up.
"So you're Miyamoto? I've heard a lot about you!"
Miyamoto gave a faint smile.
"Nice to meet you. Let's take the game seriously."
Kise's expression instantly tightened. He nodded firmly.
"I will."
At that moment, Shogo Haizaki let out a mocking scoff.
Kise heard it, but didn't react at all.
The referee slowly walked over and shouted,
"Both teams, line up!"
The starting lineups of Kirisaki Daiichi and Kaijo gathered at center court.
Kirisaki Daiichi's starters:
Center: Kentaro Seto
Power Forward: Shuzo Nijimura
Small Forward: Shogo Haizaki
Shooting Guard: Miyamoto
Point Guard: Makoto Hanamiya
Kaijo's starters:
Center: Kōji Kobori
Power Forward: Mitsuhiro Hayakawa
Small Forward: Ryota Kise
Shooting Guard: Yoshitaka Moriyama
Point Guard: Yukio Kasamatsu
Both teams spoke at the same time.
"Please take care of us."
After the brief exchange, they took their positions, ready for the opening tip.
During the setup, Kise looked seriously at the Kirisaki Daiichi players, his heart shaken.
'No matter how you look at it, this lineup is terrifying.'
The referee stepped between Kentaro Seto and Kōji Kobori and tossed the ball upward.
In the stands, the Seirin players all thought the same thing.
'It's started.'
On the court.
Seto and Kobori jumped at the same time.
After his recent training, Seto's vertical leap was clearly stronger.
He won the tip.
The ball dropped straight into Makoto Hanamiya's hands.
The moment he secured it, Hanamiya burst forward.
Kaijo immediately shifted into their defensive stances.
Hanamiya swept his gaze across the court, then flicked his right hand, snapping the ball into the paint to Shuzo Nijimura.
Kise's heart sank.
'Crap!'
Nijimura caught the ball and laughed.
"Haha."
He gathered it and took two steps toward the basket.
"Ah!!!"
Mitsuhiro Hayakawa shot up at incredible speed to contest the shot.
Midair, Nijimura hesitated for a split second, then smoothly turned it into a double-clutch layup.
He dodged Hayakawa's block and gently placed the ball through the hoop.
After scoring, Nijimura glanced at Hayakawa and thought,
'That takeoff speed… pretty fast.'
In the stands, Seirin noticed it too.
"That guy… how did we miss him before? Why is his explosiveness so fast?"
Taiga Kagami stared at Nijimura, his thoughts racing.
'He's gotten stronger again…'
On the court.
Kaijo's possession.
Yukio Kasamatsu dribbled the ball steadily past half court.
Hanamiya watched the cautious Kasamatsu, a grin slowly forming on his lips.
"What's wrong? Already so nervous you're protecting your dribble?"
"Or are you looking for your teammates right from the start because you don't even have the guts to face me?"
"If that's the case, why play basketball at all? Go back to playing claw machines."
Kasamatsu ground his teeth as the trash talk poured into his ears.
In the end, he made up his mind.
This play was his.
He stopped looking for his teammates and locked his eyes on Hanamiya alone.
Hanamiya's smile widened.
"That's right. You're the captain. The first shot should be yours."
"Come on—let me see how far a monkey like you can go."
Kasamatsu clenched his jaw and attacked.
Miyamoto watched quietly from the side, showing no reaction.
It was just standard trash talk—nothing worth stopping.
Still, he hadn't expected Kasamatsu to get stirred up this easily by Hanamiya.
Kasamatsu dribbled hard, constantly shifting to throw Hanamiya off balance.
Finally, he saw an opening and drove to the right.
Hanamiya immediately slid over, cutting off the lane.
Left with no choice, Kasamatsu pulled the ball back and reset.
This time, he made a sharp crossover to break through—
but Hanamiya stopped him again.
A slight change crossed Kasamatsu's face.
At this point, his drives weren't enough to beat Hanamiya. Forcing it blindly would only cost him possession.
He prepared to pass.
At that exact moment, Hanamiya read his intention.
Not wanting to see that happen, Hanamiya shouted,
"What, the captain can't even handle the first attack and wants to pass to a freshman?"
"Are you just a spare part? Can't play without relying on first-years?"
"Oh, I get it. You're too weak—so weak you don't even have the courage to attack."
"If I were you, I'd have quit and dropped out already. What's the point of playing basketball like this? Just go be a lackey."
The nonstop barrage finally hardened Kasamatsu's expression.
Shoot.
He had to shoot.
Kasamatsu decided—this possession was his.
Seeing his goal achieved, Hanamiya's grin crept even wider.
Kasamatsu drove again, and Hanamiya stayed with him step for step, never losing position.
He forced Kasamatsu to remain outside the three-point line.
Kise finally shook free from Haizaki and sprinted out.
He raised his hand and shouted,
"Kasamatsu-senpai, the ball!"
Kise held his arm out, waiting for the pass.
But it never came.
After waiting for several seconds, confusion crept in.
'Why… Kasamatsu-senpai actually…?'
Of course, Kasamatsu didn't pass.
Right now, all he wanted was to beat Hanamiya himself.
Hanamiya's mouth was just too irritating. He couldn't control his emotions anymore.
On another drive, Hanamiya seized the moment and slapped the ball cleanly out of Kasamatsu's hands.
Kasamatsu's heart jolted.
'Damn it!'
Hanamiya secured the steal and burst out laughing.
"What's wrong? Are you an old man or something? You can't even hold onto the ball?"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.