Meanwhile, the players from Kirisaki Daiichi also began entering the court.
Led by Miyamoto, they walked in slowly.
As Miyamoto, Atsushi Murasakibara, Dicky Anthony, and the others stepped onto the court, the crowd burst into admiration once again.
"Man, the Kirisaki Daiichi players are tall too—maybe even taller than Yōsen!"
"Now that you mention it, that's actually true. Especially the purple-haired guy and that foreigner—they look ridiculously tall."
"Even [Magic Cube] isn't bad. He looks close to two meters himself, right?"
Watching the imposing Kirisaki Daiichi lineup, the Yōsen players' expressions gradually turned serious.
But when they saw Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro, anger surged in their hearts once again.
"Damn it!"
At that moment, they had all made their decision.
Fight!
Fight Kirisaki Daiichi?
No!
Fight Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro?
Yes!
Every player from Yōsen had already decided—winning this match didn't matter anymore.
All they needed to do was completely shut down Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro.
The game could be lost…
But those two had to go down!
During warm-ups, Miyamoto noticed the furious glares coming from the Yōsen players.
But after a moment, he realized something.
Those angry stares seemed to be directed only at Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro.
At that moment, Masako Araki walked over, holding her wooden sword.
Shogo Haizaki and Makoto Hanamiya immediately stepped closer. If the woman tried anything suspicious, the two of them would act instantly.
However, Masako Araki had no intention of causing trouble. She looked at Miyamoto and said:
"I need to talk to you about something. Can we step aside for a moment?"
Miyamoto glanced at Satsuki Momoi. Seeing her simply smile and nod, he followed.
Masako Araki led him to the side and lowered her voice.
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Put both Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro on the court."
Miyamoto paused, then replied flatly:
"Why should I?"
Masako Araki froze, then her expression darkened with anger.
If she didn't know Miyamoto's background, she would've already swung her sword at him. Why else would she bother pulling him aside to talk?
Miyamoto waved a hand.
"If that's all, I'm going back to warm up."
He turned to leave.
Feeling both humiliated and furious, Masako Araki immediately blurted out:
"If you agree, I'll work for you!"
Right now, she just wanted to see Atsushi Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro suffer.
She was completely blinded by anger.
To her, betrayal from subordinates was absolutely unforgivable.
Miyamoto stopped mid-step and glanced back at her.
"You'll work for me? Don't take this the wrong way, but what exactly are you capable of doing?"
Masako Araki had never been questioned like this before. After all, she was a female athlete who had represented Japan in international competitions.
She immediately listed her background and abilities.
Just when she thought Miyamoto would agree, he spoke again.
"I'll have to ask Murasakibara and Himuro what they think."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Leaving Masako Araki standing there alone, stomping her foot in frustration.
Miyamoto returned to the court and asked the two for their opinions. After confirming that both of them wanted to play, he stopped asking further questions and began arranging the starting lineup.
Center: Atsushi Murasakibara
Power Forward: Shuzo Nijimura
Small Forward: Shogo Haizaki
Shooting Guard: Tatsuya Himuro
Point Guard: Miyamoto
Dicky Anthony had no objections at all.
After all, he hadn't slept well the night before, so getting some rest on the bench sounded pretty good.
As time passed, the game officially began.
After a brief sportsmanlike exchange between both teams,
Atsushi Murasakibara slowly strolled toward the center line to prepare for the tip-off.
Kenichi Okamura walked to the center line with an angry expression, glaring viciously at Atsushi Murasakibara as if he wanted to devour him alive.
But Atsushi Murasakibara completely ignored the hostility.
He even greeted him.
"Hey there."
A vein instantly throbbed on Kenichi Okamura's forehead.
"Hey there?"
Hey there my ass!
The referee stepped between them, holding the ball in one hand before tossing it into the air.
Atsushi Murasakibara and Kenichi Okamura jumped at the same time.
Then…
Atsushi Murasakibara easily won the tip.
Miyamoto caught the ball, and in the next instant—
Whoosh!!! Whoosh!!! Whoosh!!!
Ripples suddenly spread out beneath Miyamoto's feet, sweeping across the entire court in an instant.
The Yōsen players all paused, their movements briefly stiffening.
They knew about Miyamoto's ability, but actually facing it still felt unsettling.
Kensuke Fukui struggled to regain control of his body and muttered:
"That ability really is terrifying…"
While the players were still momentarily frozen, Miyamoto moved.
With a quick flick of his right hand, the basketball shot forward like a streak of white light, cutting across the entire court before landing in Shogo Haizaki's hands.
Haizaki trusted Atsushi Murasakibara completely.
So during the jump ball, he had already sprinted toward the baseline.
After receiving the pass there, Haizaki lightly pushed off with his toes and released the ball with his right hand.
The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
Swish!
Three points.
Possession switched.
Yōsen High School's point guard was Kensuke Fukui.
The moment he dribbled past half-court, he immediately felt the pressure radiating from Miyamoto.
Cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
Shock filled his mind.
Just standing there already creates this much pressure?
What a monster.
Fukui didn't dare move forward any further. He stopped near the center line and began scanning the court.
Anyone who didn't know better might think he was preparing to shoot from midcourt.
To play it safe, Wei Liu ran out to receive the pass.
After catching the pass, Wei Liu dribbled to the three-point arc, then quickly swung the ball inside to Kenichi Okamura in the paint.
Kenichi Okamura caught it in the paint with his back to the basket.
Behind him, Atsushi Murasakibara took a defensive stance.
A faint but oppressive aura spread from Murasakibara's body.
Kenichi Okamura immediately felt the pressure.
Damn it… when did this kid's presence get this strong?
But he had no intention of backing down.
He immediately pounded the ball and started backing down, trying to carve out enough space for a shot.
But who was Atsushi Murasakibara?
He was the man who had gone head-to-head with Jason Silver in the Zone!
Kenichi Okamura trying to bully him in the post?
What kind of joke was that?
Okamura slammed his shoulder in with full force—
And then…
Nothing happened.
His post-up didn't even make Murasakibara budge a single step.
At that moment, Kenichi Okamura finally realized something.
Atsushi Murasakibara's strength had already grown to a terrifying level.
So he made a decision.
Two-man play!
Okamura shot Wei Liu a glance, and Wei Liu immediately understood, cutting into the paint.
He quickly set a screen inside.
Using the pick, Okamura burst toward the basket.
Just as he jumped up to dunk—
Suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded behind him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Then Wei Liu's voice rang out in alarm.
"Watch out!!!"
...
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