Shintaro Midorima was held up by Kotaro Hayama, leaving Reo Mibuchi completely wide open.
An open look like that might as well be shooting practice.
Reo Mibuchi released the shot cleanly, and the ball dropped straight through the net.
Swish!
Three points.
37–36.
After the basket, Shintaro Midorima fixed his gaze on Chihiro and muttered:
"Next time, you won't disappear from my sight."
As he spoke, his eyes sharpened, locking onto Chihiro as if tracking prey.
Beside him, Kazunari Takao gave a wry smile.
"Those two really are a matched pair when it comes to Animal Instinct… I'm almost jealous."
Possession switched.
Shūtoku ball.
Just as Taisuke Otsubo was about to inbound, he noticed that Shintaro Midorima was already being double-teamed.
This time, it was Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi.
Shintaro Midorima glanced at the two of them calmly.
"Double-teaming me? You think one 'Gouriki' is enough to stop my teammates?"
Kotaro Hayama grinned.
"At least we've stopped you, haven't we?"
"As for whether Nebuya can stop your teammates, that's not our concern."
Shintaro Midorima shot back:
"And you really think you've stopped me?"
The two froze for a split second.
Then Shintaro Midorima suddenly burst forward.
Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi didn't hesitate and immediately gave chase.
At the three-point line, Kazunari Takao held the ball, scanning the court, though in reality, all his attention was on Midorima.
Midorima darted left and right at high speed, constantly shifting their centers of gravity.
Suddenly, he lunged forward, then spun and sprinted back toward the midcourt line.
Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi were both baited by the initial move.
They couldn't recover their balance in time.
Takao seized the moment and snapped a pass backward.
Just a step in front of the midcourt line, Midorima caught it, then immediately rose into the air, going straight into his shooting motion.
Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi lunged at him at the same time.
"No way!"
But Midorima's jump was too high, and his release point too elevated and precise. Neither of them could even come close.
On top of that, his shot followed an extremely high arc, sending the ball almost straight up before it descended.
To block that kind of shot, you wouldn't just need to jump high, you'd have to outjump him completely and get your hand over the very top of his release point.
The difficulty was absurd.
That… was the beauty of the jump shot.
A quick release denies your opponent time to react.
A jump shot lets them react—and still makes it impossible to stop.
Frustrating? Absolutely.
Swish!
Three points!
37–39.
Kotaro Hayama clicked his tongue.
"Damn it… once he gets the ball, there's no stopping him."
Reo Mibuchi let out a breath, almost in admiration.
"Who would've thought that little superstitious kid from middle school would grow this much?"
Kotaro Hayama lowered his voice.
"So he's a full-fledged superstitious guy now?"
Reo Mibuchi paused, then turned and walked away.
"You're hilarious."
...
Possession switched.
Rakuzan ball.
At the three-point arc, Kotaro Hayama scratched his head with a wry smile.
"Man… this is getting troublesome."
Then he glanced at Kiyoshi Miyaji, as if suddenly thinking of something.
"If I'm going to break past you… maybe I'll use four fingers."
Kiyoshi Miyaji's expression stiffened.
"Four fingers? You've got to be kidding!"
Before he could finish, the ball was already in Kotaro Hayama's hands.
Hayama grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
At the same time, his fingers began to move.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!! Thud!!!!
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
He smiled faintly as his fingers accelerated.
Thud!!!
In an instant, Kotaro Hayama blew past Kiyoshi Miyaji and drove straight into the paint.
Miyaji's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open.
I couldn't even react!
After getting inside, facing the help defense, Hayama adjusted midair with a smooth layup and scored again.
Two points.
39–39.
After the basket, Kiyoshi Miyaji lowered his head, looking dejected.
Taisuke Otsubo patted his shoulder.
"It's fine, Miyaji. We'll get the next one back."
Otsubo understood him well.
Miyaji was strict, both with others and with himself.
While everyone else went home after practice, Miyaji would stay behind and train on his own.
Of course, Midorima did the same.
To the rest of Shūtoku, Miyaji was the definition of a strict senpai.
Even Takao was a little afraid of him.
Miyaji nodded, as if letting it go.
"Don't worry about me. Just get the ball to Midorima."
With that, he turned and ran upcourt.
Otsubo watched him go and murmured:
"Miyaji… you want this win more than anyone."
Possession switched.
Shūtoku ball.
As Otsubo prepared to inbound again, Reo Mibuchi and Kotaro Hayama immediately went on high alert.
Kotaro Hayama even activated his Animal Instinct once more.
The Cheetah behind him crouched, ready to pounce.
The two of them locked down Shintaro Midorima layer by layer, while Hayama kept moving to cut off any passing lanes.
Otsubo tried to find an opening, but Midorima had no space to receive the ball at all.
With the inbounds count nearly up, Otsubo passed to Kazunari Takao instead.
Takao took over the possession.
At the same time, Otsubo stepped in to set a screen, trying to free Midorima.
Hayama noticed immediately and switched targets, rushing toward Takao to shut down the pass.
With no other option, Takao brought the ball across half-court first.
As soon as he did, Hayama turned back and resumed the double team on Midorima.
He wasn't worried about Takao passing during that moment, since Midorima hadn't crossed half-court yet. A pass there would've been a backcourt violation.
Midorima tried to break free with speed and feints at first…
…but it didn't seem to be working.
...