Seeing this, Kiyoshi Miyaji's nerves tightened. He roared with all his strength:
"Get in… get in!!!"
Thud!
Thud!!
Swish!!!
After bouncing twice on the rim, the ball finally dropped through the net.
69–69.
Only after the ball went in did Kiyoshi Miyaji let out a breath of relief.
Taisuke Otsubo ran over with a grin.
"Nice shot!"
Kazunari Takao added:
"Great shot, Senpai."
Kiyoshi Miyaji smiled, then turned to Shintaro Midorima.
"Midorima, what's wrong? Not happy I scored?"
Shintaro Midorima glanced at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Nice shot."
Kiyoshi Miyaji chuckled, but his expression quickly turned serious.
"Lock in on defense. If we stop just one possession, the advantage is ours!"
Everyone nodded.
"Got it!"
...
Possession changed.
Rakuzan High School ball.
After crossing midcourt, Rakuzan's point guard initiated their offense, and the team immediately began moving off the ball again.
Almost everyone was setting screens for Reo Mibuchi.
Shintaro Midorima fought his way through, slipping past one screen after another.
The rest of Shūtoku also shifted toward Reo Mibuchi, ready to double-team him at any moment.
Meanwhile, Kotaro Hayama was tightly marked by Kazunari Takao.
At that moment, on the sidelines, Eiji Shirogane's lips curled slightly.
"Nakatani, you don't really think… that on our team, only Reo and Kotaro can shoot threes, do you?"
On the court.
The Rakuzan point guard finally made his pass.
But instead of going to Reo Mibuchi, the ball flew toward the opposite corner.
Everyone's eyes followed it.
At the baseline, Chihiro Mayuzumi caught the pass—and immediately raised the ball into a shooting motion.
Shintaro Midorima's pupils shrank sharply, as if he had just seen something unbelievable.
Kazunari Takao's mouth fell open, his face full of shock as he muttered:
"He… he's not actually going to…?"
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Chihiro Mayuzumi moved. With textbook form, he lifted the ball and released the shot.
In that instant, the entire Shūtoku team was shaken!
Swish!
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Three points!
72–69.
Even after the shot went in, Shūtoku's players were still slow to react.
Taisuke Otsubo stared blankly, murmuring:
"He… isn't he a Shadow? He can… actually attack?!"
Shintaro Midorima's expression shifted slightly.
'A Shadow… on offense. Akashi, what exactly are you trying to turn him into?'
Shintaro Midorima had actually been watching Chihiro Mayuzumi all along.
Because whenever his eyes locked onto him, Chihiro Mayuzumi's [Misdirection] became ineffective.
But when Mayuzumi stood at the baseline earlier, Midorima hadn't paid attention.
Because in his subconscious, a Shadow wasn't capable of initiating offense.
Yet Mayuzumi had just broken that assumption.
Shintaro Midorima turned his head toward the sidelines, as if searching for someone.
'So this is your answer to Kuroko?'
When he didn't see Tetsuya Kuroko, Midorima withdrew his gaze and looked back at Chihiro Mayuzumi.
'But if a Shadow starts attacking… is he still a Shadow?'
Possession changed again.
Rakuzan continued their aggressive double-teaming. With no other option, Taisuke Otsubo passed the ball to Kiyoshi Miyaji.
Just as Miyaji brought the ball across half-court, the referee blew the whistle.
"Whistle! Shūtoku High School requests a timeout!"
Masaaki Nakatani called the timeout to set up the next offensive play.
Under that kind of pressure, it was extremely difficult for Shintaro Midorima to get the ball.
Now, he needed a way to make sure the pass reached Midorima.
As soon as the team gathered, Masaaki Nakatani began laying out instructions.
"Next possession, Takao, you inbound."
Kazunari Takao pointed at himself, surprised.
"Me???"
Masaaki Nakatani nodded and quickly sketched on the board.
"First, Midorima, Kimura, Miyaji—you three line up in a straight line, with Midorima on the right."
"Once the play starts, Midorima, cut to the left. Miyaji and Kimura, you set the screens."
"When Midorima gets free, even if someone rotates over, Takao—you must get the ball into his hands!"
"Miyaji, position yourself at the three-point line. Since Takao is inbounding, Hayama will most likely come guard you!"
Kiyoshi Miyaji nodded seriously.
"Understood!"
Masaaki Nakatani turned back to Kazunari Takao.
"You're the best inbounder here. I trust you."
Feeling the weight of responsibility settle on him, Kazunari Takao nodded firmly.
"I got it, Coach."
Masaaki Nakatani looked at the rest.
"Any problems?"
Otsubo and the others shook their heads.
"No!"
Masaaki Nakatani nodded.
"Then let's go. Remember—get the ball to Midorima! Get it to Midorima!"
"Yes!!!"
...
The game resumed.
Shūtoku ball.
Since Kiyoshi Miyaji had already crossed half-court before the timeout, it was a frontcourt inbound.
Both teams took their positions.
Kazunari Takao stood out of bounds, ready to inbound.
On the sidelines, Eiji Shirogane's expression stiffened slightly as he studied Shūtoku's formation.
'Screens, huh?'
On the court.
As the referee handed the ball to Kazunari Takao, Shintaro Midorima and the others exploded into motion.
From the right side, Midorima immediately cut left.
Reo Mibuchi and Chihiro Mayuzumi chased after him, but at that moment, Taisuke Otsubo and Shinsuke Kimura—lined up alongside Midorima—stepped in and completely blocked their path.
With Takao inbounding, Kotaro Hayama shifted to guard Kiyoshi Miyaji on the perimeter.
But the moment he saw Midorima break free into open space, he panicked and rushed over to help.
Suddenly, Kiyoshi Miyaji cut hard toward the paint.
Already scrambling, Kotaro Hayama's attention was pulled inside the instant he saw Miyaji drive.
And in that split second—
Shintaro Midorima jumped.
Even more strangely, while still in midair, he formed a shooting motion.
From the sideline, Kazunari Takao immediately understood.
'Shin-chan… you're really pulling this move out now?!'
Realizing what was happening, Takao's expression sharpened. His focus reached its peak as he fired the pass straight toward Midorima in midair!
.......