You're coming to defend me, Kosuke Wakamatsu?
Great! I'm posting up!
There's nothing you can do about it. After all, the high school league in Japan doesn't have a five-second back-to-the-basket rule.
Under these rules, someone as strong as Atsushi Murasakibara is basically a bug.
You can't stop me when I play center, and you still can't stop me when I play point forward!
I just keep backing you down!
Reforging the glory of the point forward!
It's fair to say Atsushi Murasakibara had the time of his life in the first quarter, playing like a full-on brute at point forward.
Shuzo Nijimura and Dicky Anthony stood on the perimeter to draw defenders, but they were already zoning out.
Their conversation drifted from basketball to aliens fighting Ultraman.
Kentaro Seto was no different. He and Shogo Haizaki were chatting about how wormholes should be developed.
Even more absurd, the two of them ended up discussing the color of their underwear.
And what it supposedly meant.
Tōō had no choice.
They had to send two players to contain Atsushi Murasakibara.
But...
They couldn't move him at all.
This was Atsushi Murasakibara. One defender couldn't hold him, and even two defenders still couldn't hold him.
Sure, they could interfere with his dribble.
But his skills were improving rapidly.
His low-post techniques had surpassed what they were in the original story.
He had even developed a soft hook shot in the paint.
What were they supposed to do about that?
The hook shot is a lethal weapon inside.
Kosuke Wakamatsu even started wondering if Atsushi Murasakibara might suddenly pull out a fadeaway jumper.
A towering guy over two meters tall shooting fadeaways.
It's basically a tribute to Yao Ming, isn't it?
The first quarter ended.
The score reached 25 to 11.
A 14-point gap.
And that was only the first quarter.
As they walked off the court,
Shogo Haizaki seemed to catch the same mood. He crossed his arms and said,
"Phew, it's a bit cold. Is the AC set too low?"
Kosuke Wakamatsu, sweating like crazy beside him, held himself back from throwing a punch.
Because he probably couldn't win...
After stepping off the court,
Miyamoto glanced toward Tōō's bench.
He noticed that Daiki Aomine was no longer there and guessed he had gone to recover.
In other words, Daiki Aomine might return in the second half, or he might not.
"In the second half: Center Anthony, power forward Haizaki, small forward Himuro, shooting guard Hanamiya, point guard... uh, point guard Murasakibara."
"That's it."
When Shuzo Nijimura heard he was being subbed out, he immediately put on his jacket and sighed.
"Finally off the court. You brat, Murasakibara! You really don't pass! I'm freezing my ass off!"
Atsushi Murasakibara took a bite of chips and muttered in confusion,
"Huh? Nijimura-senpai, freezing can make you younger?"
Shuzo Nijimura wanted to argue back, but...
He had no idea how to respond.
"You... I... ugh... Hanamiya, what would you say?"
Makoto Hanamiya immediately turned his head and whistled, pretending he heard nothing.
There was no helping it. If it was just about provoking Atsushi Murasakibara, he had a hundred ways to do it.
But asking him to seriously answer that question?
Sorry, he couldn't.
Shuzo Nijimura had no choice but to ignore it and fall silent.
But Atsushi Murasakibara refused to let it go.
He kept asking in Nijimura's ear,
"Nijimura-senpai, how do you do it? How do you do it?"
Shuzo Nijimura felt like crying.
For the first time, he thought...
Why is the break between quarters so long!
Miyamoto and Satsuki Momoi were barely holding back their laughter nearby...
Suddenly, Atsushi Murasakibara turned his head.
"Miyamoto, do you know how to do it?"
Miyamoto and Satsuki Momoi both froze.
Miyamoto tried to answer, stumbling over his words.
"Well... um..."
"Pfft, hahaha!"
Shuzo Nijimura suddenly burst out laughing.
Miyamoto's face darkened as he said to Atsushi Murasakibara,
"Murasakibara, Nijimura-senpai brought it up. Go ask him. He definitely knows."
Shuzo Nijimura's laughter instantly froze.
Then he saw Atsushi Murasakibara think for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, Miyamoto makes sense."
"Nijimura-senpai, how do you do it?"
Shuzo Nijimura screamed internally.
Someone save me!!!
"Beep! The second quarter begins! Both teams, on the court!"
Shuzo Nijimura was overjoyed.
Referee! Thank you!
Just as he thought he was finally free, Atsushi Murasakibara spoke again.
"Miyamoto, can I stay off? I want to know the answer."
Shuzo Nijimura was stunned.
No way. Get out there right now!
He quickly shoved Atsushi Murasakibara toward the court.
"Go play!"
"I won't. I still don't know the answer."
"I'll treat you to a meal!"
"I'm going..."
In the end, Shuzo Nijimura settled it with a meal.
He closed his eyes, on the verge of tears.
"My wallet..."
There was no helping it. With Atsushi Murasakibara's appetite, one meal was guaranteed to be expensive.
On the court,
without Daiki Aomine,
they struggled badly against Kirisaki Daiichi's offense.
Meanwhile, Tatsuya Himuro showed his full strength.
He targeted Yoshinori Susa and repeatedly isolated him.
Since it was Susa's first time facing a player with Himuro's style,
he was clearly out of his depth.
Himuro's fakes looked completely real, shaking Susa so badly it felt like even his bank PIN had been exposed.
It was absurdly deceptive.
In one possession, Himuro used a pump fake that was so realistic it sent Susa flying.
Then he drove inside and suddenly rose up on the spot.
Susa landed quickly and jumped again.
But then...
The ball seemed to pass right through him.
It slipped straight through Susa's hands.
One possession like this. Two possessions like this. Three possessions still like this.
Susa was on the verge of breaking down.
Man, are you even playing basketball?
What is this, Hot Shot?!
Do you want me to call Yuan Daying to spar with you?
In the end, with Tatsuya Himuro going all out and Atsushi Murasakibara fully "organizing" the offense as point guard,
the second quarter ended 48 to 23.
Murasakibara spent the entire quarter dishing out assists, barely taking any shots himself.
You think Murasakibara has mastered what it means to be a point guard?
No. You're thinking too simply.
He walked over to Tatsuya Himuro and said,
"Himuro, two meals."
Tatsuya Himuro nodded helplessly.
"Got it, Atsushi."
That's how the ball possessions were decided.
One meal?
Not enough.
Two meals was the baseline.
Kirisaki Daiichi is Miyamoto's team. That's true.
But I! Atsushi Murasakibara! The team's bully!
Pay up!
...
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