"Midori, are you trying to turn this match into a three-point contest between us?"
Miyamoto Tokima asked.
Shintaro Midorima paused for a moment, then nodded.
That was right. He did want to have a three-point contest with Miyamoto Tokima in this match.
He had lost that three-point contest back in middle school, so he had always wanted another one against Miyamoto Tokima.
Hearing this, Miyamoto Tokima looked at Shintaro Midorima's teammates and said,
"Do your teammates... know about this?"
Shintaro Midorima shook his head and said,
"They don't."
The corner of Miyamoto Tokima's mouth lifted slightly.
"In that case, Midori, go tell them once you get off the court. This match will be decided by threes."
"Just like back in middle school, from here on, I won't defend you. You can shoot as many as you want until we decide the winner."
Shintaro Midorima pushed up his glasses and said seriously,
"I won't defend you either. You can shoot as much as you want too."
Then the two looked at each other and smiled, saying in unison,
"From here on, it comes down to accuracy!"
By the end of the first quarter, the score had reached a terrifying 54 to 54.
Because every shot was a three-pointer, the score had risen quickly.
The two of them had left the audience stunned with their threes.
After both teams left the court, Shintaro Midorima explained the situation to his coach and teammates.
Everyone froze when they heard it.
Kazunari Takao said,
"You mean you want to have a three-point contest with Miyamoto Tokima? One where neither of you defends?"
Shintaro Midorima nodded.
Kazunari Takao froze for a moment, then said,
"But this is the National Tournament final!"
Masaaki Nakatani rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before speaking.
"Ending the final with a three-point contest isn't bad. Besides, if we decide it with threes, it doesn't seem like we're at a disadvantage."
"After all, Kirisaki Daiichi's overall lineup is much stronger than ours."
Taisuke Otsubo took a deep breath.
He also wanted to do his part for the team on the stage of the National Tournament final.
But their team's overall lineup really was far weaker than Kirisaki Daiichi's.
If things went the way Shintaro Midorima said, and Miyamoto Tokima was willing to decide the match with him through a long three-point battle, then their chances of winning would definitely be higher than if they fought Kirisaki Daiichi as a full team.
After all, up to now, Shintaro Midorima had almost never missed.
Masaaki Nakatani looked at everyone and said,
"I think we can agree to Miyamoto Tokima's method of deciding the match with threes. What do you all think?"
The Shūtoku High School players looked at one another, then nodded in agreement.
In the current situation, even if they refused, Masaaki Nakatani would probably force the decision through anyway.
After all, anyone could see which option gave them a better chance of winning.
On Kirisaki Daiichi's side, Miyamoto Tokima also told everyone about the method he had just proposed.
When the Kirisaki Daiichi players heard it, they all agreed at once.
What a joke. There was no way they would refuse anything Miyamoto Tokima said.
And so, the entire style of the second quarter changed completely.
The moment they returned to the court, a strange sight appeared on Shūtoku High School's side.
Shintaro Midorima walked alone to the three-point line in the frontcourt and stood still.
Miyamoto Tokima also walked alone to the three-point line on Shūtoku High School's side and stood still.
It was as if the two of them were quietly waiting for the ball to come to them.
The other players from Kirisaki Daiichi and Shūtoku High School stood in their own positions, showing no intention of stepping up to defend.
Off the court, Ryota Kise looked at the strange scene on the court and asked,
"What's going on? What are they doing? Why isn't anyone defending?"
Yukio Kasamatsu frowned and said,
"I'm not sure either. Maybe they have some kind of strategy."
Over at Tōō High, Daiki Aomine looked at the court in confusion, but after seeing everyone's positions clearly, he seemed to understand.
"Could it be..."
On the court.
Kirisaki Daiichi had the ball.
After Atsushi Murasakibara inbounded to Shogo Haizaki, Shogo Haizaki made no attempt to move. He simply threw a long pass straight into Miyamoto Tokima's hands in the frontcourt.
Along the way, the Shūtoku High School players watched the basketball fly past without any intention of stopping it.
Off the court, Taiga Kagami watched Shūtoku High School's actions and said,
"Did Shūtoku give up?"
Riko Aida frowned and said,
"No, Shūtoku hasn't given up. Look at Kirisaki Daiichi. They're acting almost the same as the other Shūtoku players."
"It's like... they reached some kind of agreement with Kirisaki Daiichi."
On the court.
After catching the ball, Miyamoto Tokima adjusted lightly and shot.
The basketball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
After the basket, Shūtoku High School began inbounding.
Taisuke Otsubo passed the ball to Kiyoshi Miyaji.
Kiyoshi Miyaji caught it and passed to Kazunari Takao at half-court.
Kazunari Takao caught it and passed to Shintaro Midorima.
After catching the ball, Shintaro Midorima made a slight adjustment and released the shot.
It was worth noting that Shintaro Midorima had already left Zone Mode by now.
After all, Zone Mode consumed far too much stamina.
There were still three full quarters left. For all three quarters, he would have to keep shooting threes, and there were too many uncertain factors involved. Shintaro Midorima had to stay alert and make sure every single three went in.
He had to maintain his accuracy while preserving his stamina.
Otherwise, before he even finished shooting, his body would give out first.
When Shintaro Midorima shot, not a single Kirisaki Daiichi player chose to defend. They simply watched as Shintaro Midorima released the basketball.
This left the audience baffled.
Only a few people understood what the two teams were thinking.
"They're going to settle this purely with threes!"
Off the court, Daiki Aomine watched what was happening and laughed.
"So that's it. You're really planning to decide the winner this way."
"Back in middle school, Midorima lost to Miyamoto's shooting speed. But now, shooting quickly no longer gives him an advantage."
"Midorima... can you win?"
...
On the court, Miyamoto Tokima and Shintaro Midorima kept trading three-pointers, one shot after another, making the audience call out in excitement.
After all, the sound of swish after swish was truly satisfying.
The second quarter ended under that steady stream of three-pointers.
The score had now reached an utterly terrifying 138 to 138.
It was, without question, the most terrifying halftime score in the Winter Cup so far.
...