Chapter Sixty-Three: You Must Surpass Me
Kaijo's offense.
Miyagi Ryota waited at the top of the key for Kasamatsu Yukio to bring the ball up.
Based on his assessment of Kaijo, he figured they'd definitely give this possession to Kise Ryota.
"Just as I thought..."
Seeing Kasamatsu's passing motion, Miyagi thought to himself.
However, the instant his defensive awareness relaxed, Kasamatsu pulled the ball back, lowering his body as he accelerated left for the drive!
"What?!"
Miyagi got beaten by a single step. Kasamatsu knocked down the mid-range jumper.
Shohoku 2 - Kaijo 2
"Your eyes look pretty disrespectful!" Kasamatsu said bluntly to Miyagi as he retreated on defense.
"Don't let people blow by you so easily, Miyagi," Mitsui Hisashi called out.
"Yeah, I got it."
Possession changed. Shohoku's offense.
Miyagi Ryota pushed the ball forward. Kaijo's defense was disciplined—Shohoku's players had no obvious openings.
"Let's start by attacking our biggest advantage inside..."
Miyagi considered his options before lobbing the ball into the paint toward Kaijo's basket.
Akagi Takenori caught it. Kaijo's Kobori Koji and Hayakawa Mitsuhiro quickly converged for the trap.
"Hmm, Kaijo's pretty smart—they know that Sakuragi kid's a novice, so they're just leaving him wide open." Ikegami Ryoji smiled. If he were defending Sakuragi Hanamichi, he'd make the same choice.
Yagami Sorato shot him a meaningful glance. "People grow, Ikegami-senpai."
"Huh?" Ikegami Ryoji hadn't caught on yet.
On the court, Akagi Takenori kicked the ball out. Sakuragi Hanamichi received it on the right side of the free throw line and jumped without hesitation, releasing a mid-range shot.
"What?!"
"Swish!"
Two points!
Shohoku 4 - Kaijo 2
"That guy?!" Even Ryonan's other players looked surprised.
"His form looks legitimate—that definitely wasn't a fluke!"
"Heh heh, this is what happens when you don't properly guard this genius!" Sakuragi Hanamichi pointed at Hayakawa Mitsuhiro with a laugh.
"During the practice game, that guy could barely manage layups. But now... truly shocking." Koshino Hiroaki murmured. He'd assumed Sakuragi Hanamichi was just filling out the roster—he never expected such rapid growth.
Kasamatsu Yukio glanced toward Kaijo's bench. Coach Takeuchi Genta's chubby face had turned grave.
Sakuragi Hanamichi having a mid-range shot didn't seem important in isolation, but Kaijo's interior player Kobori Koji was at an absolute disadvantage against Akagi Takenori. Their initial game plan involved Hayakawa Mitsuhiro abandoning Sakuragi to trap Akagi whenever he touched the ball.
But if Sakuragi Hanamichi had a reliable mid-range game, Kaijo couldn't do that without consequences...
Kaijo had scouted Shohoku's first game, and there'd been no mention of his mid-range ability.
"Could he have developed this skill in just two weeks?" Kasamatsu muttered before immediately shaking his head. "That'd be learning ability rivaling the Generation of Miracles. Absolutely impossible."
"Bushy-brow-sempai, to be honest—" Sakuragi Hanamichi had somehow appeared right beside him. "I'd advise you not to judge this genius with common sense."
"B-Bushy-brow?" Kasamatsu Yukio jumped, startled. "You punk!"
"Sakuragi! Guard your man!" Akagi Takenori roared from under the basket.
"Coming, coming." Sakuragi Hanamichi bounced back to Shohoku's half. "You guys better not drag me down on defense!"
"Bastard—you score one basket and get cocky," Akagi Takenori cursed.
"Idiot," Rukawa Kaede coldly rolled his eyes.
Possession changed. Kaijo's offense.
"Bushy-brow—pfft—" Kise Ryota couldn't help but snicker. Catching Kasamatsu Yukio's murderous glare, he quickly straightened up. "Kasamatsu-senpai, let me go one-on-one!"
Kasamatsu Yukio pushed to the top of the key, faking a pass to Kise Ryota on the right wing.
"Moriyama!"
Miyagi Ryota locked onto his movements, immediately reacting while shouting, "Mitsui!"
"Whoosh!"
The basketball went the opposite direction—left side.
Moriyama Yoshitaka caught the ball. Mitsui Hisashi immediately closed out, both hands raised high.
"Great closeout!"
"Hey! Is he really shooting that?!"
Moriyama Yoshitaka didn't stop. His entire body leaned right, feet barely leaving the floor—he didn't even fully jump. Then his right hand pulled the ball toward his side before suddenly "flinging" it from his waist toward the basket!
The entire release was quick and flat, completely circumventing Mitsui Hisashi's defensive screen!
"What kind of form is that?!" Exclamations erupted from the sidelines.
The basketball carried heavy backspin, tracing an unconventional low arc before drilling through the net!
Three points!
Shohoku 4 - Kaijo 5
"That form—" Yagami Sorato started to say something.
Ikegami Ryoji quickly pressed. "What? Did you spot a weakness?"
"It's really ugly," Yagami Sorato said slowly.
"..."
Ikegami Ryoji was speechless. He could see that much himself.
Shohoku's offense.
After Miyagi Ryota crossed halfcourt, he again fed the ball inside to Akagi Takenori. Kaijo tried having Kobori Koji defend one-on-one.
But as they'd anticipated from the start—
Akagi Takenori easily established position and scored the layup.
Shohoku 6 - Kaijo 5
Both teams played reasonably in the first quarter, essentially feeling each other out.
Shohoku maintained their lead through Miyagi Ryota's offensive orchestration and Akagi Takenori's interior dominance, while Kaijo centered around Kasamatsu Yukio's playmaking, connecting their perimeter players for outside scoring.
Shohoku 21 - Kaijo 20
The anticipated duel between the two super rookies never materialized. The impressive performances were:
Akagi Takenori: 4-for-5 in the paint, 8 points.
Sakuragi Hanamichi: Leveraging Akagi Takenori's gravity, 3-for-5 from mid-range for 6 points, thoroughly proving his shooting threat.
"Hahaha! This game still depends on the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi's performance!" Sakuragi bounced around Shohoku's rest area. "Hey fox, now you know who Shohoku's real ace is!"
Rukawa Kaede: 2-for-4 including one three-pointer, 5 first-quarter points.
"Idiot." Rukawa Kaede didn't bother responding.
"Rukawa, how's that Kise guy? Can you handle him?" Akagi Takenori asked.
"He's fine. Nothing special," Rukawa Kaede replied flatly.
"Good. Second quarter we're ramping up the defense. Just disrupt their shots—the paint is Shohoku's advantage!"
"YES!"
The whistle sounded. The game continued.
"Honestly, I never expected Shohoku to suppress Kaijo in the first quarter." Ikegami Ryoji stared at the electronic scoreboard. "Their transformation is too dramatic."
"Akagi..." Uozumi Jun's gaze remained locked on his rival, as if Akagi Takenori was all he could see.
"But is Kise having an off day today?" Uekusa Tomoyuki seemed puzzled. "He feels nothing like the edge he had in our practice game."
"We're about to see it," Yagami Sorato said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the second quarter will be Kise Ryota and Rukawa Kaede's exclusive stage." Sendoh Akira lazily leaned back in his chair, taking over the explanation. "First quarter—reduce Kise's touches, let other players find their rhythm. That's probably Kaijo's tactical adjustment after losing to us."
"After all, they should've realized relying solely on that first-year can't win every game."
Kaijo's possession.
The moment Kasamatsu Yukio brought the ball past halfcourt, Kise Ryota impatiently called for it at the right-wing 45-degree angle beyond the three-point line.
"Can't hold back anymore, huh?" Kasamatsu Yukio's lips curved slightly. With a flick of his wrist, the basketball flew precisely to Kise Ryota. "Then go ahead and cut loose!"
Shohoku's players tensed, their entire defensive focus shifting right.
Kise Ryota caught the ball smoothly, his body sinking into position. Rukawa Kaede immediately lowered his center of gravity, eyes coldly locked on his opponent.
"Honestly—" Kise Ryota didn't rush his attack, his tone carrying genuine confusion. "I never understood why people always compare you, me, and Yagami together."
His gaze swept across Rukawa. "When I look at you, I don't see any decisive quality whatsoever."
"You talk too much," Rukawa Kaede responded coldly.
"So you're the non-communicative type." Kise Ryota smiled dismissively before saying confidently, "No problem. I'll just show you through basketball."
"Let you witness firsthand the insurmountable gap between us!"
Before his words finished, Kise Ryota's entire aura transformed!
His previously relaxed dribble rhythm suddenly accelerated. The basketball became a blur in his hands. Rapid consecutive between-the-legs dribbles combined with subtle shoulder fakes unconsciously pulled at Rukawa Kaede's center of gravity.
Just as Rukawa judged the breakthrough direction, Kise Ryota executed an explosive crossover, attacking right.
Rukawa immediately slid to cut him off.
"Too slow."
Kise Ryota's voice came through. He pulled the ball back in one smooth behind-the-back dribble into a spin, instantly gliding past Rukawa Kaede's left side!
Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't hesitate, abandoning Hayakawa Mitsuhiro for help defense.
But Kise Ryota, having beaten Rukawa Kaede, maintained his speed—just a subtle rhythm change created space before he rose gracefully for the shot.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air, dropping cleanly through the hoop.
"Swish!"
Two points.
Shohoku 21 - Kaijo 22
After scoring, Kise Ryota glanced back at Rukawa Kaede, who'd just turned around. He said nothing—his eyes conveyed everything.
Though just two points, this scoring method instantly suppressed Shohoku's momentum.
"So strong!"
"That guy's even better than in the practice game!" Koshino Hiroaki couldn't help but exclaim.
"Sorato." Sendoh Akira leaned close to Yagami Sorato, raising an eyebrow.
"When the time comes, I'm counting on Sendoh-senpai to lock him down," Yagami Sorato said calmly, cutting off Sendoh Akira's words before they could form.
"Huh, you're not interested?"
"I'm more interested in winning," Yagami Sorato said. After the battle with Kainan, he clearly recognized his current stamina ceiling. If he had to defend Kise Ryota full-court, he'd have to make sacrifices on offense—he probably couldn't sustain it for the entire game.
"How about one possession each?" Sendoh Akira persisted.
"Mmm." Yagami Sorato's eyes flickered. The proposal was genuinely tempting.
"But let me make this clear, Sorato." Sendoh Akira's tone suddenly turned serious. "If you want to become Ryonan's absolute ace—you must surpass me."
"!!!"
In that instant, the surrounding chatter from Ryonan's players stopped abruptly. The air seemed to freeze.
Sendoh Akira was Ryonan's undisputed ace—no one questioned that. Moreover, he was only a second-year. Whether considering seniority, ability, or trust, there was no doubt where the team's emotional allegiance lay.
However, Yagami Sorato's visibly extraordinary ability and unfathomable potential were equally obvious to everyone. Nearly all of them tacitly assumed Ryonan's next ace would be him.
Coach Taoka's development of him was never hidden, and media reports about Ryonan's "dual aces" and "divine combination" were frequent. The players welcomed this arrangement.
But would the hierarchy be established this quickly?
No, no, no—what shocked Ryonan's players even more was this: had Yagami Sorato, a first-year who'd only been enrolled for a few months, already set his sights on becoming Ryonan's absolute ace?
Feeling the suddenly tense atmosphere and converging gazes, Yagami Sorato couldn't help but admire Sendoh Akira's perceptiveness.
Though he usually seemed carefree and indifferent to many things, in certain areas his insight was frighteningly accurate—like how he viewed Yagami, or how he viewed Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Alright. One possession each then," Yagami Sorato agreed.
On the court, possession changed.
Shohoku's offense. Miyagi Ryota pushed quickly.
The moment he crossed halfcourt, Rukawa Kaede called for the ball beyond the right-wing three-point line. Clearly, he wanted to answer back.
"Miyagi, don't give it to the fox!" Sakuragi Hanamichi also called for the ball in the paint. "He's just being stubborn—give it to me!"
Miyagi Ryota hesitated briefly before passing to Rukawa Kaede.
Kise Ryota immediately pressed up on defense, arms spread wide, lips curved confidently. "You're really going for it? I thought you could face reality."
Rukawa Kaede didn't respond—just lowered his center of gravity further, dribbling between his legs with varying rhythm.
"It's useless—I can see through all your fakes!" Kise Ryota locked onto Rukawa Kaede's movements, giving no openings.
"Bang!"
Rukawa Kaede suddenly accelerated, trying to force his way right!
"Too naive!" Kise Ryota quickly slid over, staying directly in front.
However, Rukawa Kaede executed a sudden stepback, creating space before smoothly raising the ball with both hands.
"Like I said—useless."
Kise Ryota immediately jumped to contest, blocking the path between Rukawa and the basket.
"Whoosh—!"
Rukawa Kaede forced up the shot. Kise Ryota didn't need to look to know it wouldn't go in.
"Rebound!" he shouted behind him.
But the expected sound of the ball clanging off iron never came.
It was a pass!
Akagi Takenori rose high under the basket, catching the basketball with both hands and hammering it through the rim!
"BOOM!"
Alley-oop slam!
Shohoku 23 - Kaijo 22
"So that's your answer?" Kise Ryota said dismissively.
"Idiot. Always running your mouth," Rukawa Kaede said coldly. "On the court, there's only winning."