Chapter 158: I Also Am—
"Didn't expect Mibuchi's ball-handling offense to be so troublesome beyond his three-point shooting," Sendoh's brow furrowed. "And that number five's role on court isn't just passing..."
At this rate, the balanced situation could easily tip. If the game got dragged into their tempo, trouble would follow.
"Excuse me, coming through."
"It's Sawakita! Sannoh's Sawakita is here!" A commotion rippled through the back of the spectator section.
"You idiot, took you long enough." In Sannoh Industrial's area, Kawata Masashi said without turning his head.
"Sorry, practice took some time."
"Finished today's thousand three-pointers already?" Fukatsu Kazunari asked, looking back.
"Yeah," Sawakita Eiji nodded, sitting in the space teammates made. "Shot twelve hundred."
His tone was flat, no boasting—simply stating fact.
After Sannoh's loss to Ryonan yesterday, Coach Domoto had planned to give the team a half-day off. But every Sannoh member had shown up at the practice facility anyway that afternoon.
"I'm not being soft on you. Take half a day, then you'll each have training plans," Domoto had said.
Among them, Sawakita's goal was drilling a thousand three-pointers daily for the next week, all combinations of catch-and-shoot, step-back pull-ups, and deep threes matching game tempo.
No wonder he's late, Kawata thought.
"How's the game?" Sawakita's gaze turned to the court.
"Ryonan's leading."
"Makes sense. They did beat us." Sawakita wasn't surprised.
"Yeah, but Rakuzan's no pushover either. Feels like they're still probing," Kawata said seriously, arms crossed.
"What about Yagami? How many threes has that kid hit?" Sawakita's eyes locked onto the number 10 on court.
"One."
"Hmm? Just one?"
"Two attempts, one make so far. But his approach has shifted," Kawata said. "Compared to our game, he's attacking the rim for finishes way more often."
"..."
Sannoh's players conversed quietly, their gazes never leaving the court. Just then, Ryonan launched their offense.
Sendoh's pass cleared the defense, finding Yagami one step beyond the right three-point line. Hayama Kotaro immediately closed out, his defensive stance utterly serious.
"Oh? This guy's defensive footwork and speed are pretty good—"
Sawakita hadn't finished speaking.
Swish!
Yagami pulled up.
Splash!
Three-pointer!
Ryonan 39, Rakuzan 31
Fukatsu silently turned his head, giving Sawakita a look.
"Uh, that's not on me," Sawakita said, hands raised.
"Yagami firing on all cylinders—less than half the quarter elapsed, he's already scored 20 points!!" the announcer's voice brimmed with astonishment.
TWEET!
Coach Shirogane called timeout first.
Regardless of whether Akashi had thoughts on it, he needed to intervene. At minimum, disrupt Ryonan's offensive rhythm.
After the timeout, Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi penetrated and hit a mid-range jumper!
Ryonan 39, Rakuzan 33
Ryonan's possession.
When Sendoh passed to Yagami again, Mibuchi and Hayama double-teamed him!
Swish!
Yagami didn't hesitate, immediately passing out.
The ball threaded through traffic. Ikegami caught it with six feet of space.
"At a time like this..." Ikegami took a deep breath. This was his first open look of the game. "Gotta hit it."
Bend knees, rise, flick wrist.
Swish!
The ball rotated toward the rim, its arc steady.
Splash!
Long two!
Ryonan 41, Rakuzan 33
"Ikegami-senpai! So cool!!" Aida Hikoichi jumped on the sideline.
"Haha! It's me after all!" Ikegami pumped his fist, looking back toward the stands. Sure enough, that cute girl with glasses was still watching.
Ikegami had a feeling his spring had truly arrived.
Rakuzan's possession.
After advancing, Akashi squared off with Sendoh at the top.
Rakuzan's movement began. Mibuchi and Mayuzumi cross-screened. Mayuzumi emerged with the open look.
Akashi faked a drive, then delivered a no-look behind-the-back pass. The ball flew precisely to the right corner where Mayuzumi caught and shot immediately.
Ikegami had already switched, contesting desperately with outstretched arms.
Clang!
"Rebound!"
Nebuya read the trajectory, tipping it out with maximum effort.
Mibuchi had just shed Fukuda to receive, rising immediately without adjustment.
"Damn it!" Fukuda knew he'd been beaten again.
Swish!
The ball traced a high parabola.
Splash!
Nothing but net!
Ryonan 41, Rakuzan 36
"Amazing! Rakuzan's scorer lives up to his reputation!"
"Of course! Mibuchi's a nationally known three-point shooter—no easy lockdown!"
"Mibuchi! Mibuchi!" Rakuzan's cheering section erupted.
Mibuchi elegantly turned to get back.
Ryonan's possession.
Despite Ikegami hitting last possession, Rakuzan maintained their double-team strategy on Yagami.
Sendoh didn't hesitate, passing directly to Ikegami.
Ikegami received, took two steps toward the basket, and released before Mibuchi recovered.
Clang!
Despite the closer, more familiar position, the ball bounced out.
"Rebound!"
Nebuya roared, pressing all his power into Uozumi, thick arm muscles bulging as he tried forcing his opponent from optimal position.
But Uozumi yielded nothing this time. He planted his stance, firmly occupying paint space. The instant the ball descended, he exploded upward, one-handedly ripping the board into his chest!
"Great grab!"
"Ryonan's rebound!"
Uozumi's feet had barely touched down when Nebuya and Mayuzumi immediately pressed. Uozumi raised the ball high, twisting left and right to avoid them, using his height and wingspan to throw it overhead.
Sendoh caught it, preparing to reorganize the offense.
Smack!
Akashi burst from an angle at alarming speed, stealing directly from Sendoh while he surveyed Ryonan's offensive positioning!
"There it is! Akashi's steal!"
The instant Akashi possessed the ball, he spun and accelerated. Rakuzan's counterattack launched!
However, Ryonan's reaction was equally lightning-fast. The stripped Sendoh showed zero hesitation, instinctively spinning to chase. Meanwhile, Yagami on the wing immediately abandoned Hayama, cutting diagonally to seal Akashi's path!
"What?"
"Rather than immediately retreating, Ryonan's trapping Akashi in this situation?!"
Akashi's expression remained unchanged, his dribbling rhythm perfectly controlled. Quick between-the-legs switches sought breakthrough gaps, but Sendoh and Yagami's defense was airtight. Four arms continuously disrupted, sealing every forward passing angle.
"Akashi!" Seeing him momentarily unable to escape, Hayama quickly stepped up.
At that moment—
Yagami precisely timed Akashi's return dribble, his right hand cutting toward the ball. Simultaneously, Sendoh applied body contact, disrupting Akashi's balance!
Smack!
Under their combined pressure, the ball escaped Akashi's control, bouncing off the floor. Yagami dove, scooping the loose ball back into his possession!
In a single sequence, possession changed hands multiple times—the intensity suffocating.
Having regained control, Yagami didn't pause, immediately attacking inside. Rakuzan's defensive formation was scattered from the counterattack and counter-steal.
Mayuzumi tried blocking his path.
Bang!
"So fast!!" He couldn't even touch Yagami's jersey.
Nebuya immediately stepped up, raising both hands for a vertical contest.
Yagami rose into him. Through the contact, Yagami maintained aerial balance, steadily releasing.
Swish!
Two points!
Ryonan 43, Rakuzan 36
"OHHH!" Hikoichi shouted excitedly. "Sorato's amazing!!"
"Yes! From turnover to counter-steal to instant conversion—Ryonan perfectly demonstrates their incredible tenacity and focus!" the announcer praised.
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi advanced with the ball. Compared to the opening, the atmosphere surrounding him had grown noticeably more unapproachable.
On the sideline, Hikoichi watched nervously. Every game, he wondered—was he truly needed by the team?
Even facing Rakuzan's overwhelming strength, Ryonan's five on court maintained their lead.
The confidence he'd painstakingly accumulated through training felt like a grain of sand before them—utterly insignificant.
How much longer until he caught up...
Could he truly catch them and compete alongside them?
Swish!
Mibuchi received Akashi's precise pass.
Ikegami blocked his path, clearly remembering the earlier fake lesson. Now fully concentrated, he maintained an arm's length defensive distance, arms spread, center of gravity extremely low.
"Between us, it's time for a reckoning, country bumpkin senpai."
Before Mibuchi finished speaking, he executed an extremely quick left jab step, his shoulder swaying with it.
Ikegami's footwork shifted slightly, but his weight held steady—he didn't bite.
Immediately, Mibuchi yanked the ball back while leaning right, his right foot stepping forward half a step as if changing direction that way.
Ikegami stayed locked in, footwork quickly adjusting to seal the right lane, arms raised high, guarding against acceleration.
However, Mibuchi's step wasn't a drive—he launched directly off it!
"Not happening!" Ikegami reacted extremely fast, lunging forward with everything.
"I already told you I don't like overly persistent men."
Mibuchi's body tilted slightly forward, deliberately meeting Ikegami's hand, releasing the ball the instant before contact.
Swish!
"Damn!" Ikegami already knew what would happen, but it was too late.
Smack!
Splash! The worst part—he heard the net sound behind him.
TWEET!
"Ryonan number five, shooting foul! Basket counts, plus one free throw!" The referee pointed at Ikegami, decisively signaling.
"Damn it!!"
"Ikegami-senpai!" Hikoichi looked worriedly toward the court.
"Hikoichi," Coach Taoka suddenly stood. "Get ready to enter."
"Huh?" Hikoichi froze momentarily before quickly recovering. "Y-yes!"
"Since they want to test our offense, I'll oblige them," Coach Taoka said gravely. "Right now Yagami's being marked too tightly. You'll go in and relieve his pressure with threes."
"Also, defensively stay glued to Mibuchi. Let him drive if needed, but don't give him the three-pointer, and definitely don't foul."
Hikoichi nodded, though his mind hadn't fully caught up.
"You must score to draw defensive attention. Understand?" Coach Taoka said firmly.
"Yes!"
On court, Mibuchi made the free throw.
Ryonan 43, Rakuzan 40
"Three plus one! Four-point play!"
"Rakuzan's cut it to three points before anyone noticed!"
TWEET!
"Ryonan substitution."
"Number 12 Aida Hikoichi in, number 5 Ikegami Ryoji out!"
"Hikoichi, good luck!" Ikegami said reluctantly.
"I understand!" Hikoichi walked onto the court with determined eyes.
"Coach, Hikoichi seems really nervous, his movements are stiff..." Uekusa Tomoyuki said worriedly.
Why wasn't he the one going in to relieve the team's pressure?
Uekusa actually understood in his heart—unlike the Sannoh situation, he wouldn't get playing time against Rakuzan.
Because Akashi posed too great a threat to point guards. Even excellent guards like Fukui Kensuke were forced into consecutive turnovers. He could hardly withstand that pressure.
He couldn't even help relieve Sendoh.
"Nervousness is normal," Coach Taoka said. "But Hikoichi's fine. Every shot he takes is stable."
"Right now, the court needs that kind of wildcard."
"Yeah." Koshino Hiroaki responded first, watching the court somewhat enviously. When did Hikoichi become so reliable...
Play resumed. Ryonan possession.
Sendoh advanced. Hikoichi dropped to the corner.
Ryonan's left side had only Sendoh at the top and Hikoichi in the corner. Everyone else was on the right.
"Forcing Rakuzan to choose?"
However, Rakuzan still chose to double-team Yagami. Correspondingly, Akashi vaguely positioned himself on the passing lane between Sendoh and Hikoichi while Nebuya's positioning tilted left under the basket.
"Don't underestimate Hikoichi."
Smiling, Sendoh lobbed it inside. After Uozumi caught it, he dribbled right to draw Nebuya's defense, then quickly passed to the corner.
Hikoichi received. Nebuya roared charging out to close, startling courtside spectators.
"No problem."
Hikoichi exhaled softly. Everyone was building this stage for him.
No excuse for missing.
Swish!
The instant Hikoichi released, Nebuya retreated to box out for the rebound.
"As expected, he only wanted his shout to disrupt me," Hikoichi thought.
The ball traced a high arc.
Even with no one contesting, Hikoichi shot with the same care as avoiding defense—the same focus as practice.
Splash!
Nothing but net! Three-pointer!
Ryonan 46, Rakuzan 40
"OHHH, beautiful shot, Hikoichi!!"
"Hikoichi, well done!!"
Teammates patted Hikoichi's back one by one. Everyone quickly retreated.
Hikoichi's clenched fist finally relaxed.
"Hehe, after all, I also am—a member of Ryonan!"
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