Toyotama bench.
"Damn it, what's up with that guy? Why is he so fast?" Kishimoto Minori growled through clenched teeth, rage burning in his eyes.
Itakura Daijiro grabbed a water bottle, gulped down a few mouthfuls, then caught his breath and said, "It's not just his speed. That guy's stop-and-go is weird. He's insanely fast but can still halt on a dime."
Yajima Kyohei nodded in agreement. "Yeah! We can't keep letting him run wild. We've gotta figure out a way to shut him down."
Everyone's eyes turned toward Minami Tsuyoshi, who had been sitting silently.
Minami sat quietly, his expression no longer angry. The gloomy air from before had vanished, replaced by a chilling calm.
A sinister glint flickered in his eyes. His tone was flat but carried a deadly edge. "Kishimoto, work with me next. Let's find a chance to take him out."
Hearing that, Kishimoto Minori's eyes lit up. A vicious grin stretched across his face. "Good. I've been itching to do that. I'll make sure he learns a hard lesson."
Coach Kanehira silently watched the whole exchange. His eyes were full of mixed emotions.
He actually didn't want his players to rely on dirty tricks to win. But his position within the team was a mess. He couldn't say a word.
He knew very well that before he came to Toyotama, the Coach was Kitano.
Later, due to changes in the school administration, Kitano got dismissed.
The team becoming like this… was mostly because of that.
Sigh…
Kanehira could only let out a helpless sigh in his heart, full of frustration and powerlessness.
…
Shohoku bench.
"Everyone's doing great. Let's keep this momentum going," Shimizu Kanon said with a beaming smile, giving everyone praise.
Then her face turned serious. "But we need to be careful in the next part. If I'm right, they're going to start targeting us with dirty fouls, like what happened to Mitsui-senpai."
At that, everyone's expression shifted.
Miyagi Ryota's face darkened slightly. He clutched his still-aching stomach and said angrily, "Those bastards aren't even trying to play fair. They just keep pulling cheap shots."
Kogure Kiminobu looked concerned. "Ryota, you alright? Want an ice pack?"
Miyagi Ryota shook his head. "It's nothing. Doesn't hurt more than what Mitsui did to me back then!"
That made Mitsui Hisashi jump up. "What's that supposed to mean?! You trying to diss me, huh?!"
Miyagi Ryota glanced at him, deadpan. "Just telling the truth."
"You—!" Mitsui Hisashi gritted his teeth, glaring hard at Miyagi Ryota. He looked like he was ready to throw hands right there.
"Alright, alright, knock it off, you two," Kogure Kiminobu quickly stepped in. "We're playing a Match here, not picking fights. We need to stick together. Getting injured would be the worst outcome."
Miyagi Ryota and Mitsui Hisashi exchanged looks, then both turned away, looking like they couldn't be bothered with each other.
Then Ayako spoke up. "We've got the lead now. That's a good start. From here on, don't push yourselves too hard. Just keep the score steady."
Aoi Kunisaku sat calmly on the bench, same as always.
If you looked closely, you'd notice there wasn't even a single bead of sweat on his forehead. Like he hadn't even been on the court.
…
Soon, the Timeout ended.
Both sides returned to the court.
The game resumed.
Toyotama inbounded the ball and went on Offense.
Aoi Kunisaku quickly sensed something off.
He noticed Kishimoto Minori was hovering near him, intentionally or not.
But calling it "near" wasn't quite right.
More like shadowing.
No matter where he ran, Kishimoto would tail him at a fixed distance.
Aoi Kunisaku swept his eyes toward Minami Tsuyoshi, who was Dribbling up fast. In an instant, he saw through the plan. A smirk curled on his lips.
If it had been someone else, they might've really fallen for it.
But for someone like Aoi Kunisaku, who grew up roughing it out on the street courts and had seen every dirty trick in the book, this was just child's play.
The corner of Aoi Kunisaku's mouth curled up. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he thought, "If you guys want to play dirty that bad, then fine—let's play."
Soon, Minami Tsuyoshi dribbled forward and went straight at Aoi Kunisaku.
Their eyes locked. It was like a silent showdown.
Minami kept his hands moving. The basketball bounced side to side as he tried to shake Aoi Kunisaku's read.
But cheap tricks like that didn't do anything to someone like him.
Aoi Kunisaku just stood there, completely still. That unsettled Minami a bit—he couldn't get a read on him.
His whole plan was to bait Aoi Kunisaku into moving his feet. That way, he and Kishimoto Minori could time their setup.
But with him not budging an inch, what the hell was he supposed to do?
Minami frowned, clearly torn. He didn't know whether to charge forward or keep waiting.
Heh…
Aoi Kunisaku chuckled, full of disdain and mockery.
Seriously? That's it?
Before anyone could blink, Aoi Kunisaku moved.
In a blur, he shot past Minami like a gust of wind.
Minami's eyes went wide. Aoi Kunisaku's figure became a blur.
Shit.
His heart sank. His pupils shrank as panic spread across his face.
Then he realized—his hand no longer felt the basketball.
His gut dropped. He knew Aoi Kunisaku had stolen the ball again.
He spun around and chased after him, but no matter how hard he sprinted, the gap between them only grew wider.
"Damn it." Minami cursed inwardly, his face twisted in frustration.
On the other side.
Kishimoto Minori stood dumbfounded.
He had been waiting quietly, watching for a chance to move.
He'd planned everything—once Aoi Kunisaku took a step, he'd strike with Minami and deliver a clean hit.
But what was this?
Before he even made a move, the ball was already gone?
Aoi Kunisaku blasted down the court without anyone stopping him, stormed straight to Toyotama's basket.
Jump, layup.
Swish…
The ball dropped clean through the net.
Shohoku 13 – Toyotama 0.
Aoi Kunisaku landed smoothly and turned, looking straight at the trailing Minami Tsuyoshi.
Heh…
He didn't say a word. Just let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
As he jogged back on Defense, Aoi Kunisaku brushed right past Minami, not even sparing him a glance. Like the guy didn't even exist.
It didn't hurt physically. But the humiliation? Off the charts.
Minami's expression turned pitch-black. His whole face was like a thundercloud.
It was an absolute disgrace.
He'd never been humiliated like this in his life.
Shame.
Pure, raw shame.
Minami clenched both fists tight. A vicious light flickered in his eyes. "Alright then. You asked for it."
Whoosh…
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, forcing the rage down.
Toyotama inbounded the ball again.
But from that point on, it felt like the whole of Toyotama had fallen right into Aoi Kunisaku's trap.
Minami Tsuyoshi's targeting plans couldn't get off the ground.
Every time he tried to approach Aoi Kunisaku while Dribbling, Kunisaku would cut in with insane speed and steal the ball before Minami could even react.
He couldn't get a single chance to land a hit.
There was just no way. Aoi Kunisaku was too fast. Even if the eyes could keep up, the body just couldn't match.
Later on, even Kishimoto Minori noticed something was off. He stepped in to help.
Still totally useless.
Aoi Kunisaku moved like a slick eel, slipping through every gap with ease. There was no way to pin him down.
More than once, Kishimoto even got his rhythm thrown off and crashed into his own teammates. It was a total mess.
Meanwhile, the score kept ticking up.
15–0.
19–0.
23–0.
…
A dark cloud hung over every Toyotama player.
Maybe it was the repeated failures of their anti–Aoi Kunisaku plans, but emotions were boiling over.
Before they realized it, Shohoku had stretched the lead past 20 points.