"Eh? Hanamiya really went for a steal? What was that?"
"His defense had been stable up until now, but he suddenly went for a reckless gamble."
"Yeah..."
"That's odd."
The audience began to buzz with speculation.
On the court
Nijimura Shuzo furrowed his brow slightly. From Hanamiya Makoto's actions, he could clearly tell that the strategy Shigure had predicted and even named "Spiderweb" was now in motion.
At times, even Nijimura couldn't help but be amazed by Akihito Shigure's ability to see through the subtlest signs and predict the course of a game with uncanny accuracy.
For instance
Kuroko's misdirection.
Aomine's unpredictable shooting style.
Hanamiya's current "Spiderweb," and even the advice he once gave to Eikichi Nebuya to focus on muscle training, which led the latter to fame in his district.
Then
Nijimura turned to look at Imayoshi Shouichi.
Undeniably
While Hanamiya was already adept at intercepting passes, his prediction ability wasn't at the level shown earlier. That gamble? It was too confident, even at the cost of losing his defensive position.
Everything...
Was orchestrated around Hanamiya. Imayoshi moved in sync with Hanamiya's steps, perfectly covering the passing lanes Hanamiya couldn't reach.
This is why Hanamiya, who had spent an entire quarter analyzing the game with extraordinary intelligence, could be so confident when backed by someone who matched his tempo.
After all, no matter how well you read an opponent, you can't intercept every pass on your own.
However
When it comes to raw intellect
Shogi.
Go.
Chess.
Violin.
Piano.
Calligraphy.
Akashi Seijuro excels in them all. In academics, he's top-tier across every subject. Truly, he's no less capable.
Not to mention
Akashi is exceptionally strong.
Especially in passing.
Noticing Nijimura's gaze, the player wearing #11 from Kirisaki Daiichi froze slightly. Just earlier, when Hanamiya lunged, he had confidently declared:
"Sorry, but you're already caught in the spider's web. There's no scoring anymore—only slow annihilation awaits."
Then...
Hanamiya failed to intercept.
Kirisaki Daiichi #11: "..."
Nijimura raised a brow at him.
"After all that buildup with sneaky tricks, now you want to play serious?"
"Heh~"
"In a way, your first-quarter play was more effective. Honestly, those half-baked dirty moves might still suit your team best."
...
In the stands
From Shinkyo Middle School, the #2 seed in the same district as Kirisaki Daiichi
Their point guard, who had suffered a leg injury, looked first worried, then puzzled, and finally muttered in surprise:
"Odd... Ever since Imayoshi came on, Hanamiya seems to be making more mistakes."
His teammate, the center with an injured arm, nodded with a confused look.
"Yeah... You're right."
What's going on?
"It shouldn't be like this. I hate to admit it, but beyond his dirty tactics, Hanamiya is undoubtedly a genius."
"?"
"Huh?"
A younger teammate looked stunned. "Senpai... That scumbag? A genius?"
"A real genius should be like the Twin Stars of Teiko..."
The center shook his head.
"No... I wasn't talking about basketball."
"I meant the kind of genius with a sharp mind. At Kirisaki Daiichi Academy, Hanamiya is quite well-known. He never seems to study, yet he consistently ranks near the top in exams."
"And clearly..."
"Against us, it was Hanamiya who completely shut down our passing game in the second half. That had to be his intelligence at work."
Upon hearing this, the younger teammates fell silent.
Then came a wave of envy.
A guy who doesn't study, still scores high, and plays like that?
Too unfair.
"...Damn it!"
"Even so, he's still a jerk!"
The Shinkyo point guard continued, "Watching Teiko now, though it looks like the Twin Stars dominate, their passing is completely team-based."
"And it's on an insanely high level."
"That level of excellence..."
"Means that everyone on their team can consistently make the right decisions."
He paused. "Ordinarily, that kind of 'correct' decision-making would play right into Hanamiya's hands."
"Because Hanamiya can read your plays, disrupt the passing lanes, and crush your offense."
"The more composed the team, the easier it is for him to exploit."
"But..."
"Teiko's #8."
"First-year Akashi Seijuro."
"He's not your typical 'correct-play' passer. He's a technician."
Maybe it's the presence of the two monsters, the Twin Stars of Teiko—that keeps Akashi playing clean and textbook.
Hanamiya's first-quarter analysis of passing routes and offensive patterns might not be enough to read Akashi yet.
And even if Akashi could break through Hanamiya and Imayoshi's defensive web with creative passing alone, that wouldn't be enough.
He'd need to confront Hanamiya on a mental level.
"Impressive..."
Hanamiya hasn't even forced the Twin Stars to move, yet he's already hit a wall against just the first-year point guard.
Back on the court
Hanamiya's aggression in going for steals had waned.
And so
The threat level of his interceptions dropped as well.
Hanamiya: "...!?"
Damn it!
Again!
This cocky little first-year brat!
Yet, that brat wasn't even looking at Hanamiya. Instead, his gaze had shifted to #4, Imayoshi Shouichi—the one who had been silently backing Hanamiya's game plan.
"..."
Although he hadn't reached the level Shigure-senpai envisioned, this third-year from Kirisaki Daiichi was still worthy of his #4 jersey.
Akashi could feel it. The way Imayoshi followed Hanamiya's lead and sealed off passing routes wasn't just about intelligence, as Shigure-senpai suggested.
Where pure intellect wasn't enough, Imayoshi compensated through keen observation—of Hanamiya, of Akashi himself.
Reading faces, movements
Inferring intentions.
Of course, this method had its flaws, and Akashi's proactive passing adjustments had kept it from reaching the feared "100% interception" prediction Shigure once made.
Still, to go from being known as a dirty player to someone with genuinely unique skills
Akashi now saw Hanamiya in a new light.
Honestly...
If not for Shigure-senpai's ability to draw accurate conclusions from the briefest scouting report...
Hanamiya might've genuinely posed a threat to Teiko.
Unfortunately
"From the beginning, your dirty tricks were all part of the bait. If it weren't Teiko, you might've been able to stretch that deception through the first half."
"Then..."
"If your chaos in the first quarter had taken out our two seniors, that would've been ideal. But if not..."
"Your provocations since warm-ups, your violent plays—all designed to unnerve the opponent and reveal their offensive patterns."
"To set up what Shigure-senpai named... 'The Spiderweb.'"
"And by the time your prey realized what was happening, they'd already be bound tight, helpless, and ready for consumption."
"The Bad Boy..."
"That was the title you earned during your district qualifiers, wasn't it?"
"It really was a devious script fitting the name."
"Too bad—from start to finish, even your 'Spiderweb' was completely seen through by Shigure-senpai."
End of chapter...
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