Kurokami Shinji, who had played center for so many years…
Indeed
he hadn't lost to a half-baked muscle-bound brute.
But…
he hadn't won either.
In Shigure Akihito's eyes, across several consecutive possessions, Kurokami Shinji had taken on the task of marking Ibu Middle's strongest weapon — the "Five Generals" powerhouse, Nebuya Eikichi — and had done so remarkably well.
Muscle versus technique.
At the very least…
the center skills he had painstakingly honed over the years.
Even though he was clearly at a disadvantage in their one-on-one battles in the paint against Nebuya, the score told another story — neither had managed to score on the other.
Kurokami Shinji, with skill, held back the muscle's advance.
And his opponent…
with wave after wave of explosive strength on defense, continuously disrupted Shinji's technical offense.
From the stands,
Rakuzan's captain — who had originally been waiting to see the so-called "miracle" that Hagioka Kasayuki had praised so highly in Shigure Akihito — found his attention stolen by this duel.
"Teiko's center has outstanding technique… but come to think of it…"
"This Ibu guy…"
"Nebuya Eikichi?"
"What path is he on?"
"A second-year middle schooler building his muscles to this level… isn't that just insane?"
For a middle school player, to stop such a refined offensive skillset from Teiko's center purely with muscle — it was a blunt and brutal approach.
Beside him,
Hagioka Kasayuki raised an eyebrow.
"It's not just him — the entire Ibu Middle team leans heavily toward raw power."
"Other than Nebuya Eikichi…"
Hagioka's gaze shifted toward Ibu's captain.
"This Inomaru fellow… is no slouch either."
At this moment,
the center battle that had been deadlocked for several plays finally reached a pause.
Because
Rakuzan's captain's long-awaited moment had come:
Shigure Akihito made his move.
Akashi brought the ball past half-court. Teiko's formation hadn't shifted yet, but in the next instant, everyone noticed Shigure had switched positions with the power forward, Nijimura Shuzo.
Inomaru, Ibu's captain and Shigure's defender, followed him to the other side of the paint.
Shigure raised a hand.
First, he pointed
at Kurokami Shinji.
Then
at the bench, toward Murasakibara Atsushi.
With both men giving him puzzled looks, Shigure smiled faintly and said slowly:
"Next… watch carefully, and learn."
Nijimura caught the hint, signaling for Kurokami Shinji to clear out. Shinji frowned slightly but stepped aside, leaving the paint open for a one-on-one.
Under the basket
Shigure Akihito versus Ibu's captain Inomaru.
Akashi wasted no time, passing to Nijimura near the right side of the paint. Nijimura immediately swung it to Shigure.
The ball moved with lightning speed, two crisp passes forming a sharp zig-zag that ended in Shigure's hands near the low post.
Nebuya Eikichi hesitated for a moment. But he didn't abandon Kurokami Shinji to chase the Shigure he had been itching to confront.
One reason: he hadn't solved the Shinji problem yet.
Another: Shigure's current defender was Inomaru — a man whose dedication to muscle training was no less fanatical than his own.
On the other side
Inomaru thought: "…"
Yes, Shigure's explosive power in motion — the same force that had overturned Nebuya — was impressive. But that was dynamic power in a leap.
In static strength duels, stripped of other factors…
it usually came down to sheer muscle mass.
Normally, the conclusion would be obvious.
But judging from Nebuya's earlier silence, clearly something had happened that overturned his expectations. The most likely possibility…
Shigure Akihito's strength surpassed even Nebuya's.
Mentally prepared, Inomaru braced himself, muscles taut, lowering his center of gravity as Shigure took the ball with his back to him.
Then
Shigure's attack unfolded in a way Inomaru could never have predicted.
Whoosh!
On the court
The leaner figure, one hand gripping the ball at the right-side low post, didn't dribble — staying in a triple-threat stance.
Suddenly!
A turn!
Dark hair whipped into the air!
A fake!
Raised arm!
Feint
Left!
Right!
Another spin, another fake!
Dropping low, leaning forward, he lunged toward the basket
Inomaru's face tightened. The whirlwind of swift movements and feints denied him any chance to body up, and for a moment, Shigure's layup fake almost had him jumping early.
Yet even now, his defensive instincts held.
But Shigure's footwork didn't stop.
Pivoting sideways
one hand still gripping the ball
a hook shot motion
then instantly retracting!
Even his shoulders joined the deception, feinting left and right in flawless detail, all while still pivoting on a single foot without a dribble.
Smack!
Finally!
A crisp bounce as Shigure put the ball down, linking directly into
Kiyota Nobunaga's Monkey Step!
Landing from the jump, he pivoted again
this time on both feet!
He could have easily gone into another sequence of "Takenori Akagi's Dream Shake."
But by now, Inomaru had been completely thrown off balance by the chain of footwork and the monkey step, forced into a jump, leaving him far behind.
Pivoting on his right leg,
Shigure spun away
Makunouchi Shiniichi's Sky Hook!
Swish!
The ball dropped through the net.
This completely different offensive style from Shigure, unlike anything he had shown before, left the entire gym silent for a heartbeat
then erupted in astonished cries.
"Wait—how did that even go in?!"
"Uh…"
"It's like… he just kept spinning and spinning, and suddenly he was at the rim?!"
"What the heck was that footwork?!"
If the sequence had been slowed down, broken apart, the crowd might have been able to follow.
But strung together at such absurd speed, the audience was left baffled, chattering in disbelief.
"That was way too fast!"
"Huh?"
"It looked like he traveled half a dozen times — was that even legal?!"
In the stands, Rakuzan's current starting center — an experienced senior who had taken the role after Hagioka moved to high school — was left wide-eyed.
"Speed is one thing, but speed within complex offensive technique is something else entirely…
In such intricate footwork, especially with so many spins, how does he maintain that kind of pace?!"
"Also…"
"Hagioka, you never mentioned this guy was such a master of post moves?!"
"Isn't this just like you… someone who can play all five positions?!"
Hagioka himself was seeing this skill for the first time, yet he showed no surprise — as if it had been expected all along.
"…He did have another nickname back in middle school."
"The Technician."
But…
he had grown so much since last year. The awkwardness in linking his vast arsenal of moves was gone, replaced with fluidity.
His earlier lack of observation and situational judgment had improved, choosing the moment to shoot only after reading his opponent.
From that seemingly bottomless library of techniques, he had pulled out a dazzling sequence of footwork and a perfect finish
A truly flawless offensive play.
End of chapter...
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