Smack!
The moment Atsushi Murasakibara caught the ball, the crisp sound echoed through the court.
And then
He powered into a hard, back-to-the-basket post-up… identical to the style of Takenori
"Teiko's first-year center's got some presence, huh."
"But…"
"Can he get through?"
"From Teiko's earlier games, Murasakibara's strength is nothing to scoff at!"
"Don't let the way he was shut down by Shigure Akihito fool you—look at those arms, way thicker than Murasakibara's. That's not for show!"
The audience chatter rose in volume as Murasakibara was forced into a power stalemate.
On court, Nebuya Eikichi who, like Murasakibara, lacked much of a midrange game—watched the first-year in front of him, expression stiff, thinking to himself:
Yeah!
This is the right way for this to go!
A one-on-one… pure test of strength!
But the very next second, Eikichi's excitement gave way to surprise.
Because right before his eyes
That purple hair began to sway.
The nightmare from the first half was back: after that heavy backdown, Murasakibara—towering even larger than Shigure—suddenly linked into a spinning footwork sequence…
That same nightmare Shigure had inflicted seemed ready to return.
Fukaya Reiji: "Murasakibara, what did you see in Eikichi's game in the first half?"
Murasakibara: "A big muscle gorilla~."
Fukaya: "…Right."
Fukaya: "What you actually saw was raw talent and ability being completely shut down by Shigure's skill… and the stubborn excuses of someone too afraid to admit it."
Fukaya: "You're just a first-year, Murasakibara. If you don't want to end up like him—realizing too late after you've lost—start now. Sharpen every weapon you can."
Murasakibara: "I'm not gonna lose, senpai~."
Fukaya: "And what about against Shigure?"
Murasakibara: "…"
Fukaya: "Nothing is something you love before you even start, right? Sometimes, all it takes to begin is just a spark of curiosity…"
Fukaya: "So let's start with that 'spin move' you found fun."
Murasakibara: "I don't really get it, senpai…"
Front pivot… raise the ball… fake!
Plant on one foot… back pivot…
Square up to the rim, raise the ball!
Aomine Daiki: "?"
Midorima Shintarō: "?"
Haizaki Shōgo: "?"
The first-years who knew Murasakibara best all froze, eyes wide—unable to believe he'd just pulled off such a technical move.
Two consecutive attacks pivoting on his left foot, combined with his considerable strength—even if still slightly less than Eikichi's—created the opening he couldn't find earlier.
Then—facing the hoop—he dropped the ball low, braced Eikichi with his left hand, and muscled his way deeper toward the paint.
Slap. Slap.
His dribbling wasn't exactly refined, but for a few beats, it was more than enough.
But before he could take even one more step
Eikichi: "!?"
Another Teiko punk. Ridiculous. Everyone knew muscle was the strongest—yet these cowards just kept dodging around!
Boom!—the dull thud of muscle-on-muscle collision.
"You call that slow move…"
"What even is that?!"
"Underestimating my muscles?!"
Murasakibara's stylized footwork ended with him getting locked in place by Eikichi once more.
On Teiko's bench
Kurokami Shinji frowned. "Sure, he pulled off the rough version right away… but his footwork is still too slow. And the biggest issue…"
"Outside of close-range dunks, Murasakibara has no other way to finish."
Nijimura Shuzo nodded. "It's…
– A matter of skill polish.
– Of experience.
– Of agility.
Right now, he's still just a shell."
Still… Shigure probably never expected Murasakibara to immediately copy his technique. What he really wanted was just to spark the attitude for change.
Seeing Murasakibara's obvious physical gifts, Nijimura understood—that attitude alone could be the spark of evolution.
You don't get it, do you?
Hmph!
Dumb Gorilla!
"It's just a spin move," Murasakibara thought as he looked down at Eikichi. "Watch me wreck it and crush you!"
From several steps away from the rim, Murasakibara palmed the ball and took one step forward—Eikichi's pupils shrank, and he quickly blocked the path.
Murasakibara simply pulled the ball back, spun into a post-up
Got you now, rookie…
Eikichi: "!?"
Fake left… fake right… left… right…
Suddenly, pivoting on his right foot, Murasakibara drove sharply toward the hoop
Bang! Slam dunk!
Shigure: "…"
Nijimura: "…"
Fukaya: "…"
Kurokami: "…"
The four who reacted first didn't cheer—they covered their faces in exasperation. On court, Eikichi stared at the ref in disbelief.
"Hey! That was a violation, right?!"
The referee hesitated, replaying it in his head:
Catch—no dribble—attack footwork in triple-threat.
Then dribble drive.
Blocked—dead ball.
Pivot foot movement—legal.
Then… another dribble.
No doubt—double dribble.
Tweet! Tweet!
"Teiko #10, violation… double dribble!"
The ref glanced oddly toward Shigure on the other side—because Shigure's earlier moves had been so smooth, he almost instinctively thought it was fine before realizing the mistake.
From the stands, Rakuzan's players chuckled.
But Hagioka Kasuyuki, whose game sense rivaled Nijimura's, looked seriously at Murasakibara.
"First time, huh? Maybe… he's got potential close to Shigure's level."
That earned shocked looks from the Rakuzan bench.
"Shigure's level?!"
"First time… what do you mean?"
Kasuyuki didn't take his eyes off Murasakibara.
"That attack just now—it was identical to one of Shigure's moves from the first half. But… you could see the rawness. It had to be an on-the-spot imitation. The gap in skill and physical control left plenty missing in the details."
"But for a first-year… to even pull off that much? That's rare. Beyond his freakish physical gifts, he's got surprisingly good hands for a center."
End of chapter...
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