"Destructive Spin? What kind of ridiculous name is that, Murasakibara…?"
"Remember it well…"
"That move is called the Dreamlike Footwork…"
For Shigure Akihito, Murasakibara Atsushi's unexpected second dribble wasn't the most shocking part.
What caught his attention more was the fact that Murasakibara, with all seriousness, had come up with such a childish name.
After hearing that so-called Destructive Spin, Shigure felt his whole mood sour.
At the same time, Murasakibara was still frozen in place, startled by the referee's whistle.
"Tch~"
"I thought you were going to get serious~"
"As expected…"
"This is the best you can do."
Because of Shigure's special training, Haizaki Shōgo was still sulking, his small scowl perfectly timed with his jab.
But…
Murasakibara stayed silent, not even looking his way.
Back to the game.
It was now Ibu Middle School's offensive possession.
Tough as ever, Ibu had not given up.
With Shigure Akihito playing point guard, and no longer standing at that damned free-throw line to anchor the zone defense, Ibu seized the opportunity to unleash their best weapon of the year—brute force offense—delivering a heavy dose of muscle to shock Teiko's first-years.
It didn't matter whether it was Aomine, Haizaki, or Midorima
every Ibu player backed their man down with the power of an inside player.
The result…
Was rather obvious.
Ibu's captain, Inomaru, muscled Haizaki out of position at mid-range, created space, and drained a jumper from just outside the paint—scoring their first basket of the second half.
Teiko's turn on offense.
Shigure Akihito, as point guard, took the inbound pass from Haizaki, who was still rubbing his chest after that last collision.
At 185 cm, Shigure was undeniably tall for a point guard at the junior high level.
Yet his movements were as light and nimble as a 170 cm speedster.
Pah!
Pah!
Pah!
The sound of his dribble echoed.
This time
Unlike the first half
Shigure's abilities as a guard were on full display for everyone to see.
And the first thing to stand out…
Was…
Wildness!
A fierce, mammoth-like aura surged from Shigure's frame, coalescing behind him into the vision of a charging elephant!
On the court
The Ibu point guard, facing him directly, could see the illusion etched into his mind as if it were real.
Even in the stands, players from other teams—anyone with decent skill—could faintly make out that terrifying image.
Among them
Rakuzan's players, their faces serious, felt it the strongest.
"In the first half, your inside offense was pretty simple," Shigure said softly. "But since you're still this tenacious in the second half, I'll show you something stronger~"
"Another kind~"
"The strength… of a point guard~"
As his voice drifted across the court, Shigure's terrifying ball-handling skills began to surface—one after another—perfectly living up to his title of The Technician.
The way he linked together different playing styles was so smooth that Hagioka Kasayuki, watching from the stands, couldn't help but compare it to last year's All-Nationals—
and find it worlds apart.
And not only that…
He'd added even more!
Shadow Step Breakthrough!
Low Glide!
Moon-Step Retreat!
Step-Back Burst!
And now, with his talents fully unlocked—moves even Hagioka had never seen from him—Makishinichi's Between-the-Legs Break, Spin Drive, and Behind-the-Back Burst!
Like a wave, his dribble carried him from backcourt to just beyond Ibu's three-point line.
Step!
Step!
Even as the Ibu point guard kept retreating, he felt like he was on a roller coaster—jolted up, down, left, right—his footing completely gone!
Captain Inomaru's pupils shrank. "Iwatate!"
But Inomaru's help defense was even faster than his shout.
And Shigure
Executed a perfect "Kenji Fujima Shadow Step Breakthrough," slicing right between them!
As expected, both defenders, who had tried to meet his raw power head-on, ended up stumbling backwards and landing hard on the court with twin thuds.
The last man in front of him was Ibu's power forward, Uemori, who had reluctantly left Aomine to block Shigure's path.
However
Whoosh!
Despite the fierce look and overwhelming aura, Shigure suddenly shifted into a calm passing motion.
Behind him, the two defenders who had just scrambled up lunged in—only to grasp at empty air.
Special Move—Makishinichi's Imperial Pass!
Talent—Perfect precision! Endless variety! The Assist King! The better teammate!
[Better Teammate: A perfectly timed Imperial Pass allows teammates to execute receiving-and-attacking moves more smoothly, reducing the window for being blocked.]
And so
The moment he caught the ball
The stubborn Murasakibara, attempting the Spin again after failing earlier, suddenly accelerated—so suddenly it startled even himself.
Murasakibara Atsushi: "!?!"
Eh?
What's going on?
It feels… like my body is being carried along by Smiley-senpai's pass…
If that's the case
Front spin!
Drop dribble into a driving step!
So fast!
Pah!
Abrupt stop—facing the basket—then back spin!
Left!
Right!
Spin!
At that moment, Murasakibara felt like his spin was just like the figure skaters he'd seen as a kid—spinning faster and faster!
Only this time, he was the star
and instead of admiring eyes from his childhood, he saw the stunned face of Nebuya Eikichi!
Nebuya Eikichi: "?!"
Catching Eikichi off guard with his sudden speed and sharp steps, Murasakibara left him no chance to recover.
He rose high into the air
Both hands
Signature Move: Destructive Hammer!
BOOM!
CLANG!
As the rim shuddered with the metallic echo, Murasakibara realized—though he still didn't quite understand how it happened
that this basket had been possible only because of Smiley-senpai's pass.
From the Teiko bench
It wasn't the first time Shigure Akihito had thrown an Imperial Pass in a game.
That's why Akashi Seijūrō had been watching closely from the moment Shigure's hands began the motion.
When he saw the final result, he couldn't help but murmur to himself:
"Unlike Captain Nijimura's Spatial Pass, Shigure-senpai's pass as a point guard…"
"…is guidance."
"Guiding his teammates' strength to even greater heights."
It was different from what he'd imagined—yet, unmistakably
as The Technician, a master of every skill, Shigure Akihito had already stepped into a higher realm.
End of chapter...
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