The warm-up was drawing to a close, and the cheers in the arena had reached their peak.
However, Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo, having witnessed the very best of the national scene last year, didn't react as strongly. Compared to their opponents, they were far more composed.
The two teams stepped onto the court.
Teiko's starting lineup:
Aside from the familiar second-year quartet, there was only one first-year on the floor…
No. 11.
Green-haired.
Shintarō Midorima.
From the moment he stepped onto the court, his gaze never left Senzan Middle School's side. Reo Mibuchi, on the opposite bench, also noticed the attention from Teiko's freshman.
"Midorima-kun~?"
"I know you. Teiko's new rookie shooter with a terrifying three-point percentage~ I can't wait to face such a fresh little newcomer~"
When speaking to someone other than Shigure Akihito, Mibuchi's voice returned to his usual "big-sister" tone. Hearing this, Midorima's eye twitched slightly, and he instinctively adjusted his glasses.
Then, with a serious expression, he raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Who are you?"
Mibuchi paused for a moment.
"I'm Senzan's shooting guard, Reo Mibuchi~"
"Pleased to meet you~"
Tilting his head, Mibuchi extended his hand in greeting. From Shigure and the others' perspective, Midorima hesitated, unsure whether to take it.
In the end… he refused.
"Sorry, as a Cancer today, shaking hands would affect my luck."
Saying that, he turned away and all but fled to his starting position.
Mibuchi blinked, then murmured to himself:
"What a pity. It's rare to meet another player who uses the three-point shot as their primary weapon~"
"At first, I even liked you~"
Shinji Kurokami, standing at center court for the opening tip, watched this exchange with a strange expression and asked Nijimura:
"Is it just me, or is there something… off about that guy?"
"Why does he act like a woman?"
Nijimura wasn't surprised. When he had first met Mibuchi a year ago, he'd had the same impression. Still, as a player, Mibuchi's ability was not to be underestimated.
On the sideline, Shigure smiled faintly:
"Maybe it's a quirk of naturally gifted pure shooters?"
"That Midorima kid has his own strange habits too — watching the 'Morning Horoscope' every day like some little fortune-teller~"
Kurokami nodded slowly.
"When you put it that way…"
It did make sense.
Soon, the match between Senzan Middle School and Teiko Middle School officially began.
Senzan's center glanced at Shigure Akihito, then shifted his eyes away and asked seriously:
"Wait, I'm not jumping against Shigure Akihito?"
Kurokami shook his head.
"Nope~ Shigure's playing point guard today."
The Senzan center wasn't surprised — clearly, they had scouted Teiko's morning game.
Whistle!
The referee tossed the ball up.
Since it wasn't Shigure he was facing, the Senzan center resolved to win the tip and give Teiko a taste of their strength early.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, Teiko's No. 6 — Shinji Kurokami — suddenly rose sharply into the air. Timing his leap perfectly, using his height and wingspan, he swatted the ball toward Shigure just as it began to fall.
Good technique!
This guy could even control the rebound's placement while competing for the tip.
As always, Teiko opened with an aggressive assault. Shigure, at point guard, didn't need his "Emperor Pass" — just his basic passing skill was enough to feed the ball quickly to Nijimura.
With the Senzan center still out of position after the jump, Nijimura drove straight into the paint. His movements tore through Senzan's defense like it was made of paper — back to the basket, between the legs, a change of direction, and a swift "lion" spin move…
Bang!
Dunk successful!
Violent, yet precise and elegant — utterly dominant!
Teiko took the first 2 points, but Senzan remained composed, showing no sign of panic.
"My apologies… Captain."
Mibuchi clapped softly, saying nothing more. Words were meaningless — action was stronger.
So after Teiko's opening blow, he calmly took the inbounds pass from the baseline.
Midorima, eager to prove himself as shooting guard, immediately stepped in front to defend.
This didn't surprise Mibuchi. From the moment he saw Teiko's No. 11, he had predicted this matchup. The 175 cm freshman wasn't like Shigure, who could play any position he was locked into the shooting guard role. That meant the SG duel was between him and Mibuchi.
Midorima's defense was meticulous, especially now that he was determined to take on Japan's No. 2 ranked junior high shooting guard.
"Looks like I'll have to beat you first~"
"That's how it should be~ Teiko has the right to be arrogant, making opponents step over the rookies before they can face your king~"
"But let me warn you, Midorima-kun~"
"Your defense is solid, but…"
"Your distance… is far too standard!"
As soon as he said that, standing just inside the three-point line, Mibuchi gathered the ball.
Midorima, fully focused, wasn't swayed by the words — Nijimura and Shigure's earlier scouting reports were fresh in his mind. He raised his right hand high, tracking Mibuchi's shooting motion.
Then…
Something strange — a sudden stiffness from his knees.
He… couldn't move?
"Void!"
From afar, Shigure's eyes widened — not because Mibuchi had somehow created a modified "Void" technique despite his physical limitations, but because… he had unleashed it right from the opening play.
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