BAM!
Three players fell to the ground, their screams echoing through the entire arena, throwing the crowd into chaos.
All of Seiho's main players rushed toward Akashi Asuka, and when they saw him clutching his ankle in pain, cold sweat streaming down his pale face, their expressions turned ashen.
"Akashi!!!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Hang in there, we'll get you to the doctor right now!"
The players and coaches hurriedly helped Akashi off the court, panic written all over their faces.
Meanwhile, the two players from Kirisaki Daiichi High weren't so lucky.
With how viciously they played, no one, not even their own teammates, seemed eager to help them up.
Even so, when the rest of Kirisaki Daiichi saw the state of Furuhashi Koujirou and Hara Kazuya, they couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
On the court beneath the basket, Furuhashi and Hara were writhing in agony, rolling on the floor.
With every turn, more blood spattered onto the glossy wood.
Hara, who always kept his long bangs covering his eyes and liked to chew gum during games, now had his hair completely matted with blood. The gum had vanished somewhere between the collision and the pain.
His nose was the worst, anyone could see with the naked eye that the bridge had completely caved in.
And yet, compared to Furuhashi's condition, Hara almost looked lucky.
Furuhashi had been struck squarely by Akashi's "Top-Heart Elbow" followed by a short burst strike, a move that, by sheer accident, landed perfectly between the nose and upper lip.
Blood poured freely from both his nostrils and mouth, pooling beneath him. In that crimson puddle, several broken, pearl-white teeth were clearly visible.
So many, in fact, that every time he tried to scream, his breath whistled through the gaps.
"...Tch..."
Even Hanamiya Makoto, the mastermind behind it all, found himself momentarily dumbfounded.
He simply couldn't comprehend how Akashi Asuka managed to cause that much damage in one go.
============
An accident like this could only be classified as a match incident.
The referees immediately called for a pause and began reviewing the replay footage to determine whether it was a deliberate attack or a genuine accident.
From the moment it happened, Hanamiya had a sinking feeling in his gut.
After all, no one knows better than himself what kind of dirty tricks his own team pulls.
And sure enough,
Upon replaying the footage, the referees easily caught Furuhashi and Hara performing blatant dirty moves: intentional foot stepping, toe-stomping, and other illegal contact.
As for Akashi's two counter-hits?
To the referees, they looked like the reflexive movements of a player who lost balance after twisting his ankle.
And considering how many formal complaints the tournament officials had already received against Kirisaki Daiichi from other teams, the ruling was a no-brainer.
"Kirisaki No. 7, Kirisaki No. 10, flagrant foul. Each receives one technical penalty."
"Kirisaki No. 7, fifth foul. Disqualified."
The decision barely stirred the crowd.
After all, three players from both sides had ended up seriously injured, so no matter which team got punished, the spectators didn't see much to argue about.
The loudest reactions actually came from the players of other schools who had been injured by Kirisaki Daiichi before.
They cheered quietly for Akashi, feeling justice had finally been served.
To them, even this penalty felt too lenient for what those thugs deserved.
============
Meanwhile, inside Seiho's locker room, the team had just finished setting Akashi down on a bench.
"Hang on, Akashi! I'll go get the doctor right now!" Tsugawa Tomoki shouted, rushing toward the door.
"No need, Tsugawa."
Akashi's calm voice stopped him cold.
And then, before anyone could process what was happening,Akashi simply stood up.
He casually stomped his feet a few times, shaking off the lingering numbness.
The room froze.
Everyone, players, coaches, even Coach Matsumoto Yukinori, stared at him in disbelief.
"A–Akashi, you, you—"
"Relax," Akashi interrupted, deadpan. "Don't tell me you've forgotten who taught you all how to fake injuries in the first place?"
Everyone's jaws dropped.
Even Matsumoto was stunned speechless. Akashi's performance earlier had been too perfect, not a single hint of acting.
He'd had the entire team, and possibly the whole stadium, completely fooled.
The locker room fell silent.
No one knew whether to laugh, cry, or start applauding.
Then,
BANG!
The door swung open, and Kitayama Yuzuki rushed in, breathless.
"The refs just made their call! Kirisaki Daiichi's two players each got a foul, Number Seven's been sent off, and Akashi's fine, "
Her words stopped dead as her eyes landed on Akashi, standing tall, completely unharmed, surrounded by his dumbfounded teammates.
"...Eh?"
============
Five minutes later, the game resumed.
Although only one Kirisaki player was officially ejected, both Furuhashi and Hara were in no condition to return to the court.
Their team was forced to send in two substitutes.
The difference in strength was obvious.
Kirisaki Daiichi's performance plummeted.
But Hanamiya Makoto's grin only widened, cruel and twisted.
He thought he'd won.
He believed he'd successfully crippled Seiho's rising star.
In his mind, trading two players for one "injured genius" was more than worth it.
After all, he wasn't the one lying in the hospital.
But then, as the referee blew the whistle to restart the match, Akashi Asuka emerged from Seiho's bench, completely unharmed, a calm, gentle smile tugging at his lips.
Hanamiya's grin froze in an instant.
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