Miyamoto inbounded the ball from the perimeter, passing it to Atsushi Murasakibara, who began bringing it up the court.
Miyamoto quickly ran past half court, then... went straight into the paint to box out Kosuke Wakamatsu.
Kosuke Wakamatsu's eyes widened.
"Hey, man! You're going for the rebound???"
But no matter how you looked at it, he really couldn't outmuscle Miyamoto.
Whether in strength or technique, Kosuke Wakamatsu was completely outclassed.
He couldn't secure a good position at all.
At that moment, Kosuke Wakamatsu started questioning reality.
"Hold on—since when does a point guard box out a center and win?!"
"What are you, a point-center?!"
Shoichi Imayoshi hadn't expected Kirisaki Daiichi to have two players redefining positions on the court.
At that moment, he was stunned. They were stunned. The entire arena was stunned.
Daiki Aomine, however, could accept it.
After all, Miyamoto had dominated Teppei Kiyoshi in the paint back in middle school.
So seeing him play inside wasn't that surprising.
But you, Atsushi Murasakibara...
What gives you the right to play point guard?!
Just as everyone was still processing—
Atsushi Murasakibara brought the ball up.
Everyone assumed he would pass.
But the next moment left them stunned again.
After crossing the three-point line, he didn't slow down at all.
He kept charging forward!
Shoichi Imayoshi froze.
"Hey—hey! Why aren't you stopping?!"
Atsushi Murasakibara slammed straight into him, sending him stumbling backward uncontrollably.
How could a point guard's strength compare to a center's?
Any normal center would overpower a point guard.
Of course... that one exception aside.
After knocking Shoichi Imayoshi back, Atsushi Murasakibara kept driving toward the paint.
Seeing this, Miyamoto stopped boxing out and immediately cleared space.
But Kosuke Wakamatsu didn't!
He stepped up to help, bracing himself to take the hit.
But Atsushi Murasakibara didn't go for contact.
Instead, he tossed the ball high into the air.
Kosuke Wakamatsu turned his head in confusion—only to see Miyamoto soaring up, catching the pass.
"Haha, don't forget—this play, Murasakibara is the point guard!"
Miyamoto slammed the ball through the hoop.
Boom!
Two points.
Score: 4–3.
After the play, Atsushi Murasakibara grinned.
"Hehe, Miyamoto, playing point guard is really fun. Can I do it again next possession?"
Since he asked like that, what could Miyamoto do? Just indulge him.
Miyamoto nodded with a smile.
"Sure. If you want, you're the point guard for this game."
Atsushi Murasakibara's eyes lit up.
"Really, Miyamoto? You're the best!"
Satsuki Momoi facepalmed.
She suddenly felt like... her boyfriend... had a boyfriend...
"No, no!"
She shook her head rapidly, forcing those dangerous thoughts away.
"No way! Absolutely not!"
Her eyes flared with determination.
At that moment, she had come up with a new plan.
...
On the court.
Possession changed.
Tōō ball.
As soon as Shoichi Imayoshi crossed half court, he froze.
The one guarding him... was actually Atsushi Murasakibara.
Shoichi Imayoshi's mouth twitched.
"Hey, hey... the center from the 'Generation of Miracles' is playing point guard?"
"Are your ideas always this insane?"
Atsushi Murasakibara spread his arms, eyes shining with excitement, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Hey, what was your name again? Never mind, not important. Come on, try to get past me."
In that instant, Shoichi Imayoshi felt overwhelming pressure.
It was as if the figure in front of him had grown even larger.
Which, in reality, wasn't far from the truth.
A player over two meters tall, with an equally massive wingspan, guarding a point guard.
The pressure was obvious.
Not to mention, Atsushi Murasakibara's mobility was absurd.
Don't forget—he could cover the entire area inside the three-point line on defense.
In high school basketball, calling his defense a steel wall wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Shoichi Imayoshi swallowed hard and chose not to attack.
There may be such a thing as small beating big—
But there are limits to that.
Going at Murasakibara head-on?
He'd get blocked into oblivion.
But Shoichi Imayoshi wasn't the only one struggling.
Kosuke Wakamatsu in the paint was having an even worse time.
Because while fighting for position with Miyamoto, he realized—
Damn it!
Miyamoto is even stronger than Murasakibara!
Against Murasakibara, he might still squeeze in with some tricks.
But against Miyamoto?
No chance.
Every route was completely sealed off.
He was fully locked down.
Kosuke Wakamatsu could already see how this would go.
Rebounds?
No way.
Post-ups?
Impossible.
Pick-and-roll?
Who would even want to deal with Miyamoto?
At this point, the paint was basically lost for him.
He... quietly shattered...
Just then, Yoshinori Susa broke free and shouted:
"Imayoshi!"
Shoichi Imayoshi followed his movement and snapped a pass over.
Yoshinori Susa caught it just inside the three-point arc.
Shogo Haizaki stood in front of him, staring him down.
Yoshinori Susa took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.
From the side, Shuzo Nijimura watched with interest.
Interesting... going one-on-one with Haizaki?
Yoshinori Susa began probing with triple-threat moves.
But Shogo Haizaki stood there like an unmoving statue.
Not reacting at all.
Cold sweat slid down Yoshinori Susa's face.
He's not biting on anything...? How is that possible?
Unwilling to accept it, Yoshinori Susa tried another fake.
Still no reaction.
Seeing that, he jumped straight up for a shot.
But the moment he left the ground—
Shogo Haizaki moved!
He exploded upward, instantly reaching the same height.
His arm completely sealed off the shooting path.
As if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
At the same time, a lone wolf slowly appeared behind him.
It leapt forward like a predator striking its prey.
From the sidelines, Satsuki Momoi smiled faintly and murmured:
"Wolves... are very good at lying in wait..."
...