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Ryu and Aomine were completely unaware of the situation off-court.
Their roles had now reversed: Ryu was responsible for attacking, and Aomine Daiki was responsible for defense.
The game had just begun.
Aomine Daiki stood in front of Ryu, arms outstretched.
His eyes, like an eagle's, were locked on the basketball.
Ryu felt a sharp, razor-like light enveloping him.
'Wildness, huh?' Ryu frowned.
This wild aura was far stronger than when he first met Aomine.
He estimated that Aomine Daiki would fully awaken his wild nature in less than six months.
Considering that in the original story, Aomine blossomed in his second year, it wasn't surprising.
Thump... thump... thump...
Ryu's dribbling speed increased.
Suddenly, Ryu's movements faltered.
Holding the ball with one hand, he attempted a spin to create distance from Aomine.
Aomine anticipated this and instantly moved to intercept Ryu's path.
However, Ryu's spin was only halfway complete when he suddenly turned back.
Seeing Aomine's center of gravity shift, Ryu accelerated, preparing to break through Aomine's defense.
Aomine gritted his teeth, forcefully shifting his weight onto his knee.
Ryu's eyelids twitched. 'Is this guy's knee made of iron?'
No wonder Aomine Daiki can perform so many fancy moves; the endurance of his knees is simply insane.
Ryu didn't stop moving despite being blocked by Aomine.
He lowered his body until his entire frame was almost level with Aomine's knee.
"That move again." Aomine's eyes narrowed slightly.
Seeing that Ryu was about to break through his defense, Aomine Daiki abandoned his stance and instead turned around.
Seeing this, the spectators were somewhat puzzled by Aomine Daiki's action.
However, he quickly provided the answer.
Aomine Daiki accelerated, appearing first in Ryu's path.
His path blocked, Ryu's pupils contracted, and he immediately stopped abruptly.
However, his body leaned forward due to the momentum of his dive.
An opportunity!
Aomine Daiki seized the moment, reaching out to intercept the basketball from Ryu's hands.
'Is he going to get it stolen?' This thought crossed the minds of everyone on the sidelines.
However, Ryu's next move on the court completely shattered their expectations.
Everyone stared in disbelief as Ryu, propelled by his diving momentum, forcefully turned his body and flung the basketball to the ground.
Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
After the basketball left his hands, Ryu plummeted toward the ground.
Just when everyone thought he was about to fall, Ryu mimicked the sprinting motion of a predator, bracing himself with his hands on the ground.
He was now like a bloodthirsty beast hunting its prey.
In the blink of an eye, he caught up with the basketball.
Everyone in the arena, including Aomine Daiki, was completely dumbfounded.
Although Aomine was extremely unsettled, he was focused on the game, so he suppressed his shock and chased after him.
However, because of a moment's lapse in concentration, the distance between him and Ryu had increased by a meter.
Ryu caught up with the basketball and charged straight toward the basket. He jumped, dribbling the ball, and assumed a shooting stance.
"It's not over yet!" With a loud shout, Aomine Daiki arrived just as Ryu was about to shoot.
He jumped up without hesitation, his large hands about to block the shot.
Ryu's pupils contracted.
He looked at Aomine Daiki, who had raised his arm. 'This guy always manages to do things that surpass the statistics.' This meant that Aomine Daiki was constantly surpassing himself.
What a formidable opponent.
The Generation of Miracles was indeed not to be underestimated.
Thinking this, Ryu pulled his shooting hand back, then held the ball in one hand, drew a circle, and tossed it into the air.
Aomine Daiki's eyes widened.
His body had barely landed when he looked up at the sky.
The basketball landed on the edge of the backboard, then rolled to the center before falling.
Swish…
Swimming clean through the net. 1-0.
"That was… tightrope walking!" a crowd of onlookers exclaimed.
Midorima Shintaro adjusted his glasses and said, "Can you even use that move in that situation?"
Momoi Satsuki had already pulled out her notebook, her pen scribbling furiously.
On the court, Aomine Daiki took a few breaths to calm himself. "Again."
Ryu picked up the basketball and tossed it to Aomine Daiki.
Although he smiled, he dared not relax for a moment.
Don't be fooled by how easily he scored; if he hadn't used his tightrope walking technique, he might have been blocked by Aomine Daiki.
He had already created a meter's distance, yet Aomine had caught up in an instant.
Offense and defense changed hands.
Aomine Daiki had the ball.
Bang... bang... bang...
Aomine Daiki didn't rush to attack.
He stood still, adjusting his breathing rhythm.
Ryu clearly felt Aomine Daiki's aura steadily rising. The wild pressure grew stronger and stronger.
'This guy...' Ryu became more alert, his eyes fixed on Aomine Daiki.
Aomine Daiki flashed, carrying the basketball like a gust of wind, rushing toward Ryu's left.
Suddenly, the Aomine in front of Ryu vanished in a blur. His speed was astonishing.
Ryu was startled at first, then quickly followed, flashing to the left as well.
Aomine switched hands behind his back, and taking advantage of Ryu's shift in balance, he suddenly changed direction quickly, heading toward the right.
Ryu knew that waiting to regain his balance before trying to stop him would be too late.
He simply used the momentum of the shift in his center of gravity to turn and chase after Aomine Daiki, who had already broken through.
Ryu was almost pressed against Aomine's body.
The two arrived at the basket almost body-to-body.
Upon reaching the basket, Aomine Daiki suddenly stopped abruptly—from max speed to zero.
Although this caught Ryu somewhat off guard, he reacted quickly, forcibly turning to the side before colliding with Aomine, dodging in an extremely unnatural posture.
Seeing his opportunity, Aomine immediately took a step back to create distance, then jumped to prepare for a shot.
After regaining his balance, Ryu realized the situation was dire.
He ran two quick steps toward Aomine Daiki and jumped, preparing to intercept his shot.
However, to his surprise, Aomine Daiki leaned back completely.
Ryu's heart sank at the sight. 'This is bad.'
Aomine Daiki's lean increased.
30 degrees… 40 degrees… 50 degrees… 60 degrees… When it reached 70 degrees, he finally released the basketball.
The ball slipped just past Ryu's fingertips.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the basketball.
Thud…
The sound of impact rang out.
Aomine Daiki's pupils constricted; he stared at the basketball in disbelief.
He had been extremely confident in this shot.
Ryu's interception seemed a step too late; a backboard shot should have been impossible.
'Could it be…' Thinking this, Aomine Daiki looked at Ryu's hand.
Ryu smiled slightly at Aomine, then raised his hand, saying smugly, "It only grazed a little."
That's right, Ryu's fingers had very lightly grazed the basketball.
Just then, they heard another thud.
They looked over.
The basketball hit the rim, bounced a few times, and then began to circle around it.
Everyone watched the ball circling the rim.
One circle… two circles… three circles… When it had circled five times, it reluctantly fell into the basket.
Swish…
1-1.
Seeing this, Ryu's lips twitched.
Aomine Daiki's eyelids twitched as well. Ryu shook his head, then shrugged. "You're lucky today."
Aomine Daiki seemed quite dissatisfied.
Ryu walked to the basket, picked up the ball, and then moved to the three-point line, saying to Aomine, "Best two out of three. One last shot. Let's decide the winner with this one!"
Hearing this, Aomine Daiki let out a long breath, then said arrogantly, "Bring it on!"
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