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The basketball in Haizaki Shogo's hands was slapped away by Ryu.
Thump thump thump…
The basketball flew directly out of bounds.
How could this be?
Haizaki Shogo looked at his hand that had just slapped the ball, then clenched his fists, raising his head to glare fiercely at Ryu.
"You seem pretty unconvinced. I'll give you another chance."
With that, Ryu turned to look at the crowd watching the spectacle from the sidelines.
"Can someone throw me the ball? Thanks."
Aomine Daiki tossed the basketball to Ryu and said.
"Hey! Ryu, teach this guy a lesson."
Aomine Daiki hadn't forgotten Haizaki Shogo's earlier disdain.
'This guy holds a grudge.'
Ryu thought to himself.
After catching the ball, he passed it to Haizaki Shogo.
"Continue!"
Haizaki Shogo glared at him and tossed the ball back.
"I don't need your charity. Don't think you're the only one who can defend."
Ryu shrugged indifferently.
Since the other party had said that, what could he say?
Ryu switched positions with Haizaki Shogo.
This time, Ryu attacked.
"Akashi, what do you think of that guy?"
Midorima Shintaro asked curiously from the sidelines.
After a moment of silence, Akashi replied.
"In terms of strength, he's no worse than the upperclassmen, and might even be a few points stronger."
No one refuted his words.
His movements and speed just now showed his strength; he was definitely not inferior to the current second-year students.
However, he was still a weaker than them.
What Akashi didn't say was that while Haizaki Shogo was quite strong and had some talent, that was about it.
On the court.
Ryu dribbled the basketball while walking slowly, as if taking a stroll.
Haizaki Shogo's eyes were fixed on his opponent.
His recent duel with Ryu had made him understand.
This opponent wasn't someone he could easily bully.
Thump... thump... thump...
Just as Ryu reached Haizaki Shogo, his figure vanished as if from his sight.
Haizaki Shogo yelled, twisting his ankle to block Ryu's advance.
Ryu's lips curled into a slight smile. He suddenly stopped and spun 360 degrees, preparing to circle around to Haizaki Shogo's other side.
Haizaki Shogo instinctively sidestepped to defend.
Just then...
In the instant Ryu turned, he used a change of direction and accelerated.
Ryu switched the basketball to his left hand and drove in the opposite direction of Haizaki Shogo's defense.
"Damn it..."
Haizaki Shogo was furious, gritting his teeth as he turned to chase after him.
Unfortunately, Ryu had already reached the paint and scored a layup.
Swish...
1-0.
Haizaki Shogo stood there, stunned.
His gaze towards Ryu had changed.
'That speed just now was abnormal. Is this guy really just a middle school player?'
Ryu picked up the basketball and tossed it to Haizaki Shogo, saying calmly.
'Come on! Let me see your skills.'
Thud...
Haizaki Shogo caught the basketball and took a deep breath.
He calmed himself down, then grinned at Ryu.
'Hey! Not bad! I'll take that move without hesitation.'
Off the court.
'Huh? Take? What does he mean?'
Someone asked curiously.
However, everyone shook their heads; no one answered his question.
But soon, Haizaki Shogo explained what 'take' meant.
Everyone watched as Haizaki Shogo dribbled the ball step by step towards Ryu.
As he approached Ryu, he suddenly vanished from his sight in a flash.
Ryu didn't even need to use the Eye of Hyotei to detect Haizaki Shogo's movement.
He twisted his ankle, shifting his body to block Haizaki Shogo's path.
Haizaki Shogo grinned triumphantly.
Everyone saw him suddenly stop, then swiftly perform a 360-degree turn, dodging Ryu's defense.
Outside the arena.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! That move looks familiar."
"Am I seeing things? His move is exactly the same as Ryu's just now."
The team couldn't help but exclaim.
Aomine Daiki frowned and said.
"I feel like his movement is a little strange."
"You feel the same way?"
Midorima Shintaro chimed in.
"So you guys feel the same way? I felt the same way too."
Murasakibara Atsushi voiced his thoughts.
At this moment, Akashi Seijuro, who had been silent until now, interjected.
"Something's different. His movement rhythm is slightly different from when he uses Ryu. It's very subtle; you wouldn't notice it if you didn't look closely."
The others speculated.
Meanwhile, Haizaki Shogo had moved to the other side of Ryu.
He was preparing to wait for Ryu to defend him, then quickly change direction to break through.
But what awaited him wasn't Ryu's defense.
Thud…
A crisp sound rang out.
Haizaki Shogo suddenly felt his hand go empty. Looking down, the basketball was nowhere to be seen.
He looked in disbelief at Ryu, who had swept past him.
'Stole the ball again? How could this be? Why did this happen?'
At the same time, Ryu's voice came from behind him.
"Good idea, strong learning ability, but you still have a long way to go!"
When Haizaki Shogo turned around, Ryu had already jumped and shot.
The basketball arced perfectly and went into the basket with pinpoint accuracy.
2-0.
Ryu picked up the fallen basketball and turned to Haizaki Shogo, saying,
"I forgot to mention, since it's a duel, there have to be some rules!"
As he spoke, Ryu dribbled towards the three-point line.
Passing Haizaki Shogo, he said casually,
"Then best two out of three, I can't play with you forever, what do you think?"
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Read the advanced chapters on Patreon (+ 3 chapters daily)
patreon.com/ayan41x
Your subscription encourages me to complete the novel and publish more chapters.
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