Chihiro Mayuzumi walked up to Reo Mibuchi and apologized.
"Sorry, Reo. Just now..."
Reo Mibuchi patted off his uniform. His expression was a little quiet, but seeing Chihiro Mayuzumi like that, he still replied:
"It's fine. I understand."
After saying that, Reo Mibuchi patted Chihiro Mayuzumi on the shoulder, then ran toward the frontcourt.
Chihiro Mayuzumi paused, his gaze following Reo Mibuchi.
At that moment, Seijuro Akashi slowly came up beside Chihiro Mayuzumi while dribbling the basketball and said:
"Senpai Mayuzumi, don't think too much. Let's finish this game first."
Seijuro Akashi's voice was very gentle, making him sound incredibly comforting.
Chihiro Mayuzumi nodded after hearing that, and quietly made a decision in his heart.
...
Seijuro Akashi brought the ball into the frontcourt, dribbling while keeping as much distance from Miyamoto Tokima as possible.
The current him was not foolish enough to go one-on-one with Miyamoto Tokima.
Besides, he was very clear on his role now. Passing and linking the team together!
Of course, if there was a chance to score, Seijuro Akashi would not let it pass either.
After keeping his distance from Miyamoto Tokima, Seijuro Akashi immediately found Kotaro Hayama and passed the basketball to him.
After catching the ball, Kotaro Hayama felt incredibly comfortable, but Shuzo Nijimura also closed in on him at that moment.
Right now, he did not dare to force a head-on battle with Shuzo Nijimura.
But Chihiro Mayuzumi suddenly ran over and shouted:
"Kotaro!"
Kotaro Hayama was startled, then realized that Shuzo Nijimura's attention had actually shifted to Chihiro Mayuzumi!
So Kotaro Hayama steeled himself and drove straight into the paint.
Because Seijuro Akashi's pass had been so comfortable, Kotaro Hayama's [Lightning Dribble] had also become much faster.
By the time Shuzo Nijimura came back to his senses, Kotaro Hayama had already reached the paint and put the basketball in.
Shuzo Nijimura helplessly patted his head and blamed himself.
"Man, I lost focus. My attention shifted before I even realized it."
Dicky Anthony ran over and said:
"Hey, bro, just watch it next time."
Shuzo Nijimura nodded, then ran toward the frontcourt as well.
Possession changed.
This time, Miyamoto Tokima did not go one-on-one. Instead, he worked with Shuzo Nijimura's quick ball movement and passed to Dicky Anthony on the outside.
Dicky Anthony delivered as well, calmly sinking the three-pointer.
For the rest of the game, Seijuro Akashi kept making brilliant passes, assisting the other members of Rakuzan High School all the way until the end of the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth quarter, every member of Rakuzan High School gave everyone from Kirisaki Daiichi a surprise.
Except for Seijuro Akashi, every other member of Rakuzan High School had entered pseudo-Zone!
Crackle!
Seijuro Akashi and the rest of the Rakuzan High School players all had lightning unique to Zone flashing in their eyes.
Five players activating Zone together brought overwhelming pressure.
Miyamoto Tokima watched this calmly, his expression not changing in the slightest.
Shuzo Nijimura stood in the backcourt with his hands on his hips, looking at the five bolts of lightning flashing in the frontcourt as he sighed.
"They all entered pseudo-Zone? That really is impressive."
Dicky Anthony slowly leaned over at that moment and said:
"Hey, bro, go stand with them and they'll have six bolts of lightning."
Shuzo Nijimura gave Dicky Anthony a speechless glance and teased:
"Bro, you know your dark jokes aren't funny."
Dicky Anthony spread his hands, looking completely unconcerned.
"Oh, I thought it might cheer you up."
Shuzo Nijimura looked down at his sneakers, then moved his ankles a little and said:
"So, are you ready to lock down the player you're guarding?"
Dicky Anthony's lips curled into a grin. Paired with his exaggerated tattoos, it made him look somewhat chilling.
"Of course, bro. I'll defend him so hard he has to go back and relearn basketball."
As soon as he finished speaking, a venomous snake slowly appeared behind Dicky Anthony, flicking its tongue.
After the snake appeared, Dicky Anthony slowly arched his back, giving off an intense sense of pressure.
His gaze locked onto Reo Mibuchi like a sharp blade, and he slowly spat out a word.
"Hunting..."
Shuzo Nijimura smiled casually, then stretched.
"Mm... well then, Kotaro, I'll have to guard you with everything I've got too!"
Kentaro Seto sighed helplessly when he saw this. His body really was not suited for a head-on clash with Eikichi Nebuya.
If he were facing Teppei Kiyoshi, Kentaro Seto might have been able to hold his own for a while, but against Eikichi Nebuya, whose skill points had gone completely in the wrong direction, Kentaro Seto had no answer at all.
Makoto Hanamiya did not speak. He simply stared fixedly at Chihiro Mayuzumi, and the spider behind him slowly began to give off a terrifying aura.
The fourth quarter began.
Rakuzan High School's ball.
After Seijuro Akashi dribbled into the frontcourt, Chihiro Mayuzumi suddenly began to move.
While everyone's attention was on Seijuro Akashi, Chihiro Mayuzumi immediately ran outside the three-point line.
But the moment he got there, Chihiro Mayuzumi froze.
Makoto Hanamiya was standing there with a grin, his eyes full of darkness.
"I'm not letting you shoot freely again."
Chihiro Mayuzumi gritted his teeth and thought to himself:
'Damn it. Even with Akashi becoming the light again, I still can't fade into the shadows?'
In truth, it was not that Chihiro Mayuzumi had failed to fade. It was that Makoto Hanamiya had locked onto him completely.
And it was not just Makoto Hanamiya. Miyamoto Tokima had also been watching Chihiro Mayuzumi's movements the whole time.
Seijuro Akashi naturally noticed this too, so he did not pass to Chihiro Mayuzumi at all.
Instead, he caught them off guard with a pass inside to Eikichi Nebuya.
After catching the ball, Eikichi Nebuya grinned, then suddenly exerted his strength.
"Ha! Get out of my way!"
Bang!!!
A tremendous force surged toward Kentaro Seto like a collapsing mountain and overturning sea. Kentaro Seto gritted his teeth and tried to withstand the impact, but strength truly was not his specialty.
He was still knocked back two steps by Eikichi Nebuya's collision.
After creating space, Eikichi Nebuya naturally turned and dunked without the slightest hesitation.
Kentaro Seto could only rub his chest and watch it happen.
Off the court.
Satsuki Momoi watched this without any extra thoughts, because with Atsushi Murasakibara subbed out, the center position could only be held by Kentaro Seto!
As for why she did not have Dicky Anthony do it, that was because Kentaro Seto might not be able to defend Reo Mibuchi either.
Remember, a three-pointer... is worth one more point than a two-pointer!
...