Just as the two defenders were about to shut the door—
Rukawa Kaede made a move that stunned the entire arena.
He didn't force a jump shot.
He didn't change direction either.
His wrist flicked—smooth, fluid—guiding the ball along.
His entire arm moved like a slick eel, slipping through the narrow gap between the two defenders…
And pierced right through.
A split move?
No—this was a full-body breakthrough, man and ball as one.
"What?!"
Hasegawa and Takano only saw a blur before that cold, expressionless figure had already torn through their defense.
Rukawa gently lifted the ball into the hoop.
11:4.
"WAAAH!!!"
The long-silent Shohoku section, though small in number, erupted with astonishing energy.
"RUKAWA! RUKAWA! RUKAWA!"
His fan club girls screamed themselves hoarse, pom-poms flying wildly.
"That was amazing, Rukawa!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi stood in the backcourt, staring at Rukawa's cool, composed figure.
His teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked.
"That damn fox… stealing the spotlight again!"
Even as he grumbled, the image of that move replayed uncontrollably in his mind.
"…Tch. He's only a tiny bit better than this genius."
Ryota Miyagi jogged over. Despite the basket, he still looked dissatisfied.
"Hey, Rukawa!"
"In that situation, wouldn't it have been better to wait for support?"
"What if you missed?"
Takenori Akagi and Hisashi Mitsui also came over, clearly unhappy with Rukawa's lone-wolf playstyle.
Rukawa turned around, his expression as indifferent as ever.
He wiped the sweat from his chin and said coldly—
"Because you're all too slow."
"So I can't pass to you."
Silence.
"…NANI?!"
A vein bulged on Sakuragi's forehead as he exploded like a lit bomb.
"What did you just say?!"
"Who are you calling slow, you damn fox?!"
Miyagi's eyebrow twitched.
"Brat… if that shot hadn't gone in, I'd show you what senior 'care' really means."
Mitsui clenched his fists.
"This guy… his mouth is still as sharp as ever."
Even Akagi's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
And yet—
That blatantly provocative remark hit Shohoku like a shot of adrenaline.
Sometimes, anger is the best fuel.
The game continued.
Shoyo launched another attack.
This time, just as Taku Itou was about to pass, he found Miyagi glued to him like a mad dog—his eyes fierce enough to kill.
"Slow? I'm Ryota Miyagi—the Flash!"
Miyagi's defensive intensity jumped to an entirely new level, forcing Ito into a rushed pass.
The ball went inside to Takano.
But just as he prepared to shoot—
A massive wall of muscle suddenly appeared in front of him.
"RAAAAH!!"
Takenori Akagi roared, swatting the ball away like a fly.
"Don't underestimate Shohoku, you bastard!!"
The ball flew loose—right into Sakuragi's hands.
Sakuragi barely had time to react before Hasegawa closed in.
"Hah! Trying to steal from a genius?"
Sakuragi spun, shielding the ball, and spotted Miyagi already sprinting ahead.
"Ryota! Run!"
Shohoku launched a fast break.
Miyagi pushed the ball upcourt at blazing speed.
Sakuragi stretched his long legs, charging like a red Ferrari toward the basket.
"PASS IT TO ME!!"
He shouted as he ran, arm raised high.
Miyagi timed it perfectly—a lightning-quick pass.
The ball flew toward Sakuragi.
He caught it midair, both feet pushing off as he soared toward the rim.
"This is the genius's layup!!"
In midair, facing an empty basket—
Fueled by excitement… and the urge to prove he wasn't "slow"
He poured all his strength into the shot.
And—
Slammed it… straight into the backboard.
Yes.
Too much force.
"BANG!!"
The ball smashed against the glass and ricocheted back at high speed.
"…Huh?"
Still hanging in the air, Sakuragi's expression froze into a blank, wide-eyed stare.
"M-Missed?"
The crowd, just about to cheer, choked on their own voices.
"Hahahaha!"
"What is that redhead doing? Was that a soccer shot?!"
"I'm dying—this is hilarious!"
Just as the ball was about to fly away—just as Sakuragi was about to become the punchline
A black shadow rose behind him once again.
Rukawa Kaede.
He soared up, snatching the rebounding ball with one hand.
His body stretched in midair like a fully drawn bow.
"BOOM!!"
Without waiting for Sakuragi to even land—
Rukawa hammered the ball straight into the hoop.
Putback dunk.
An alley-oop putback dunk.
The sheer force made the rim tremble.
Rukawa dropped down, released the rim, and ran back without even glancing at Sakuragi.
Leaving Sakuragi standing alone under the basket, still frozen in his layup pose.
"…It… went in?"
In the stands, Sakuragi's gang froze for a second—then burst into explosive laughter.
Yohei Mito clutched his stomach, tears streaming down his face.
"Hahahaha! Hanamichi, you idiot! Were you trying to break the backboard?!"
Nozomi Takamiya laughed while munching chips.
"As expected of Hanamichi! Only a genius could come up with an assist like that!"
Ohkusu shouted:
"Hey, Hanamichi! Nice pass! That assist was perfect!"
Hearing his friends' "praise," Sakuragi's face turned the color of liver.
He looked at Rukawa's back, then at the still-shaking rim—
And forced himself to save face.
"Hmph… yeah, that's right!"
Hands on his hips, he shouted:
"Well, Rukawa Kaede! That was my brilliant pass!"
"If I hadn't intentionally banked it off the board, how could you have dunked it so stylishly?!"
"You should be thanking me, idiot!"
Rukawa stopped, glanced sideways at him—
Like he was looking at a complete fool.
"Idiot."
Score: 11:6.
The gap was shrinking.
But more importantly—
Ignited by Rukawa's "slow" remark,
The fire in Shohoku's eyes had fully come alive.
On the bench.
Makino Juro shifted slightly in his seat.
"Even if their coordination is a complete mess…"
"That chaotic momentum is honestly pretty troublesome."
He glanced toward the opposing bench, where Kenji Fujima's expression had grown noticeably darker.
"Hey, Fujima…"
"If you don't step onto the court yourself soon…"
"…your tall teammates are going to get torn apart by these beasts."
END OF CHAPTER
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