Chapter 68

"None of that matters now. The winner will definitely be me. I will use this game to tell you what the difference in status is."

Yukimiya Kazuma: "?"

Watching Akashi turn and leave, Yukimiya felt that the other party was a bit strange.

Or rather...

When he played against Teiko last time, he vaguely felt that the way the other party looked at him was wrong, but they didn't communicate much last time. This time, they had a direct dialogue.

Sure enough...

Chuunibyou is truly chuunibyou~

Interesting~

"The game begins!"

Beep~~~

With the opening whistle, the strongest battle of the National Tournament officially began.

The referee threw the ball high into the air. Murasakibara Atsushi and Taketou Masaki jumped to contest the ball. Visibly, Murasakibara had at least a twenty-centimeter advantage, stretching his long arms to win the ball for Teiko at the start.

But the next second.

Beep~

Beep-beep-beep~~

"White number 5! Jump ball violation!"

Generation of Miracles: "...!?"

Aomine Daiki’s excited nerves relaxed instantly, changing from a crouch to standing up with hands on his hips: "Seriously..."

Kise Ryota scratched his head: "Murasakibara-cchi~ watch the ball, watch the ball, you have to wait until the ball starts to fall before you can touch it. How did you forget again today?"

Midorima Shintaro pushed up his glasses: "This is the inevitable result of being lax."

Hakusuikan ball possession.

Although the start was a bit unexpected.

But Hakusuikan’s tactics were only advanced by one possession because of this. Hanain Ryo, with super-concentrated focus, immediately inbounded the ball from the sideline after the referee gave it to him.

He gave it to...

Kasuga Yuji!

"Fast break!"

This was the strategy Hakusuikan had formulated from the beginning. Facing Teiko, Hakusuikan couldn't afford the slightest slack; they had to race against time to score with all their might from the start.

Kasuga Yuji felt immense pressure at this moment because, according to the plan, he was to primarily match up against Akashi in this game.

Even with a cheerful personality like Kasuga Yuji, it was hard not to be nervous in this situation.

However, the nervousness was soon replaced by the astonishment caused by the scene before him.

"Hey, I’m the point guard, isn't the opponent Akashi? Why did you come here?"

Kasuga Yuji’s expression changed drastically when he saw Kise Ryota appear in front of him, while on the other side, Yukimiya Kazuma was also looking at Akashi Seijuro, who had appeared in front of him, in shock.

It seemed as if he had seen through what the other party was thinking.

"Surprised?"

"Fragile Hakusuikan."

"As long as I snap this branch of yours, defeat is already destined."

Akashi Seijuro said coldly, expressionless, with the 'Emperor Eye' flashing in the depths of his pupils.

"Akashi is specifically marking the opponent’s ace on the defensive end right from the start; this is not his style!"

This move by Akashi Seijuro not only surprised Yukimiya Kazuma and Hakusuikan, but even the other school teams in the stands were quite astonished.

"Maybe Akashi..."

"Also felt something."

Tsuchiya Daiga from Hagiya Middle School in the stands said with lowered eyes.

"In that case, we should act too!"

Kasuga Yuji’s eyes flashed, then his 'Namba Step' suddenly accelerated, and he took a very bold jump shot near the restricted area.

Sure enough, before he could finish his move, the monster Murasakibara, who was guarding the restricted area, rushed over to block the shot. At the same time, Kise Ryota, who hadn't been completely shaken off, defended from the side.

Sensing Kise Ryota trying to steal the ball, Kasuga Yuji turned his jump shot into a toss; the action looked very much like Aomine’s formless shot, but he was just throwing the ball toward the basket without any accuracy.

Of course, no one other than Aomine could make such a shot, but the purpose of this ball wasn't to score. The moment the ball flew out, Taketou Masaki, who was standing next to the basket, suddenly leaped up to catch it, looking like he was about to slam it into the basket in mid-air.

"Whoa!"

"An alley-oop?!"

The audience erupted in gasps.

However, at this moment, a heavy black shadow suddenly appeared behind Taketou Masaki, threatening him like a predator.

"Slow~"

"So, what are you working so hard for? Disgusting~"

Smack!

Murasakibara, who had just been blocking Kasuga Yuji, suddenly returned to the basket with a lazy tone, blocking Taketou Masaki’s shot. At the same time, the power confrontation between the two in mid-air made Taketou Masaki’s body feel like paper, sending him flying backward.

The sudden change startled everyone at Hakusuikan.

"Masaki!"

"Captain!"

Fortunately, Taketou Masaki climbed up quickly. He seemed fine and tugged at his jersey: "Nothing serious, it’s nothing."

Not knowing what had provoked Murasakibara, he stood to the side, glanced at Taketou Masaki, and suddenly said with a terrifying expression: "I’ll crush you~"

"Huh?! What did you say?!"

Teruyama Daisuke was a bit angry when he heard Murasakibara’s obvious 'provocation', but before he could question him, he was patted on the shoulder by Taketou Masaki and persuaded to stop.

Taketou Masaki looked at Murasakibara calmly: "You’re more motivated today than last time, aren't you? I’ve become stronger."

Murasakibara frowned as he looked at Taketou Masaki’s calm expression.

As expected, he still couldn't understand.

Clearly impossible to win, yet still trying so hard—the feelings of such people.

The clash between Hakusuikan and Teiko drew gasps from the scene from the very beginning.

Akashi Seijuro dribbled to the midfield, and Yukimiya Kazuma stepped up to defend.

However, Akashi immediately passed the ball to Aomine Daiki.

Aomine looked at Akashi and Yukimiya, who were restraining each other not far away, and then looked at the Hakusuikan number 6 in front of him, a trace of displeasure appearing in his eyes.

"You chose a good opponent for yourself, having fun, Akashi."

Damn it.

The expression on Aomine Daiki’s face was clearly not a happy one.

Intense fighting spirit radiated from him; even in the stands tens of meters away, many team players could clearly feel it.

Aomine Daiki’s dribbling looked careless, but in the next second, he suddenly started. His innate agility, which mortals couldn't understand, accelerated from zero to top speed in an instant.

Of course.

It meant his speed soared from 0% to 100%.

Hanain Ryo only felt a blur before his eyes, and Aomine Daiki disappeared from his line of sight.

In front of him, only a basketball remained suspended in mid-air.

Aomine Daiki’s exquisite skills were all learned on the streets, and this technique was clearly one of them.

He used his hand to tap the ball to the right, and then, when the opponent’s attention was focused on the ball, he broke through from the left. When he rushed halfway, he immediately reached out to scoop it, bringing back the ball that had been used to attract the opponent’s attention.

This was a streetball technique that tested speed and reaction ability.

For a middle schooler facing this move, let alone seeing through it, even if they could, their body’s reaction wouldn't keep up.

"So fast!"

Hanain Ryo was shocked.

Although he had previously received the moves Aomine might use, compiled by Yukimiya Kazuma, he only realized when they actually clashed that imagination was just imagination.