The day after Teiko's first match in the Nationals.
With the tournament officially underway, players like Shigure Akihito and Shuzo Nijimura, the starting lineup's leaders, had already shifted their focus entirely to the championship.
Yet, the entire Teiko gymnasium, including the courts used by the first-string, was still abuzz with activity.
Simply put…
The Nationals?
That was the starters' concern.
What did that have to do with the rest of them, who were grinding their way up from second-string to first, aiming for the main roster?
Some first-stringers even secretly hoped that a starter might underperform in the tournament. The moment the Nationals ended, they'd be ready to swoop in and take their spot.
As for who would take the championship? The first-stringers knew the answer too well.
With Nijimura and Akihito leading the charge, there was no chance of slipping up.
Speaking of these two captains
Inside the first-string gym…
Everyone's gaze shifted to the far-left court. One half-court per match: on the left, Akihito Shigure vs. Daiki Aomine; on the right, Shuzo Nijimura vs. Shōgo Haizaki.
The scoreboard lit up.
11:0.
"Hey Aomine, this 'formless shot' of yours... it's a mess. Good thing you had the sense not to use it in yesterday's match, or else"
"you'd probably be standing across from Nijimura right now"
Makunouchi , Between-the-legs crossover!
Talent: Smooth Drive!
Special Move: Imperial Offense!
Talent: Emperor's Step-back Hook!
As Akihito spoke, he danced around the court with flashy, high-speed footwork, quick crossovers, a spin, a step-back, right arm scooping the ball effortlessly into a one-handed hook,
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Aomine's expression darkened.
"..."
How the hell did he do that?!
So strange!
It felt right in his body, but every time he tried, it just didn't work. Damn it!
He stared at Akihito, not with defiance anymore, but with a mix of admiration and jealousy.
Still…
The way Akihito-senpai talked, with that smug little eyebrow raise, was seriously irritating!
"Hmph! Senpai's shot isn't formless at all…"
"Formless shooting should be more… free, not just hook shots like yours."
Hearing that, Akihito chuckled.
"Ha"
"Like this?"
Near the free-throw line, Akihito suddenly jumped sideways to the right, leaning as far as he could, arm stretched wide, gripping the ball,
Whoosh!
An underhand upward fling.
To put it bluntly…
It looked like he was tossing a chamber pot with one hand.
Uh… scratch that.
More like a one-handed bowling throw.
He was mimicking Aomine's "formless shot" from the original story, and the moment the ball left his hand, Aomine's eyes went wide.
Yes!
That's it!
That's the feeling, freedom!
Akihito-senpai really gets me!
Aomine's eyes gleamed as he watched Akihito mess around with the shot…
…Until it clanged off the rim with a loud BANG.
"!?"
"Akihito…"
"What nonsense are you feeding Aomine now?"
Still wide-eyed, Aomine turned to see Nijimura, dragging a half-dead Haizaki off the court, expression full of exasperation.
Aomine scratched his head awkwardly. "That wasn't nonsense…"
Akihito grinned.
"Right? I mean, I can't do it myself…"
"But maybe Aomine can?"
Hearing that, Aomine's eyes lit up. He nodded eagerly.
"Senpai's 'formless shot' is totally legit! I might not be able to do it now, but one day I will!"
Nijimura: "..."
Here we go again.
Akihito could be such a troll sometimes, yet somehow, just like with Kuroko Tetsuya back then, he was dead serious.
Still…
That shot was way too reckless.
Nijimura narrowed his eyes at Aomine, observing carefully. The shot didn't align with any part of his basketball ideology. He couldn't analyze it properly.
But at the very least,
"Your height and vertical leap aren't there yet…"
"To shoot like that, where the release point is unorthodox, you need enough height to pull it off."
"And strength."
"One-handed stability… If you want to shoot like that during contact, your core needs to be solid."
"Also…"
"You need to be able to control the ball one-handed."
"And talent."
"To put it simply, spatial awareness."
"And then…"
"And also…"
"In short, even if we assume this kind of shot is viable, which even Akihito can't pull off consistently, "
"You, Aomine, right now, have zero chance."
"Let's talk again when you grow taller."
"At the very least…"
Nijimura closed his eyes, picturing the scene in his mind.
"Reach Akihito's height first."
Hearing this, Aomine froze.
To be honest, if he didn't already know Nijimura's playing style, he might've thought Nijimura could do the formless shot himself.
Smack.
From behind.
Akihito patted Aomine's shoulder, leaned in, and whispered with a grin, "Scary guy, huh? I don't think you'll ever beat him."
Aomine, still the basketball-loving, hot-blooded rookie, didn't catch the deeper meaning. Nijimura's comment was still bouncing around his head.
"Nijimura…"
"I know you really admire him…"
"But…"
"Is he even still alive?"
Nijimura immediately caught the reference. With a casual flick of the wrist, he flung the dazed Haizaki, who was still being dragged, into a spinning heap across the floor.
"You damn brute…"
"One of these days…"
"I'll…"
Haizaki muttered angrily, lying on the floor for a long time without a response. He cautiously looked up, only to see the three of them already walking away.
"..."
Damn it!
Admiration?
Like hell I want to admire that guy!
Get lost, freaks!
Outside the gym.
Akihito and Nijimura, now out of their training jerseys, were discussing the freshmen.
Interestingly, the conversation focused on each other's protégés.
Nijimura insisted that the current hook-based "formless shot" was just fine, no need to push for extreme and messy techniques.
Meanwhile, Akihito was asking how the "Haizaki Reform Plan" was going.
Behind them…
Aomine trailed along.
After what Nijimura said earlier, his gaze burned like a fanatic's, as he stared creepily at both of their bodies. Especially Akihito's.
"..."
He's 184 cm, right?
So if I grow to that height, I can do it too? That might not happen until second year.
But…
Can I really grow that tall?
Apparently, both Akihito-senpai and Nijimura were 175 cm last year, same as him. The other upperclassmen even teased them for it.
But now…
Aomine glanced at Nijimura again.
"Nijimura only grew from 175 to 179 in a year…"
"If I follow that pace…"
"Will I have to wait until third year?"
"By then, they'll be in high school…"
Akihito's "formless shot" had ignited something in Aomine. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be this impatient.
But the overwhelming strength of his two senpai made winning feel utterly hopeless.
Though he still loved basketball and enjoyed playing…
Ever since he first saw that shot,
It was like electricity surged through him.
He couldn't stop imagining, no, he was certain: if he mastered that shot, he could challenge them head-on.
But that "thing" felt like a dangling bait, just out of reach.
And so…
Even as a first-year,
Aomine was already obsessed, imagining himself sinking that shot in front of Akihito-senpai.
At that moment,
So caught up in his own thoughts…
He didn't realize he'd just blurted out his thoughts about Nijimura's height.
Nijimura turned back, his icy stare cutting across the court, startling Momoi Satsuki, who had somehow ended up beside Aomine, staring dreamily at Akihito's back, her cheeks burning red.
Bang!
Flustered and guilty, Momoi dropped the basket full of clean towels she'd been carrying as a new support staff member.
Nijimura: "You wanna go one-on-one, Aomine?"
Momoi: "Senpai, I wasn't looking!"
Aomine: "?"
Nijimura: "?"
Akihito: "?"
The three turned, all equally baffled, to find Momoi covering her eyes in panic.
Akihito was the first to recover. He pulled his training top back on, picked up the dropped basket, glanced at Momoi, and curiously said to Nijimura:
"Wait… the team manager also handles laundry?"
"Huh?"
"Manager?"
"Teiko has that position?"
At that,
Akihito froze for a moment.
Wait, we don't?
"Then that's impressive…"
"This Momoi girl's analytical ability is top-tier."
"And unlike your real-time, on-court processing style, Nijimura, she specializes in pre-game intel gathering and analysis."
"She's really good."
Two solid praises in a row made Nijimura raise an eyebrow.
And Momoi Satsuki…
Her face flushed so red, it looked like it might burst.
"..."
Senpai…
You really understand me…
End of chapter...
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