It was Sakuragi's first time at the free throw line, and he froze for a moment.
He'd seen others shoot free throws plenty of times, but he had never tried it himself—not even in practice.
Sensing his hesitation, Nango stepped forward and reminded him, "Sakuragi, just toss it toward the hoop. Don't take too long, or it'll be a violation."
Sakuragi gave a stiff nod and stepped onto the line under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The referee handed him the ball. Sakuragi swallowed hard.
Every player on both sides stared at him. The silence felt suffocating—this wasn't the kind of spotlight he enjoyed.
He shook his head, recalling how others did it. He exhaled, dribbled twice, then launched the ball.
His form was awkward, but at least he got it up.
The ball flew straight, but it was too strong, clanging off the backboard.
He sighed with relief—at least it hadn't been completely humiliating.
The second shot, however, was worse. Too soft. The ball didn't even reach the hoop and drifted out of bounds—an airball.
A blush crept across Sakuragi's face.
Nango quickly patted him on the back. "Don't worry about it. Let's get back on defense."
It gave Sakuragi an excuse to escape the stares. He hurried back with Nango, trying to act unfazed.
On the other side, Miuradai's players were grinning.
Naito's foul had turned out to be a bargain—Sakuragi had missed both free throws, wasting Shohoku's chance. If they scored now, the game would tighten.
Araki pushed the ball up the court and passed it to Murasame.
Murasame, riding the momentum of his hot streak, was burning with confidence. In Mitsui's absence, he felt unstoppable.
Facing Nango, he sneered, "Only a weak team like Shohoku would rely on a rookie like you. You can't guard me."
Nango didn't react. Mitsui being out only made him more determined not to let Shohoku falter.
When taunts didn't work, Murasame went back to brute force. He drove hard, using his body to create space.
Nango didn't challenge him head-on. Instead, he shadowed him just outside the paint, cutting off angles while keeping Akagi's help defense in mind.
Murasame tried a pump fake. Nango didn't bite.
Another fake. Still nothing.
A third. Nothing.
Nango simply held his ground—left hand disrupting passing lanes, right hand high to contest the shot, step by step squeezing Murasame into a corner.
Sweat beaded on Murasame's forehead. His options were shrinking.
"Captain, over here!" Araki rushed to help.
The instant Murasame relaxed to make the pass, Nango's hand darted out. He stripped the ball cleanly and controlled it.
"Miyagi! Go!"
He launched a pass forward. Miyagi burst into a sprint, outrunning everyone.
Catch. Step. Easy layup.
The crowd erupted as Shohoku extended their lead.
Murasame's eyes narrowed. This rookie isn't normal. He's too calm.
Araki also felt uneasy. We can't just dump everything on the captain anymore.
This time, he gave the ball to Naito, their last hope.
Sakuragi tightened his stance. "Baldy, I'm not letting you score again!"
Naito chuckled. This redhead had already been scored on multiple times—empty threats.
Glancing at Akagi, Naito made his move. He feinted left, dragging Sakuragi along, then pulled the ball back to his right and exploded forward.
Sakuragi stumbled, left in the dust.
Akagi was too far to help. Naito surged into the paint. Two big steps, a leap, arm cocked high for another thunderous dunk.
The basket loomed. Victory swelled in his chest. Got it!
But then—
A shadow.
"Swat!"
Sakuragi, somehow recovering, soared higher than Naito and smothered the dunk from behind.
The gym gasped.
"What the—?! He jumped even higher than Naito!"
"Unbelievable! That redhead's legs are springs!"
But before the cheers could fully erupt—
Beep!
The referee's whistle cut through the air.
"White No. 10—shooting foul! Five fouls. Disqualified!"
The crowd fell silent.
Sakuragi Hanamichi had fouled out. His first-ever ejection.
For a moment he froze. Then he exploded. "What?! I didn't touch his hand! No foul! Ref, are you blind?!"
Fuming, he tried to storm at the official.
Nango rushed in, grabbing his arm. "Calm down! Don't argue with the ref!"
Akagi quickly joined, dragging him back toward the bench.
The audience sighed. Sakuragi's wild antics had electrified the game. His exit dulled the spectacle.
In the stands, Okusu smirked. "Guess Sakuragi is still Sakuragi."
Takamiya chuckled. "Yeah. The world feels right again."
Noma and Yohei burst into laughter. Their friend was back to being a clown, and strangely, that comforted them.
On the bench, Sakuragi seethed. Sitting still wasn't in his nature. He jumped back up, fists clenched.
Nango gently pushed him back down. "Relax. We won't lose this game. I promise. Just trust us."
Sakuragi clenched his teeth, unwilling but restrained.
Nango turned and nudged Rukawa. "Hey, Rukawa… time to finish this?"
Rukawa shot him a cold glance. "You still owe me a pass."
Nango blinked, dumbfounded. Seriously? Just because I didn't feed him the ball in the first half? This guy's holding a grudge?
Still, he grinned. "Fine, fine. I'll give you one later."
Akagi looked at the two of them and sighed. It was as if, in their minds, the opponents weren't even worth acknowledging.
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