Chapter Three: That's Pretty Edgy
The break ended and the second quarter began.
Kaijo inbound.
After Coach Takeuchi's tongue-lashing, Kaijo's offensive tempo slowed considerably.
Kasamatsu Yukio brought the ball up at a controlled pace.
Ryonan had been one game away from reaching nationals in Kanagawa last year, and Sendoh Akira carried the title of Rookie of the Year—Kaijo had been mentally prepared for this challenge from the start.
They just hadn't expected Ryonan to have another elite-scoring first-year alongside Sendoh.
"Who the hell is this guy?"
As Kasamatsu crossed half court, Yagami Sorato quickly stepped up to meet him.
Kaijo's standard gameplan with Kise Ryota was simple: unleash maximum offensive firepower in the first quarter to overwhelm opponents, then when they were forced to double-team Kise, the other players would get clean looks.
Kasamatsu exhaled slowly. "Looks like today won't be that easy."
"Give me the ball," Kise called out.
Coach Takeuchi had only told them to tighten up defensively—the offense was still in the players' hands.
Kasamatsu ignored Kise's call and signaled with his hand—he was going to iso.
"You're just a cocky first-year punk!"
Yagami didn't respond. Weak trash talk like that couldn't shake him in the slightest.
Seeing no reaction, Kasamatsu stopped talking and attacked, exploding right past Yagami's right side with a low dribble drive!
He couldn't shake him!
Yagami recovered in a single step, sliding into defensive position and staying glued to Kasamatsu's hip, cutting off any path to the paint.
Kasamatsu decelerated and faked a gather. Yagami matched him perfectly.
In that instant, Kasamatsu's gathering motion transformed—he pounded the ball hard into the floor, dropped his shoulders, and accelerated again!
He got past!
The Ryonan players tensed. They'd focused all their attention on Kise Ryota—they hadn't expected Kaijo's captain to possess such dangerous ball-handling and penetration ability.
Kasamatsu drove to the free-throw line and rose for a floater.
Uozumi Jun was sealed by Kobori Koji and couldn't rotate over to help.
"Got it!"
"Watch out!"
SMACK!
A large hand appeared beside Kasamatsu and mercilessly swatted the ball away.
"What? This guy—?!"
Height advantage meant reach advantage. Kasamatsu had indeed created separation for an instant, but Yagami caught up the very next second.
TAP... TAP... TAP...
The basketball bounced out of bounds and rolled across the floor, the sound painfully conspicuous in the suddenly quiet gym.
"Senpai, you shouldn't underestimate your opponent just because you're older," Yagami said, finally allowing himself a smile.
Out of bounds. Kaijo ball.
Kasamatsu's failed attack dealt a significant blow to Kaijo's momentum.
Nakamura Shinya inbounded from the sideline. Kobori Koji posted up against Uozumi, calling for the ball. The other Kaijo players understood their captain's thinking—they couldn't win relying solely on Kise Ryota.
"Is he really going to try and post up Uozumi-senpai?"
The Ryonan players looked surprised. Uozumi Jun was one of the few seven-footers in Kanagawa, with intimidating rim protection.
Kobori caught the ball and tested Uozumi with a backing dribble. He didn't budge.
"BRING IT, PUNK!"
Uozumi roared. Feeling the strength disadvantage, he decisively pressured with his body.
In that moment, Kobori used Uozumi's force against him, spinning left and cutting directly to the basket for a layup.
"NOT HAPPENING!"
Uozumi immediately spun and elevated for the block!
SMACK!
Kobori's entire body crashed to the floor from Uozumi's swipe.
TWEET!
The referee's whistle blew. Shooting foul on Uozumi Jun.
"HEY! I GOT ALL BALL!" Uozumi bellowed at the referee.
"Uozumi-senpai!"
Sendoh Akira pulled the fuming Uozumi aside. Kobori stepped to the line for two free throws.
Both free throws went in.
Ryonan 27 - 25 Kaijo
"Hmph!"
Uozumi snorted. Yagami could practically see his anger meter filling up.
Ryonan inbound.
Yagami brought the ball up, scanning for his teammates after crossing half court.
Sendoh was locked down by Kise and couldn't get free, though he didn't seem particularly motivated to work for position either.
Ikegami Ryoji and Koshino Hiroaki were also marked up. Ikegami was Ryonan's defensive specialist, typically assigned to the opponent's second scoring option. Though not impressive offensively, he was clutch when it mattered.
Koshino had a reliable mid-range game, but his outside shooting and off-ball movement were average at best.
"So then, what will you do?"
Sendoh watched Yagami with an amused expression. Passing wasn't so simple—anyone could give the ball to their ace, but truly excellent passing meant activating the entire team's offense and keeping everyone engaged.
"GIVE ME THE BALL!"
Unlike Sendoh's nuanced observation, Uozumi wasn't overthinking anything. Kobori had just scored on him—now he wanted payback!
Yagami ignored his captain's demand and grinned at Kasamatsu. "Senpai, that move you did was pretty slick."
"Now let me—"
The instant Kasamatsu opened his mouth to respond, Yagami exploded past his right side.
"DIRTY TRICK!"
Kasamatsu was already out of position. He could only lean his body into Yagami's path—practically colliding with him.
No whistle!
Yagami's momentum stuttered, but his movement didn't stop. He hammered the ball into the floor and immediately stepped back, creating separation from Kasamatsu.
"This guy?!"
Kasamatsu hadn't expected Yagami to not only copy his move but chain additional moves onto it! This terrifying learning ability—he'd only seen it in Kise Ryota!
"Even if it's a foul, I'm stopping this shot!"
Kasamatsu gritted his teeth, planted his foot hard, and launched himself in front of Yagami.
But Yagami's hands were empty—the ball wasn't there!
SWISH!
Koshino Hiroaki held his follow-through as the ball dropped through the net.
Ryonan 29 - 25 Kaijo
"When did he pass it? Could it have been...?" Kasamatsu muttered, his expression bewildered. He'd only lost sight of the ball for an instant—during Yagami's step-back.
Koshino Hiroaki looked equally confused. Somehow, the ball had just appeared in his hands.
"Beautiful pass, rookie!"
Koshino acted like everything had gone exactly as planned, slapping Yagami on the back.
"Thanks for the compliment, senpai." Yagami replied politely.
"Kasamatsu-senpai..." Kise watched his upperclassman get toyed with, fury rising in his chest.
"Your name is Yagami Sorato, right?" Kise grabbed the ball from the baseline. "After pulling something like that, don't expect me to go easy on you."
"Next possession, I'm going to completely destroy you!"
"???" Yagami looked back at Kise with innocent confusion, muttering under his breath, "No wonder he dyed his hair that color. That's pretty edgy."
Sendoh inadvertently overheard Yagami's whisper, and a strange thought crossed his mind.
"Could this guy actually be... kind of devious?"
After Kaijo inbounded, Kise brought the ball up himself, deliberately using a screen to force a switch between Sendoh and Yagami.
He wanted to isolate Yagami and teach this punk a lesson!
Only...
Yagami seemed blissfully unaware of the danger. His mentality was completely relaxed. Even Sendoh couldn't lock down Kise Ryota, so naturally he would—
Defend him!
He'd defend Kise Ryota head-on!
One of the reasons he loved basketball so much was the thrill of battling elite opponents!
Kise had initially thought Yagami lacked competitive spirit, but the moment he tried to blow past him, he sensed danger.
"This guy really is as sneaky as Kasamatsu-senpai said."
"Almost let my guard down."
Kise quickened his dribbling tempo, dropping his center of gravity even lower.
Yagami kept one hand extended in front of Kise while his other hand stayed at his side, ready to disrupt any pass attempt.
"No wonder he could shut down Kasamatsu-senpai. This guy's defense is a nightmare."
With similar heights, Kise attempted two drives and failed both times. Yagami's positioning perfectly neutralized his first-step explosiveness.
As Kise adjusted his dribble and considered his next move, Yagami suddenly jabbed forward with a quick swipe, nearly stripping the ball.
Kasamatsu and Nakamura tried to relocate for a pass, but Sendoh and Ikegami stayed glued to them.
"You really are impressive," Kise sighed, his eyes sharpening. "But I'm not all flash and no substance."
"Hm?"
Yagami sensed what was coming and immediately pressed up tight on Kise.
Kise took a large step backward. If that were all, Yagami's forward contest might have disrupted his sight line.
But Kise jumped backward, then leaned his upper body back—and shot!
SWISH!
Nothing but net.
Three-pointer!
Ryonan 29 - 28 Kaijo
Only one point separated them!
"Tch." Yagami clicked his tongue in frustration. That kind of ridiculous shot was beyond the realm of normal defense.
"Kise, beautiful shot!" Kasamatsu praised loudly.
Still, forcing Kise to abandon his drive and resort to such a difficult shot meant Ryonan's rookie was genuinely terrifying.
"You taking this one or me?" Sendoh asked casually, holding the ball out to Yagami.
"I got it!"
Yagami caught the ball. If his read was correct, the person defending him next would be—
"Let's go!" Kise stood at half court, declaring war!
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