Chapter Sixty-One: Setting Sail!
"That bastard—how dare he toy with us like that!" Kiyota Nobunaga's voice cracked with frustration. "And that announcer too, calling that guy Kanagawa's strongest first-year already? What a joke! I'm the strongest first-year here!"
"Nobunaga." Maki Shinichi's voice carried an edge of genuine anger—something his teammates rarely heard. "Are you really playing this game with such a childish mentality?"
"...!"
"Have you not looked at the scoreboard? Have you not seen the banner hanging courtside?"
For the first time, Kiyota saw something terrifying flash across Maki's face. His eyes involuntarily drifted toward the sideline, where Kainan's "Constant Victory" banner hung beside the glaring scoreboard.
Down by 12 points.
"What matters isn't individual performance—it's the team's victory." Maki's tone was ice-cold. "Kainan cannot lose!"
"YES!!"
From the stands, Fujima Kenji shook himself free from his amazement, a thoughtful smile crossing his lips. "Point guard really doesn't suit that guy after all."
"Hmm? Why do you suddenly say that?" Hanagata Toru asked, puzzled. "His performance today seems even better than when we played them. He pulled down ten assists in a single quarter."
"Yes, he's excellent as a point guard," Fujima said, his words seemingly contradictory. "But the position that suits him best isn't point guard."
"Oh?"
"That move just now was spectacular. In that single second airborne, he used consecutive fakes to deceive everyone. Do you think that was improvisation?"
"Improvisation?" Hanagata repeated the word slowly.
He replayed the sequence in his mind. Yagami Sorato's penetration forced everyone to commit their defensive attention to him. He faked the layup, drawing the interior defense. Then when surrounded by the trap, he appeared to pass out—only for Kainan's players to discover while rotating to Sendoh that Yagami was still shooting.
He'd even attempted to tuck his knees mid-air to extend his hang time for the release...
If all of that was improvisation—
"Impossible!" Hanagata declared firmly. "I don't believe anyone could do that to such a degree, especially not a first-year."
"Right. I don't believe it either," Fujima said with a sigh. "Which means we have to assume he planned all of it from the very beginning."
"That..." Hanagata froze.
It made sense when put that way, but planning from the start to execute such movements was equally absurd. Whether Yagami had actually succeeded or even conceived such an idea—both possibilities were too outrageous to accept.
"So you understand, don't you? In his original plan, he never intended to pass at all," Fujima smiled. "He knew his own threat level. He knew he could draw the defense. But he didn't choose Uozumi under the basket. He didn't choose Fukuda, who excels at cutting. He even used Sendoh as a decoy to scatter their attention..."
"Someone like that—how could he possibly be a point guard?"
Fujima's gaze drifted to Sendoh Akira on the court, murmuring, "You must feel it too, right? That kind of 'threat' from someone beside you."
"Um, excuse me... You're Shoyo's captain Fujima, right?"
A group of female students had somehow appeared in their corner of the stands.
"C-Can I shake your hand?"
"Could you sign this for me?"
Hanagata Toru, one of Kanagawa's four great centers, found himself unceremoniously pushed aside as Fujima graciously smiled and greeted his fans, shaking hands and signing autographs.
The game entered the fourth quarter.
Facing a double-digit deficit, Kainan decisively increased their tempo. There was no time left for them to grind through halfcourt possessions with Ryonan.
In this critical moment, Maki demonstrated the dominance befitting Kanagawa's number one player.
No one could stop him.
Sendoh Akira couldn't. Uozumi Jun's help defense couldn't. When Yagami Sorato tried joining Sendoh in a double-team, the result was Jin Soichiro draining a three-pointer, rapidly closing the gap.
After paying that price, Ryonan relaxed their mindset. At least Kainan didn't have a third reliable scoring option.
Maki Shinichi gave everything he had. On one possession, he bulldozed through with the ball, rising up through a double-team and viciously hammering it through the rim over Uozumi Jun!
Not only did the basket count—he earned an and-one free throw.
Uozumi picked up his fourth foul. But with only five minutes remaining in the game, Ryonan showed no panic. Coach Taoka didn't even consider calling a timeout or making a substitution over this incident.
Facing Kainan's desperate comeback attempt, Ryonan had no perfect answer—but Kainan likewise couldn't contain the performances of Yagami Sorato and Sendoh Akira.
Sendoh took over the point guard duties openly in the final quarter. His chemistry with Uozumi and Fukuda ran deeper than Yagami's. Whether it was a fake drive leading to an assist for Uozumi Jun's two-handed slam, or finding the cutting Fukuda Kicchou with a timely pass—Sendoh operated with complete ease.
Meanwhile, Yagami Sorato played with even more freedom after shifting to an off-ball role. He no longer faced double-teams. He simply needed to cut to the basket for scores at times, or drift to the perimeter to catch and shoot at others.
Both teams entered a scoring frenzy in the fourth quarter. Though the battle appeared fierce, Ryonan consistently maintained the gap within a safe range.
"BEEEEP—!"
The final buzzer sounded.
Ryonan 108 - Kainan 102
Ryonan gave Kainan no opportunity whatsoever, securing victory with complete control.
"WOOOOO—! We won!"
The Ryonan bench erupted instantly. Players charged onto the court with jubilant cheers.
Aida Hikoichi was the first to reach Yagami Sorato's side, excitedly grabbing his shoulder—only to discover his jersey was completely soaked through with sweat, his body nearly spent.
Yagami exhaled in relief, his body trembling slightly as he leaned almost his entire weight against Aida Hikoichi.
It wasn't surprising.
The entire game, Yagami Sorato had stuck to Jin Soichiro like glue, pouring every ounce of energy into the defensive end.
On offense, while it appeared he simply handed the ball to Sendoh Akira whenever facing a trap, everyone understood why he drew those traps in the first place. And managing to safely deliver the ball across halfcourt time after time under that intense pressure had exhausted his mental reserves.
Not to mention the incredible offensive explosions Yagami displayed in the game's second half...
"Hey... help me out too..." came Sendoh Akira's weak voice from nearby. His hands pressed against his knees as he bent over, gasping for air. While not as completely drained as Yagami, he looked thoroughly exhausted.
Uekusa Tomoyuki and Koshino Hiroaki quickly rushed toward Sendoh.
"Looks like defending Maki was even more exhausting than I imagined," Coach Taoka observed from the sideline, watching his two aces—weary yet radiant with victory—his face unable to suppress a smile of pride.
"This victory is undoubtedly excellent experience before heading to nationals."
"Ryonan's true potential was fully revealed in this game. We can officially set sail toward even higher goals now."