Makino Juro caught the ball one-handed and casually bounced it in his palm.
A crooked, almost punchable smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
"Not going to guard that fox anymore?"
"He bites, you know."
Sendoh didn't smile.
Or rather—
That signature gentle mask on his face… had shattered.
His pupils tightened, his gaze blazing with an almost frightening intensity.
Like a heavy spender finally pulling a hidden SSR.
Excitent.
Pure. Twisted. Unfiltered excitent.
"Rukawa's good."
Sendoh spread his arms, lowering his center of gravity, his whole body drawn taut like a fully stretched bow.
"But right now…"
"You're the one getting hooked."
Before his words even finished—
Makino Juro moved.
No probing. No wind-up.
Just full-throttle explosion from the start!
Bang!
The ball slamd against the floor like a war drum.
Juro's body tilted sharply to the right, almost skimming the ground as he shot forward.
So fast!
Kiyota Nobunaga on the sidelines instinctively crushed the can in his hand.
That first step—
Was absolutely absurd!
But Sendoh… actually kept up!
The mont Makino Juro exploded forward, Sendoh slid in sync like a shadow glued to his feet—
Perfectly sealing off the driving lane.
"Oh?"
Makino Juro raised an eyebrow.
Crossover.
The ball carved a sharp "V" between his legs.
His body snapped back left in an instant.
The classic ankle-breaker—
A move that had dropped countless defenders before.
But this ti...
Sendoh didn't fall.
His footwork faltered for a split second—
Yet with monstrous flexibility, he forcefully twisted his balance back, once again standing like a wall in front of Makino Juro.
Not only did he keep up....
His arm lashed out like a whip, aiming straight at the ball!
Smack!
His fingertips grazed the edge.
The ball's trajectory shifted—just slightly.
He didn't steal it—
But this was the first ti since Juro entered the ga… that anyone had touched the ball.
"Evolved?"
Makino Juro's eyes flickered with surprise.
No—
Not evolution.
Adaptation.
This broom-headed guy was downloading and syncing with Aomine Daiki's formless rhythm at a terrifying speed.
The stronger Makino Juro beca, the more unreasonable his moves were.
And the more unreasonable they beca—
The more excited Sendoh grew.
The faster he reacted.
This guy was like a sentient sponge—
Absorbing everything at a mad pace!
"Interesting."
"As expected of a genius, Sendoh."
The faint blue glow in Makino Juro's eyes flared violently—
His beastly instincts fully awakened.
"Let's see…"
"If you burst before you're filled!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His dribble sped up explosively—
The ball turning into a blur of afterimages on the floor.
Sudden stops. Explosions. Behind-the-back. Lightning spins—
Every move smooth as silk.
Every fake so real it made people question reality.
Sendoh clung to him tightly.
Sweat flew from his chin.
His lungs burned like they were filled with charcoal.
And yet...
The smile on his face only grew wider. Wilder.
This is it!
This is the basketball I've been searching for!
This is the opponent I've always wanted!
The two clashed beyond the three-point line—
Like twin tornadoes tearing into each other.
Everything else around them blurred into the background.
At the edge of the storm.
Rukawa Kaede stood at the 45-degree angle, arms hanging at his sides, chest heaving.
Sweat blurred his vision.
He didn't wipe it.
He just stared—
At those two figures moving too fast to follow.
No pass ca.
No one looked at him.
Even Koshino, who was supposed to be guarding him, was sneaking glances at that godlike duel.
Ignored…?
Rukawa lowered his head, glancing at his own hands.
These hands—
Used to control everything.
Back at Tomigaoka Junior High, as long as he was on the court—
The ball was his.
The spotlight was his.
But now…
In this top-tier Kanagawa battle—
He had beco… an NPC?
"So this is… the gap?"
Once that thought appeared—
It spread like poison.
Juro's unreasonable dominance.
Sendoh's bottomless talent.
Like two towering mountains blocking out all sunlight.
A suffocating sense of powerlessness coiled around his heart like a cold snake.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Am I just a spectator here?
"HEY! RUKAWA!!"
A loud, grating voice suddenly pierced through the noise like a broken gong.
Sakuragi Hanamichi.
That red-haired single-celled organism stood on a chair—
Waving a towel and yelling like a madman.
"You damn fox!"
"What are you doing over there, acting like so brooding pretty boy?!"
"Trying to slack off?! Letting all the spotlight go to that lazy master?!"
"If you can't do it, get off the court! This genius still needs to go save the world!!"
Crude. Loud. Completely uncultured.
But—
It hit like a slap.
Shattering the fog in Rukawa's mind.
Can't do it?
Let?
Rukawa's head snapped up.
Those dull, dead-fish eyes—
Reignited.
Colder.
Sharper.
Fiercer than before.
He looked at the two monsters on the court.
Makino Juro was strong.
Sendoh was strong.
So what?
If it's a mountain, climb it.
If it's a wall, smash through it.
I am Rukawa Kaede.
Above heaven and below—
I stand alone.
His fingers clenched so tightly they turned pale.
Self-doubt?
That kind of weak emotion could get lost.
If you won't look at ...
If you ignore ...
Then I'll…
Take the ball.
And destroy you both.
Rukawa didn't shout.
He simply moved a few steps toward the corner.
Like a blade returning to its sheath—
Waiting for the perfect mont to strike.
Back to the eye of the storm.
Juro and Sendoh's duel had reached its peak.
Only 8 seconds remained on the shot clock.
Suddenly..
Makino Juro made a huge front crossover, pulling the ball to his left.
Sendoh's balance shifted slightly—
But he still stuck tight like glue.
"Useless!"
"Sendoh has completely adapted to your rhythm!"
Coach Taoka roared excitedly from the sidelines.
Is that so?
A faint smile appeared on Makino Juro's lips.
He had been forced into the baseline corner.
In front—Sendoh.
To the side—the baseline.
Behind—the backboard.
A dead end.
There was only one option—
Pass.
"Pass the ball!!" Akagi roared from the paint.
But Juro didn't.
He looked at Sendoh—
Then suddenly made a move that made everyone's scalp tingle.
No slowdown.
He charged straight toward the baseline!
"Suicide drive?"
The thought flashed through Sendoh's mind—
But in the next instant...
Just as his foot was about to step out of bounds—
Makino Juro jumped.
Not upward...
But backward.
His entire body flew out of bounds!
At the sa ti.
He twisted midair, facing the back…
Of the backboard.
"What is he doing?!"
Maki Shinichi shot to his feet, pupils trembling.
Makino Juro was now completely behind the backboard.
Between him and the rim—
A thick pane of glass.
A negative angle.
An angle that would make Newton claw his way out of his grave.
And yet...
There was no panic on Makino Juro's face.
Only extre arrogance.
His body fully extended.
Right hand gripping the ball.
From low to high—
He carved out a bizarre yet elegant arc.
Like wielding a crescent blade.
"Watch closely, hedgehog."
"This shot—"
"Is called a formless shot."
"I…"
"Am the real Boss!"
END OF CHAPTER
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