Chapter 066: I Don’t Need to Hide My Skills, Because I Have Too Many

At the same time Teiko entered the court, another team stepped in, the players of Senzan Junior High, clad in yellow and brown uniforms.

During warm-ups, Reo Mibuchi never once took his eyes off Teiko. As soon as Teiko began their drills, he immediately strode over.

"Shigure-kun~"

"You've been taking good care of my jacket, right?"

"I'll be needing it back after the match~"

His tone, flamboyant and flamboyantly sweet, made everyone on Teiko, except for the already-experienced Nijimura, twitch at the corners of their eyes. They couldn't help but glance over.

Asahi Nanaki, taking a good look at this first-year shooting guard just like Shigure, swallowed nervously.

It wasn't just the voice, the gestures had that vibe too.

Was he... close with Shigure?

No way…

Could it be the same strength?

Just the thought made Asahi shake his head. No way, he told himself.

Shigure Akihito nodded politely at Reo and asked seriously, "You want your jacket back? You're not expecting to get it for free, are you? What're you putting on the table this time?"

Reo froze.

Obviously... he hadn't thought that far ahead.

Luckily, the one who posed the question also offered a solution.

"How about this~"

"If you win, I'll return your jacket. But if I win, I want you to speak to me in a regular person's tone from now on~"

"How's that?"

"Fair enough, right?"

Reo blinked, then composed his face and replied solemnly, "In that case, I have to win now, Shigure Akihito~"

Shigure nodded calmly. "So that I won't have to turn around and walk away every time I see you in the future, I think it's better if you lose~"

Reo: "…"

Reo: "You really are… quite the character~"

Shigure Akihito: "Looking forward to the match."

Reo Mibuchi: "Same here."

While Shigure and Reo were having their quirky exchange about jackets and speech tones...

On the other side of the court, a tall, broad-shouldered, middle-aged man walked over from Senzan's bench. He approached Coach Hakugin respectfully and greeted, "Good to see you again, Hakugin-senpai."

Hakugin Kozo's expression softened into a rare smile. "Ah, Hongō. It's been a while. I heard you made it to the finals last year. Well done."

Coach Hongō rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It was just luck."

"There's no such thing as luck at this level," Hakugin replied. "You had the strength. Don't be overly modest, that borders on arrogance, you know."

Hongō chuckled awkwardly. "Still the same as ever, senpai. Well then, I hope you'll go easy on us today. I truly believe this year's Senzan is even stronger than last year."

Hakugin nodded. "Teiko will be remembered by every junior high basketball fan this year. That's my ambition, as a veteran."

That made Coach Hongō pause. Then, with a serious expression, he replied, "Senpai, I'll be watching closely."

Back on Senzan's bench, Coach Hongō turned to observe the warm-up.

Due to Teiko's sheer dominance, the match had drawn quite a crowd.

Shigure's explosive dunk and Nijimura's fluid ball handling during warm-ups drew wave after wave of thunderous applause.

Coach Hongō: "…"

No. 7 , Shigure Akihito.

No. 8 , Nijimura Shuzo.

So that's your confidence, huh?

Entrusting your title hopes to two first-years… You really are bold, Hakugin-senpai.

Soon after, the match between Teiko and Senzan officially began.

Senzan's starting center locked eyes with Ozo Masaaki from the moment he stepped on court, staring at him so intently that Ozo looked puzzled.

He wasn't sure why he was being glared at.

But in reality, this wasn't their first encounter.

Back in his own first year, Senzan's center had played a practice game in Tokyo while still a bench player. At that time, Ozo was already a backup at Teiko.

Same age.

He'd challenged Ozo, and been thoroughly crushed by his refined technique. That moment still burned in his memory.

Their runner-up finish last year had one major regret, not the loss to Okayama in the finals, but the fact that they never crossed paths with Teiko in the bracket.

He never got to prove how much he'd grown.

But now,

Now was the time!

"What's the matter?" Ozo asked, confused by the intense gaze.

Senzan's center quickly looked away and said seriously, "Let's settle this here and now, Ozo Masaaki! I've waited two years for this day!"

He had rehearsed this line in his mind countless times, and now he delivered it with fiery conviction.

That sounded powerful! he told himself.

Ozo's blank expression must mean he was blown away by his aura.

I'm not who I used to be!

I am Miki Kenichi, the center of a national runner-up team!

But Ozo blinked and asked sincerely, "Umm… Sorry, but have we met before? Did we play against each other?"

"Pft, !"

Shigure couldn't hold it in.

When both players turned to look at him, he turned away and said, "Sorry, I have this condition where I laugh uncontrollably at secondhand embarrassment…"

Nijimura: "…"

This guy… always knows how to talk.

Miki Kenichi stood there, frozen.

He… he really doesn't remember?!

That heartfelt promise to rematch… I was the only one who took it seriously?!

How dare you, Ozo Masaaki!

"Ozo Masaaki!"

"This time, I'll take you down!"

Ozo, seeing how fired up his opponent was, started getting pumped too, though he still had no clue who the guy was.

He was the kind of player who'd get hyped just by seeing someone else fired up, even if that someone was a teammate.

Like when his teammates got excited over Shigure's buzzer beaters, he'd be right there yelling, "OHHHH!" with them.

Their pre-tipoff theatrics were cut short by the referee's whistle.

He gestured for both centers to get into position.

Moments later,

Whistle, !

The ball soared into the air.

Miki Kenichi crouched, ready to leap.

But just as he did, Ozo's laid-back expression instantly vanished. With a perfect sense of timing, he leapt half a beat earlier!

His control over his vertical leap, wingspan, and timing was flawless.

Smack!

Miki: "!?"

What the hell?!

This guy even controls the direction of the tap midair?!

Nijimura smoothly caught the ball and instantly launched it forward with a sweeping pass, a blazing orange streak cutting through the air toward Senzan's paint!

Teiko's set play, Shigure's fast break!

Miki had no chance to recover in time. With no one protecting the rim, Shigure burst in like an arrow.

Sendō Akira: Flying Tomahawk Dunk!

BOOM, !

Teiko draws first blood.

2:0.

Despite the stunning opener, Senzan remained calm.

Miki muttered, "That was my…"

His third-year teammate patted his shoulder. "Relax. Just the beginning."

Shigure jogged back on defense, passing by Reo, who wore an unbothered smile.

Shigure narrowed his eyes.

Confident, huh?

Even though we already beat you once…

Just then, Senzan's point guard pushed up the court, stopped at the top of the arc, and passed to Reo, who was already well-positioned.

Shigure immediately stepped up to guard him.

Reo wasn't surprised.

Both were shooting guards, it was only natural they'd match up.

And Shigure, knowing what Reo was capable of, guarded him with intense focus.

"Hmmm~ Shigure-kun~"

"We meet so soon~"

"But…"

"You may look intimidating, but I've already noticed… Compared to Nijimura-kun, your defense is much easier to read~"

"Steals~"

"Blocks~"

"With just those two tools, you can beat most players. But against me…"

"Let me show you~"

"Defense is all about experience, you know~"

With that, Reo went into his shooting motion.

Pump fake.

Jump.

Shigure didn't hesitate.

With "Tomokazu Gōdai: Full-Speed Acceleration," he rushed in with blistering speed.

He was right in Reo's face in an instant!

Sendō Akira: Volleyball Block!

But,

Shigure: "!?"

It was a flawless fake. Reo had barely lifted one foot off the ground, his toe from the other foot still lightly grazed the floor.

"Wow, you sure jumped, Shigure-kun~"

Only after Shigure committed did Reo leap, into a smooth, graceful fadeaway three-pointer.

The legendary 'Heavenly Shot'!

He arced the ball up perfectly, spin and trajectory impeccable.

Swish!

Senzan takes the lead.

Teiko vs. Senzan: 2–3.

Reo clenched his fist, smiling.

"So strange… You're so good at fakes yourself, Shigure-kun, yet when it comes to reading others… you fall for it every time~"

"Your abilities really do feel like divine gifts, untouched by experience~"

Shigure: "…"

He's not wrong…

Wait... wasn't Reo's skill supposed to awaken in high school?

Did I misremember?

Nijimura furrowed his brow slightly. Not surprised, but impressed.

That kind of three-point technique? Yeah, it was worth hiding until now.

As for Shigure's defense?

He shook his head faintly.

Experience… yeah, that wasn't Shigure's strong suit.

He relied on explosive athleticism and freakish talent.

Steals. Blocks. Speed. Strength.

Reading plays, anticipating fakes, court vision, Shigure hadn't mastered those yet.

But…

Even without those, against Reo Mibuchi, Shigure might still have the upper hand.

If Reo thought Shigure's tricks ended there, he was gravely mistaken.

Teiko's possession.

Shigure crossed midcourt and immediately signaled for the ball from Masatoshi Ebaba.

Without hesitation, Ebaba passed. He knew Shigure would want to answer that three.

Swish, !

The ball landed in Shigure's hands.

"Reo Mibuchi…"

"You like to hide things, huh~?"

"Unfortunately for you, even if you've watched my matches…"

"You've never seen the whole picture."

"Know why?"

Reo: "!?"

What's he planning? A deep three?

No problem. Reo had the speed and reach to close the gap while guarding the drive.

If it was a fake, he could follow from behind and wait for help defense.

Bounce,

Bounce,

Bounce,

Suddenly, Shigure gave up the triple-threat stance and stepped forward.

Still deep range, but one step closer.

The perfect range for "Shinjō Ichirō: Side-Step Quick Shot."

Next moment, !

[Shinjō Ichirō: Side-Step Quick Shot – A quick lateral burst to dodge the defender, followed by an instant jump shot.]

Swish!

A clean net!

The ball soared from just inside the deep zone, a range faster than the top-of-the-key super threes!

Quick sidestep. Explosive lift. Lightning release.

Teiko vs. Senzan: 5–3.

Shigure made a finger-pointing three celebration straight at Reo.

"I don't need to hide my skills," he said with a grin.

"Because I've got way too many of them~"

So many, I'll never run out!

"Trying to surprise me?"

"Too bad, what you haven't seen is just getting started!"

Reo had reacted the moment Shigure moved, but this wasn't the slow, high-arcing deep three. Shigure's quick trigger left him grasping air.

"I see…"

"Just one step closer… one sidestep more… and there's no need to wind up for a shot."

"I've watched your games. That move, this is the first time I've seen it."

Senzan's offense.

Clearly, even though Reo was a first-year, their game plan revolved around his threes.

His skillset was varied. The previous shot used a fake into a fadeaway. Now, it got even trickier.

Pump fake.

Use a screen.

Cut.

Catch again.

Another pump fake!

But Shigure didn't bite. He just stared at him from a safe distance.

"Heh~"

"You think staying grounded will help?"

You can't guard both the drive and the shot!

This was it,

Heavenly Shot!

But Shigure didn't move.

In fact… he backed up.

And just as the ball left Reo's fingers,

[Nobunaga Kiyota: Flying Block – With explosive leaping ability, soar high for a dramatic block.]

Compared to the 'Volleyball Block,' this technique prioritized height over speed or power.

Because sometimes,

Jumping higher is all it takes!

Smack!

Intercepted mid-trajectory!

This wasn't about experience.

It was pure athleticism.

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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