Chapter 070: Miniature Wide Area Defense, Cracked, Then Taken Right Back

A fierce, primal aura erupted from Nijimura Shuzo. Even the Okayama players who weren't directly facing him felt it, an overwhelming wildness, like that of a lion bearing down on its prey.

Tajika Makoto: "…"

It really was like facing a lion.

But the flaw was obvious: once Nijimura locked into that hyper-focused state, one solely targeting his opponent, even if he tried to maintain control, his passing frequency and effectiveness would drop dramatically.

Which meant,

They just had to settle things with him here and now!

"Bring it on, freshman!"

Nijimura held the ball loosely in both hands, arms relaxed at his sides. His stance looked casual, almost careless, but the very next second, Tajika was struck by a visceral sense of danger. The kind only a lion on the hunt could project!

It was coming.

Hair standing on end, he braced himself.

And Nijimura burst forward.

It was a speed normal people couldn't even fathom. From Akihito's perspective, Nijimura's initial acceleration… had the same flavor as Aomine's explosive drives!

A blur passed by, Nijimura had already ghosted to Tajika's side.

But,

Tajika's body reacted faster than his eyes!

Though he'd lost the frontal position, he managed to keep up from the side with his longer strides, using his body to press into Nijimura's path. But then, an even stronger force slammed into him!

Sudden stop!

Tajika was frozen in place by the inertia of Nijimura's abrupt brake.

Still,

"That was enough!"

At the very moment Nijimura rose for the jumper, Okayama's shooting guard, Raimiya Tōse, had already sprung into action. He stepped up ahead of time and was right behind Nijimura, leaping to block, like he'd been lying in wait.

What he didn't notice, though, was that while Okayama had set a defensive trap...

Nijimura had silently dropped out of his Wild Instinct state.

And that jumper in mid-air,

, became a pass!

The target? Shigure Akihito, who'd been slightly let go of due to the defensive trap, slipping just outside Raimiya's optimal coverage.

Raimiya's brows furrowed in surprise.

They had done their homework. The scouting had been thorough, Nijimura and Akihito's tendencies were no secret.

But theory and experience? Very different things.

The very next moment, Nijimura sent the ball flying in midair. Raimiya heard the slap of the catch, and then, just above his own head, a beautiful arc rose through the air.

Whoosh!

By the time Raimiya landed, Shigure Akihito had already released the shot.

Teiko vs Okayama.

3:2.

Nijimura looked down at Tajika, who was still rooted in place from the stop. As he turned, he cast a glance back at Raimiya, who'd tried to double-team him.

"That little trap of yours… just for some cheap applause?"

"There's a limit to underestimating people."

Tajika: "…"

Raimiya: "…"

"…Why'd you force him toward my side?" Raimiya asked, a little annoyed.

Tajika shrugged, "No choice. It's my first time facing Wild Instinct in a real game… there was a slight misread…"

, ,

Okayama's offensive possession.

Shigure Akihito's defensive positioning drew everyone's surprise.

"Huh?!"

"Wait a sec…"

"What is Akihito defending?!"

He wasn't sticking close to Raimiya Tōse, whom he should've been marking. Instead, he stood near the free-throw line in Teiko's half, only slightly angled toward Raimiya's side.

Even Okayama's players were baffled by the sudden shift.

Captain Hagioka Kasayuki pointed directly at Akihito.

"He's…"

"Trying to help on everyone while still guarding Raimiya?!"

Ōzō Masaaki glanced over instinctively. "This guy's court awareness is scary good. No one else would even think of doing that…"

Defending all five players at once?

Seriously?

Okayama's point guard, Tōchi Kaoru, received the hint from the captain. He looked at Akihito standing dead-center and muttered, "Interesting. Is it because of his speed and hops…?"

"Is that actually possible?"

Click.

If Kasayuki said so, might as well assume it's real.

Tōchi Kaoru shifted far to the right side of the arc, the point most distant from Akihito. Then, under Nijimura's pressure and with the help of a screen, he sped up and headed toward the paint for a jumper,

Pump fake!

Sure enough, the instant he faked,

Akihito, stationed near the free-throw line, twitched.

But,

He didn't bite.

Right in front of him, Nijimura had subtly raised a hand toward Akihito and made a pushing gesture, silently signaling him not to move.

Tōchi Kaoru: "Impressive…"

If Akihito had a weakness, it was his inexperience.

But Nijimura was the complete opposite.

He'd read the fake, understood the situation, and even while being screened, still judged Akihito capable of handling the situation, and managed to transmit that judgment mid-play.

Two freshmen… both doing incredible things.

Thud!

Dead-ball situation.

Tōchi Kaoru stayed calm-faced but threw the ball toward the rim like he'd panicked. It was never going to go in, barely even a shot. It was all a decoy.

And then,

Under the basket, Hagioka Kasayuki suddenly spun off the ball!

Ōzō Masaaki followed close behind,

Boom!

In the paint, he crashed into Okayama's power forward, Tajika!

"…"

A screen between two bigs?!

In that same instant, Kaoru's "panicked" shot arced absurdly high, sailing right over Nijimura's reach and toward the rim!

Hagioka Kasayuki leaped and grabbed it in mid-air!

"Alley-oop?!"

"Nice one!"

"Great pass!"

The crowd hadn't noticed Okayama's brilliant setup, they were too distracted by the "garbage" pass turning to gold. All eyes shifted to Hagioka, who had somehow slipped his mark and was rising fast!

But in the next second,

Gasps turned to stunned silence.

Behind Hagioka, a shadow descended. A chill filled the air.

Something was very wrong.

It was an alley-oop. He'd just caught the ball. No time to react.

"In the air…"

"This is my domain."

Shigure Akihito, who moments ago had been near the free-throw line, now soared behind Hagioka!

Smack!

Block!

Hagioka: "…"

Not that simple, huh?

This freshman… Shigure Akihito.

Akihito's hand landed squarely between Hagioka's. But Hagioka, face suddenly twisted with exertion, clamped down hard like a vice.

He held on.

Mid-air, they twisted with the block's momentum.

Akihito's block grazed Hagioka's arm, and the latter launched the ball toward the basket mid-twist!

Clang, !

As expected, such a chaotic shot had no chance of going in.

But,

Tweet, !

"White No. 7!"

"Contact foul!"

"Black No. 4, two free throws!"

Hagioka landed, staggered a few steps, then steadied himself and looked toward his teammates. Ignoring Teiko entirely, he shouted:

"It's a bit draining! But when you're attacking, keep eyes on No. 8! Disrupt his vision toward No. 7 as much as you can!"

The rest of Okayama nodded in unison.

"Yes!"

"Got it, Captain!"

"Understood!"

"Roger!"

Hagioka stepped up to the free-throw line without a hint of surprise at Akihito's incredible coverage. Even after disrupting the block attempt, he showed no signs of celebration.

Swish!

First free throw, good.

Teiko vs Okayama.

3:3.

Hagioka: Huff…

Akihito…

Was stronger than expected.

Teiko had opened the game by letting Nijimura lead the offense, rather than their usual strategy of letting Akihito go solo. Clearly, they were trying to conserve Akihito's energy for defense, using his overwhelming help coverage to balance both ends.

That's the famed Platinum Coach for you.

Exhale…

Need to be even more cautious.

To stay a true powerhouse, you must constantly shed who you once were.

No matter what, this final day of junior high… he would give it his all, and leave with no regrets.

Second free throw, good.

Teiko vs Okayama.

3:4.

Hagioka glanced toward the stands. There, the Okayama banner read:

"When mountains halt, rivers flow."

"Unstoppable and unyielding…"

"Everyone, "

"The opponent is strong, "

"Let's go!!"

"YEAHH!!"

With Hagioka's words, Okayama's energy surged to a peak.

On the other side, Shigure Akihito...

"…"

112 points in Jump, 104 in Block, post-evolution.

Even with full-speed acceleration and the monkey jump, he had arrived in time… and still got cracked in one move.

The "Miniature Wide-Area Defense" he'd devised during the finals, the one that had once stunned the court,

A complete failure.

And then…

Nijimura's eyes gave him that look.

Tch

Okayama Miracle, huh?

Say what you will, but this Hagioka guy…

He's really good.

Too bad Akihito came in too early, just a generation ahead of the "Generation of Miracles." And Hagioka was even more off-timing, three full years too early. Whether in junior high or the canon high school arc, Hagioka would never appear.

But maybe that's better.

Every era has its own stories.

Defeating the Okayama Miracle, that's for this Teiko team, and his moment to shine.

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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