Chapter 075: Now That I Think About It, the Generation of Miracles Really Was Blessed

The second half began.

Nijimura Shuzo glanced at Shigure Akihito. The latter's expression was practically shouting "Give me the ball!" , but in the end, Nijimura still chose to bring the ball up himself.

After Ōzō Masaaki drew a double-team in the paint, he immediately kicked the ball out under Nijimura's guiding hand gesture.

Smack!

The ball passed through Nijimura's hands…

…and flew out to Utsumi Masahiko beyond the arc.

As for Shigure Akihito, he was drifting on the fringes of the formation, hovering near center court, using his threat as a three-point shooter to draw Hagioka Kasayuki into watching him like a hawk.

Pulling away the strongest piece on the board , that was his purpose.

Elsewhere...

Utsumi Masahiko caught the ball, and Hino Shinya closed in immediately with high-pressure defense.

But,

Utsumi faked a pass, then instantly let the ball fly!

"Aren't you a little too eager?"

"That kind of fake…"

"Who are you trying to fool?!"

Whoosh!

Hino completely read Utsumi's shooting rhythm!

"If you want to pull off that fake, maybe learn a thing or two from your team's No. 7 first-year!"

Clang!

Hino's heavy contest did the trick.

The ball clanged off the rim and bounced away.

Hagioka Kasayuki was already watching from the side. It was obvious Teiko was trying to conserve Shigure Akihito's stamina after that relentless first-half performance. With an 11-point lead, they were letting the rest of the team take more offensive reps.

But...

Hagioka Kasayuki wasn't about to let that go unpunished.

Okayama's turn on offense.

After Tonochi Kaoru passed the ball to Hagioka, he immediately dashed toward Teiko's half of the court.

Meanwhile,

The recently stonewalled Utsumi Masahiko muttered in frustration,

"The Okayama point guard's really got it easy…"

"Just handing the ball to their center every time…"

"Tch…"

Hagioka Kasayuki,

What exactly is he on the court?

A center?

A point guard?

He goes from the 5 to the 1 like it's nothing. Ridiculous.

"Still, one thing's for sure, "

"As the ace…"

"Shigure's the strongest."

Right then, Hagioka brought the ball up and stopped in front of Shigure Akihito. Teiko clearly understood: Hagioka wanted to take on Shigure directly.

Instead of scrambling for switches and screens later, they might as well match Shigure up with Hagioka head-on from the start.

And so…

The next scene on the court made everyone's eyes widen in shock.

Teiko…

Okayama…

The spectators…

All of them could feel it,

That razor-sharp focus in Hagioka's eyes.

That overwhelming presence.

He made his move.

Smack, smack… smack!

For the first time, Hagioka brought out his full arsenal of nuanced ball-handling , completely different from his previous rhythm!

In-and-out!

Shammgod!

Cross… stop, step-back!

Hip turn… misleading step!

Amid the erratic rhythm of dribbles, Hagioka suddenly spun ,

A backdown while in motion!

Shigure Akihito was still fully immersed in the power of Green Light, a predator bathed in green, waiting to strike.

The moment his target moved, so did he!

Cut him off!

And so,

A terrifying offensive-defensive clash began.

So intense that no one could tell who had the upper hand in this explosive start to the second half!

Hagioka's dazzling handle gave him some advantage, but against Shigure's speed, he couldn't crack the defense.

[Uekusa Tomoyuki: Possession-Steal]

Get close, lower your stance, conceal your body, strike quickly , attempt a steal!

But this time, Hagioka didn't counter with his signature "butt-out" move like in the first half.

Instead, he met Shigure's defense head-on, while his eyes constantly scanned the court.

Everyone knew ,

Passing was another massive threat in Hagioka's skillset!

Whoosh!

Shigure timed his next steal attempt.

Hagioka slipped under with a lightning-quick crossover, escaping just in time , and burst forward!

But Shigure turned and accelerated like a blur, quickly getting back into the duel!

On court,

One moved like a gale!

The other stood like steel amid the storm!

They clashed over and over again in a matter of seconds.

Ordinarily, Shigure's Green Light mode, while his stamina held, meant he could instantly recover and trail any opponent, no matter the fake.

Hagioka's handling, on the other hand, was a high-wire act of precision and focus.

Prolonged tension would normally crack anyone's concentration,

But the opposite happened.

Under immense mental pressure, Hagioka didn't falter , he added more layers to his plays!

Like now,

A between-the-legs hand-off fake, then a sudden wide swing,

Exposing the ball right in front of Shigure Akihito!

Shigure's eyes widened in surprise.

'[Uekusa Tomoyuki: Possession-Steal]' , execute!

Then,

Hagioka halted.

Shoved the ball forward.

And using the explosive power from his preloaded crouch,

He blasted past Shigure's side!

The gym fell deathly silent.

In the stands,

Fukaya Reiji's long bangs flew aside, revealing his rare, intense gaze, several times now flashing before Kurokawa Shinji's eyes.

On court,

Though Shigure's steal attempt failed and he got beat, his face showed no regret.

In fact,

He grinned.

Following in hot pursuit, his white Teiko jersey fluttered violently in the wind he tore through.

Ahead of him,

Hagioka Kasayuki leapt into the paint!

Shigure Akihito closed in with a flicker ,

A burst of Green Light speed so fast, it was like teleportation!

And in the blink of an eye, he reached Hagioka's takeoff point!

Everyone held their breath.

The benches on both sides , all the players stood up.

Then,

Hagioka, at 193 cm with strong hops,

Faced Shigure, whose "Kiyota Nobunaga: Skywalker Block" enhanced his vertical, and whose block stat sat at an astonishing 104.

Even so,

Smack!

To block the shot so cleanly , even Shigure found it unexpected.

Hagioka had unveiled a brand new ability to catch Teiko off guard. It shouldn't have ended this easily.

Shigure had braced himself to defend against a euro-step, a hang-time fake, or a dump-off , but…

He'd stopped him cold?

But then,

No evasive maneuver.

No reverse layup.

No pass.

Suddenly, Hagioka switched from a one-handed hold to a two-handed grip!

The power he transferred into the ball surged.

Shigure had come in with both hands too, just in case.

But now,

Midair, strength clashed with strength,

And Hagioka's power won out!

"!?"

So strong!

Dammit!

Was Shigure's 90-point Strength stat a lie?!

Their aerial standoff lasted only a second,

Then Shigure was blasted away by sheer force!

At the same time,

BOOM!

A thunderous dunk echoed through the arena.

After bulldozing through Shigure's block, Hagioka hammered the ball into the rim, hair flying wildly from the impact.

Then,

His gaze flickered,

And he looked down at Shigure, who'd only just steadied himself under the hoop.

Everyone was stunned.

Especially Teiko.

They weren't strangers to midair dominance. Shigure was usually the one soaring, hanging on the rim, looking down at the wreckage.

But now the roles reversed.

Even Nijimura glanced over, stunned.

On the Okayama side, they too were shocked , not by Hagioka…

…but by Shigure.

Even after being broken down by Hagioka's incredible handles,

He still recovered in time to contest the dunk!

It was beyond logic.

In the stands,

Kurokawa Shinji stared at Hagioka with blazing eyes.

Then muttered,

"What the hell… a center that tall…"

"Handles like that are one thing…"

"Tch…"

That power…

Was he trying to rip the hoop off the backboard?!

Damn it!

But,

Kurokawa couldn't even finish his rant.

He had to admit , he was 190 cm as a first-year.

But looking at Hagioka…

Was like staring at the version of himself he only dreamed of becoming.

No,

Not even in his dreams did he imagine this.

On court,

Hagioka looked at Shigure, a little embarrassed that his adrenaline had carried him all the way through.

Still, he couldn't help but speak:

"Shigure Akihito…"

"You've gotta push harder."

"Run faster."

The phrasing was almost identical to before,

Yet now, it hit completely differently.

In that moment,

Shigure Akihito,

Felt a tremble run through him.

As if he'd touched the soul of the sport.

Hagioka saw the flash in Shigure's eyes, then muttered again:

"I'm Hagioka Kasayuki of Okayama. I'll beat you, "

"And take the championship."

The Okayama players: "?!"

What the heck?

Everyone gave Hagioka a puzzled look.

That attack had nothing to do with their halftime strategy.

Was he just… going rogue?

But just then,

Hagioka turned to them, gestured to calm down, and said quietly:

"Sorry. Got a bit carried away. Let's go back to the plan now."

"…Got it."

So in other words,

They could let Hagioka do whatever he wanted.

But no one said that out loud.

Tonochi Kaoru let out a breath:

"At least on defense, go all out."

"Let the fire you've been suppressing burn."

"Captain."

From that point on,

Hagioka personally guarded Shigure full-time.

As he turned on defense, Shigure noticed the same wild light in Hagioka's eyes that Daiki Aomine used to show.

He was stunned.

So this is…

Competition.

There's always someone better.

Hagioka Kasayuki,

Because of the age gap, he never had a chance to face the Generation of Miracles in middle school or high school.

No matter how you looked at it,

He was the protagonist of the previous generation.

Outrageous physique.

Elite athleticism.

Polished skill.

A playstyle eerily similar to Nijimura's.

Versatile.

The guy just screamed main character.

And the kind that could drag a weak team all the way to a national championship.

If not for Shigure Akihito,

He would've had a second title in the bag.

No wonder Nijimura, despite being the best power forward in middle school, didn't win a single championship in his first year.

Because this monster was standing in his way!

Damn it…

Now that he thought about it,

The Generation of Miracles really was lucky.

If only they had experienced this "Miracle of Okayama" with their own eyes…

End of chapter...

To be continued...

We're still in the early chapters of this wild story so it's not too late to jump in and become part of the team!

🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead

🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead

Get early access, exclusive insights, and help me keep this basketball saga alive and thriving.

Join the team. Wear the crown. Be king before the miracles.

patreon.com/MrBehringer