Beside him, Mitsui Hisashi frowned.
"You mean Maki Shinichi has recovered?"
"He was completely suppressed by Sendoh just moments ago."
"Recovered?"
Juro let out a mocking laugh, twisted open his bottle cap, and took a sip.
"It's not that easy."
"If a few words could erase the demons in someone's heart, psychologists would have starved to death long ago."
"Takato just injected him with a high-concentration dose of confidence. It only made him temporarily forget the pain."
Makino Juro pointed toward the cold-faced man on the court.
"But that's enough."
"Even if Maki doesn't enter the Zone, Ryonan's advantage is already unstable."
"Maki Shinichi isn't the type of person who'll just stand there and keep taking hits."
...
On the court, it was Kainan's possession.
Maki Shinichi personally went to the baseline to receive the ball.
"Boom!"
The basketball struck the floor with a deep, powerful sound.
Unlike before, he didn't rush forward immediately.
Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and moved step by step, steady like a heavy tank.
His eyes were no longer wandering.
They locked firmly onto Sendoh in front of him.
That gaze was like he wanted to devour his opponent alive.
Miyagi Ryota leaned against the railing, his expression serious.
"His rhythm changed."
"Compared to Sendoh, who makes his teammates shine, Maki prefers to take the blade himself and carve through the defense."
"And didn't you notice? Kainan hasn't even started running their plays yet."
"Jin is moving without the ball, Kiyota is cutting, Takasago is fighting for position, but there's only one true core…"
Miyagi tightened his grip on the railing.
"Maki Shinichi is going solo."
On the court.
Maki dribbled up to the top of the arc.
Sendoh still spread his arms wide.
That mysterious trademark smile remained on his face as he used his height advantage to cover Maki.
"Maki, you look a lot better now."
Sendoh still had enough leisure to tease him.
The response he received was a collision with no unnecessary tricks.
"Bang!"
Shoulder crashed into chest.
The heavy impact made people's teeth ache.
Sendoh frowned slightly.
The soles of his shoes scraped against the floor, creating a sharp—
"Skrrr"
What strength!
If the previous Maki Shinichi was a stone…
Then the current Maki was a red-hot iron block!
His power had risen by an entire level!
"Defense! Defense!"
The Kainan bench frantically slapped their seats.
Maki used his body to protect the ball and forced his way through half a step.
Sendoh immediately slid sideways.
His long arms followed like a shadow.
Like a giant net covering every possible route.
Not a single opening.
"Beautiful defense!"
Taoka Moichi shouted from the sideline, clenching his fist.
On the Kainan bench, Takato Riki lightly tapped his folding fan against his palm and nodded.
"Taoka-senpai, I have to admit…"
"You trained them very well."
"Even under this kind of pressure, their formation remains intact. Sendoh's individual ability truly is exceptional."
"But…"
Takato narrowed his eyes.
"Can you stop Maki Shinichi himself?"
"Can you stop his ambition?"
At that exact moment....
The rhythm on the court suddenly exploded!
Maki, who had been backing down and forcing his way inside, suddenly made an extremely unnatural spin move.
It wasn't to beat the defender.
It was to accelerate!
A pure burst of explosive power!
"What?!"
Sendoh's pupils shrank.
Maki Shinichi was like an enraged bull.
He completely ignored the defensive advantage.
Relying purely on his terrifying first-step explosion, he forced his way past Sendoh's left side!
"He got through!!"
The entire arena erupted.
"Help defense!!"
Uozumi Jun roared.
His massive body abandoned Takasago and charged toward Maki like a mountain collapsing.
A giant ape in front.
Sendoh chasing from behind.
A dead end?
But Maki's face showed no panic.
He didn't even look at the basket.
The instant before Uozumi jumped to block him, Maki's wrist subtly flicked behind his head.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball flew toward the right baseline like a missile.
And there—
A figure wearing Kainan's uniform had already launched into the air.
Kiyota Nobunaga!
"Wahaha! I was waiting right here!"
Kiyota caught the ball.
There was no one in front of him.
Ryonan's entire defensive focus had been dragged away by Maki.
"This is the power of a true ace's gravity!"
Kiyota shouted as he pushed off the ground.
His body stretched in the air like a drawn bow.
He was ready to unleash a thunderous tomahawk dunk, venting all the frustration from being intimidated by Uozumi earlier.
"Get in there!!"
If this shot went in, Kainan's momentum would completely flip!
However....
Just as the ball was about to slam into the basket…
A hand appeared.
A slender, pale hand filled with incredible strength suddenly appeared above the basketball.
Kiyota's smile froze.
He turned his head in horror.
And saw that familiar spiky-haired figure.
Those eyes still carried a smile…
But were cold enough to freeze the soul.
Sendoh Akira!
When did he get here?!
"Sorry."
Sendoh's voice echoed through the air, calm and effortless.
"This road is closed."
"BAM!!!"
A thunderous impact exploded.
The basketball was violently pinned against the backboard.
A brutal chase-down block!
Kiyota Nobunaga was knocked down along with the ball's momentum, tumbling across the floor twice in embarrassment.
The entire arena fell silent for one second.
Then...
A wave of screams erupted that nearly tore the roof apart!
"WAAAAAAAH!!"
"He blocked it!!"
"It's Sendoh! Oh my god!"
"He was defending Maki and still had time to come back and block Kiyota's dunk?!"
"What kind of insane reaction speed is that?!"
In the stands, Aida Yayoi was trembling with excitement.
Her pen nearly pierced through the notebook.
"Incredible…"
"This is Ryonan's defense!"
"Sendoh isn't just a magician on offense…"
"On defense, he's a spider web covering the entire court!"
...
Maki stopped.
He turned back and looked at the scene.
His expression became so dark it looked like water could drip from it.
He never expected that his full-powered drive and kick-out pass would be neutralized by Sendoh in such an unreasonable way.
"Great job, Sendoh!"
Uozumi rushed over and heavily slapped Sendoh's back.
Sendoh shook his slightly numb hand.
He looked at Kiyota on the floor.
Then looked back at Maki.
"Phew…"
He lightly exhaled.
His chest was rising and falling noticeably.
"That was close. Almost got me."
Although his tone sounded relaxed…
Makino Juro could clearly see it.
Sendoh's temples were already completely soaked with sweat.
A one-man defense against two attackers at this level consumed stamina exponentially.
For the next few minutes, the game turned into a brutal tug-of-war.
Maki had regained his form.
Like a bulldozer, he repeatedly charged into the paint.
But under Sendoh's leadership, Ryonan became like a stubborn piece of chewing gum that refused to come off.
On offense, Sendoh used his height advantage and vision to continuously deliver ammunition to Fukuda and Uozumi.
On defense, everyone collapsed inward and guarded the paint.
Kainan could still score…
But every single point came at a heavy price.
Meanwhile, Ryonan's scoring looked smooth and effortless.
"Beep!"
The halftime buzzer sounded.
The scoreboard froze at:
29 : 39
Ryonan still held a 10-point lead.
Both teams walked toward their benches.
Kainan's side was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
Maki took the towel handed to him and silently wiped away his sweat.
On Ryonan's side, although they were leading, exhaustion was written across everyone's faces.
Especially Sendoh.
He collapsed onto the bench, tilted his head back, and drank water heavily.
His chest rose and fell violently.
"Looks like the consumption is pretty big."
Juro looked at Sendoh's condition and rubbed his chin.
"He has to be the father, the mother, and the babysitter…"
"He's also responsible for defending their strongest opponent."
"Even someone like Sendoh…"
"How long can he maintain this level of output?"
"Especially when Maki Shinichi hasn't even truly started yet."
END OF CHAPTER
The King Of Slacking Off - MrBehringer's Secret
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