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Atsushi Murasakibara glanced back at the fallen basketball, then turned to Teppei Kiyoshi, glaring angrily. "You bastard!"
In Teiko's rest area, Satsuki Momoi, chin resting on her hand, gripped a mechanical pencil. "Speaking of which, this seems to be the first time Murasakibara has failed a jump ball since the tournament started! His attitude during the game is too lax. He needs to correct this habit when we get back."
She then began scribbling in her notebook.
"That Murasakibara guy..." The assistant coach frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Atsushi's performance.
Kouzo Shirogane, standing nearby, said nothing.
His face always wore a kind smile.
The game continued on the court.
Atsushi Murasakibara picked up the basketball and angrily passed it to Akashi.
Akashi dribbled the ball step by step.
Shoei's point guard, feeling the pressure emanating from his opponent, broke out in a cold sweat.
He found it hard to believe that someone thirty centimeters shorter than him could exert so much pressure.
"Too relaxed," Akashi said. With that, he switched hands and accelerated past his opponent.
"Damn it!" Shoei's point guard scrambled to recover, but Akashi was too fast; by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Akashi dribbled to Shoei's three-point line.
Seeing two Shoei players defending him inside, Akashi passed the ball directly to Midorima outside the three-point line.
Midorima didn't disappoint; he caught the ball, jumped, and shot in one fluid motion.
The player defending him hadn't expected Midorima to be so clean and efficient and had no time to react.
The basketball soared high into the air, then plummeted like a shooting star.
Swish…
A crisp sound of the net swishing through the air rang out.
Teiko had pulled back 3 points.
3-2.
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.
Shoei were also deeply impressed. Although they had known about Teiko's strength before, experiencing it firsthand was a completely different feeling.
Kiyoshi Teppei watched Midorima Shintaro's retreating figure and thought to himself, What an incredible player.
He took a deep breath.
Kiyoshi Teppei signaled to his teammates to inbound the ball.
The basketball was once again brought to Teiko's half of the court by Shoei.
The ball handler was Shoei's power forward.
However, his opponent was Aomine Daiki.
He tried everything but couldn't break through Aomine Daiki's defense.
Left with no other option, he passed the ball to the small forward on the other side.
The situation here was even worse than before. Under Ryu's pressure, Shoei's small forward almost dropped the ball.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi Teppei quickly ran over. "Pass it here quickly!"
Hearing his captain's words, Shoei's small forward didn't hesitate and passed the ball directly.
Because Murasakibara Atsushi was defending his own basket, Kiyoshi Teppei was now open.
Holding the ball, Kiyoshi Teppei charged directly towards Teiko's basket.
Seeing this, Murasakibara Atsushi glanced at him disdainfully.
Just as Kiyoshi Teppei was about to reach him, Murasakibara Atsushi finally moved.
He took a step forward, spreading his arms to the sides.
Kiyoshi Teppei felt as if a massive net was closing in on him.
An immense pressure, like Mount pressing down, overwhelmed him.
Kiyoshi Teppei's pupils contracted, but he didn't panic.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone, flicked his wrist, and sent the basketball flying.
He then appeared in front of Murasakibara Atsushi, blocking his view.
Thud…
The shooting guard of Shoei Junior High School received the ball passed to him by Kiyoshi Teppei.
Midorima, seeing the danger, rushed forward to block, but it was too late.
The basketball had already been shot by Shoei's shooting guard.
A beautiful arc shot towards the basket.
Swish…
The crisp sound of the net swishing announced that Shoei had scored again.
3-5, Shoei leads.
Midorima Shintaro adjusted his glasses, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
He had underestimated the opposing team's number 4. The back-pass had been too sudden.
He clearly saw the opponent intended to pass the ball to the power forward, but he hadn't expected the opponent to change the target.
"Teppei Kiyoshi," Midorima memorized the name.
In contrast, Murasakibara Atsushi's expression was more pronounced.
His lazy demeanor was gone, replaced by a serious look in his eyes.
He looked at Kiyoshi Teppei with disdain and said, "You're really annoying."
"Huh?" Hearing Murasakibara Atsushi's words, Kiyoshi Teppei was a little confused, his mind not quite processing it.
"You seem a little stronger than those guys before, but that's about it!" Murasakibara Atsushi said expressionlessly.
Kiyoshi Teppei smiled at Murasakibara Atsushi. "I might not be as talented as you, but we won't give up. We'll do everything in our power to defeat you."
With that, he turned and jogged back towards his half of the court.
Watching Kiyoshi Teppei's retreating figure, Murasakibara Atsushi showed a look of disgust.
He hated people like this the most—clearly inferior in skill, yet displaying an expression of unwavering determination.
He raised his left hand, enveloping Kiyoshi Teppei in his vision.
"I really want to crush you."
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