[Please vote with the power stones; the more you vote, the more chapters will be published. Thank you.]
50 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapters.
100 Power Stones = 3 bonus chapters.
150 Power Stones = 5 bonus chapters.
------------------------
"Murasakibara actually made it into the Zone, that's really surprising."
Kise murmured, watching Murasakibara walk towards the bench with his head down.
"He's one of the Generation of Miracles, is it strange that he made it into the Zone?"
Kasamatsu Yukio asked, puzzled.
Kise's lips twitched, then he explained:
"Kasamatsu-senpai, what do you think the Zone is! If it were that easy to get into, I wouldn't be the weakest among them now."
His words made Kasamatsu Yukio somewhat embarrassed.
Kise continued to explain:
"While I don't know much about the Zone, I'm certain that to get into it, you have to love basketball above all else, and Murasakibara is the least interested in basketball among us, that's why I'm so surprised he made it into the Zone."
Hearing his explanation, the Kaijo players understood the reason.
Kise then spoke up:
"But something else is even more concerning."
…
"Murasakibara's behavior is too abnormal. Logically, after entering the Zone, he should have become much stronger, but he always seems to get stuck at the precise moment of a shot."
Midorima paused abruptly at this point in his analysis.
'Every time he's about to shoot…'
He narrowed his eyes.
'Could it be that Murasakibara's previous anomalies only occurred when he was shooting? But how could that be?'
…
"I think Murasakibara's anomalies are related to Ryu."
Hearing Aomine's words, Satsuki asked in confusion:
"You mean Ryu did something to Murasakibara?"
Aomine nodded.
"Although I don't know what he did to Murasakibara, this is the only explanation right now."
...
Yosen Rest Area.
Araki Masako was finalizing tactics and comforting some of the dejected players.
Murasakibara, head bowed, remained silent, his mind replaying the events of the past.
'Why? Why? Where did things go wrong?'
Thud…
A bamboo sword struck Murasakibara's back.
But Murasakibara remained silent, head bowed, as if the sword on his back didn't exist.
"Murasakibara, that's enough! Wake up!"
Araki Masako snapped.
Murasakibara slowly raised his head and glanced at her.
Just a glance.
Then he lowered his head again.
Seeing this, a nameless fire suddenly surged within Araki Masako, rushing to her head.
Her fiery temper flared, and she was enraged.
The veins bulging on her forehead betrayed her impending outburst.
"Atsushi, what's wrong with you?"
Himuro Tatsuya suddenly interrupted, cutting off Araki Masako's impending rage.
He stood before Murasakibara, staring at him.
Murasakibara glanced at Himuro Tatsuya, then said nonchalantly:
"I give up. I don't want to play anymore."
"What are you talking about?"
Okamura Kenichi asked.
Himuro Tatsuya looked at Murasakibara sternly and demanded:
"What do you mean you're not playing anymore? The match isn't over yet."
"We're 30 points behind Toho Kotei Gakuen; the match is meaningless now," Murasakibara said lazily.
His nonchalant attitude completely enraged Himuro Tatsuya.
Himuro Tatsuya grabbed Murasakibara by the collar and roared:
"You bastard, pull yourself together! What do you mean by 'giving up'? Do you even know what you're saying?"
Murasakibara looked up at him calmly and replied:
"I mean I'm not playing anymore! Let's substitute!"
Okamura Kenichi stood up, walked to Murasakibara, and said seriously:
"If we substitute you, we won't be able to win a game we could win. Even if we lose, you don't care?"
"Yeah! At first, I had some ideas to try, but after three quarters, I clearly realized that I'm no match for Ryu."
Hearing this, Okamura Kenichi's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
He was furious.
His fists clenched tightly, and he wanted to punch Murasakibara.
Bang…
The thought had barely formed in his mind when he saw a fist land on Murasakibara's face.
Okamura Kenichi froze, then saw a familiar face appear between him and Murasakibara.
"Himuro…"
The one who punched Murasakibara was Himuro Tatsuya.
He glared at Murasakibara and roared:
"Give me some space, Atsushi! Don't just give up like that."
"It hurts! Besides, aren't you all in the same boat? The other side has more talented people than us, don't they?"
Hearing Murasakibara's thoughtless words, everyone from Yosen fell silent.
It hurt, it hurt so much.
Suddenly, Murasakibara's eyes widened.
He saw two drops of water fall onto his forehead.
They were tears.
Following the source of the tears, he saw two tear tracks at the corner of Himuro Tatsuya's eye.
Himuro Tatsuya said, equally unwilling:
"Talent... heh... of course I know what you're talking about. It's something I dream of having. Every time I see you guys easily reach levels that others can only dream of, I get insanely jealous."
As he spoke, tears finally streamed down his face.
"Atsushi, you clearly possess the talent I dream of, the talent I can never obtain, yet you so easily give up the competition, hahaha... I'm going crazy with anger."
Watching Himuro Tatsuya cry like a child, Murasakibara stared blankly, lost in thought.
After a long while, he sighed.
"I can't stand you! I hate this kind of thing the most, and you're crying! It's so ridiculous! Honestly, you're annoying! But it makes me think you're amazing, a feeling I've never had before! Although I don't know why, well... oh well... I'll stay with you until the very end!"
With that, Murasakibara stood up.
"Hey! Masako!"
"Didn't I tell you to call me Coach?" Araki Masako's veins bulged as she gritted her teeth and snapped.
Murasakibara ignored her attitude and spoke up instead:
"Could you give me a hair tie?"
Although Araki Masako was angry inside, she didn't refuse his request.
She took a hair tie from her pocket and handed it to him.
Murasakibara used the hair tie to tie up his long hair.
Click...
Meanwhile, the referee's whistle blew.
The final quarter of the game between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Yosen High School officially began.
After the players from both sides took to the court, when Ryu saw Murasakibara with his hair tied up, he knew the final showdown was about to begin.
He didn't let his guard down despite currently leading.
The first rule for dealing with the Generation of Miracles is: never be careless until the very end.
Because you never know when the opponent might do something that will shock everyone.
----
Could you subscribe on patreon?.
+ I publish 3 chapters daily on Patreon, in addition to the other advanced chapters, which are 30+ chapters.
That's about 90 chapters a month.
patreon.com/ayan41x