Yosen called a timeout.
"Atsushi, are you okay?" Himuro handed a bottle of water to Murasakibara, concern written all over his face.
Murasakibara took the bottle and didn't say a word, gulping it down aggressively, only to get smacked on the back of the head by Araki's knife-hand before he'd even drunk much.
"Idiot. Drinking too much will affect your performance." Araki crossed her arms, her icy gaze locked onto Kaijo's bench. Right at that moment, Kota noticed her stare, raised his own water bottle, and casually clinked it toward her in a mock toast.
"That bastard…" Araki bit her lip. She knew full well that Kota was deliberately provoking her, yet she still couldn't help getting fired up; his talent for trash talk was honestly top-tier.
"Atsushi." Araki turned to him, her expression serious. "If this keeps going, we're going to be in real danger."
The second quarter had only just passed the two-minute mark. The score was 32 to 29, with Kaijo leading by three. The gap didn't look big, but everyone on Yosen knew the truth: if Kaijo kept running the Hack-a-Murasakibara strategy and Murasakibara couldn't make his free throws, the difference would inevitably snowball.
Murasakibara exhaled deeply, forcefully suppressing the anger boiling in his chest.
"I understand, Coach. Leave it to me."
"If those jerks keep sending me to the line… I'll make the free throws."
As that vow settled in his heart, the whistle signaling the end of the timeout sounded.
...
But this time, Kaijo's decision once again caught Yosen off guard. The two atmosphere squad players didn't return to the court. Instead, Morikawa and Tanaka, who had just been subbed out, were sent back in. That meant Kaijo had no intention of continuing the Hack-a-Murasakibara tactic.
"What are you scheming now? Planning something dirty again?" Murasakibara frowned and shot the question at Kota.
Kota blinked innocently. "Huh? What do you mean? We're just playing basketball. Is substituting not allowed?" As he spoke, he even blinked exaggeratedly, as if he genuinely didn't understand.
Murasakibara's face twitched several times. He opened his mouth, closed it, then swallowed everything back down. In the end, he could only turn away in frustration.
Just finished mentally preparing yourself to shoot free throws, only to find out you don't have to anymore… Feels like punching cotton, doesn't it, big guy? Kota licked the corner of his mouth, watching Murasakibara walk away with a knowing smile.
He was never naive enough to think cheap tricks alone could take down Yosen. No matter how unstable Murasakibara's free throws were, there was still a limit. If Kaijo fouled too often and accidentally let him find his rhythm, they would be playing themselves.
"So yeah… time to win with real strength."
The Duel of Stars
As play resumed, Murasakibara was clearly holding in his anger. Himuro brought the ball up high, ran a simple pick-and-roll with Murasakibara, and fed him perfectly on the roll. Two massive strides into the paint, and a thunderous tomahawk dunk slammed the ball straight through the hoop.
Yosen's fans erupted, but before the cheers could even fade, Kota sprinted out of bounds and fired a full-court pass while Yosen was still reacting. In just three seconds, Yuki turned into a lightning bolt, streaking from midcourt straight to the rim for a one-handed sky-piercing slam!
The pace was so relentless that everyone in the stands was glued to the action. With Kaijo temporarily shelving the "Hack" strategy, the game began to resemble the first quarter again, but with a subtle difference.
During one Kaijo possession, Moriyama accidentally threw the ball too low, bouncing it off a player's foot. The rebound sent the ball flying loose. Kota reacted first and charged toward it, but Yosen's point guard, Cho, burst forward as well. Just as Kota reached the ball, Cho dove headfirst and slapped it straight out of bounds. Kota stared at Cho in disbelief; he never expected this seemingly average player to show such ferocity.
Meanwhile, in the latter half of the second quarter, Himuro and Yuki began their own duel. Himuro was the first to find his groove, activating the Zone and briefly overpowering Yuki. But that advantage didn't last long; once Kota shared his Zone with Yuki, their battle instantly turned razor-close.
By halftime, the score settled at 54 to 51, with Kaijo leading.
...
In the Kaijo locker room, Takeuchi rubbed his chin while flipping through the tactics board. "
They're tougher than expected, Kota."
"Their determination is on another level," Kota replied. "Compared to our past matchups, Yosen is probably at their strongest today."
Takeuchi scanned the room, leaned in close, and whispered, "It's about time… we use that move, isn't it?"
Kota's eyes gleamed. "Of course. At this point, holding it back wouldn't make it a trump card anymore, just a joke." He stood and cleared his throat. The noisy locker room fell silent instantly. "Second half: Tanaka, Morikawa, take a breather. Fukuhara, Shimamura, no problem?"
Fukuhara rubbed his nose with a grin. "Of course! I've been waiting for this!"
Shimamura was much calmer, nodding slightly. "I'll do my best, senpai."
As the whistle signaled the end of halftime, Kota extended his hand into the air. One by one, Kaijo's players stacked their hands on top of his. "Kaijo! Champions!"
...
"Welcome back to Basketball Rendezvous, proudly sponsored exclusively by the Akashi Conglomerate! The match has officially entered the second half!" In the broadcast booth, Bobo spoke excitedly. "Kaijo's starting lineup in the second half has no center!"
On the court, Himuro noticed the same thing and subtly gestured toward Kota. Kota casually pointed at Takumi. "Isn't he right there?"
Himuro froze. Takumi was a power forward. By shifting Takumi to center and benching the only player over two meters tall, Tanaka, Kaijo left Fukuhara as the only one who even vaguely looked like a forward. Meanwhile, Yosen's starters averaged 205 cm.
Murasakibara stood beside Takumi and glanced at Fukuhara and Shimamura. "You're not planning to keep hacking me to the line, are you?"
Kota paused, then laughed. "Now that you mention it, this does kind of look like we're going to keep hacking you. But you're wrong, Murasakibara. From here on out… you might start wishing you were dead."
The third quarter began with Kaijo possession. Every single Kaijo player, including Takumi at center, sprinted with Kota. Yosen rushed back, but Murasakibara was still stuck near midcourt. Five on four.
Kota's eyes sharpened. He directed the ball through a series of rapid passes until it returned to him at the free-throw line. He glanced back at the finally arriving Murasakibara and smiled.
"Caught you, big guy. Don't worry. You'll be seeing this a lot."