Shigure Akihito launched into his triple-threat stance and exploded forward.
As expected, the space Nijimura had left on defense was no accident, he was ready and intercepted the drive cleanly.
But then,
Pa,
Pa,
Pa,
Shigure's side-dribble control ramped up in speed, the ball slamming into the hardwood in sharp, rhythmic bursts. Each bounce reverberated like a drum, tightening the chests of every onlooker.
Nijimura's expression remained unreadable.
But behind those still eyes, he was reading everything.
The initial triple-threat motion…
The penetration angle…
Shigure's signature step-back tendencies…
The spacing…
Nijimura made his call in an instant:
Shigure was about to make his move.
Pa!
Just as predicted,
A crossover drive!
Nijimura: "!"
He wasn't fooled.
This was a setup. The next move would be that explosive, high-velocity Moonstep Retreat!
Shff!
As Shigure shifted his weight and launched backward toward the three-point line, Nijimura responded instantly, closing the gap without hesitation.
Compared to Shigure's earlier opponent, Ichiji Koichi, Nijimura's tracking speed, and his faint ability to anticipate, left no room for comparison.
He read the Moonstep and stayed right on top of it!
On the sidelines, both rookies and second-string players stared wide-eyed at Nijimura's defense, murmuring in disbelief.
"He caught up to Shigure's signature move, just like that…"
"Koichi never figured it out the entire game."
"Well, it's simple, this is just raw speed. Nijimura's footwork is almost equal to Shigure's retreat velocity!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"He's just a freshman! How the hell is he this good?!"
In the crowd, Reiji Fukaya furrowed his brow, muttering to himself:
"No good. He can't finish this with a three-pointer. Not with Nijimura on him…"
That kind of reaction time, plus his absurd vertical reach,
Nijimura was built to shut down long-range shooters.
But then again,
That's always been the risk with pure shooters.
Even though Shigure wasn't a one-dimensional player and could dribble to create space, his core scoring method was still shooting.
Still,
As Nijimura locked on, Shigure's lips curled into a grin.
The Moonstep Retreat was a feint.
He'd been loading up,
For the Sudden Pullback Burst!
The energy gathered in the step-back exploded forward into a second, blindingly fast drive. The speed almost mirrored the initial retreat, down to the very frame.
Nijimura: "!"
Here it comes!
He knew it!
This guy wasn't like the idiot from earlier. He knew Shigure wasn't going to stop there.
Whoosh, !
Wind tore past Nijimura's ears.
In his field of vision, Shigure bent low, pushing off hard in the opposite direction. His silhouette seemed to vanish from view.
No,
Not quite.
At the edge of his peripheral vision, Nijimura still caught a blur.
On the sideline, Coach Hakugin watched with interest as Nijimura's normally stoic face came alive for the first time.
He couldn't help but marvel,
What a stroke of luck.
Shigure Akihito showing up at this time? This was destiny.
On court,
Shigure's sudden Pullback Burst gave him the lead in positioning.
But his brow furrowed, he wasn't satisfied.
Even on the first-ever use of this move, the advantage he gained wasn't as large as he'd imagined.
That's because Nijimura had nearly mirrored his movement, maybe even anticipated it.
In a split second,
Both players had launched into terrifying speed.
Even Coach Naoto Sanada, usually all business and no emotion, was left wide-eyed. His tightly drawn expression cracked as he watched the exchange with open astonishment.
Shigure's close friend, Shinji Kurokami, was once again having his concept of Shigure's skill completely rewritten.
He'd always known Shigure was strong, but this?
This was unreal.
Insane speed built around retreat moves…
And that elite three-point shot,
Shinji: "…"
Puberty power-up, really?
Who are you kidding?
No way. Shigure had to have done some kind of intense secret training over break.
But then again…
What kind of training makes a guy this strong? He looked like a completely different person.
Across the gym,
Reiji Fukaya was just as stunned.
He'd thought Shigure would be locked down by Nijimura's defense.
But clearly, Shigure had been hiding his hand during the second-string match.
This move, this lightning-fast sudden burst, identical in pace to his retreat step, had never been used until now.
And what's more…
"So fast…"
The speed was already insane.
But outside of his retreat-based dribble sequences, Shigure had never once shown this level of acceleration.
Was that part of his strategy?
Or did Shigure's retreat footwork contain some hidden mechanism for sudden speed?
But now wasn't the time to analyze.
Even after pulling off such a brilliant move,
Shigure was still being tracked.
Reiji was almost certain of what he saw:
Nijimura hadn't just reacted.
He'd predicted it.
Even though this was Shigure's first time using that move,
"Nijimura Shuzo…"
At his core,
He was a cold, analytical defender, wasn't he?