Hanagata's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding.
"Damn it… that red-haired brat…"
From the very start, Shoyo had been trying to provoke Shohoku—testing their patience, shaking their composure. Psychological warfare was as much a weapon as any play on the court.
But ironically, it wasn't Shohoku who cracked first. It was Hanagata, rattled by none other than Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Hanagata, calm down," Fujima said as he caught the inbound pass. "Remember our analysis—Sakuragi doesn't have much offense. If he takes a shot, let him. Don't let him mess with your head."
"…Alright, I understand."
The two crossed half-court. Hanagata stepped to the three-point line, setting what looked like a solid screen. Akagi immediately closed the distance to Fujima, giving him no room to drive.
But it was a fake. Hanagata slipped toward the free-throw line, and Fujima lobbed the ball perfectly over.
Hanagata caught and rose smoothly for a mid-range jumper—swish!
On the next possession, Shohoku ran their own pick-and-roll. As Fujima moved around Sakuragi's screen, Ryota Miyagi suddenly accelerated, breaking through without waiting. He cut past Hanagata, forcing Hasegawa to switch.
Leaving Mitsui wide open on the baseline.
The pass came. Mitsui caught, bent his knees, rose, and shot in one smooth motion. His fist pumped mid-air—this felt good.
But smack!
Hasegawa had recovered in time. His hand slapped the ball away, sending it flying out of bounds.
"Tch…" Mitsui clicked his tongue, glaring as the chance slipped away. Across from him, Hasegawa's eyes were sharp and unyielding.
Mitsui Hisashi… I'll make sure you see the gap between us. You won't score that easily.
Mitsui's blood boiled. He thinks he can hold me under five points? Unforgivable!
He bit back hard, growling, "Ryota! Just give me the ball. I'll bury every shot!"
"Yes, senpai!" Miyagi grinned and gave a mock salute. "I'll keep feeding you the ammo."
He knew how much this duel meant. Mitsui wasn't just another scorer—he was a cornerstone. If Mitsui caught fire, Shohoku's entire offense would ignite.
From then on, both sides leaned heavily on pick-and-roll plays.
But Shoyo's execution was sharper. Whenever Shohoku ran it, Fujima's agility let him slip past screens and harass Miyagi, forcing the ball into Sakuragi's hands. And when Sakuragi had the ball, Shoyo collapsed their defense, daring him to shoot and focusing on securing rebounds.
When Shoyo ran it, though, Miyagi couldn't mimic Fujima's speed. His shorter frame was too easily blocked by screens, giving Fujima freedom to slice inside—either scoring himself or dishing to a teammate.
Ten minutes in, the score read: Shoyo 34 – Shohoku 22. A 12-point gap.
Shohoku needed to respond. They started from the inside, letting Akagi assert himself against Hanagata.
Miyagi lobbed the ball in, Akagi sealing position hard.
At 197 cm each, the two centers were evenly matched in height, but Hanagata was 7 kilos lighter. Akagi's raw power forced him back step by step.
Still, Hanagata wasn't one to fight with muscle. He bided his time, waiting to poke the ball away.
But Akagi knew better. Using his frame to pin Hanagata down, he spun and tossed in a hook shot—two points.
"Gorilla!!"
"Captain!!"
The Shohoku bench erupted. With Akagi leading the charge, hope surged back into their hearts.
Hanagata, though, was burning. First Sakuragi's antics, now Akagi's dominance—he couldn't stand it.
"Fujima! I want that back!"
"Go for it," Fujima replied coolly. Yes… unleash it, Hanagata. Don't hold back. Crush them.
He used Hasegawa's screen to slip past Miyagi and dropped the ball in to Hanagata.
Hanagata attacked immediately. Faking baseline, then cutting middle, he rose for a jumper—then leaned back. A perfect fadeaway.
Akagi reached, but the shot was already gone. Swish!
From the sidelines, Coach Taoka folded his arms, speaking to Uozumi.
"Akagi and Hanagata. Both are among the top centers in the prefecture. Even nationwide, you won't find many like them. Their contrast is sharp—one tough, one refined. Watch them carefully, Uozumi. Studying both styles will sharpen your own defense."
"Yes, Coach."
Akagi had always been his rival. And Hanagata—he knew firsthand how tricky the Shoyo ace could be.
The duel between the "power" of Akagi and the "finesse" of Hanagata continued, neither side yielding an inch.
By halftime, the scoreboard read: Shoyo 52 – Shohoku 40.
For the first time, Shohoku found themselves trailing by double digits at the break. It was proof of just how thoroughly Fujima had prepared, and how Shoyo had targeted Shohoku's weak spots.
Especially Sakuragi. His inexperience was exposed—few offensive tools, shaky defense, easy to pressure. But his stubbornness kept him alive in rebounding battles and one-on-one defense.
Mitsui, too, was struggling. Held to just five points—a single three-pointer and two free throws—his frustration only grew, each miss making the next one harder.
Even so, as Shohoku filed into the locker room, Miyagi's face carried no trace of worry.
-------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking