Maki held the ball, carefully scanning the court. Inside, Nango and Takasago were wrestling for position, but strangely, Nango wasn't boxing out. Instead, he left Takasago sitting deep in the paint.
Is he baiting me to pass inside to Takasago?
That was exactly Nango's intention—he believed he could handle Takasago one-on-one.
But Maki wasn't reckless. He knew Takasago's limited offensive arsenal, and the last mistake still stung.
He shifted his gaze. Soichiro Jin was being locked down by Rukawa. Muto stayed stationed in the corner, not daring to test Sakuragi.
Looks like only Kiyota and I have real chances here.
The thought barely finished before Maki lowered his shoulder. Miyagi's eyes widened—
"He's coming!"
Miyagi's whole body tensed, every nerve focused on disrupting Maki's rhythm.
But with a lightning crossover and explosive burst, Maki bulldozed past him. His wide shoulders and ball control left Miyagi helpless.
"Damn it! What did this guy eat growing up?!" Miyagi cursed, chasing desperately.
Nango prepared to step up, but saw Sakuragi charging in first. He stayed back, sensing Sakuragi's fire.
"Let me try you out!" Sakuragi roared. He had long wanted to test himself against Kanagawa's top player.
Maki smirked. Perfect.
Miyagi crowded his left, Sakuragi his right. Just as both prepared to contest, Maki braked suddenly. Both Shohoku defenders flew by. Then Maki rose for the jumper.
"Not today!" Sakuragi swiped hard at Maki's hand mid-air.
But Maki barely flinched. Using sheer strength, he absorbed the contact, waited for Sakuragi to land, then released the shot.
The ball bounced twice on the rim… swish.
"And one!"
Sakuragi's eyes widened. Even with a foul, Maki had forced it in.
"This is Kanagawa's No.1 player," Nango said coolly behind him. "A normal foul won't shake him."
Sakuragi clenched his fists. "Hmph! I'll stop him no matter what!"
But Nango sighed inwardly. He only hoped Sakuragi wouldn't mess up his defensive scheme.
Maki calmly knocked down the free throw, completing the three-point play.
Shohoku countered. Miyagi set the offense, eyeing Nango. Takasago still guarded him, wary after being burned before. This time, he refused to sink deep into the paint, waiting instead near the free-throw line.
But Nango broke the script again. He walked straight into the paint, hand raised for the ball.
Miyagi fired it in. Nango caught, pivoted, jab-stepped.
Takasago, already burned once, rushed up. That was all Nango needed—one explosive step and he was gone.
Though he lacked the lightning speed of Rukawa or Sendoh, compared to big men like Takasago and Akagi, he was blindingly quick. Two steps, and he was free.
"Boom!" A one-handed dunk shook the rim.
Nango: 8 points, 4-for-4 shooting. Shohoku: leading Kainan 13–9.
He was the brightest star on the floor.
"Nango! So cool~!" Kano waved her fists, squealing with joy.
Eri regretted not sitting elsewhere.
"Hmph. That brat thought he could hide this from me?" their mother said knowingly, eyes gleaming.
Around the stadium, fans erupted—
"The newspapers weren't exaggerating. This kid is the real deal!"
"Four straight makes! He's a monster!"
Nango's father puffed proudly, wanting to light a cigarette just to savor the moment.
Coach Anzai sipped his tea serenely. Akagi's absence has let Nango reveal his true weapon—unguardable mismatch offense.
On the Shohoku bench, players were ecstatic.
"I didn't think we could suppress Kainan like this!"
"Yeah! Nango's amazing!"
"Go Shohoku!"
But Nango stayed calm. He knew offense alone wouldn't win it. If Maki, Soichiro Jin, or Miyamasu got rolling from outside, the game could flip in an instant.
Kainan attacked again. Maki barreled forward, lowering his stance. His wide shoulders shielded the ball perfectly from Miyagi's desperate hands.
Nango worried Sakuragi would foul again and moved first, ready to contest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kiyota cut free inside.
What's Maki's play?
He chose to commit—and Maki instantly dished to Kiyota.
"Die, Red-haired Monkey!" Kiyota soared, ball raised for a thunderous dunk.
But—
"Shut up, Yaru!" Sakuragi exploded upward, hand outstretched.
"Who are you calling that, Monkey?! Take this!" Kiyota snarled, refusing to back down.
"Smack!"
Sakuragi swatted the ball clean out of his hands.
"What?!" Kiyota froze mid-air. He had always trusted his leaping, but Sakuragi had beaten him outright.
Nango secured the rebound.
"Shohoku's counterattack!" the crowd roared.
"No way—Maki's on him!"
True enough, Maki pressed hard, cutting off Nango's passing lane. Muto and Soichiro Jin sprinted back too.
Nango grinned, holding the ball behind his back. "Don't worry. We've got a point guard."
He flicked it to Miyagi, who blasted off. Maki turned to chase.
Most thought the break was dead, but Miyagi had other ideas.
As Nango trailed, Takasago waited at the free-throw line. Miyagi snapped the ball back to Nango.
Without hesitation, Nango rose and launched from deep.
"Nango's three-pointer! Will this go in too?!"
The arena held its breath—
Swish!
Nothing but net.
-------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking