Chapter 46: A New Application — Cheat-Like Jumping Power!
Kiyoshi and Kira leapt upward at the same moment.
To be completely honest, Kiyoshi did not believe Kira posed even the slightest threat in a tip-off.
The height difference alone was overwhelming—Kiyoshi was nearly ten centimeters taller, and although he wasn't a player who dominated purely through physical power, his vertical leap was certainly not weak. Winning a tip-off against someone shorter should have been a trivial matter.
But the instant his hand was about to touch the ball—
A different hand reached it first.
Kira Ryosuke.
"What—?!"
Kiyoshi's eyes flew open, shock overflowing from them.
The originally shorter Kira—shorter by more than ten centimeters—was somehow positioned above him in mid-air.
Kiyoshi's own head barely reached Kira's shoulder as he stared upward at the figure floating over him.
Though their height and wingspan were drastically different, Kira had completely bridged that gap with nothing but sheer explosive vertical power.
At the exact moment he jumped, Kira attempted to channel Thunderclap and Flash into his legs, using the technique's explosive force to maximize his vertical leap.
And just as he predicted, it worked perfectly.
Everyone present was stunned into silence.
The difference in elevation was visible even from their feet—Kira was soaring far, far higher than Kiyoshi.
"Hold on—what the heck?! Isn't Kira only like… what, barely over 180 cm? He won a tip-off against Kiyoshi?!"
"No way—did Kiyoshi hold back?"
"He didn't! That's how high Kiyoshi usually jumps! And forget comparing to him—look at Kira alone! That vertical is absurd! That's monster-class athleticism!"
Every player stood frozen, jaws hanging open.
Even Riko Aida found her breath catching in her throat.
"K-Kira's vertical… since when was it this terrifying?"
She had examined his physique before, assessing his jumping power as merely average.
And yet now, Kira displayed an explosive leap that was completely beyond her expectations.
Did I misjudge him? Or… did he somehow develop this through extreme training in Blue Lock?
But in such a short time? That shouldn't be possible…
Riko's confusion deepened.
Meanwhile, Kira, already at the peak of his jump, slapped the ball to a teammate before landing lightly.
"Amazing, Kira!"
His team erupted into cheers.
Even though they had yet to see his technical skill, his physical ability alone was already overwhelming.
"Did you go easy on him?"
Junpei Hyuga asked beside Kiyoshi.
"No… I didn't. And you saw it yourself—Kira's vertical is ridiculous. I never noticed it was this insane…"
Kiyoshi retreated on defense as he spoke, eyes glowing with admiration.
"To think he's that famous… it's not just hype, huh."
The substitute team launched their offense.
Kira, despite barely playing basketball before, used what little he remembered from anime to analyze spacing and positioning.
I'm probably playing small forward right now. Even though it's a different sport, competitive tactics can be applied across disciplines…
Movement, positioning, receiving the pass, creating opportunities—these were core principles across all ball sports.
"Kira!"
A teammate spotted him open and passed the ball his way.
Kira caught it smoothly—only for a shadow to appear in front of him.
Junpei Hyuga.
Captain of Seirin's basketball team.
A skilled three-point specialist.
Someone who treated every drill with total seriousness—even in a casual scrimmage, he would give his all.
"Sorry, Kira-kun. Even if this is just practice, I still have to defend seriously."
"Mm."
Kira nodded slightly.
Yet inwardly… he hesitated.
Because now that the ball was in his hands—he didn't quite know what to do.
His basketball knowledge was almost entirely theoretical, learned from watching anime.
He had never played seriously.
His excellence in soccer came from inheriting the original host's memories and technical base.
Basketball, however, he had zero muscle memory for.
In truth, Kira had never even tried dribbling before.
But…
Something inside him urged him to try.
And strangely, a sequence of movements flickered through his mind—instinctive, fluid, as if embedded into his reflexes.
His body followed without hesitation.
He leaned his torso right, shoulder dipping slightly, probing Hyuga's center of gravity.
But Hyuga was an experienced defender and did not bite.
Then—Kira burst forward, dribbling past Hyuga's right side.
Hyuga immediately retreated, maintaining defensive position.
Fast! And the dribble rhythm doesn't look like someone who's never played. Maybe he was just being modest…
Hyuga tightened his stance.
Kira's first step was shockingly quick—well beyond expectation.
But just as Kira drove—
His right hand snapped the ball back, shifting his balance sharply to the left.
A cross-over.
One of basketball's fundamental yet most effective moves—using rhythm and weight shift to break through defenses.
"What clean rhythm!"
Shun Izuki, Seirin's starting point guard, couldn't help exclaiming.
Even a simple dribble revealed a player's control—ball-handling, cadence, center-of-gravity control.
And Kira's execution was far too refined for a beginner.
He was clearly anything but ordinary.
He could very well be a natural ball-handler.
"Tch!"
Hyuga's balance faltered under the sudden shift, but he quickly recovered, refusing to let Kira escape.
Yet at that very moment, Kira's motions changed again—switching the ball from left to right, feinting another right-side drive.
Hyuga instinctively slid right to block him, his weight shifting backward.
But Kira—
Spun.
One smooth pivot into a step-back, opening a massive gap—two full body lengths—enough space for a completely uncontested shot.
Kira knew exactly where that move came from:
Rice Spirit—his second form.
The refined, fluid ball control wasn't just for soccer.
Its effects translated seamlessly into basketball.
"I lost him!!"
Hyuga shouted.
But Kira was already in the air.
And then—
He released the shot.