Bang...
Bang...
Bang...
After blocking Murasame Kengo, Qing Junce landed and casually scooped up the basketball before it could roll away.
Without the slightest hesitation, he spun around and swept past Murasame Kengo, charging toward Miuradai's half of the court.
So fast.
Murasame Kengo had not even had time to turn around. He could only catch the disappearing edge of Qing Junce's jersey from the corner of his eye.
"Make sure you stop him!" Murasame Kengo knew there was no way he could catch up, so he shouted.
The rest of Miuradai immediately braced themselves, all eyes falling on Qing Junce.
Naito Tetsuya took the lead and stepped in front of Qing Junce.
When he saw Qing Junce closing in, he immediately drove straight into him with his body.
Hmph...
Qing Junce snorted coldly, filled with contempt for this muscle-bound simpleton.
It was not that Qing Junce looked down on him. This little trick was something he had already used to death on street courts.
Just as Naito Tetsuya's shoulder was about to slam into Qing Junce's chest,
Qing Junce suddenly stopped short, then immediately changed direction behind his back, switching the basketball from his right hand to his left.
At the same time, his body leaned forty-five degrees to the left, perfectly parallel to Naito Tetsuya's body.
The two brushed past each other without any obstruction.
To the spectators on both sides, it looked as though the two had passed straight through each other's bodies.
What?
Naito Tetsuya was dumbfounded. For a moment, he could not figure out what had just happened.
It was not just him. Everyone from Miuradai and Shohoku wore equally bewildered expressions.
They had all thought Qing Junce was about to be sent flying by Naito Tetsuya.
No one had expected Qing Junce to break through so easily.
After Naito Tetsuya came to his senses, he turned around angrily and gave chase.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Naito Tetsuya shot forward at a speed of eleven seconds per hundred meters.
"Even with a body that big, he can still run that fast?" Mitsui Hisashi was stunned by the sight.
In the stands,
the Ryonan players also watched in surprise.
"I didn't expect Miuradai to have a player like that!" Sendoh said, somewhat surprised.
Aida Kenichi exclaimed, "I didn't expect someone that big to be able to run so fast!"
Koshino Hiroaki analyzed calmly, "But running fast alone is useless."
Sendoh agreed. "That's right. That guy can't be beaten by speed alone."
On the court,
Qing Junce sensed Naito Tetsuya gradually closing in behind him, and the corners of his mouth lifted. "Oh?! He can actually keep up."
Thud... thud... thud...
Thud... thud... thud...
Two sets of hurried footsteps sounded ahead of Qing Junce.
Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi blocked Qing Junce's path.
In an instant, Kawasaki Akio, Takatsu Hiroshi, and Naito Tetsuya surrounded Qing Junce in a triangle.
Among the remaining Shohoku players, Rukawa Kaede was the fastest.
He immediately shook off the Miuradai player guarding him and ran into open space.
He raised a hand toward Qing Junce, who was double- and triple-teamed, signaling for a pass.
Qing Junce naturally saw Rukawa Kaede's signal from the corner of his eye.
But he merely glanced at it and quickly chose to ignore it.
Faced with this situation, Qing Junce did not slow down at all. The instant one foot stepped into Miuradai's paint, he immediately planted his foot and leaped into the air with the ball.
Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi also jumped to intercept him.
Behind them, Naito Tetsuya threw his entire body forward with ill intent.
Only after the three of them had jumped did they realize that something was wrong.
They saw that Qing Junce's posture was strange as he leaped while surrounded. He was tilted toward the side, just enough to slip through the gap in their encirclement.
What is he trying to do? Could he really be trying to shoot like that? Takatsu Hiroshi wondered.
Kawasaki Akio grew suspicious at the sight. "From that distance, how could he possibly make it with that posture?"
Behind them, Naito Tetsuya revealed a disdainful smile.
He thought Qing Junce had no choice and was forcing up a shot out of desperation.
Even so, he would not let Qing Junce shoot the ball easily.
With that thought, he reached out to grab Qing Junce's jersey.
Qing Junce had originally leaped to the side, but Naito Tetsuya suddenly yanked his jersey. His already tilted body jerked to a halt in midair before beginning to fall.
The sudden turn of events made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.
Although Shimizu Kanon had faith in Qing Junce, she could not help worrying when she saw this.
Some more timid spectators had already closed their eyes.
As Qing Junce fell, he supported the ball with one hand and, before his body reached the ground, tossed it toward Miuradai's basket.
He released it from below, sending it diagonally upward.
Qing Junce crashed to the floor, but the corners of his mouth curled upward.
No one held out any hope for the shot.
Qing Junce's balance had clearly been forcibly disrupted.
Under those circumstances, let alone shooting, he could not even aim.
Everyone assumed that because Miuradai had fouled, Qing Junce would be awarded two free throws.
But what happened next completely overturned their understanding of the game.
The basketball flew diagonally upward from below toward Miuradai's basket.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, it struck the backboard. Then, whether by coincidence or luck, it bounced straight into the hoop.
Swish...
Tweet...
As the net-ripping sound rang out, the referee blew his whistle.
Pointing at Naito Tetsuya, the referee announced loudly, "Miuradai No. 9, defensive foul. The basket counts, plus one free throw."
Boom...
In an instant, deafening cheers erupted throughout the gymnasium.
"Wow! He actually made it!"
"Was he just throwing up another lucky shot? It looks like he shot it the same way last time."
"Could that actually be how he shoots?"
"How could that be possible? He just got lucky and fluked it in!"
"Either way, that shot was incredible—and it was a three-point play!"
Qing Junce stood up from the floor with a faint smile on his lips.
He turned and glanced at Naito Tetsuya, the corners of his mouth curving into a meaningful smile.
The accident just now had not been enough to injure him.
Naito Tetsuya stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.
He could not understand it. He had clearly disrupted Qing Junce's balance, so how had he still made the shot?
Had it been a fluke?
But when he saw that smile, he felt that something about the foul he had committed was not quite right.
And yet, reaching out to grab Qing Junce's jersey had clearly been exactly what he had wanted to do.
At that moment, Murasame Kengo came up to Naito Tetsuya and said, "Naito, that was way too obvious."
Naito Tetsuya opened his mouth, but had nothing to say. He could only accept the blame. "I'm really sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
In the stands,
a strange light flashed through Sendoh's eyes. "That foul just now... Qing Junce deliberately led him into it, didn't he?"
Huh?
The Ryonan players all turned to look at him.
Aida Kenichi could not help asking, "Sendoh, what do you mean?"
"It's only a guess," Sendoh replied. "I just felt that foul was rather inexplicable."
"You mean Qing Junce guided Miuradai's No. 9 into fouling him? Is that even possible?" Koshino Hiroaki found it hard to believe.
Ikegami Ryoji said, "Compared to the foul, the shot just now is the real key. It seems that guy has made shots like that before."
Uozumi cut in, "From our practice game until now, hasn't that guy still never missed one?"
His reminder made the Ryonan players belatedly realize a frightening fact.
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be true. But that shot... wait..." Koshino Hiroaki's eyes gradually widened, his expression slowly replaced by shock. "Could that kind of shot really be that guy's standard move?"
As soon as he said this, all the Ryonan players fell silent.
They felt as though a mountain had suddenly crashed down from the sky, pressing heavily on their shoulders.
After a long while, Sendoh finally spoke. "It's not impossible. If it's true, then we're in serious trouble."
Shohoku's bench.
"Formless shots," Shimizu Kanon told everyone.
Formless shots?
Everyone was puzzled.
Shimizu Kanon explained, "A-Ce's ability allows him to make shots from any angle and under any circumstances. It isn't luck or coincidence. It's his ability."
What?
Everyone on Shohoku's bench stared wide-eyed in shock.
What had they just heard?
He could make shots under any circumstances?
That was ridiculous!
Ayako could not help interrupting, "Really? That sounds way too unbelievable!"
Shimizu Kanon said seriously, "Ayako, I have no reason to lie to everyone. That is simply A-Ce's playing style. It's just that what he's showing right now is incomplete."
"Incomplete?" A large question mark appeared above Ayako's head. She had no idea what that meant.
Shimizu Kanon continued explaining, "I don't know how to explain it to you either. If I had to put it simply, the playing style A-Ce is showing now isn't his original playing style. Maybe he's trying to adapt to the formality of the game, or perhaps he hasn't encountered an opponent strong enough to stimulate him, so he hasn't felt any pressure."
Everyone became even more confused after hearing this.
His current playing style was not his original playing style?
He had not felt any pressure?
The other people on Shohoku's bench were completely lost.
However, Coach Anzai's eyes gleamed thoughtfully behind his glasses as he murmured inwardly, He hasn't felt any pressure?
He watched Qing Junce make the free throw on the court, deep in thought.
Swish...
The basketball went through the net.
Qing Junce made the free throw.
Shohoku 47, Miuradai 44.
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