Practice Match (End)

"Kojiro, Kentaro, I'll leave that purple-haired guy to you two. I want him unable to walk out of Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School!" Makoto Hanamiya glared at Kojiro Furukawa and Kentaro Seto, speaking fiercely.

"Ah, got it." Kojiro Furukawa and the other clearly weren't doing this for the first time, and readily agreed.

Teiko had just scored, and it was Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School's ball.

Makoto Hanamiya slowly brought the ball past half-court. Looking at Ken Kaneki before him, Makoto Hanamiya knew that trying to pull any tricks while Ken Kaneki was on guard was practically impossible.

"Senpai, are you going to break through?" Ken Kaneki looked at Makoto Hanamiya with a half-smile, his mocking expression particularly grating to Makoto Hanamiya.

"Damn brat..." Makoto Hanamiya desperately suppressed the urge to throw a punch and passed the ball to Kojiro Furukawa in the paint.

Of course, Makoto Hanamiya wasn't expecting Kojiro Furukawa to go head-to-head with Atsushi Murasakibara. He was signaling for Kojiro Furukawa to make his move.

Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School's interior duo wasn't actually very skilled, but under Makoto Hanamiya's tutelage, they had become masters of using pick-and-rolls and screens to commit fouls where the referee couldn't see.

"Hey, big guy." Kojiro Furukawa looked at Atsushi Murasakibara and smiled cruelly. "We don't have any personal grudges, but since Captain Hanamiya has spoken, I can only wish you good luck."

"Huh? Are you talking trash like Ken-chan mentioned?" Even the naturally oblivious Atsushi Murasakibara found Kojiro Furukawa a bit dense. "You look really weak. Are you even going to play?"

"Tch." Seeing Atsushi Murasakibara look down on him, Kojiro Furukawa's expression turned sinister. He feigned a block, secretly elbowed Atsushi Murasakibara, and then deliberately threw the ball wildly towards the basket.

Atsushi Murasakibara, having been elbowed, was a bit angry. Seeing the ball bounce off the rim, he prepared to grab the rebound and teach them a lesson.

Just then, Kojiro Furukawa and Kentaro Seto sandwiched Atsushi Murasakibara like a hamburger, preparing to foul him while he went for the rebound.

"Hmph, you giant brat. Basketball isn't just about being tall. After you recover from this injury, remember to behave yourself!" Kojiro Furukawa's voice was so excited it was almost cracking, as if the scene of Atsushi Murasakibara injured on the ground had already appeared before his eyes.

"Huh? What did you say? Do you even know what a talent gap is?" Atsushi Murasakibara's anger completely erupted at this moment. He stopped holding back (Atsushi Murasakibara had always been afraid of hurting others due to his immense strength since childhood, so he had always set a safety limit on the power he exerted), leaped with all his might, and grabbed the rebound while hanging on to Kojiro Furukawa and Kentaro Seto. The two who had been tightly squeezing Atsushi Murasakibara were now flung outwards as if a bomb had exploded between them.

"Ken-chan!" Atsushi Murasakibara threw the ball to Ken Kaneki and quickly charged towards the frontcourt.

"Ah~ Got it." Ken Kaneki caught the ball without moving and immediately tossed it into the air.

"What are you doing?" Makoto Hanamiya was dumbfounded. "That pass was less of a long pass and more of a wild throw..."

"You wouldn't understand, talking to a weakling like you." Ken Kaneki looked at Makoto Hanamiya mockingly. "Watch this. Compared to your dirty and despicable methods, this is a true combination move filled with friendship and bonds!"

As Ken Kaneki finished speaking, Atsushi Murasakibara leaped two steps inside the free-throw line, grabbed the ball with his large hand, and slammed it through the hoop while knocking the Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School's interior duo out of bounds.

BANG

BANG BANG

CREAK~ CRASH!

First, the sound of Atsushi Murasakibara's dunk, then the sound of the interior duo being flung out and hitting the ground, and finally, the sound of the basketball hoop, unable to bear the weight, crashing down.

"Gulp..." Shoichi Imagawa swallowed, his shock immeasurable. "I still don't know the full extent of the blond guy's strength, only getting a glimpse from the pre-game shooting practice and that block just now. But this big guy with purple hair... he truly has the strength of a divine being!"

Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School wasn't as invested in its Basketball Club, so there was no replacement hoop available. The entire practice match had to be called off. Teiko, not wanting to endure any more humiliation at Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School, quickly packed their bags and left the venue.

"Waaah, they're finally gone." Shoichi Imagawa breathed a sigh of relief, watching the Teiko group leave.

Honestly, Kirigi First Affiliated Junior High School's talent was average. It was thanks to Makoto Hanamiya that they had finally made some progress, but Makoto Hanamiya's personality made Shoichi Imagawa sweat.

"You really need to change your playing style, Makoto. If a fight had broken out today, we might not have been able to beat those two big guys," Shoichi Imagawa said.

"Tch, they won't be able to get out." A snake-like glint flashed in Makoto Hanamiya's eyes. Without giving Shoichi Imagawa a chance to persuade him, he led a few people and left the venue.

"Seriously, these guys from Kirigi First are so detestable. If the hoop hadn't broken, I would have crushed them today... But you can't skimp on the fries you owe me, Ken-chan." In the restroom, Atsushi Murasakibara said to Ken Kaneki, who was sitting in a stall.

"I won't shortchange you, Atsushi," Ken Kaneki said, speechless. "But we're in the restroom right now. Can you not talk about this? Can we talk about it after we leave?"

"No can do. What if you go back on your word?" Atsushi Murasakibara said earnestly.

Just as Ken Kaneki was about to retort, the sound of the restroom door being locked came from outside, followed by Makoto Hanamiya's arrogant voice: "Teiko brats! Get out here! You two aren't getting away today!"

Hearing the commotion, Atsushi Murasakibara and Ken Kaneki emerged from their stalls. Makoto Hanamiya, along with a group of people from the basketball team, were blocking the entrance. They didn't look like they were here for a friendly chat.

"Atsushi, be careful. They mean trouble," Ken Kaneki warned.

"Annoying. Playing basketball is tiring enough, do we have to fight too?" Atsushi Murasakibara's expression became increasingly agitated.

Meanwhile, on the Teiko Junior High School bus, Naoto Sanada had a bad feeling when he realized Ken Kaneki and Atsushi Murasakibara hadn't returned from the restroom after a long time. He immediately ordered everyone to go look for them.

Ken Kaneki, of course, was unaware of what was happening outside, because he was beating up Makoto Hanamiya.

"Spare me, I know I was wrong..." Makoto Hanamiya cowered in a corner, looking at the two tall figures before him. This time, he was truly scared. The eight people he brought had been taken down by the two in no time. Especially the blond one, who targeted their weak spots; he had taken down five of the eight.

"You don't know you were wrong, you just know you're going to die!" Ken Kaneki grabbed Makoto Hanamiya's hair and punched him, knocking him unconscious.

"Let's go, Atsushi. The coach will worry if we don't leave soon." Ken Kaneki tidied his clothes and left the messy restroom...

After listening to Makoto Hanamiya's tearful account of how his attempt to bully Ken Kaneki resulted in a brutal counterattack, Shoichi Imagawa adjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes, sighing, "Teiko Junior High School, what kind of monsters have they produced..."