"Eat whatever shit you want, but don't talk nonsense, trash." Seeing Shogo Haizaki starting to forget his place again, Ken Kaneki promptly doused him with a bucket of cold water. "We just feel like something's a little off, but we can still score. Do what you want."
"...I understand. I'll do my best." Seeing Ken Kaneki's expression turn suddenly cold, Shogo Haizaki was reminded once more of the fear he'd felt when Kaneki had dominated him that day. He immediately behaved himself.
"All right, you've heard what Kaneki had to say. Get some rest and prepare for the second half. I don't need to tell you what to do, do I?" Kōzō Shirogane said, looking around at everyone.
"Yes, sir!" they chorused.
You had to admit, Ken Kaneki's idea was underhanded, but it had hit Seihō Junior High School right where it hurt. During halftime, their solution to falling behind in the first half was to put pressure on the other players and force Teiko Junior High School to pass the ball to Atsushi Murasakibara or Shintaro Midorima.
Meanwhile, in Seihō Junior High School's locker room.
"So, everyone understands, right? Tomoki Tsugawa and Tsutomu Iwamura will defend their key players. Although we're behind, it's obvious that their number seven shooter and number eight center aren't playing comfortably. So in the second half, all we have to do is force Teiko Junior High School to pass the ball to those two as much as possible and lower their success rate. Is that clear?" Seihō Junior High School's coach called out.
"Clear!" the Seihō players replied in unison. Tomoki Tsugawa was by far the most excited.
"Hey, Iwamura-senpai! The coach just said the two of us are going to be the key players!"
"Yeah. So let's do our best in the second half and make sure we stop them," Tsutomu Iwamura said calmly. As a third-year middle school student, he'd taken on this kind of role for the team countless times.
"Yes, senpai!" Tomoki Tsugawa snapped to attention, his voice trembling with excitement. "I'll stop them even if it kills me!"
"Right. Do your best." Tsutomu Iwamura ruffled Tomoki Tsugawa's little bald head and fell into thought.
As the announcement signaled the end of halftime, both teams returned to the court. Seihō had possession.
"Hey, your name's Tomoki Tsugawa, right?" Shogo Haizaki asked the Seihō number twelve before him, having switched defensive assignments with Shintaro Midorima.
"You know me?" Tomoki Tsugawa asked in surprise. Then he grinned. "I don't know your name, but remember this: I'm Seihō's key player!"
"Huh? Who'd want to remember something like that? I just wanted to warn you to get off the court and rest while you still can. Otherwise, you'll be nothing in no time." Shogo Haizaki gave him a sinister smile.
"Don't know what you're talking about." The hotheaded Tomoki Tsugawa glared at him, took the ball, and broke through Shogo Haizaki's defense with an extremely bizarre rhythm. But Shintaro Midorima's interference forced him to miss the layup.
"I suggest you hurry up, Haizaki. I'm not going to keep cleaning up after you," Shintaro Midorima said coldly, looking at him.
"Give me the ball. One more possession," Shogo Haizaki said with a cocky grin, looking at Shintaro Midorima.
"Hmph. I hope you're right." Shintaro Midorima snorted and passed the ball to him.
"Hey, baldy! Aren't you the key player? Come defend me!" Shogo Haizaki snarled, beckoning to Tomoki Tsugawa with a finger. Tomoki Tsugawa took the bait, signaling Kazuma Tagawa to switch and defend Shintaro Midorima while he went after Shogo Haizaki himself.
"Good, good. Now you're acting like a key player." Shogo Haizaki dribbled back and forth outside the three-point line on the right, studying Tomoki Tsugawa. Then he suddenly burst into motion, broke past him with the same bizarre rhythm, and scored with a layup.
"Damn it! How did I end up a step behind?" Tomoki Tsugawa muttered in frustration, watching Shogo Haizaki's back.
"Hey, key player—and you, number four," Shogo Haizaki said. "Get off the court. Stop struggling. What's yours is mine now." He even licked his fingers arrogantly.
"Don't mind him. Let's just play our game," Tsutomu Iwamura said in a low voice, reassuring the others. He assumed Shogo Haizaki was just making threats.
"Honestly..." Shogo Haizaki said with a laugh, shaking his head as he turned to defend. He said no more.
"Captain, catch!" After bringing the ball safely across half court and surveying the court, Koichi Sakamoto passed it to Tsutomu Iwamura in the paint.
As soon as Tsutomu Iwamura caught the ball, he felt the immense force pressing against his back and prepared to finish with his signature hook shot. But when he instinctively bounced the ball, a strange sense of discord washed over him. Despite having no one contesting him, he fumbled a routine dribble he'd practiced thousands of times, slamming the ball against his foot and committing a basic turnover.
"Sorry, that was my mistake." Tsutomu Iwamura gritted his teeth in frustration and raised a hand in apology.
"It's all right, Captain." Takakatsu Kasuga, who was running back on defense, seemed to notice that something was off with Tsutomu Iwamura. He stepped forward and quietly encouraged him.
"Mm." Tsutomu Iwamura grunted, saying nothing more.
"You bastard! This time, I'm definitely going to stop you!" Tomoki Tsugawa was so furious with Shogo Haizaki that he was practically boiling over. Ignoring the defensive assignments, he spread his arms and challenged Haizaki.
"Interesting, little baldy." Shogo Haizaki looked at Tomoki Tsugawa and grinned playfully. He waved for everyone to clear out, then backed into the paint with Tomoki Tsugawa guarding him closely.
"Hey, little baldy, and you, number four," Shogo Haizaki said smugly. "Watch closely. This is how you do a hook shot!"
As Tomoki Tsugawa and Tsutomu Iwamura watched in disbelief, Shogo Haizaki finished the play with a dribble-and-hook shot identical to Tsutomu Iwamura's.
"Th-this can't be... Does Haizaki have the same kind of talent as Ken?" Satsuki Momoi said in shock, watching Shogo Haizaki score again and again with his opponents' moves.
"No. Though they look similar on the surface, they're completely different at their core." Seijuro Akashi spoke with certainty from the bench. "I don't yet fully understand the difference, but one thing is certain: compared with Ken's talent, which shines like the blazing sun, Shogo Haizaki's ability is still far too limited. Of course, it's more than enough for the situation on the court."
Just as Seijuro Akashi had said, as time passed, Tomoki Tsugawa and Tsutomu Iwamura struggled more and more on the court. They kept making basic errors on offense, and inexplicable gaps kept opening up in their defense.
"Hahahaha! You bald moron, a loser should know his place! I told you—what's yours is mine now!" After scoring another easy basket, Shogo Haizaki sneered at Tomoki Tsugawa, whom he'd just sent tumbling to the floor.
"Haizaki, get off the court." Seeing Shogo Haizaki openly and shamelessly humiliating his opponents, Ken Kaneki's gaze sharpened and he spoke coldly.
"What? But I just..." Hearing the anger held back in Ken Kaneki's voice, Shogo Haizaki shuddered. He looked at Kaneki, surprised and reluctant.
"You just what? I wanted you to use your talent so we could win more easily, not so you could humiliate weaker... opponents!" Ken Kaneki looked him straight in the eyes. "Teiko Junior High School is a lion that wins every battle, not a hyena that kicks its opponents when they're down!"
Before you continue