Ryonan's Phantom Sixth Man (II)

They had no idea why Chi Tong would throw the ball toward a spot with no teammate waiting to receive it at a time like this. Had he made a mistake?

Just as everyone thought it was a fatal mistake, a dull yet sharp smack suddenly rang out. The basketball Chi Tong had thrown abruptly changed course halfway through its flight, veering at an almost ninety-degree angle toward Daiei Academy's paint.

The sudden turn caught everyone on Daiei Academy completely off guard.

Hakaono Kazuta was still watching the basketball fly toward the sideline, never expecting it to change direction.

Tu Chun tried to rush over and intercept it, but he was too far away. All he could do was watch the basketball trace a bizarre arc toward the basket.

Like a precision-guided missile, the basketball dropped straight into the hands of Yu Zhu, who was already waiting there. The instant he caught it, Yu Zhu acted without hesitation. Before Hakaono Kazuta could recover from his shock, he planted both feet and sprang up, his towering body extending in midair. With both hands raised high, he slammed the ball toward Daiei Academy's hoop.

The basketball thundered through the net. The rim shook violently under the tremendous impact, and the net snapped upward with a loud swish.

For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the entire gym. The stands, noisy just seconds earlier, went utterly quiet. Everyone stared at the court, dumbfounded, their minds still struggling to process what had just happened.

"What was that?"

"What just happened?"

"The basketball actually turned on its own!"

"Th-that defies the laws of physics, doesn't it?"

"Am I seeing things?"

"How on earth did that ball get over there?"

"It was clearly heading toward the sideline. How did it suddenly turn toward the basket?"