Jin Soichiro sounded hesitant. "Judging by the result, it certainly looked like an own basket, but..." He trailed off, frowning slightly as his gaze settled on Chi Tong out on the court. Something about that play felt strangely familiar.
Just then, Mu Shenyi spoke up. "That wasn't an own basket. That guy set the whole thing up!"
Everyone from Hainan froze and turned toward Mu Shenyi. Kiyota Nobunaga's eyes widened, and his voice rose.
"No way! How could anyone pull that off? Making your opponent score for you, and getting the ball to bounce straight into the basket? That's just ridiculous!"
Mu Shenyi did not immediately argue. He simply stared intently toward Chi Tong, his voice calm but grave.
"To do something like that, you'd have to calculate the timing, the force, and even your opponent's reaction without the slightest error. An ordinary player could never manage it."
"But..." He paused, a complicated look entering his eyes. "If it's that guy, that's another story."
Those words silenced everyone from Hainan.
Meanwhile, the Shohoku players showed no surprise at what they had witnessed. Instead, they felt an odd sense of familiarity.
It was practically identical to the time Chi Tong had scored against them with the same trick during their game against Ryonan.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was the first to burst out indignantly. "That rotten bastard! He's using that trick to screw someone over again! He ran circles around us with the same move last time!"
Mitsui Hisashi unconsciously rubbed his chin, his expression grave.
"Look at what he just did. From the jump to raising the ball, right down to that last change in direction with his wrist, the whole sequence was seamless. Nothing looked forced."
"If we hadn't fallen for it before, he really would've fooled us."
Mumu Gongyan adjusted