You're All Too Slow

Just as the two were about to close the gap.

Kaede Rukawa made a move that shocked everyone in the arena.

He did not force his way into a jump, nor did he change direction.

His wrist twisted nimbly, carrying the ball with it.

His entire arm, like a slick loach, slipped through the narrow gap between their bodies...

And passed through!

A split between man and ball?

No, it was a forceful breakthrough with man and ball as one!

"What?!"

Hasegawa and Takano only saw a blur before that cool figure had already pierced through their defense.

Kaede Rukawa lightly scooped the ball into the basket.

11:4.

"Waaah—!!!"

The long-silent Shohoku stands, though sparsely populated, erupted in astonishing cheers.

"Kaede Rukawa! Kaede Rukawa! Kaede Rukawa!"

The girls from Kaede Rukawa's fan club screamed and jumped to their feet.

"So cool! Kaede Rukawa!"

They frantically waved the pom-poms in their hands, as if they were about to shout their throats raw.

Hanamichi Sakuragi stood in the backcourt.

Watching Kaede Rukawa's dashing back, he gritted his teeth in fury, his face turning green.

"That damn fox... stealing the spotlight again!"

Though he said that, the play from just now replayed uncontrollably in Hanamichi Sakuragi's mind.

"Tch... he's only a tiny bit worse than this genius."

Ryota Miyagi ran over. Even though they had scored, he was still somewhat dissatisfied.

"Hey, Rukawa!"

"In that situation, wouldn't it have been better to wait for your teammates to support you?"

"What if you had made a mistake?"

Takenori Akagi and Hisashi Mitsui also gathered around, clearly having some complaints about Kaede Rukawa's "lone wolf" style of play.

Kaede Rukawa turned around and expressionlessly looked at the four panting players.

He raised a hand, wiped the sweat from his chin, and said coldly:

"Because you're all too slow."

"So I couldn't pass the ball."

The air instantly froze.

"Nani?!"

The veins on Hanamichi Sakuragi's forehead bulged at once, and he looked like a powder keg set alight.

"What did you say?!"

"Damn fox! Who are you calling slow?!"

Ryota Miyagi's brow twitched too. "You brat... if that shot hadn't gone in, I'd have shown you some senior affection."

Hisashi Mitsui clenched his fists. "This guy's mouth is still as vicious as ever."

Even Takenori Akagi's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Yet Kaede Rukawa's highly provocative words were like a shot of adrenaline, stabbing fiercely into the hearts of Shohoku's players.

Sometimes, anger was the best fuel.

The game continued.

Shoyo launched another attack.

This time, just as Taku Ito was about to pass, he found Ryota Miyagi pressing him like a rabid dog, his eyes frighteningly fierce.

"Slow? I'm Ryota Miyagi, swift as lightning!"

Miyagi's defensive intensity instantly rose by another level, forcing Taku Ito to hurriedly move the ball.

The ball went to Takano in the paint.

Takano had just prepared to shoot when a massive wall of flesh suddenly appeared before him.

"Raaah!!"

Takenori Akagi roared and swatted the ball down hard as if he were smacking a fly.

"Don't underestimate Shohoku, bastard!!"

The ball was knocked away and happened to fall into Hanamichi Sakuragi's hands.

Hanamichi had barely gotten the ball and had not even had time to celebrate when Shoyo's Hasegawa closed in on him.

"Hmph! You think you can steal the ball from this genius?"

Hanamichi spun around to shield the ball, then spotted Miyagi already sprinting downcourt.

"Ryota! Run!"

Shohoku launched a fast break.

Miyagi took the ball and pushed forward, moving at astonishing speed.

Hanamichi Sakuragi stretched out his long legs and charged crazily toward Shoyo's basket like a red Ferrari.

"Give me the ball!!"

Hanamichi shouted as he ran, holding his arms high overhead.

Miyagi seized the moment and fired off an instant pass.

The ball flew toward Hanamichi.

Hanamichi Sakuragi caught the ball, pushed off with both feet, and soared into the air.

"This is the genius's Little Man's Layup!!"

He caught the ball in midair, facing an utterly unguarded basket.

Because he was too excited, and because he wanted to prove to Kaede Rukawa that he was not "slow."

He put all his strength into it and fiercely—

Slammed the ball into the backboard.

Yes, he had used too much force.

"Bang!!"

The basketball smashed heavily against the backboard. It did not go into the net at all, instead rebounding back at astonishing speed.

"Huh?"

Hanamichi was still hanging in the air, but his expression instantly froze into a dumbfounded stare.

"I... I messed up?"

The spectators had just been about to cheer, but the sound got stuck in their throats.

"Hahahaha!"

"What is that redhead doing? Was that a shot on goal?"

"I'm dying!"

Just as the basketball was about to fly away and Hanamichi was about to become a laughingstock.

A black shadow rose behind Hanamichi once more.

It was Kaede Rukawa, who had followed close behind.

He leaped high and caught the rebounding basketball one-handed in midair.

His body stretched through the air like a fully drawn bow.

"Boom!!"

Kaede Rukawa dunked the ball viciously into the basket right over Hanamichi, who had not yet landed!

A putback dunk!

An alley-oop putback dunk!

The tremendous impact made even the hoop tremble.

Kaede Rukawa landed, released the rim, did not even glance at Hanamichi, and turned to run back.

He left Hanamichi standing stupidly beneath the basket, still holding his layup pose with a completely baffled expression.

"It... it went in?"

Sakuragi's Gang in the stands froze for a moment before erupting into earth-shaking laughter.

Mito Yohei clutched his stomach, laughing until tears came out. "Hahahaha! That idiot Hanamichi! Was he trying to smash the backboard?"

Takamiya Nozomu laughed wildly while eating chips. "Just as expected of Hanamichi! Only a genius could come up with that kind of assist!"

Yuji Ookusu shouted, "Hey! Hanamichi! Beautiful pass! That was an incredible assist!"

Hearing his lousy friends' "praise," Hanamichi Sakuragi's face instantly turned the color of pig liver.

He looked at Kaede Rukawa's back, then at the still-shaking hoop, and finally could only grit his teeth and force himself to save face.

"Hmph... hmph! That's right!"

Hanamichi put his hands on his hips and shouted at Kaede Rukawa's back:

"Well, Kaede Rukawa! That was this genius's amazing pass to you!"

"If this genius hadn't deliberately smashed it off the backboard, how could you have dunked so coolly!"

"You should thank me, bastard!"

Kaede Rukawa stopped, turned his head slightly, and looked at Hanamichi as though he were an idiot.

"Idiot."

The score was 11:6.

The gap was shrinking.

More importantly, Shohoku's players, enraged by Kaede Rukawa's remark about being "slow,"

now had flames in their eyes that had fully ignited.

On the bench.

Lin Bei shifted his posture and remained seated.

"Even though their teamwork is a complete mess..."

"This chaotic momentum is still rather troublesome."

He glanced at Fujima Kenji, whose expression was somewhat ugly on the opposing bench.

"Hey, Fujima."

"If you don't take the court yourself soon...

"Your tall teammates are going to be torn apart by those beasts."