On Shohoku's bench, Ayako Inoue hovered anxiously around Ryota Kudo. "Where are you hurt, Kudo? Do you need to come off and rest for a while?"
"I'm fine now. I just took a hit." Ryota Kudo did not reveal that he had been acting earlier. He felt that it had only been a way to deal with Minami Tsuyoshi, and there was no need to let his teammates know.
Watching Ayako Inoue fuss over Ryota Kudo, Ryota Miyagi looked utterly envious. He wished he had been the one knocked down earlier.
Ryota Miyagi had just opened his mouth to say something when Ayako Inoue, who had already noticed his gaze, turned and shot him a warning look. It frightened him into keeping quiet at once.
One minute later, the game resumed, and the players from both teams returned to the court.
The penalty for Minami Tsuyoshi's technical foul before the timeout was now administered: two free throws and possession. Hisashi Mitsui, their most consistent free-throw shooter, stepped up to the line.
He calmly sank both free throws, and Shohoku Team retained possession for the inbound.
Ryota Kudo received the inbound pass beyond the three-point line. The defender facing him now was Toyotama High School's point guard, Daijiro Itakura, who stood 183 centimeters tall.
This guy loved talking trash. The moment they matched up, Daijiro Itakura began running his mouth.
"You flopped just now, didn't you, punk? That's all you've got. Try pulling that on me if you've got the guts. I'll..."
Before he could finish, a figure flashed past Daijiro Itakura as fast as lightning.
Daijiro Itakura was a big guard, but he had a fatal weakness: his reactions were slow, and so was his speed.
By the time Daijiro Itakura reacted, Ryota Kudo had already charged close to the