A somber atmosphere hung over Shoyo's bench.
Kenji Fujima covered his head with a towel, his shoulders rising and falling slightly.
Kazushi Hasegawa's voice broke the silence.
"Don't hesitate any longer."
Fujima didn't look up.
"If the rules don't prohibit it, it's not a foul."
Hasegawa's voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable power. "This is our last year of high school. I don't want to lose here, and neither do you, right?"
He looked around.
Shoichi Takano, Mitsuru Nagano, Taku Ito...
Each familiar face carried the lingering resentment left by three years of arduous training.
After summer, most of them will never step onto this field as players again.
" Fujima."
Takano raised his head, his eyes unusually determined. "Use it. As long as we win, I don't care what method we use."
"Yes, Fujima."
Nagano spoke up, his voice a little hoarse. "We've come this far, we've waited three years, not to fall here."
Fujima finally slowly pulled off the towel.
He looked at Toru Hanagata, his best partner and most trusted teammate.
Hanagata met Fujima's gaze, and finally he nodded heavily.
"I don't want to graduate with regrets."
Fujima closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the last trace of hesitation had vanished.
"Good."
His voice was hoarse. "The rest of the tactics remain the same. But on the defensive end... do as Hasegawa says."
"Yes!"
The Shoyo team responded in unison, their eyes rekindling with fire.
It was no longer the pure flame of competition it once was, but a mixture of resentment, obsession, and a ruthless determination to burn one's bridges.
The game continues, Shohoku has possession of the ball.
Kawamoto dribbled past half-court, he keenly noticed a subtle change in Shoyo's defensive formation.
Kazushi Hasegawa seemed to have overlooked Hisashi Mitsui in the left corner, his positioning clearly biased towards the inside.
Mitsui looked at Kawamoto.
Kawamoto nodded slightly.
The ball crossed half the field and flew straight to the unmarked bottom corner where Hisashi Mitsui was left wide open.
" Mitsui- senpai!"
Someone shouted from the Shohoku bench.
Mitsui jumped and completed the shooting motion in one smooth motion.
However, just as he reached the highest point of his jump and was about to release his weapon...
A green figure rushed towards us!
It's Kazushi Hasegawa!
He wasn't out of position at all; the earlier lapse in personnel was a trap.
He calculated Mitsui's jump timing and release point perfectly, and rushed in to defend at the last moment.
Moreover, instead of trying to block the basketball, he completely covered Hisashi Mitsui's eyes with his large, outstretched hand.
My view was instantly taken away.
Mitsui felt a sudden darkness envelop him, as if he had been blindfolded.
He instinctively threw the ball according to his memory, but without visual reference, his power became completely unbalanced.
The basketball drew a weak, feeble arc, not even touching the rim, and landed directly in the hands of the outside Toru Hanagata.
Three things to avoid!
"What?"
Mitsui landed, staring in astonishment at his hand, then at Hasegawa, who had already returned to defend.
"Quick attack!"
Hanagata roared and flung the ball forward.
Shoyo and his group swept past like a green tide.
Fujima receives the ball, uses Nagano's screen to shake off the defender, and pulls up for a jump shot at the free-throw line.
Swish!
23:14.
The point difference is now back to 9 points.
The Shoyo bench and cheerleaders erupted in cheers as if they had just escaped a disaster.
"Asshole!"
Hisashi Mitsui rushed up to the referee, pointed at Hasegawa, his face flushed with anger.
"Isn't it a foul for him to cover his eyes like that?"
The referee glanced at it, shook his head, and signaled for the game to continue.
No physical contact, no foul.
The referee gave a brief explanation.
Mitsui stood frozen in place, clenching his fists.
After two years of neglect, his newly regained confidence in shooting showed slight cracks under this blindfold defense.
His shooting form at this stage can't be considered muscle memory yet; it's more like muscle recollection.
He still needs time to rediscover his shooter's instinct to ignore interference under pressure.
Shohoku launches an attack.
Kawamoto tried to find Rukawa, but Rukawa was being closely watched by Nagano, so he didn't have a good chance.
The ball was passed to Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was in an open position.
Sakuragi received the ball near the free-throw line, facing Shoichi Takano who was coming to help defend.
"Look at this genius--"
Sakuragi prepares to shoot.
A flicker of struggle crossed Takano's eyes.
But remembering what he said during the timeout, he gritted his teeth and jumped with all his might, using the same method to slap Sakuragi's face with his large hand!
"Um?"
Sakuragi's vision went black, startled.
He's impulsive by nature; how could he stand this?
Ignoring everything else, he used brute force to push Takano away in mid-air with his elbow.
"Beep--!"
Offensive foul!
Possession changes!
" Red-Haired Monkey, you did that on purpose!"
Takano felt a tightness in his chest from being pressed against the wall and said angrily.
"You started this dirty trick!"
Sakuragi was even angrier.
The two were stuck together, but their teammates quickly pulled them apart.
Shohoku bench.
Hehehe...
Anzai watched the game and let out his signature laugh.
His eyes behind the glasses were slightly narrowed, revealing no emotion.
Ayako said anxiously, "Coach, they're like this..."
"This is part of basketball, Ayako."
Anzai slowly said, "Using every means within the rules to win, Shoyo has been pushed to the brink."
On the field, Kawamoto Kazuki quietly watched everything that had just happened.
Blindfold defense.
Of course he knows that.
In higher-level game footage, in the arsenal of defensive specialists who will stop at nothing to win, this is considered a standard and effective tactic.
By skirting the rules and exploiting humanity's instinctive reliance on vision, they disrupt the shooter's rhythm and confidence.
Is it dirty?
A little.
However, it is within the rules and is indeed effective.
Especially for shooters like Mitsui who are still recovering and whose confidence is not yet fully established, and for beginners like Sakuragi who are prone to getting carried away, the effect is absolutely outstanding.
Shohoku's offensive turn.
Kawamoto receives the ball at the top of the arc.
Fujima immediately applied it.
His eyes were complicated, and although his body was in a defensive stance, the hand that should have been raised to cover his eyes was hanging limply at his side, not even raised.
Kawamoto glanced at Fujima and instantly understood the other's struggle.
He didn't make any feints, or even call for cover.
With a step to the three-point line, he took a pull-up jump shot directly at Fujima.
Forced investment?
Fujima's pupils contracted, and his body's instinct made him want to jump up and block the shot.
But when the command to cover his eyes flashed through his mind, his hands felt like lead and he couldn't lift them.
He can't do it.
His pure love for basketball and his pride as an ace player prevented him from resorting to methods he himself despised.
He watched helplessly as Kawamoto flicked his wrist in mid-air.
Whoosh--!
Another three-pointer!
26:14.
" Fujima!!!"
Hasegawa was the first to rush over, his face filled with undisguised anger and confusion.
What are you hesitating about?
Why didn't you reach out your hand just now?
Do you know how hard we're fighting?
Fujima lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists, his body trembling slightly from the intense inner turmoil.
Sweat dripped down his chin.
"I..."
He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sound.
"If you can't do it, then I'll do it!"
Hasegawa said decisively, his gaze fixed on the white number 15 on Shohoku's half of the court. "I'll guard him! You mark Mitsui!"
Fujima suddenly looked up, meeting Hasegawa's resolute gaze, then glanced at Takano, Nagano, and Hanagata...
Everyone's eyes scream "I want to win," even if the methods aren't exactly honorable.
He finally nodded, very slowly.