After scoring, Hasegawa shook his head dismissively. He was determined to repay the humiliation he had suffered years ago, with interest!
As he returned to defense, Fujima gave him a high-five. "Great play, Kazushi. Stay confident; no one has played harder than you in the last two years."
Hasegawa nodded vigorously.
Akagi patted Mitsui on the back. "Don't worry about it, we'll get back at him on the next ball."
Mitsui remained silent, his whole body trembling slightly with anger. Hasegawa's expression had truly stung him.
Hasegawa had been stalking Mitsui since midfield. To call him a shadow would be an understatement; even a shadow leaves some space. Hasegawa was like a plaster, clinging to him relentlessly. No matter how Mitsui ran, changed direction, or stopped suddenly, he couldn't shake him off. The two chased each other all over the halfway line, like they were running a marathon.
Shirasawa watched Mitsui struggle and a smirk played on his lips. It seems Hasegawa, Mitsui's testing ground, hasn't changed after all. Mitsui is about to break through his bottleneck... Shirasawa wouldn't mind giving him another push. This is probably another way of helping him control the situation.
Just do it!
Shirasawa suddenly broke through to the right, Fujima immediately followed. But he paused, dribbled behind his back, moved laterally, and pretended to shoot from beyond the three-point line.
Fujima suddenly stopped and lunged forward.
But Shirasawa flicked his wrist, and the ball went straight to the bottom corner.
despair--
The bounce pass slowed the ball down slightly, and on the right wing, Mitsui Hisashi was desperately rushing towards the baseline. Hasegawa closely marked him, causing Mitsui to miss the optimal receiving point. When the ball rolled to the baseline, both players arrived almost simultaneously, reaching out at the same time—
Hasegawa suddenly sidestepped and blocked the way, taking a half-step ahead. Mitsui was hit by this and lost his balance, staggering and falling to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle and called a flagrant foul on Hasegawa.
Hasegawa nonchalantly raised his hand to accept the punishment, then turned to Mitsui, shrugged, and gave him a disdainful smile. His expression clearly said, "That's all you're capable of."
Mitsui lay sprawled on the ground, feeling both powerless and resentful. He had lost face far too much today.
" Mitsui..." Kogure, watching from the sidelines, felt a pang of anxiety.
Although Mitsui stood up, he was clearly not in a good state, as if he had been severely stunned. Kogure did not know about his past with Hasegawa, but he felt that Mitsui was probably angry that he had regressed.
That's right, even the good-natured Kogure has to admit that Mitsui is indeed not what he used to be. You can't see his true strength without a tough battle, and the current Mitsui is completely different from the one three years ago. He's lost not only his technique, but more importantly, his physical abilities. His decline in stamina can no longer be hidden.
The few steps it took to get back onto the court felt incredibly long, especially considering it was just halftime. The contrast is stark; look at Shirasawa over there, then look at Sakuragi...
Kogure shook his head. Oh well, Mitsui doesn't have much energy left anyway.
"Coach, let Mitsui come down and rest for a bit. I'll take his place!" Kogure said firmly. He originally wanted to say this on behalf of Shirasawa, but now he was addressing someone else.
Coach Anzai slowly shook his head. " Kogure, substituting him out now would be the biggest mistake we can make for him." He adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing. " Mitsui will definitely get through this. We have to believe in him."
After a pause, Coach Anzai added softly, "He's Hisashi Mitsui, after all."
Kogure paused for a moment, then turned back to look at the exhausted figure on the field.
" Mitsui..."
The game continues, Shohoku takes the inbound pass.
Mitsui dragged his feet, stubbornly continuing his run, while Hasegawa beside him looked completely relaxed, as if he were teasing him. "Give up, you've already lost. Shoyo will beat Shohoku, just like I'll beat you."
Hasegawa ran and trash-talked, feeling extremely satisfied. He wasn't a bad person to begin with; his sportsmanship and character were both good, and he was incredibly dedicated to basketball. The reason he kept targeting Mitsui was purely because of what Mitsui said when they lost a game years ago... it really stung.
Kogure watched the game, and that lingering worry resurfaced. But then again, it's normal for a genius to be a little proud, but it's really not fair to trample on and laugh at other people's efforts in pursuing their dreams.
Actually, Hasegawa didn't initially see Mitsui as an enemy. He was just determined to beat Mitsui fair and square by training hard. At that time, he wanted to prove one thing: hard work doesn't necessarily mean you can't surpass a genius. In his mind, Mitsui was more like a mountain that he had to climb over.
But that idea completely changed one day last year.
Hasegawa never expected that when he bumped into Mitsui on the street two years later, he would be in such a state. His hair had grown incredibly long, and he was surrounded by a group of thugs. What angered him the most was that a middle school student accidentally let a ball roll to Mitsui's feet. Mitsui didn't even lift an eyelid; he simply kicked the ball hard at the boy, and then he and his group laughed arrogantly.
Hasegawa was stunned. How did his goal, which he had been so determined to surpass, become such a scoundrel? This wasn't just a waste of basketball; it was a complete shattering of his aspirations.
Just then, Mitsui noticed his gaze. Their eyes met, and Mitsui immediately yelled at him, "What are you looking at! Get lost!"
Hasegawa had personally experienced this scenario of a good student being bullied by thugs, and it's no wonder he felt terrible. From then on, his feelings towards Mitsui changed from chasing after him to hating him. He hated that Mitsui had a talent that others could only dream of, yet he squandered it; he hated that Mitsui used his looks to bully honest people.
Today, he's determined to get his revenge on Mitsui, with interest!
On the court, Shirasawa received the ball and turned around, leaving Fujima behind. He then drove straight to the basket along the baseline, once again single-handedly attacking Shoyo's solid defense.
Seeing this, Hanagata shouted, "Stop him!"
Takano and Nagano simultaneously moved towards the center, while Hanagata positioned himself under the basket. Facing a triple siege, Shirasawa didn't hesitate at all, grabbing the ball with one arm and leaping into the air! Takano and Nagano also jumped up to block, the two of them side by side like a wall, completely blocking the shooting route.
Nagano seized the opportunity and slapped the ball. But Shirasawa suddenly pulled back in mid-air, switched the ball to his other hand, and slid through the gap between the two. Facing the final obstacle, the Hanagata, he raised the ball again and gently hooked his wrist.
The basketball grazed the Hanagata fingertips and landed steadily in the basket.
"A layup! A layup!"
"My God! He can take on three opponents and still pull off a layup! He actually did it!"
" Shirasawa! Amazing!"
The stands erupted instantly; Shirasawa had once again ignited the crowd. Last time he spun 360 degrees over two opponents, this time he pulled off a baseline dunk over three opponents, leaving the fans breathless and even wondering if he'd be taking on four opponents next time.
Fujima stared at Shirasawa, his face filled with disbelief. This guy's offensive firepower was constantly redefining his understanding, seemingly unfathomable. Shoyo's most prized interior defense was like paper in front of Shirasawa. If three people couldn't stop him, what could they do? For the first time, Fujima felt a little uncertain.
Sendoh, sitting in the audience, couldn't help but applaud in admiration.
"Wow, that's amazing!" he exclaimed in amazement. " Shirasawa's offensive technique is incredible. That was a beautiful shot."
Coach Moichi Taoka, standing nearby, frowned and glanced at him. " Sendoh, mind your position."
His gaze swept across the room and he spotted Kaede Rukawa standing next to Sendoh, secretly mimicking the lever-pulling motion that Shirasawa had just made.
Moichi Taoka turned away helplessly, sighing inwardly. "Alas... the morale of the army is about to crumble."
On the other side, Shinichi Maki checked the time. "It's about time, we should go."
They also have to rush to another venue to play in the quarterfinals against Takezono.
Jin sighed, still feeling unsatisfied. "It was so exciting, what a pity." His eyes lit up. " Maki, how about we guess which side will make it to the final four?"
Shinichi Maki replied calmly, "From what you're saying, you think Shohoku will win?"
After all, everyone favored Shoyo at the beginning, so if Jin is going to guess, the answer will definitely be the opposite.
Jin nodded.
Shinichi Maki chuckled nonchalantly, "I don't play such pointless games. In the end, there can only be one winner in Kanagawa anyway."
After he finished speaking, he raised his chin, and the entire Kainan team, as if receiving an order, turned around and left the stands in unison.
Back on the court, Shohoku and Shoyo went back and forth for several rounds.
During this period, Shirasawa scored 4 more points despite being triple-teamed, and also made a brilliant pass to Akagi, helping him complete a powerful dunk. Shoyo, on the other hand, managed to keep the score close thanks to Fujima orchestrating the offense. The game looked quite tense, and whoever broke the deadlock first would seize the initiative. However, Shoyo was still down by 13 points, making a comeback a difficult task.
Shohoku launched an attack, Shirasawa once again broke through the encirclement. He dribbled behind his back, faked out Nagano, and flicked the ball with his left hand to Hisashi Mitsui on the outside.
By this time, Mitsui's stamina was completely depleted, and he was running on sheer willpower. When the ball came over, he almost missed catching it. But even though his body couldn't keep up, his instincts from years of playing basketball were still there. He faked a shot beyond the three-point line, knocking Hasegawa away, then staggered two steps to the side and barely managed to jump and shoot.
However, Hasegawa reacted extremely quickly and pounced on him from behind again!
A solid block.
Hasegawa crashed solidly into Mitsui's back.
The basketball was swatted away the moment it left his hand, and Mitsui fell to the ground as well.
Hasegawa hadn't used much force; he'd only lightly bumped him. Who would have thought Mitsui was so fragile? Hasegawa even suspected Mitsui was faking it, but the referee had sharp eyes and immediately blew the whistle, calling another foul on him.
Mitsui was awarded two free throw opportunities.
Hasegawa snorted, his tone laced with disdain. "Go and rest. You've already lost, Hisashi Mitsui."
Mitsui lay on the ground, his body trembling slightly, as if even breathing was difficult. His teammates quickly surrounded him, calling out " Mitsui " and " Mitchy " all at once. But he seemed not to hear anything and did not react at all.
The substitutes on the sidelines also stood up anxiously. Kogure looked directly at Coach Anzai, his voice trembling. "Coach! Mitsui really can't hold on any longer!"
Coach Anzai remained calm, but his words carried an undeniable authority. "Wait a little longer. I believe in Mitsui."
Even so, his fists were clenched tightly, clearly indicating that he was struggling internally.