Yōsen Bench
Araki slammed a wooden bokken against the floor, instantly snapping everyone to attention.
Even Murasakibara, despite his usual lazy demeanor, had a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Next up, Murasakibara, you're joining the offense. Stop just standing under our basket! Got it?"
Araki's tone wasn't a question—it was a command.
Nobody dared to argue, not even Murasakibara, who nodded quickly like a pecking chicken.
"Good. Step up the defensive intensity. We have three bigs, yet we're still letting them get through. The moment Shiro drives into the paint, I want a double-team. Don't worry about their center—Murasakibara, you can handle him without breaking a sweat."
Her tone softened slightly after giving instructions.
Fukui Bench
Shiro wiped the sweat from his face—Murasakibara's defense was terrifying.
Every shot Shiro made felt like he was pushing his absolute limits.
Miyamoto gathered the team and broke things down:
"They're going to start involving Murasakibara in the offense, so we'll have to collapse on him in the paint."
Then he turned toward Ren, hesitated for a moment, and finally managed to say:
"You just… do your best to hold your ground."
Ren, who had been clinging to hope, felt his last bit of confidence shatter.
Everyone knew how dominant Murasakibara was. Watching Ren go up against him felt like watching someone willingly walk into a lion's den.
Miyamoto continued, "On offense, you've all seen it—driving into the paint is suicide. If you're not 100% confident, don't force it. Stick to perimeter shooting. Their outside defense isn't as solid."
He sighed. At the end of the day, this game would be decided by their ace.
Basketball is a team sport, sure. But when the skill gap is this wide, one player can change everything.
"Beep! Timeout over!"
Both teams returned to the court.
Yōsen had possession
Murasakibara moved straight into Fukui's paint. A single shove, and Renr was already struggling to hold his ground.
Seeing this, Himuro lobbed the ball high.
Murasakibara barely needed to jump to catch it.
"BANG!"
Nijimura, rushing over for help defense, leaped with all his might, but Murasakibara posterized him with a vicious dunk.
"Even you can't stop me, Nijimura-senpai." His tone still carried a hint of respect.
"This kid…"
Nijimura could only give a bitter smile, but deep down, he felt proud. After all, Murasakibara had once been his junior. Seeing him grow into such a dominant player was something to be proud of.
Whenever Murasakibara got involved in the offense, scoring became effortless.
But before they could reset, Shiro was already sprinting to the other end.
Kawamura saw him and immediately launched a full-court pass.
"Get back on defense!" Himuro shouted.
Murasakibara didn't hesitate—he turned and sprinted down the court with surprising speed.
Although Murasakibara wasn't as fast as Shiro, his long strides made up for it.
Shiro reached the baseline and gathered the ball, but Murasakibara was already in the air, ready to send his shot into the stands.
Then, without even looking, Shiro rifled the ball behind him.
Kawamura was already positioned—three steps beyond the arc.
It was a calculated move. Murasakibara could chase down a full-court fast break, but could he contest a shot from this deep?
Answer: Maybe!
Like a rampaging beast, Murasakibara lunged at Kawamura.
It happened in an instant—Kawamura fired the shot, Murasakibara leaped, and his fingers just barely grazed the ball.
The shot arced high, kissed off the back rim, and…
Dropped in.
13-7.
From that moment, the game turned into an all-out shootout.
With Murasakibara anchoring the paint, Fukui had no choice but to rely on outside shooting.
Yōsen, on the other hand, now had a dominant inside game.
"Beep! End of the First Quarter."
The score froze at 25-23, Yōsen leading by two.
Compared to the early game, both teams' scoring efficiency had dropped.
Fukui's slashers had been completely shut down by Murasakibara.
It wasn't that they hadn't tried attacking the paint—they had. But each time, they were brutally rejected by Murasakibara, making it impossible to get inside.
With no other choice, Fukui had to rely on outside shooting.
But perimeter scoring is inherently inconsistent, and their shooting percentage wasn't great.
Meanwhile, Yōsen's offense only got smoother.
With Murasakibara in the mix, their attack became more versatile—not just reliant on outside shots.
Using his exceptional physicality and sheer power, Murasakibara dominated the paint, scoring at will.