Chapter 53: First Shot Fired

Seihō was considered by Shirogane Kōzō to be Teikō's biggest threat for claiming the top seed in the Tokyo region. If they were playing purely for the bigger picture, Teikō could've strategically thrown this match. After all, Tokyo had three qualifying spots. Even if they lost to Seihō, as long as they beat the other two teams, they'd still make it out of the group stage. And besides, there was no difference between finishing first, second, or third. Once the teams reached the finals bracket, it all came down to random draws and group placement anyway. But retreating wasn't Teikō's style. If there was a trophy for winning Tokyo, they were taking it home. Seihō wasn't going to back down either. At that very moment, over at Seihō Junior High, their head coach was shouting something about "defending the pride of kingship" while charging toward Teikō with his players in tow. Teikō wasn't slacking either. Shirogane was busy pumping his players full of his "win every battle" ideology. Fight for glory. For the team. For yourself... Anyone listening in would think they were about to play Game 7 of the Nationals. But still—whatever works. At the very least, both sides were taking this opening game of the round-robin extremely seriously. Everyone wanted to land the first blow. Momoi now had the full trust of the coaching staff. Her intel-gathering had proven itself again and again, and now the whole team relied on it. The sweet-looking girl had a freakishly deep understanding of guys. A classic yandere-in-disguise. She had already completed the scouting report on Seihō and was distributing individual player profiles to Tendou and the others. Every detail was there, even weird trivia. Height: 193 cm. Third-year. Position: Center. One-quarter Polish ancestry. "You found that out too?" Tendou blinked, staring at a player who looked like a younger version of Big Z. This kid was actually taller than Murasakibara. As expected, the deeper into Nationals they got, the more monsters started popping up. Still, the player Tendou was most interested in wasn't the center. "So Tsugawa Tomoki is on their roster." Tendou remembered this guy well. In the original story, he was known for shutting down Kise Ryōta during a match. Even if it was still early in Kise's development, he had already earned a starting spot on Teikō's regular squad. Anyone who could freeze Kise couldn't be a pushover. Not to mention... the guy had that haircut. The kind that just screams "final boss." He wasn't bald yet, but you could feel the aura of a future monster. Tendou carefully combed through the file, memorizing everything. This would help him tremendously in the upcoming match. Because don't assume basketball players are just hormone-driven meatheads who run and jump all game. Before every game, serious players do detailed research on their opponents and adjust their strategy accordingly. Basketball is the ultimate combination of brains and brawn. ... Soon, game day arrived. Two hours before the match, Tendou noticed the atmosphere was completely different from usual. Even from the locker room, he could hear the roar of nearly twenty thousand fans in the arena. The temperature in the stadium—and his adrenaline—was rising rapidly. When Tendou followed Nijimura Shūzō through the player tunnel, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. The stands were split evenly between the two teams' fans. Black and white, like yin and yang—two massive cheering sections facing off. Everyone in the arena understood how important this match was. Beating the other team was practically a guaranteed ticket to the Nationals. Tendou was used to this kind of chaos. It was like going to a high-end club—sure, the first time you're nervous and out of place, but by the third time? You know to ask for the premium private suite. He glanced at Momoi, then at Riko sitting front-row, and his expression turned sly. Riko sensed something was off, and flipped him off immediately. This playful exchange was broadcast live to homes across Japan. 『LOL, these two are such a riot.』 『Not even mad—classic bickering couple vibes.』 『The producers know exactly what they're doing. Give us more of this daily life content!』 The viewers were all over it. More than standard romance arcs, people loved this kind of subtle, teasing dynamic. It hit that sweet spot of nostalgic, youthful tension that made them think of their own high school days. ... Soon after, the referee signaled for both teams to take the court. The arena hit its loudest decibel peak yet. After the obligatory "Let's have a good game" handshakes—it was go time. Murasakibara easily won the tip-off with superior bounce and reaction time. The Polish-looking center opposite him was all height, no substance. In Teikō's first possession, Nijimura ran a pick-and-roll with Tendou. After setting the screen, Tendou didn't roll—he popped out to the three-point line instead. That gave Nijimura all the space he needed to attack the lane. He pulled up from mid-range and fired. The opposing power forward couldn't keep up—Teikō's captain was just a beat faster than anyone else at his position. "Swish!" Clean bucket. Teikō drew first blood. Nijimura was in attack mode today. Knowing how important this game was, he had no intention of sitting back and letting the first-years show off again. On the other end, Seihō answered right back. Their Ripple Running was tricky to deal with. Seihō's captain, Kasuga Ryūhei, pulled off a Eurostep to dodge his defender. Even facing Murasakibara's towering block, he released a teardrop just in time and scored 2 points. Teikō clearly hadn't adapted yet. Even with Momoi's intel, at best it could only speed up the adjustment process. Murasakibara looked irritated. Not his fault though. That Eurostep + off-beat footwork combo is one of basketball's deadliest tools. Back on offense, Nijimura used another screen to break into the arc—mid-range jumper, splash. "Beautiful jumper—just what you'd expect from Teikō's captain." "In the earlier group stage games, Tendou hogged all the spotlight—but Nijimura has been consistently solid, averaging 20+5+5." "Today, Seihō clearly came in prepared to guard Tendou—but Nijimura's exploited the gaps in their defense to score twice in a row." The commentators praised Nijimura's performance. Teikō's captain was now the dream blueprint for a power forward. He had everything a team could ask for. And Nijimura didn't disappoint. The group stage had felt like him charging up—and now, in the round-robin stage, he was finally going all out. --- Vote with some power stones in this story. By using them on this book, you guarantee bonus chapters weekly.