Chapter 131: Chance Encounter
The second skill others imagined for Miyamoto Tokima was the initial 【Eye of Truth】.
This ability was said to activate whenever Miyamoto Tokima surveyed the entire court. Layer upon layer of ripples would spread outward, sweeping over everyone on the floor and leaving them with an unsettling feeling of being completely seen through.
The third was [Iron Wall]. This had been mentioned before—a simple weak-side hand defense, yet in the eyes of others, it became a towering wall of steel.
The fourth was [Speed Bump], a skill that first appeared when he was defending against Kotaro Hayama.
When Miyamoto Tokima placed his hand on an opponent’s waist to prevent a drive, the opponent would see a patch of green, viscous slime in their vision, blocking any attempt to push forward.
The fifth was [Blinding], a skill imagined by opponents when Miyamoto Tokima used blind-spot defense, making them feel as though they instantly lost their sight.
The sixth was [Pendulum]. By using a dragging step to shift the defender’s center of gravity, he would cause them to completely lose balance during the breakthrough, collapsing to the ground like a swinging pendulum.
The seventh was [Illusion]. All of Miyamoto Tokima’s feints appeared unbelievably real to others, as if they were trapped inside a hallucination.
The final one was Miyamoto Tokima’s lightning-fast shot, [Instant Strike]. That absurdly quick release earned this name from those who faced it.
These were the “skills” others had imagined for Miyamoto Tokima over the past year.
“Seriously, I don’t know how you guys come up with all this. Why is it that I’m the only one who can’t see any special effects?”
Miyamoto Tokima lay on the bed, sighing to himself as he recalled the descriptions he’d heard from others.
He knew those effects must look incredibly cool, but no matter what, he just couldn’t see them.
With a helpless sigh, Miyamoto Tokima relaxed on the hotel bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
It turned out that Miyamoto Tokima and the others had traveled to another city in the United States for a match. They had booked a hotel to rest and prepare for the game the following morning.
Early the next day, Miyamoto Tokima led the rest of the Black Emperor Dragon Team to the venue.
They won effortlessly. With a score of 112 to 29, they completely crushed the strongest local streetball team, pinning them to the floor without mercy.
...
That afternoon.
Miyamoto Tokima and Satsuki Momoi were about to head out shopping when they unexpectedly ran into Shuzo Nijimura, who had also gone out.
“Tokima, Momoi, what a coincidence. Want to walk around together?”
Shuzo Nijimura greeted them cheerfully.
Miyamoto Tokima rolled his eyes and said,
“Senior Nijimura, don’t be a third wheel. Go wander around by yourself. Momoi and I are going to have fun.”
With that, Miyamoto Tokima pulled Satsuki Momoi along and walked ahead, completely ignoring Shuzo Nijimura.
Shuzo Nijimura helplessly scratched his head.
“Man, I’ve been rejected.”
Left with no choice, he started wandering around the city on his own.
“Honestly, there’s really a lot to do around here,”
Shuzo Nijimura muttered as he strolled along.
Bang!
Boom!
Suddenly, the sound of a powerful dunk shattered his train of thought and drew his attention.
Turning his head, Shuzo Nijimura saw three people.
Two men and one woman.
When he noticed the woman, he couldn’t help but sigh,
“Now that’s some serious capital.”
It wasn’t an overreaction. The woman had a head of golden hair, a striking figure, and an eye-catching presence.
The two men—one with red hair, the other with black—were facing off in a one-on-one on the court.
Off the court, the woman kept calling out instructions. The two players listened intently and adjusted their play accordingly.
Seeing this, Shuzo Nijimura’s lips curved into a slight smile. His interest piqued, he stopped and watched.
...
On the court.
The black-haired man was on offense. He continuously used feints to shake the red-haired defender before finally scoring.
Shuzo Nijimura nodded unconsciously as he evaluated him.
‘His feints are decent. Solid fundamentals.’
Then it was the red-haired man’s turn to attack. He suddenly exploded forward, blew past the defense with sheer speed, and finished with a dunk.
Shuzo Nijimura froze for a moment, thinking,
‘That physical talent… not bad. He’s a good prospect.’
He couldn’t help comparing the two.
In terms of raw talent, the red-haired player clearly outclassed the black-haired one.
Still, there was something familiar about the black-haired player.
It felt just like his own past—someone who could have gone further, but whose ceiling was lowered by innate limitations.
Fortunately, Shuzo Nijimura had broken through that ceiling with sheer conviction, stepping into the same “zone” as true geniuses, and even mastering it more thoroughly than many of them.
After some time.
Both the red-haired and black-haired players stopped and turned to look toward Shuzo Nijimura.
“He’s been watching us for quite a while, hasn’t he?”
the red-haired player said calmly.
A faint smile appeared on the black-haired player’s face.
“Yeah, Taiga. He’s been watching for a long time.”
Alex Garcia stepped forward and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
Taiga Kagami turned and pointed at Shuzo Nijimura.
“That guy’s been watching us for a while.”
Alex Garcia tilted her head, glanced over, and said,
“So what? He’s free to watch.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean, Taiga?”
Taiga Kagami slapped the basketball with both hands, his eyes burning as he stared at Shuzo Nijimura.
“I can tell he’s strong. I want to play him one-on-one!”
Alex Garcia murmured in confusion,
“Really?”
Watching from the side, Shuzo Nijimura was completely baffled.
‘Why did they stop? Hey, hey, hey—why are you all staring at me?’
Feeling like he’d been caught spying, Shuzo Nijimura quickly turned around, ready to leave.
Just then—
“Hey! You over there!”
Alex Garcia’s booming voice stopped him in his tracks.
Shuzo Nijimura turned back, looked around, then pointed at himself in disbelief.
“Me…?”
Alex Garcia raised her hand high and waved vigorously as she shouted,
“Yes, you! Can you come over here?!”
Shuzo Nijimura originally wanted to leave, but since he’d already been noticed, he reluctantly walked onto the court and approached the three of them.
“I wasn’t trying to watch you on purpose. I just happened to pass by and saw it,”
he said awkwardly.
Alex Garcia waved her hand with a smile.
“It’s fine. I only called you over because my apprentice wants to play a one-on-one with you.”
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