Chapter 143: Did I Mishear That?
“Just now… did that foreigner say… that [Generation of Miracles] lost to Seirin?”
Satsuki Momoi asked, puzzled.
Shuzo Nijimura’s smile froze for a moment as he asked,
“Did he?”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded calmly. “Yes.”
Shuzo Nijimura straightened, his face full of confusion.
“That can’t be right. Going by what Haizaki said, even that redhead plus Kuroko shouldn’t be able to beat the [Miracle Generation].”
“Hard to say. Let’s ask after the match.”
Miyamoto Tokima was also baffled. If Haizaki was right, then Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko shouldn’t have been able to defeat Ryota Kise, who had been training nonstop.
Something must have happened that differed from the original story. Miyamoto Tokima planned to ask Tetsuya Kuroko about it once the game was over.
On the court.
The players prepared for the jump ball.
Taiga Kagami stepped up to jump against Papa.
Looking up at Papa, who was even taller than him, Taiga Kagami showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, his fighting spirit surged.
The referee stepped between them with the ball and tossed it high into the air.
Taiga Kagami and Papa jumped at the same time.
Papa got to the ball first, tipping it to his team’s point guard.
On the sidelines, Shuzo Nijimura couldn’t help feeling a bit emotional as he looked at Papa’s height.
“Who would’ve thought schools in Japan would start recruiting foreign players? But this one’s pretty weak. Aside from height and wingspan, there’s nothing remarkable about him.”
Miyamoto Tokima didn’t argue. In the original story, Papa had nothing but height-based shooting—no other moves at all.
His entire skill set basically boiled down to forcing shots.
On the court.
The Shinkyō point guard immediately passed the ball to Papa. Papa caught it and shot right away, without any extra movement.
Taiga Kagami watched Papa rise up, his heart shaken.
‘No fake at all? He’s actually looking down on me!’
Taiga Kagami exploded upward, his right arm shooting high as he went for the block.
But Papa still managed to release the ball, using his height and wingspan.
Swish!
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Off the court.
Shuzo Nijimura rested his head on his hand and spoke casually.
“That redhead’s got good physical gifts, but it looks like he isn’t using them to their full potential.”
Miyamoto Tokima said nothing, quietly watching the game.
On the court.
Seirin’s possession.
Shun Izuki brought the ball past half court, his eyes moving as he surveyed the floor. Locking onto his target, he pushed the ball forward with both hands, sending it to Junpei Hyuga.
After catching the pass, Junpei Hyuga noticed Papa was still a bit away. He jumped and shot immediately.
Off the court.
Shuzo Nijimura shook his head.
“Shooting straight up against someone that much taller? That’s just asking to get blocked.”
Miyamoto Tokima twitched at the corner of his mouth and muttered,
“Senior Nijimura, you really have the nerve to say that. Didn’t you start the same way against Dicky Anthony…”
Shuzo Nijimura laughed awkwardly and hurried to explain,
“That was because I wasn’t focused. It wasn’t on purpose.”
On the court.
Papa jumped as well, using his long reach to snatch Junpei Hyuga’s shot out of the air.
Junpei Hyuga was shocked.
‘No way! He can intercept it from there? Just how wide is his defensive range?!’
On Seirin’s bench, Koichi Kawahara couldn’t help but complain,
“That’s way too sneaky, bringing in foreign reinforcements like that.”
The Shinkyō captain overheard him and immediately mocked,
“So Seirin’s the hot-blooded type? There really are plenty of you. Calling foreign recruits sneaky and all. It doesn’t break the rules, does it?”
Junpei Hyuga remained calm and replied evenly,
“Well… up to two players are allowed on the starting roster.”
Thinking Junpei Hyuga was agreeing with him, the Shinkyō captain flattened his hand and turned his attention to Papa.
“See? What’s wrong with bringing in strong players? It’s easy—just pass him the ball and he scores.”
Junpei Hyuga glanced at Papa, put his hands on his hips, and said,
“I don’t know about easy, but if you rely on that kind of strategy, don’t come crying when it bites you back.”
Ignoring the change in the Shinkyō captain’s expression, Junpei Hyuga continued,
“We’ve got our own outstanding players too—just not imported ones.”
Rinnosuke Mitobe stood quietly behind Taiga Kagami, staring straight at him.
Taiga Kagami felt a chill down his spine, shuddered, and quickly said,
“No problem… probably.”
With that, he turned and ran back on defense.
As the game went on, Papa’s shooting accuracy dropped sharply, barely making one out of five shots.
The sudden change stunned both Papa and the Shinkyō team.
The Shinkyō captain frowned in confusion.
‘His accuracy dropped all of a sudden… what’s going on?’
Off the court.
Shuzo Nijimura leaned against the railing and spoke slowly.
“So shooting is the only way that foreign player can score? If that’s the case, then Seirin’s got this match.”
“That redhead’s defense has gotten stronger too. Looks like he hasn’t been standing still.”
Satsuki Momoi studied Taiga Kagami’s body carefully and murmured, confused,
“But his physical talent is clearly good. Why is he only showing this much?”
Shuzo Nijimura guessed,
“No idea. Maybe he hasn’t realized it himself.”
...
On the court.
Using the defensive techniques he’d learned from Rinnosuke Mitobe, Kagami drastically reduced Papa’s shooting accuracy.
Under this kind of defense, every one of Papa’s shots became a struggle.
And Papa himself had no other skills. His dribbling was terrible, and his only offensive option was shooting with his height and wingspan.
With great difficulty, Papa launched another shot.
Bang!
The ball clanged off the rim again, just as expected.
Papa stood there, completely stunned.
The crowd on the sidelines began to jeer.
“He can’t make anything.”
“Guess foreigners aren’t that amazing after all.”
On the court.
The Shinkyō captain panted as he listened to the mockery, grumbling inwardly,
‘Easy for them to say. The pressure on the court is enormous.’
His gaze shifted to Taiga Kagami, shock flashing through his mind.
‘A jumping ability that can block a two-meter jump shot… and that focus, intense enough to be called killing intent.’
‘Facing someone like that isn’t just normal pressure!’
Off the court.
Shuzo Nijimura’s eyes suddenly sharpened, his tone turning serious.
“Miyamoto… I didn’t misread that, did I?”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded calmly.
“It’s not obvious, but he definitely has it.”
The corner of Shuzo Nijimura’s mouth lifted, his voice filled with surprise.
“Who would’ve thought… that redhead actually has Animal Instinct too.”
Author's Note
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