Chapter 65: Before You Put On Trash Bags, Couldn’t You Cover Your Jerseys?
Though confused, Yamada still blew his whistle.
“Beep! Meisei requests a timeout.”
Before Kentaro Seto could ask what was going on, Makoto Hanamiya grabbed him and pulled him off the court.
After stepping off, Makoto Hanamiya immediately gave orders:
“Iwahara, Biza! You two are going in—replace me and Kentaro.”
The two substitutes were completely baffled. They had no idea why Hanamiya was making this decision.
Still, neither of them dared to ask. They could clearly sense that something was off with Hanamiya’s mood, so they could only assume he had already accepted that the game was unwinnable and had simply given up on the rest of the match.
The thought made both of them feel miserable. They didn’t want to get crushed on the court either.
After arranging everything, Makoto Hanamiya left the court directly, dragging Kentaro Seto along with him.
The Meisei players watched in confusion. Meisei’s shooting guard called out:
“Hanamiya, where are you going?”
Makoto Hanamiya didn’t answer and continued leading Kentaro Seto away from the court.
...
Miyamoto Tokima noticed this. He turned his head toward Shogo Haizaki beside him.
“Haizaki.”
Haizaki had already seen Makoto Hanamiya and Kentaro Seto leaving. He nodded.
“Got it.”
Miyamoto Tokima walked over to Kōzō Shirogane and spoke with a smile:
“Coach, Haizaki’s stomach isn’t feeling great. He wants to run to the restroom for a bit. Is that okay?”
Kōzō Shirogane took a calm sip of tea.
“Oh? Is that so? Nijimura’s stomach doesn’t feel great either. In that case, they can go together.”
“Coach, my stomach isn’t—”
Shuzo Nijimura tried to speak, but Kōzō Shirogane silenced him with a single look.
Miyamoto Tokima laughed awkwardly.
“Haha, Coach, going to the restroom in pairs… isn’t that a little strange?”
Kōzō Shirogane chuckled.
“What’s strange about it? You’re all grown men—what’s there to worry about?”
“Well…”
Miyamoto Tokima didn’t know how to respond.
Kōzō Shirogane laughed and continued:
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. One person isn’t enough insurance. Let Nijimura go along.”
Miyamoto Tokima immediately understood. The coach had known their intentions from the start—and hadn’t stopped them.
Kōzō Shirogane went on:
“If this were any other team, I’d never allow it. But Meisei… I’ll permit it.”
“First, because they injured Midorima and Akashi. Second, because they won’t report it. Even if they get beaten up, they’ll just think they weren’t good enough.”
“Alright, enough talking. Go now, or they’ll get away.”
“Oh, and just in case—cover your heads. Don’t let anyone recognize you.”
Miyamoto Tokima nodded and turned to urge them on.
“Haizaki, Mr. Nijimura, go.”
“Remember—don’t get recognized.”
Shogo Haizaki scratched the back of his head, clearly annoyed.
“Tch. I could handle this alone.”
Shuzo Nijimura kicked him in the backside.
“Stop spouting nonsense. Move already.”
“Hey—hey—alright, alright!”
At that moment, Daiki Aomine stepped forward, pointing at himself.
“Tokima, Coach—what about me?”
Miyamoto Tokima patted him on the shoulder.
“Meisei still has plenty of people left.”
Daiki Aomine glanced at Meisei’s bench, then nodded.
“Fine.”
Shogo Haizaki and Shuzo Nijimura immediately headed toward the players’ tunnel, preparing to intercept Makoto Hanamiya and Kentaro Seto.
Watching their backs, Kōzō Shirogane took another sip of tea and said:
“For the second half, Shiroiwa will replace Haizaki, and Atsushi Murasakibara will replace Nijimura.”
Atsushi Murasakibara and Shiroiwa both nodded.
...
Inside the players’ tunnel.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki ran at full speed, chasing after Makoto Hanamiya and Kentaro Seto.
“Haizaki, do you have something to cover your head?”
Nijimura asked while running.
Haizaki shot him a deadpan look.
“Do I look like someone who carries that kind of thing around?”
Nijimura gave an awkward laugh.
“Then we’ll have to find something to cover up with.”
As he spoke, something caught his eye. He immediately turned back.
When he saw it clearly, Nijimura exclaimed excitedly:
“Found it!”
Haizaki ran back, took one look at what Nijimura was holding, and instantly showed his disgust.
“No way. I’m not wearing that.”
What Nijimura had spotted was a black trash bag inside a garbage bin.
Nijimura pulled out the large bag, tore it in half, and handed one piece to Haizaki.
“Hurry up. This bag was just replaced—no trash inside. It’s clean.”
Haizaki still looked extremely reluctant.
“But—”
Nijimura immediately cut him off.
“Did you forget who told you to come?”
Haizaki’s expression changed. Gritting his teeth, he snatched the trash bag, shoved it over his head, and snarled:
“Hurry up! Don’t let them get away!”
With that, he turned and sprinted forward.
Nijimura froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly.
‘This brat… only Tokima can keep him in check.’
He pulled the trash bag over his own head and chased after him.
The two quickly caught up to Makoto Hanamiya and Kentaro Seto.
They sped past them and blocked their path.
“Stop.”
Makoto Hanamiya stared at the two figures wearing trash bags over their heads. In a strangely polite, almost considerate tone, he said:
“Nijimura—and that white-haired guy. What are you two doing here? Aren’t you playing the game anymore?”
Haizaki froze when he realized Hanamiya had recognized them. Remembering Miyamoto Tokima’s warning, he stubbornly replied:
“What are you talking about? Nijimura? White-haired guy? I don’t know what you mean.”
Makoto Hanamiya let out a cold laugh.
“Before putting on trash bags, couldn’t you at least cover your jerseys with jackets?”
“Do you really take me for an idiot?”
At those words, Haizaki and Nijimura both looked down at themselves. When they saw the glaring words Teikō Middle School emblazoned across their uniforms, they fell silent.
The four stood there in silence for a moment.
Finally, Haizaki broke it.
He tore the trash bag off his head.
“Since we’ve already been exposed, I can’t be bothered with this thing anymore.”
Nijimura nodded in agreement, pulling his own bag off and muttering helplessly:
“How did we forget to put on jackets…?”
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.