Chapter 82: The Interview
Miyamoto Tokima allowed Shogo Haizaki to use trash talk on the court, but he absolutely did not allow Haizaki to cross the line into dirty play.
Angry? Fine. What you did in private was none of Miyamoto Tokima’s concern—as long as you weren’t reported and suspended, didn’t hurt innocent people, and didn’t go out of your way to cause trouble. As long as those lines weren’t crossed, he wouldn’t interfere.
Shōei’s shooting guard stood frozen in place, head lowered, lost in his own thoughts.
After Teppei Kiyoshi inbounded the ball, he noticed that the shooting guard still hadn’t moved. He ran over, grabbed him, and shook him hard.
“Hey! Hey! Wake up!”
Realizing that the shooting guard had fallen into deep self-doubt, Teppei Kiyoshi immediately called for a timeout.
“Beep! Shōei requests a timeout!”
After returning to the bench, the coach repeatedly tried to talk to the shooting guard, but he was like a dead man—no response at all.
With no other choice, the Shōei coach made a substitution, sending in the backup shooting guard.
Daiki Aomine noticed what had happened and asked,
“Haizaki? What did you do?”
Shogo Haizaki gave a dismissive sneer.
“I just said a few facts.”
Daiki Aomine clearly didn’t believe him.
“But he—”
Miyamoto Tokima cut him off sharply.
“Daiki!”
Daiki Aomine turned his head in confusion.
“Miyamoto, he clearly loves basketball, so why would you—”
Miyamoto Tokima interrupted him again and tossed the question back at him.
“Daiki, if someone truly loves basketball, would they really be brought down by just a few words?”
Daiki Aomine was instantly rendered speechless, unable to say anything for a long while.
Miyamoto Tokima patted him on the shoulder.
“Remember this, Daiki. Someone who truly loves basketball won’t abandon it because of winning or losing.”
“Someone who truly loves basketball will never give it up—no matter the circumstances. Even if they keep losing, even if they have no opponents, they’ll still choose basketball without hesitation.”
After saying that, Miyamoto Tokima returned to the bench, took Satsuki Momoi’s water bottle, and began drinking.
Daiki Aomine stood there in a daze, Miyamoto Tokima’s words replaying over and over in his mind.
Seijuro Akashi said nothing and stepped off the court to recover his stamina.
Kōzō Shirogane and Shuzo Nijimura also offered no objections.
Atsushi Murasakibara sat down and immediately started eating potato chips, completely unconcerned with what had just happened.
Daiki Aomine sat blankly beside Tetsuya Kuroko and spoke hesitantly.
“Tetsuya, you…”
Tetsuya Kuroko looked directly into Daiki Aomine’s eyes and shared his thoughts.
“Aomine, I think Miyamoto’s words are correct—but I don’t agree with his method.”
“I believe that giving your all on the court is the greatest respect you can show to basketball and to your opponents. There’s no need for extra words.”
Daiki Aomine nodded, though Miyamoto Tokima’s words still echoed in his head.
The game continued.
Teikō Middle School went all out. Shogo Haizaki repeatedly stole his opponent’s moves and turned them into points. Shuzo Nijimura dominated with sheer strength, scoring at will.
Miyamoto Tokima completely shut down Teppei Kiyoshi—Kiyoshi couldn’t score a single basket against him.
Atsushi Murasakibara crushed Shōei’s small forward mentally, to the point where he didn’t even want to touch the ball anymore.
Seijuro Akashi connected the entire team, constantly intercepting passes and capitalizing on Shōei’s mistakes.
Coupled with the deafening cheers from the stands, Shōei’s fighting spirit was completely extinguished.
By the end of the third quarter, the score had reached 69–39—a massive thirty-point gap.
Even when Teppei Kiyoshi returned in the fourth quarter, the situation didn’t improve. The gap only continued to widen.
Still, Teppei Kiyoshi showed no intention of leaving the court, refusing to give up.
Kōzō Shirogane respected his resolve. After confirming that Miyamoto Tokima still had plenty of stamina, he rotated the other players while keeping Miyamoto Tokima on the floor to continue guarding Teppei Kiyoshi.
Throughout the entire quarter, Teppei Kiyoshi could only score one or two baskets with heavy assistance from his teammates. The rest of the time, he was completely locked down by Miyamoto Tokima.
When the fourth quarter ended, the score stood at 98–47. A crushing fifty-one-point margin sent Shōei Middle School crashing out.
The crowd erupted in cheers for Teikō. No one could believe it—Shōei was the team that had “Iron Heart” Teppei Kiyoshi and was considered a strong contender for the national championship.
Yet in the semifinals, they had been blown out by Teikō with a terrifying fifty-one-point difference. The result left the spectators utterly stunned.
At this point, everyone had already begun imagining Teikō’s championship victory.
After the game, reporters swarmed forward to interview the Teikō players.
Seijuro Akashi, having received elite education since childhood, faced the situation without the slightest hint of nervousness.
Miyamoto Tokima was even less bothered—compared to the scenes he’d faced in his previous life as a boxer, this was nothing.
Even Shogo Haizaki, usually carefree and fearless, suddenly became serious and shy.
When faced with questions from reporters, he answered each one properly and earnestly.
Atsushi Murasakibara, meanwhile, sat there blankly eating potato chips, giving completely random answers.
Reporter: “Murasakibara, how do you feel after winning by such a huge margin?”
Atsushi Murasakibara: “Miyamoto… I’m hungry…”
Reporter: “Murasakibara, after defeating Teppei Kiyoshi, do you think you’re currently the No. 1 center in junior high?”
Atsushi Murasakibara replied blankly: “Teppei Kiyoshi? Who’s that? Is it a new kind of snack bar?”
Reporter: “………………”
Daiki Aomine was even worse. At first he seemed a little awkward around the reporters, but soon he completely let loose.
Reporter: “Aomine, how do you feel right now?”
Daiki Aomine: “Amazing! It feels way too good!!!”
Reporter: “How do you usually train? Do you have any special tips?”
Daiki Aomine laughed loudly.
“Of course! Train hard! Play lots of games! And then watch the little—uh—stuff Miyamoto gave m—”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Miyamoto Tokima coughed loudly, snapping Daiki Aomine back to his senses.
“You idiot!”
Miyamoto Tokima grabbed Daiki Aomine by the collar and dragged him away, afraid he might say something even more outrageous.
Seeing the Teikō players preparing to leave, the reporters gradually dispersed as well—completely unaware that a blue-haired boy was still standing nearby, quietly waiting for his turn to be interviewed.
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