"Sh-Shigure's move was… way too strong!"
"That second-squad upperclassman didn't even stand a chance!"
"He actually got dropped…!"
From the sidelines, the group of first-years awaiting their turn erupted into anxious chatter.
Back on Court 3,
Ichiji Hiro sat dazed on the hardwood, still not fully registering how he'd just been crossed out of his shoes by Shigure Akihito.
Meanwhile, on the other court,
Nijimura Shuzo, who'd been watching Shigure's form as he rose into another textbook three-point shot, finally dropped the annoyed expression he'd been wearing all day. A flicker of seriousness crept into his eyes.
Whoosh, !
The soft-yet-rapid shot traced a perfect arc through the air.
Every second-squad player watching from the sidelines locked their gaze on the ball, silently willing it not to go in.
But,
No such luck.
Swish.
Right through the net again.
Fukaya Reiji, one of the more sharp-eyed first-years, had already predicted the outcome as soon as he saw the ball leave Shigure's fingers. Even before it went in, he muttered under his breath:
"Another one. That was a beautiful shot…"
Not far in front of him, Kurokame Shinji turned to look at him after the ball went in, just as he'd said. Fukaya quickly averted his eyes in awkward silence.
Shinji: "…"
This guy…
If you've got that kind of talent, then own it already.
What a weirdo.
With Shigure's latest offensive round finished, the crowd's eyes once again drifted back to Court 1, as if on cue.
At that moment,
Nijimura's opponent was wearing the exact same blank, shell-shocked look that Ichiji Hiro had earlier.
Maybe even worse.
Ichiji had been stunned after being broken down and dropped to the floor.
This second-squad player?
His face was utterly vacant.
Why…?
He had clearly beaten Nijimura's defense several times, yet each time, Nijimura still managed to block his shot in the end. How was he that fast? How could he react like that?
Wait a second…
Was he just letting me into the paint… to bait me into a block?
Did my moves not even slow him down?
This guy…
Is playing with me?!
His mind spiraled into doubt.
His stance faltered.
His gaze flickered, unsure.
Seeing this, Nijimura couldn't help but sneer.
"Tch…"
"You're too easy to read, moron."
He had already shown the defensive gap in the paint from the very first possession. And yet the fool still rushed straight into the trap.
So much for upperclassman pride?
Pathetic.
Arrogant garbage.
From that point on, the match on Court 1 began to devolve into something downright ugly.
Moments later,
With another explosive dunk from Nijimura, the day's first defeated second-squad player was officially marked.
The 1v1 was to 21.
And now?
The scoreboard read: 22–0.
Nijimura let go of the rim and landed smoothly. The ball bounced up from the court and was casually swatted out of bounds with the back of his hand.
He turned to Coach Hakugin Kozo and said flatly:
"That's enough."
"As we agreed, I'm joining your basketball club."
Everyone on the sidelines stared in silence.
The image of Nijimura's ruthless offense and lockdown defense lingered in their minds like a burn mark.
The mood among the second-squad players, especially those still waiting to play, was complicated, to say the least.
"Damn…"
"There was nothing he could do…"
"This guy's on a whole different level. I heard from the first-squad seniors that Coach Hakugin didn't even help run summer training this year, he spent the whole break trying to recruit this one guy to Teiko."
"With that kind of skill, no wonder…"
"We've gotta bring our A-game. If anyone gets knocked down to third squad just because of a rookie test, it'll be a total embarrassment."
"That won't happen… right? Nijimura's just a special case…"
The guy who said that froze mid-sentence when his eyes shifted back to Court 3, to Shigure Akihito.
Oh right…
We're only in the first round of rookie evaluations.
And there were already two monsters, Nijimura Shuzo and Shigure Akihito.
Who knows what other freaks might be hiding in the remaining first-years…
They had to be even more careful moving forward.
Back on Court 3,
The score was also 21–0.
And just like that, Ichiji Hiro had become the second second-squad player to completely collapse.
While Shigure's defense lacked the violent explosiveness of Nijimura, he compensated with skill:
His power might have been a weak point compared to Nijimura, but his Steal (85) and Interference (80) stats were more than enough to shut down a second-squad opponent.
He didn't need to dominate the highlight reel defensively.
Because on offense,
Shigure's seven three-pointers alone were enough to terrify.
Add in his advanced ball-handling, ankle-breaking fakes, and highlight-worthy crossovers?
He was just as devastating as Nijimura in his own way.
And so,
Following the drama on Court 1…
Court 3 delivered its own crushing blow.
With a final energy-charged skill, Frozen Frame, Shigure ended the match by breaking Ichiji's ankles a second time.
[Current Glory Road objective completed…]
[In Teiko's 1v1 entry trial, you successfully defeated a second-squad player. You've earned your second Newbie Bonus (2/2).]
[Newbie Bonus (2/2) loading…]
[You've received: Standard Profile Player, Kiyota Nobunaga]
[Player stats have been updated…]