Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 272 I will never give up
"You haven't stopped me from shooting a single goal yet, little brother Hinata..." Mibuchi Reio said to Hinata Junpei with a dangerous look on his face, "Aren't you afraid of being embarrassed later by making such big talk so early in the morning?"

"Don't be afraid. I've already lost all the face I should have lost before." Hinata Junpei's eyes were full of fighting spirit. He came in front of Mibuchi Reio, looked into his eyes and said word by word, "I will definitely defend you from now on!"

"Um... Captain... we have the ball to attack now..." Kuroko Tetsuya on the side hesitated for a moment and then stepped forward to remind him.

"..." Hinata Junpei looked at Kuroko Tetsuya speechlessly and complained, "Occasion! Don't you know what occasion is, Kuroko!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Kuroko Tetsuya said to Hinata Junpei with a serious look on his face.

"Kuroko must have done this on purpose, right?" Katsume Ichiro leaned close to Kagami Daiga's ear and said.

"Ah... I think so..." Kagami Daigo nodded uncertainly.

"Of course he did it on purpose..." Kaneki Ken said with a smile while looking at Kuroko Tetsuya on the field, "Hinata Junpei who just came on the field probably discovered the secret of defending Mibuchi Reo and he is so excited. If we don't pour some cold water on him at this time, he might foul again in a while..."

"Eh, is that so?" Taoi Satsuki asked, blinking her eyes.

"I say, Mayu..." Kaneki Ken touched Taojing Mayu's head helplessly and said, "Although I haven't asked you to do opponent intelligence analysis for a long time since I came back, your sensitivity on the field can't be so low, right?"

"Yan-kun, how could I~~" Tao Jing Wuyue wrinkled her nose and said in a coquettish tone, "I just followed you. I don't like to use my brain~~"

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Kaneki Ken smiled and pinched Momoi Satsuki's nose and said, "In the next round, if Hinata Junpei can really score successfully under Mibuchi Reo's defense, then Seirin High School only needs to defend for one more round and score another goal to bring the score back to within 15 points..."

"team leader!"

Just as Kaneki Ken was analyzing the situation on the sidelines, Kagami Taiga, who was standing outside the sidelines, made a ground pass and sent the ball to Hinata Junpei outside the three-point line.

"Come and show me how you're going to defeat me, little Hinata brother." Mibuchi Reio opened his arms and came in front of Hinata Junpei, saying with a hint of provocation in his eyes.

"You'll see, you sissy." Hinata Junpei's words were exactly the same as in the first half, but his tone was no longer as impatient as in the first half.

"This guy's aura has changed..." Looking at the two people standing face to face at the top of the three-point line, Kotaro Hayama suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Crench!"

Following the sound of shoes rubbing against the floor, Hinata Junpei took a heavy tentative step under the gaze of Mibuchi Reo.

"Breakthrough?" Mibuchi Reo subconsciously took a half step back and muttered, "Is this guy crazy? He actually used a breakthrough, which he is not good at, to score at such a critical moment?"

"Be careful, Sister Reo!" Just when Mibuchi Reo was confused, Hayama Kotaro beside her suddenly spoke up and reminded her, "Be careful of this guy's retreat!"

"An inviolable shot?" Mibuchi Reo frowned slightly, staring at Junpei Hinata in front of him, and stepped forward decisively, constantly compressing Junpei Hinata's shooting space.

"I already knew you would press me and defend me..." Hinata Junpei said with a chuckle, "But now, I'm not just a pitcher!"

"boom!"

Before Reo Mibuchi could react, he found that Junpei Hinata had passed the ball from under his crotch to Katsume Ichiro in the right corner.

"Come on, Ichiro!" Hayama Kotaro quickly stuck to Katsumi Ichiro like a leech, "Let me see what the gap is between you and your senior?"

"Don't mention this guy in front of me again, bastard!" Katsumi Ichiro replied with a grim look on his face, "I admit that Senior Mitsui is indeed a prodigal son now, and he is indeed very strong when he turns back, but now... I am not weak either!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Katsume Ichiro jumped up directly in front of Kotaro Hayama's shocked eyes. Then, Katsume Ichiro stretched his body in the air, and his long arms moved his right hand to slowly push the ball towards the basket.

"The reason why Mitsui is called the Man of Fire is because when Mitsui is in good form, his three-pointers are like a fiery three-point rain that completely burns all hopes of the opponent to win..." said Imayoshi Xiangyi with emotion.

"Hey? Aren't we watching the match between Akashi and Kuroko?" Wakamatsu Kosuke looked at Imayoshi Shoichi with some confusion and asked, "Why did the topic suddenly return to Mitsui-senpai?"

"Listen to me, Wakamatsu." Imayoshi Xiang crossed his hands in front of his chest and explained slowly with a firm face, "Mitsui is the kind of player who becomes stronger and more explosive when facing stronger opponents. At the critical moment, you can always trust him. But in daily games, he may often slack off due to his physical talent, but in terms of willpower, Mitsui will never lose to anyone..."

"What about Ichiro Kusanagi?" Wakamatsu Kosuke asked curiously.

"Kumi Ichiro... He is a typical player with a very stable upper and lower limits. He can contribute appropriate output very stably on the court... That's why he is called the Man of Wind. He is as stable and gentle as the breeze on your face, but not lethal enough." Konyoshi Shoichi said as he looked at Hayama Kotaro who was blocking in front of Katumi Ichiro on the court, "But I think it's a bit difficult to expect him to perform a comeback against a player of Hayama Kotaro's strength..."

"Damn, this guy's defensive pressure is so strong..." Katsume Ichiro gritted his teeth and looked at Hayama Kotaro in front of him and muttered, "But the captain has trusted me so much... How could I let him down?"

As he said this, Katsume Ichiro leaped up against Hayama Kotaro's defense.

"What? This guy!" Kotaro Hayama looked at Katsume Ichiro who jumped up in front of him with some surprise, and subconsciously jumped up towards Katsume Ichiro's figure.

"I almost lost a senior who cared so much about me... I can't lose another senior like him!"

Ichiro Katsume looked at Kotaro Hayama in front of him, and his mind couldn't help but recall the past.

……

Three years ago, the Takeishi Junior High School basketball team was training.

"Captain, catch the ball!" As his teammates passed the ball to Mitsui Shou, Katsume Ichiro immediately rushed to Mitsui Shou as if facing a formidable enemy, staring at his every move, fearing that Mitsui Shou would make a three-pointer.

"Relax a little, Katsumi. Being too nervous when facing an opponent will lead to misjudgment." Mitsui Shou kindly reminded his junior who was so nervous that he didn't know where to put his hands.

"Yes... yes, Captain!" Looking at the majestic yet gentle senior in front of him, Katsume Ichiro spoke nervously and stuttered.

"Alas, it seems that I can't learn it just by talking. I can only teach you with practical actions~~" Mitsui looked at Katsumi Ichiro who didn't improve at all, sighed helplessly, and began to bend down and prepare for the attack. "Bang, bang, bang!"

As the sound of the basketball colliding with the ground continued to sound, the classical sounds seemed to hit Katsume Ichiro's heart directly, making him dizzy and breathing rapidly.

"What should I do? Left or right?" Katsume Ichiro looked at Mitsui's shaking shoulders in front of him, and cold sweat gradually began to seep out of his forehead.

"Crench!"

As the sound of intense friction between basketball shoes and the ground was heard, Mitsui Shou deceived Katsume Ichiro's center of gravity by shaking his shoulders, and then passed Katsume Ichiro cleanly with a large crossover.

"Not good!" Katsume Ichiro's heart skipped a beat as he watched Mitsui Hisashi completely disappear from his sight. He then quickly turned around and rushed towards Mitsui Hisashi's back.

"Don't walk in a straight line when defending on the court. Try to take Z-steps as much as possible. Didn't your coach teach you these things when you were playing mini basket?" Mitsui commented with some dissatisfaction as he looked at Katsume Ichiro's reaction.

"I'm sorry, captain!" Just as Katsume Ichiro was about to bow and apologize subconsciously, he discovered that Mitsui Shou had made another light turn and passed him by, completely shaking him off. Then, he went straight to the basket with the basketball.

"Ichiro, what the hell are you defending against?" The first-year teammate looked at Katsumi Ichiro who was easily passed by Mitsui Shou and complained with some dissatisfaction, "I should have known that I shouldn't have been on the same team with you!"

"brush!"

Before his teammate could finish his words, Mitsui Shou suddenly stopped and, despite being defended by two people, he shot the ball steadily into the basket.

"What did you just say?" After scoring, Mitsui Shou did not have a happy smile on his face. Instead, he looked at the first-year player who had just complained and asked with a serious face, "Say it again?"

"I'm not wrong..." The criticized first-year player pouted his lips unconvincedly and said, "Being so nervous on the court will only hold us back!"

"Shut up! I order you, Nishimiyaji!" Mitsui Shou said with a stern face, pointing his finger at Katsume Ichiro, "Apologize to Ichiro-san!"

"Why?" The player called Nishinomiyaji looked at Mitsui Shou with some confusion and asked.

"Because you are teammates!" Mitsui Shou said seriously, "Teammate should not be a burden to each other. Everyone needs help on the court. If you think your teammates are a burden, then there is no need to continue playing this game!"

"I know I was wrong, Captain..." Nishimiya Temple said, scratching his cheek embarrassedly.

"I'm not asking you to apologize to me, but to apologize to Ichiro." Mitsui Shou moved aside, pointed at Katsume Ichiro and said to Nishimiyaji.

"I'm sorry, Ichiro, I shouldn't have said you were a burden." Either under pressure from Mitsui Shou's power or out of sincerity, Nishimiyaji came in front of Katsume Ichiro, bowed deeply and said.

"Ah, it's okay..." Katsume Ichiro waved his hands uncomfortably and said, "It's true that I didn't behave well just now..."

"It doesn't matter if you don't perform well. Your fighting spirit on the court is still worthy of recognition." Mitsui patted Katsume Ichiro's shoulder heavily and said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Katsume Ichiro nodded heavily. From then on, Takeishi Junior High School had a loyal younger brother who obeyed Mitsui's words and always stayed by Mitsui's side.

Katsume Ichiro thought he would continue to follow Mitsui Hisashi until he graduated from high school. It was not until his third year of junior high school that he heard a piece of news that struck him like a bolt from the blue.

"What? Senior Mitsui is injured?" One day, when Katsume Ichiro was meticulously conducting team training with the reserve players, just as Mitsui Hisashi had done before, Nishimiyaji suddenly walked into the gym with a sad face, and whispered something in Katsume Ichiro's ear. Then, all the players of Takeishi Junior High School saw Katsume Ichiro abandon the players who were training and rushed out of the gym, anxiously riding his bicycle to the hospital.

"Mitsui-senpai..."

When Katsumi Ichiro rushed into the ward panting, Mitsui Hisashi's right knee was already covered with a thick cast. He was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me too?" Mitsui said with an angry look into Ichiro's eyes.

"No, Senior..." Katsumi Ichiro turned pale at Mitsui Hisamoto's expression, "I just heard that Senior was injured, so I came to see you..."

"What problem can you solve by coming here?" Mitsui Shou waved his hand impatiently, "Go away, I don't want to see anyone now."

"Okay, senior..." Katsume Ichiro put down the fruit basket in his hand with some hesitation. After hesitating at the door of the ward for a while, he sighed lightly, closed the door of the ward, and left the hospital. He never thought that it was this farewell that made him lose his most beloved senior.

……

"What? You said that Mitsui-senpai is a delinquent? How is that possible?"

In a high school in Hokkaido, Katsume Ichiro grabbed Nishimiyaji's collar with an incredulous look on his face and yelled, "Asshole, no matter how much you joke, there must be a limit! Senior Mitsui loves basketball so much, how could he give up basketball and become a delinquent?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Nishimiyaji said with a bit of grievance, pulling off the hand of Katsume Ichiro that was grabbing his collar. "My old friend in Xiangbei told me that Mitsui Senior has now quit the basketball team, has grown long hair, and hangs out with a bunch of bad youths all day long. Every day they either hang out or fight. What else can this be but a bad boy?"

"How...how could this be?" Katsume Ichiro felt as if all his values ​​had been impacted in an instant.

"Anyway, I'm also planning to quit the basketball club." Nishimiya shrugged. "Anyway, playing with that group of people from the Generation of Miracles is not an experience at all, not to mention that the first generation of the Generation of Miracles, Kaneki Ken, has returned..."

"So after hearing the name of the Generation of Miracles, you don't even have the courage to challenge them?" Katsume Ichiro asked Nishimiyaji with a sad look in his eyes.

"So what if we have one? We're not a wealthy club. And to be honest, Ichiro, you're just a player who's very close to being a great warrior. There's no wealthy club coming to recruit you, right?" Nishimiyaji said to Ichiro Katsume with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"I'm different from you and that guy who gave up basketball..." Katsume Ichiro said through gritted teeth, "I will never... admit defeat to the Generation of Miracles team!"

……

"Remember this, you bastard! I will never admit defeat to the Generation of Miracles even if I die!" Katsume Ichiro's eyes gleamed brightly, "I must win against you!"

(End of this chapter)