Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Himuro suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the basket, and leaped into the air for a super jump shot!

He was suspended in mid-air for a second, then flicked the ball away with his elbow!

With a whoosh.

The basketball went through the net cleanly.

Xiang Yang stared intently at Himuro. He didn't care whether the ball went in or not; what he cared about was whether there was a flash of lightning in Himuro's eyes!

If successful, there should be a flash of lightning in that place!

however…

Himuro remained unchanged, his eyes still the same as before, but this time, they held a hint of doubt.

"Xiangyang, have I entered the zone yet?"

Xiangyang: ...

"Uh... I think the result is obvious, it's not true."

Upon hearing this, Himuro's face showed disappointment. His fiery enthusiasm for entering the Zone just moments before vanished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

However, Xiangyang's face didn't show any particular expression. If it were that easy to succeed, wouldn't everyone be able to enter the "zone"? He looked at Himuro and comforted him, "Don't worry too much, Mr. Himuro. If it were that easy to enter the zone, wouldn't all your efforts over the past few days be a joke?"

As he spoke, Xiangyang pondered the reasons for Ice Room's failure.

Considering its own circumstances, there are only two reasons why Himuro failed.

First: Himuro's "trigger" is not a super jump shot.

Second: He was not able to maintain a high level of concentration when he pulled the trigger in the ice room.

In Xiangyang's view, the possibility of "one" is not high. After all, through his previous conversation with Qingfeng, Xiangyang learned that "trigger" is more of a psychological suggestion. The reason why "trigger" is mostly a signature move is because familiar moves are easy for people's brains to remember.

In other words, as long as you can maintain a high level of concentration, even an action you've never done before can be used as a "trigger"!

Even a "zone" master like Qingfeng doesn't need a "trigger" at all; he can freely enter and exit the "zone" without any restrictions.

So... the reason is quite obvious.

"Mr. Himuro, when you made that amazing jump shot just now, were you still 100% focused on the basketball?"

Upon hearing Xiangyang's words, Himuro paused slightly, then stroked his chin, saying uncertainly, "There should be, right?"

No, if it exists, then this method won't work.

Xiangyang shook his head secretly, rejecting Himuro's words in his heart.

"When a person is doing something else, the brain will unconsciously allocate some of its energy, which will cause the attention to not be 100% focused on the other thing."

At this moment, Masako, who had been standing aside observing, suddenly spoke up. She looked at Himuro in front of her and continued, "According to you, as long as you can concentrate 100% while pulling the 'trigger,' you can enter the 'zone,' right?"

"So, Himuro, as long as you keep your focus while you're shooting, you can get into the zone. Of course, it sounds simple, but it's very difficult to be truly focused, especially during physical activity."

quiet--

Looking at the two who had suddenly fallen silent, Masako asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did I say something strange?"

"No, Ms. Masako, you are a genius."

Xiangyang sighed. Even though Masako's understanding of "zone" was almost zero, she was able to keenly identify Himuro's current problems after only watching for a short while, and even her suggestions were spot on.

Takeuchi's judgment was spot on. Even if you risk getting beaten up, pursuing someone like Masako Araki is definitely worth it.

Xiangyang's words pleased Masako. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her face still expressionless. But whether Himuro was mistaken or not, he seemed to see a slight upward curve at the corner of Masako's mouth.

Before Himuro could even take a closer look, Xiangyang grabbed his shoulder and said cheerfully, "Did you hear that, Himuro?! Masako-san has shown you the path to 'Zone'! Good luck, use 'Zone' during the Summer Tournament and scare Kagami's eyes out of their sockets!"

Talent: Chicken soup for the soul has been activated.

Xiangyang: ? ? ?

Why is this a passive skill?

Before Xiangyang could react, Himuro had already clenched his fist, a glint of fire flashing in his eyes.

Entering the "zone" left me speechless with shock!

燃起

They're here!

……

……

For the next period of time, Himuro did indeed follow Masako's advice and tried to maintain a high level of mental concentration while jumping to shoot.

Correspondingly, he started going to the gym more and more often. In the past, when Xiangyang and Yazi were alone, there was usually a shabu-shabu standing on the basketball court next door for about half the time. Now, that time has at least doubled!

Fortunately, to Xiangyang's relief, his passenger seat was never rearranged again.

Meanwhile, after Xiangyang's "language guidance," Yuki came to him for help more and more often.

At first, Xiangyang was very happy. His junior had finally figured things out and stopped playing basketball alone. He knew to ask for help from his seniors. Ha! He's grown up!

However, this good fortune didn't last long. As Yuki's problems increased and Xiangyang helped solve them, his skills as a point guard improved steadily!

This improvement is not a direct increase in strength, but rather a gradual and subtle improvement that manifests itself in the performance on the field.

During a training match, Xiangyang saw Yuki facing his defense and decisively attack, her offensive as fierce as lightning, showing no mercy! Like a ferocious beast baring its fangs.

Xiangyang suddenly realized.

It's not that our junior is just starting out, but rather that the wolf in the family has finally revealed its ambitions!

"Ha ha"

Inside the Kaijo Gymnasium, Xiang Yang, panting heavily, looked at Hashimoto Yuki, who was not far away, with his head down and clutching his jersey, and felt a sense of disbelief.

How could this kid have improved so much in such a short time?

The scoreboard showed 62-58, with Xiangyang's family winning.

However, in today's training match, it was clear to everyone that Yuki's individual performance was not much inferior to Xiangyang's!

"Is this what genius is? It's terrifying."

Kise put his hands on his hips and let out a sigh.

As a witness to the bet between Xiangyang and Yuki, he watched as Yuki's strength skyrocketed like a rocket ever since she started learning from Xiangyang!

At the beginning, if the two were teammates of similar skill level, Xiangyang would not need to think at all when beating him. With just a little trick, he could make Yuki question her life.

However, in today's training match, with Kise not playing, Xiangyang and Yuki took turns leading their teams and fought fiercely until the end of the match!

This shows just how terrifying Yuuki's talent is!

"What should I do? This year is alright, but if it comes to next year and this kid really surpasses me, my senior's face is a small matter, but I'll lose my starting position."

Xiangyang stretched his neck, looking troubled, and Kise, seeing this, simply rolled his eyes.

To the average person, Yuki's performance today could be considered on par with Hikaru's, but for Kise, the difference between the two is indeed not that big, but this small difference is like a chasm!

The most obvious point is that even when the battle was going on until the very end, and Yuki even managed to tie the score, Xiangyang still didn't enter "zone" mode. This shows that even though Yuki is now considered troublesome in his eyes, he can still easily defeat her.

It wasn't just Kise who discovered this problem; the person involved—Yuki Hashimoto—also did.

"Senior Xiangyang!"

As today's training session ended and the players left the stadium to go home, Yuki once again walked up to Xiangyang and bowed slightly.

Xiang Yang glanced at Yuki and said, "Speak, what's the problem today?" He was already used to this.

During this period, Yuki would ask Xiangyang one or two questions almost every day. Apart from his own extraordinary talent, his diligence and thirst for knowledge, as well as his desire for strength, were also necessary conditions for his rapid improvement!

Especially after a showdown with Xiangyang, if Yuki gets serious, she can even drag Xiangyang into a debate for an hour or two!

"Senior Xiangyang, what I want to ask this time is..."

As Yuki spoke, she slowly raised her head and met Xiangyang's gaze.

"What I want to learn is how to enter the 'zone'!"

Chapter 140 Stagnation of Strength

"What I want to learn is... how to enter the 'zone'!"

……

……

Xiang Yang glanced at Yuki in front of him; the latter's current actions were within his expectations.

After all, for Yuki to defeat Hikaru, she absolutely had to overcome the mountain that is "zone"!

If Xiangyang can do it, but he can't, then even if Yuki improves her normal strength to a higher level, there will still be a significant gap.

"Kids these days are really something else. They're already thinking about how to master the 'zone' in their first year of high school."

Xiangyang scratched the back of his head, looking quite emotional: "I remember when I was in my first year of high school, I was probably doing something else around this time. My skills were nowhere near yours, Yuki."

Hearing Xiangyang's teasing, Yuki shook his head; naturally, he wouldn't take Xiangyang's words seriously.

However, Xiangyang wasn't lying to him. At this time last year, when he first faced Aomine, who had entered the "zone," he wouldn't have had a chance of winning if Kise hadn't stepped up. As for Yuki, she might have had some way to fight back against Aomine alone.

Looking at Yuki's determined expression, Xiangyang pondered for two seconds and said, "Regarding 'zone,' I don't actually have a detailed concept of it either. Explaining this move would be too abstract. I can only tell you that the necessary condition for entering 'zone' is to be completely absorbed in basketball and to focus almost 100% of your attention on the ball."

"And...it might not even work."

Xiang Yang spoke very cautiously. Although Himuro seems to have seized the opportunity to enter the "zone," he hasn't succeeded yet. No one can guarantee that Xiang Yang's method will truly allow players below the "miracle level" to successfully enter that realm. In fact, many "miracles" cannot even control themselves to enter the "zone."

Like Kise and Murasakibara, although they both have precedents of entering the "zone", they themselves are not sure whether they can successfully enter it in the next game.

Hearing Xiangyang's words, Yuki was not surprised, nor did he doubt that Xiangyang was hiding his true abilities. After spending time together, he had realized that he had underestimated this senior.

Furthermore, Kise had told him a lot about "zone" beforehand, but Yuuki... didn't understand a single word.

Compared to the information Xiangyang just mentioned, the "zone" that Kise mentioned is incredibly abstract!

"Thank you, Senior Xiangyang!"

With a deep bow, Yuki slowly raised her head and met Xiangyang's eyes.

“Smith Marseille, Senior Xiangyang. I was indeed too arrogant before.”