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

It seems like a tragic hero, a scene of one against three and ultimately losing, but the reason why Shiro Rin's conventional defense line is so easy to break through is because they have one less defender, and what they have more of... is a sharp sword!

Whoosh!

A faint whooshing sound whistled past Igarashi's ear. He instinctively opened his eyes wide, but before he could even grasp the situation, he suddenly realized that the basketball in his hand had vanished!

"Vulcan!"

A clear, cold voice came from beside him. Igarashi turned around abruptly, and a streak of orange light flashed across the field, landing in the hands of Kagami, who had already arrived at the front.

Fortunately, Aomine, who hadn't participated in the attack, caught up with Kagami immediately. Just as Kagami received the ball and was about to start his run, Aomine swung his hand and knocked the ball out of bounds.

beep—

Touou goes out of bounds, Shiro Rin has possession.

As soon as the referee blew the whistle, a commotion erupted in the stands.

The previous round, the back-and-forth between Touou and Shiro Rin was so fast-paced that it was dazzling.

Even Xiang Yang, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but exclaim, "It's such a pity that these two teams had to face each other in the round-robin stage."

Judging from the brilliance of the previous round of offense and defense, even in the finals, a performance of this caliber would only make the audience exclaim "worth the ticket price!"

Fortunately, the round-robin tournament isn't an elimination system; even if one team loses, they have a chance to start over. The three spots in the North Division's semifinals are practically guaranteed for Seirin, Touou, and Shutoku.

.

What? The fourth team in the North Division round-robin is called Kirisaki Daiichi? "Bad Boy Hanamichi" is still on the team, that's incredible, tomorrow's basketball weekly report will have something to write about.

The once-renowned "Uncrowned Five" have suffered repeated persecution from three different members of the "Generation of Miracles," ultimately losing all three matches and ending their summer in disappointment...

Ugh... poor Hanamichi!

Back to the match

Igarashi's offensive play was nothing short of perfect. Even if Xiangyang himself were to comment, it would be considered a textbook example of a small-scale numerical advantage! Unfortunately, in the world of Kuroko's Basketball, textbooks are at best used for reference.

In Touou's new offensive, Igarashi called for a screen, but as soon as he passed his teammate and before he could even see the defense's reaction, he was punished by Kuroko again!

With a thud of muscles colliding, the referee's whistle blew, and then, to Igarashi's bewildered surprise, Kuroko reached out and took the basketball from his hand.

beep—

Touou committed an offensive foul, resulting in a change of possession!

"Nani nani nani??"

Igarashi, who had been trying to maintain an inscrutable demeanor, finally couldn't hold back anymore. Before he could even start scoring or making an impact, he had already been forced into a mistake and a foul by the trolls.

[Damn it, if this keeps up, won't everything I said to Aomine-senpai and the coach become a joke?]

As Igarashi returned to the stage, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his expression became somewhat impatient.

Off the field, Xiangyang keenly noticed Igarashi's emotional change and smiled, "After all, he's still a first-year rookie. That guy is probably meeting an anomaly like Kuroko for the first time."

Players with very unique skills like Tetsuya Kuroko are most effectively countered by point guards like Igarashi who play with their brains and awareness.

When Igarashi takes a holistic view and keeps all possible scenarios in mind, the variable that is Kuroko Tetsuya can easily destroy all his plans.

Incidentally, in his first year, Xiangyang was also tormented by Kuroko during his duels with Shiro Rin. Fortunately, Shiro Rin was not yet fully developed in his first year, so he did not pose much of a threat. Now, Xiangyang is not so afraid of Kuroko anymore.

The match continues, and it's Shiorin's offensive turn.

The players of Touou are all very talented individually, which is closely related to the team-building philosophy of Hara Zeke. However, even in one-on-one offense and defense, Touou has an advantage. Unfortunately, a team without chemistry will not go far in the end.

With a few dazzling pick-and-rolls, Izuki once again found Kuroko lurking inside, passed the ball to Hyuga, who had just received the screen from Kagami on the outside, and got an open three-point opportunity.

With a calm and energetic hand, Hinata's three-point shooting ability is no less impressive than that of Reo, a five-time champion.

Swish!

The sound of the basketball swishing through the net rang out, and Shiro Rin's three-pointer was successful!

"Good shot! Hiyuki-senpai!"

"come on! Come on!"

"Defend that ball again!"

On the bench of Shiro Rin, all the substitutes were also in high spirits.

Just over a minute into the game, Seirin took a 5-0 lead.

For Shiro Rin, this was a rare smooth start!

Hearing the cheers for Shiro Rin from the audience, Igarashi's brows furrowed even more.

Minute.

Reaching over his teammate's serve, Igarashi advanced the ball past half-court. Looking at Shirō Rin's seemingly loose defense, a feeling of helplessness filled his heart.

[Damn it...where is that guy?]

Igarashi looked around, wanting to catch Kuroko first, but Kuroko had mastered the art of keeping a low profile. For Igarashi, who didn't have any special talent for eyesight, finding Kuroko in advance was almost impossible.

Fearing that Kuroko would steal the ball again, Igarashi had no choice but to stand on high ground and dare not launch an attack recklessly.

In an instant, the situation reached a stalemate.

Unfortunately, the attacking side has a 24-second time limit.

When the timer reached single digits, Igarashi still couldn't find Kuroko's whereabouts. He looked at Itsuki, who was crouching slightly in front of him, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face.

Should we fight...? But...

"Send it over!"

Just as Igarashi was caught in a dilemma, a sharp shout brought him back from his reverie. On the flank, Aomine half-blocked Kagami and stretched out his left arm to ask Igarashi for the ball.

Igarashi suddenly realized what was happening and quickly lobbed the ball over. At this moment, Touou only had 7 seconds left to attack!

Aomine received the ball, glanced at the timer, and realized that even Kagami's aggressive defense couldn't stop him!

With his right foot thrusting out, Qingfeng pushed off with his left leg, swiftly passing by and leaving Vulcan behind in an instant.

Despite having the speed advantage, Aomine felt the pressure of Kagami closing in from behind and did not rush to lay up. Instead, he chose a scoring method he did not often use: a jump shot from the right side!

Unable to decipher Aomine's intentions, Kagami could only watch helplessly as the guy stretched out his body in mid-air and lightly flicked his wrist to score.

Two points from Touou are valid.

"Hey, you brat."

Aomine, who had just scored a mid-range shot, showed no joy on his face. Instead, he walked up to Igarashi.

"As a rookie, I'll allow you to have a poor performance in this match, but!"

Aomine placed his right hand on Igarashi's shoulder and glanced at the Shiro Rin group behind him.

"Remember them, use your playing style to find a way to beat them. If you dare to be timid like this in the official matches, just wait to be beaten by me."

After saying that, Aomine didn't look at Igarashi anymore, but turned around and went back to the court to prepare for defense.

As Igarashi watched Aomine's departing figure, feeling the lingering warmth on his shoulder, he quietly clenched his fist, a resolute expression on his face.

Next, Seirin maintained a stable performance on both offense and defense, and their performance was truly worthy of being called a championship contender. This dark horse that emerged last year once again proved to the world that their victory over Rakuzan to get the runner-up title was not a fluke!

Touou, on the other hand, followed the established plan. Even though their organized attacks around Igarashi were repeatedly disrupted by Kuroko, they did not give up. Unlike last year, when the team would hand over all the ball to Aomine as soon as they were in a losing position.

On the bench of Touou, Hara Zeke, sitting cross-legged, watched his teammates slowly fall behind, but he was not in a hurry. Instead, he leisurely played with his hair.

Anyone with a keen eye can see at a glance that this Touou team has no intention of winning today, but rather has placed their hopes for victory on the future!

The final whistle blew

97-78, Shiorin takes the lead and wins the first match of today's round-robin tournament!

"Using a round-robin tournament to train their troops, Touou really has a lot of ambition."

Xiang Yang smiled, looking at Qingfeng, who was silently playing on the field with a towel around his neck, and felt a pang of sadness.

When Touou faced defeat, this arrogant ace didn't have a single member step up to shoulder the burden. Instead, he treated this defeat as a learning experience to hone his younger generation.

"They will reach an even higher level when the official competition comes."

Xiang Yang's tone was calm, yet very confident.

Yuei Igarashi is the perfect candidate to fill the gap in the Touou organization, becoming the final piece of the championship puzzle for Touou. If they can train him well, Touou this year will also be a championship contender.

Masako remained silent, watching the referee announce the verdict on the second match of the North Division's round-robin tournament.

"Round-up match 2, Shutoku vs. Shirorin!"

Chapter 155 Midorima's New Ultimate Move After Settling Down

"Playing two games in a row in one day, and against miraculous opponents at that, the North District is really a terrifying place."

With his hands behind his head, Xiang Yang looked at the schedule the referee had drawn up and couldn't help but sigh. However, while he said that, the expression on his face was somewhat gloating.

The people around him also sighed in admiration.

"Luckily, we're in the West District."

Someone said something that made everyone laugh.

No matter how tough the North Division matches are, what does it have to do with the West Division leaders?

"After this match, it seems like Touou will have to play again, this time against Shutoku..."

Kise smacked his lips, glanced at Xiangyang, and hesitated, as if he wanted to ask Xiangyang who he thought would win, but he swallowed the words back.

Who do you think will win this match?

Suddenly, Xiangyang turned his head and asked a question, as if he had seen through Kise's thoughts. At the same time, he glanced at Kise.

"It's Shiro Rin, after all, she was last year's runner-up."

"Yeah, I think it's Seirin too. These two teams have played against each other twice before, with Seirin winning once and drawing once."

……

After a round of competition, the Kaijo team generally favored Seirin, after all, the team's tenacity and tenacity during the Winter Cup had left a deep impression on them!

As for Shutoku, to be honest, Kaijo hasn't had a proper match with him in a year, because every time, Shutoku is in the quarterfinals, either facing Seirin or Rakuzan, and gets sent home immediately.

When it was Kise's turn, he looked at Kuroko, who was catching up with Midorima on the field, and hesitated, saying, "I'll choose Shiro Rin too. After all, I'd rather see Kuroko win than Midorima!"