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

"Wait a minute! This is ridiculous, Coach!"

Chang Zhe cried out in surprise and turned to Ya Zi for help. As the legitimate coach of Yangquan, she was the only one who could stop Xiang Yang from making a decision.

stare--

Masako and Nagatsu exchanged a glance, then looked away, as if their attention had been drawn to a spectator on the sidelines.

Chang Zhe: ...

"Um... Senior Changzhe, let's listen to him, I feel like we can really win if we keep going like this!"

"Yeah, yeah! Captain of Miracles, if we beat them, I think I'll be ecstatic!"

Not only is Masako on Xiangyang's side, but most people in Yangquan now acknowledge Xiangyang. Akashi's strength in the second quarter once made them despair. However, Xiangyang resolved the crisis with a seemingly ridiculous adjustment. How could they not admire Xiangyang?

In the end, Tetsuya Naga, feeling sorry for Himuro, also agreed to Hikaru's decision.

In fact, Higashi made the decision to force Himuro to play after careful consideration; it wasn't an order given on a whim.

Whether it was Akashi's unexpected "zone" mode or Himuro's ability to score consecutive points at the end of the second quarter.

Since they had already threatened Rakuzan's winning position, at the start of the second half, even if Himuro was standing on the field, finding a corner to stand and smoke, Rakuzan would at least arrange for someone to stand next to him and hold an ashtray for him.

After giving some more instructions on tactical positioning, Xiang Yang clapped his hands, glanced at the Yangquan team, and said, "Okay, that's all I have to say. Remember, if you want to beat Luoshan in the second half, you all have to play like your lives depend on it!"

"Hi!"

Xiangyang's method of motivation was unconventional, but it hit the nail on the head. At this moment, even though the eyes of the five people from Luoshan were still flashing with electricity, there was no fear on the faces of the people from Yangquan.

……

……

Third quarter

Following Xiangyang's tactics, Yangquan's entire shooting team stayed far away from the restricted area, creating a wide-open space, leaving only Murasakibara in the paint to attack the basket.

At first, the effect was quite significant. Even Root Takeshi, who had entered the "zone" stage, had a hard time holding off Murasakibara, the purple-haired inside monster.

Whenever other Rakuzan players tried to get inside and help double-team, Murasakibara would quickly pass the ball out, creating scoring opportunities.

Give it to the pitchers on the outside of Yangquan.

Unlike conventional big centers, Murasakibara does not have the rigid weaknesses of traditional inside players. Apart from lacking shooting ability, his passing and dribbling penetration are outstanding. This is the reason why Xiangyang dares to field a lineup of one big man and four small men for Yangquan!

(ps: There was a scene in the original work where Murasakibara dribbled the ball all the way down the court and scored a layup.)

However, the good times didn't last long. Akashi, who was equally good at adapting to situations on the court, naturally wouldn't just stand by and watch Murasakibara wreak havoc on his rim. After only three possessions, he decisively decided to switch defenses with Nebu and take over the responsibility of guarding Murasakibara!

For someone who is no taller than 170cm to volunteer to defend a 208cm tall center is not about courage; it's something a normal person would never do.

Of course, Akashi is not a normal person.

As Murasakibara positioned himself, received the ball, turned, and prepared to jump for a powerful dunk, only to have it stolen by Akashi. Xiangyang, sitting on the bench, casually rubbed his head in his hands and gave a wry smile.

You think you can just guard someone who's 2.08 meters tall like that? Can't you at least have some basic respect for basketball common sense and body structure?

Xiangyang's complaints didn't change anything. Until the end of the third quarter, Murasakibara hadn't scored a single point against Akashi. Despite being perfectly positioned and having clear scoring opportunities even a blind man could see, Akashi kept stealing the ball.

It can only be said that the "Emperor's Eye" is far beyond his capabilities. Facing any opponent who is not on the same level as Akashi, he can cleanly and decisively steal the ball, leaving the opponent no chance to retaliate.

Fortunately, in the latter half of the third quarter, Himuro, having gotten a brief respite, watched the score gap widen and gritted his teeth, stood outside the three-point line, and made two super jump shots, continuing the "zone" state that started at the end of the second quarter.

Before the fourth quarter, they successfully narrowed the gap to within ten points.

Los Angeles leads 77-68.

Yangquan still has a chance, but...

[Murasakibara, if you don't unleash your full potential and enter the "zone" soon, Yosen will be in deep trouble.]

On the surface, Xiang Yang remained calm, but inwardly he felt helpless. He looked at Murasakibara Atsushi, who was sitting back on the bench, and felt a headache coming on.

He really didn't have a good way to motivate this big guy. He had tried "chicken soup for the soul" during the last break, which worked great for the ice cream parlor, but had little effect on him.

Looking back at Murasakibara's moments of power in the original work, one was when he was overwhelmed by the center of the "Burst Neck Dragon" team in the movie, in terms of his most prized physical abilities, which ignited his competitive spirit. The other was when he saw Himuro's tears after giving up, which deeply moved him and caused him to directly enter the "zone" phase.

[Competitive spirit... that shouldn't be necessary. Murasakibara has long acknowledged Akashi's strength. Being suppressed by Akashi won't make him resentful. So... the way to break the deadlock is... to beat Himuro to tears??]

Thinking of this, Xiangyang was startled. He looked at Himuro's profile and fell into deep thought.

If he were to beat Himuro to tears right now... being expelled from the competition would be a huge blow to Yosen's morale.

Not feasible!

Xiangyang shook his head regretfully.

Just then, Himuro suddenly sat down next to Murasakibara.

"Are you tired, Atsushi?"

Himuro's gentle tone, combined with his refined appearance, instantly intimidated Murasakibara.

"Ugh... Komuro, I'm so tired."

Murasakibara let out a strange cry, grabbed a towel and covered his head with it. Under the light, the tip of his nose twitched slightly.

“Dun”.

Himuro let out a soft exclamation, lifted a corner of the towel on Murasakibara's head, and handed him a snack.

The cereal bars were Murasakibara's favorite and his most frequently eaten flavor.

Because Murasakibara's athletic ability had declined due to eating too many snacks during a competition, Masako gave him a strict order: not only was he not allowed to eat snacks during competitions, but he was also forbidden from bringing any snacks with him!

Looking at the familiar cereal bar in front of him, and the faint smile on Himuro's face, Murasakibara's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

In the end, Murasakibara simply took it, tore open the packaging, and ate it bite by bite.

Masako, standing to the side, crossed her arms and turned her head away, no longer looking. Although she had issued a ban, it only meant that Murasakibara was not allowed to bring it; she had not said that Himuro was forbidden.

As for Murasakibara already eating... it's okay, she can pretend she didn't see it.

Xiangyang looked surprised, his gaze towards Himuro filled with admiration.

[Who knew Himuro, you're also a "master of training ace players"?]

Unaware of what those around him were thinking, Himuro quietly watched Murasakibara finish eating and smiled, "Was it good, Atsushi?"

"Ah."

Murasakibara gave a soft "hmm," lifted the towel off his head, and cracked his neck twice.

"Coach, can I borrow a rubber band?"

Murasakibara fiddled with his long hair, his tone perfectly calm: "This hair is a bit too much of a nuisance."

Masako nodded slightly, took a rubber band out of her pocket, and tossed it to Murasakibara.

The latter took it and slowly tied her hair into a Japanese samurai hairstyle.

Perhaps because he hadn't tied his hair up in a long time, Murasakibara's eyes were slightly narrowed without the bangs covering them. He seemed unaccustomed to the glaring lights in the arena, but his gaze was sharp and frightening.

beep—

The fourth quarter is about to begin.

Please have both teams' players enter the field and prepare.

The referee's whistle blew

The final battle between Luoshan and Yangquan has begun.

"gone."

For the first time ever, it was Murasakibara who rallied his teammates to take the field.

This tall guy, who usually lags behind the team and is lazy, actually took the lead this time and was the first to walk onto the court.

Himuro lagged half a step behind, closely following Murasakibara.

The other players from Yangquan were not to be outdone and entered the field one after another.

Seeing Murasakibara's resolute expression, Xiangyang whistled. Although it wasn't quite what he had expected, but...

The final version of Yangquan is complete!

……

……

beep—

Yangquan serve

Chang Zhe continued to passionately direct his teammates to their positions, while carefully dribbling the ball across half-court. Although his movements weren't exactly graceful, they were steady and reliable.

Yangquan's pitchers were all in position, while Bing Shi continued his third-quarter positioning, finding a corner to observe his teammates' offense.

Unlike in the third quarter, Himuro could completely entrust his trust to his teammates, because Murasakibara was no longer the same.

That's it!

"Pass the ball to me!"

Murasakibara shouted, a rare occurrence for him. Facing Akashi's defense, his actions were no different from those in the third quarter. He still used his size advantage to block Akashi, then reached out to his teammates for the ball.

This scene seemed to be a microcosm of the third quarter, with the Yangquan players mirroring the previous ones in both offensive tactics and player positioning.

The only difference is probably that Murasakibara's hairstyle has changed.

Akashi remained calm and watched Murasakibara receive the ball. Even he couldn't steal the ball when Murasakibara blocked him. His chance lay in the opening Murasakibara made when he turned around after the "Emperor's Eye" successfully predicted the ball.

As if it were a script, Murasakibara, under Akashi's watchful gaze, made a turn and a jump step, about to attack the basket.

Akashi's pupils contracted sharply; the "Emperor's Eye" had once again predicted Murasakibara's movements!

"What a pity, Murasakibara."

As Akashi spoke, he reached out with his right hand and slapped the basketball in Murasakibara's hand.

However, this time... it's not the same as in the third quarter.

Feeling the basketball being struck by an external force, Murasakibara's body, which had just jumped up, paused, and his center of gravity was affected. However, his hands regained control of the basketball in just a moment.

"Ugh!"

With a roar, Murasakibara stared intently at the basket, his body, whose center of gravity had been disrupted, raised his hands high and forcefully slammed the ball into the hoop!