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

Based on this, if either Murasakibara or Himuro performs well on the day of the competition, then Yosen will inevitably be eliminated.

However, Masako rejected Hikaru.

"I'm not that ashamed to lose to a team that's missing key players."

Having seen previous examples (Xiangyang coaching Yangquan against Luoshan), Masako was well aware of Xiangyang's coaching abilities, but she did not intend to achieve victory through such external forces. After all, no matter how close Xiangyang was to her, he was not a player of Yangquan.

Xiangyang wasn't surprised by Masako's refusal. He joked, "Don't cry after losing the match. You know, even with a depleted Rakuzan squad, Akashi is still there. They're not so easy to deal with."

With a calm expression, Masako brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and replied, "I know, I don't need your help."

"Just wait and see."

……

……

On the day of the match, Xiangyang ended up sitting on the bench with the rest of the Kaijo team, instead of going to Masako's side.

Without his help, the performance of the people in Yangquan was surprisingly stable.

At the beginning of the first quarter, under Masako's command, the Yangquan team put tremendous pressure on Luoshan.

Without Takeshi Kanemoto as their interior anchor, Rakuzan's hastily assembled starting center was completely unable to withstand Murasakibara's offensive onslaught.

In the first quarter alone, Murasakibara grabbed 11 rebounds! This included six defensive rebounds and five offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Yangquan's core outside shooter, Himuro Tatsuya, was also frequently firing from the outside. Although Reo's defense was not outstanding, it was still at least at the level of "Vice General". It was obvious that Rakuzan's newly replaced backup shooting guard could not stop Rakuzan.

However, in this situation, Akashi single-handedly scored 22 points in a single quarter, directly tying the score difference between the two teams!

The first quarter ended with the score tied at 28.

In the second quarter, Hayama, who had always been relentlessly attacked at the small forward position, finally encountered an opponent he could control.

With Akashi's repeated passes and ball-handling, Hayama showcased his signature "Thunder Dribble" to its fullest potential.

In the first half, Hayama shot 8-for-14, giving his all in rebounding and scrambling for loose balls. That night, the "Five Thunder Beasts" returned to the battlefield!

Although at this top

In an era where top-tier forwards abound, Hayama's mediocre skills seem somewhat awkward. However, you have to admit that, after removing Kise, Aomine, Kagami, and Haisaki, Hayama is the best small forward in the entire high school league!

Not only that, Luoshan's habit of exerting force in the second half of the game has not changed.

After the start of the second half, Akashi, who was already familiar with Yangquan's offensive style, made a decisive move and activated the "team zone" attack.

With Akashi making several complete steals and launching counterattacks, Rakuzan finally gained a significant lead in the middle of the third quarter.

Luoshan leads 65-55, Yangquan calls a timeout.

Having had previous experience in the game, Masako was not surprised by the sudden outburst of Rakuzan and others. Instead, she carefully devised a counter-offensive strategy during the timeout. Himuro did not disappoint his teammates and coach, successfully pulling the trigger with a beautiful turnaround jump shot, becoming the sixth person on the court to enter "zone" mode.

With Himuro leading the counterattack, the Yosen team gradually regained their rhythm, but unfortunately, Yosen's true leader, Murasakibara Atsushi, had not yet found his form.

Although Murasakibara's stats looked impressive thanks to his absolute physical dominance, he unsurprisingly fell short against Akashi, who was unleashing his full power.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 78-69, with Los Angeles leading by nine points as they entered the final quarter.

Seeing that Murasakibara was about to fade into obscurity, Xiangyang got up to go to Yangquan's bench to give Murasakibara a "buff." However, Xiangyang stopped abruptly as soon as he took a step. He looked at Murasakibara on the field, who had borrowed a rubber band from Yako, and his expression was a little strange.

As everyone knows, Murasakibara with his hair tied up is on a completely different level compared to when he doesn't. In the past, many netizens even jokingly called Murasakibara's long hair his "trigger," because in the original work, every time he tied his hair up, Murasakibara successfully entered "zone mode" and delivered a terrifying performance on the field!

This time... is no exception!

In one offensive and defensive battle, Akashi once again intercepted the ball from Yosen's team. He had just advanced to the half-court and was about to make a layup when a figure sped past him from behind, blocking his way!

Like a giant elephant, Murasakibara's tall figure leaped into the air, completely covering Akashi within his defensive range. Even though Akashi tried to dodge, he ultimately could not escape the block!

boom! ! !

A thunderous block resounded, the noise was simply outrageous, and with this block by Murasakibara, he officially joined the "Electric Eye Squad," leading the Yangquan team to sound the horn for a comeback.

The score gradually leveled out until the last minute, when Los Angeles took a one-point lead.

Unfortunately, Luoshan, lacking both soldiers and generals, finally faced punishment at the last moment.

As newcomers to the Los Angeles team, the small forward and center both made mistakes in the last two rounds of offensive and defensive battles.

The small forward made a pass to Himuro, turning their one-point lead into a one-point deficit.

The center, due to excessive fatigue, failed to receive Akashi's pass during the cut after the pick-and-roll, causing Rakuzan to go out of bounds and handing the final comeback possession to Yosen.

Two consecutive mistakes, both at the crucial final moments of the game, seem like fate is playing a cruel joke on Los Angeles, but from another perspective, isn't it also inevitable?

It's perfectly normal for players lacking experience in tough matches to make mistakes under pressure, just like people need to drink water every day.

As the final whistle blew, a chorus of moans, neither loud nor soft, rose in the stadium, but was quickly drowned out by the enthusiastic shouts of the Yangquan fans.

Amid the cheers of those around him, Xiangyang squinted at Akashi on the court. Even when his teammates made crucial mistakes that cost them the game, he still went to each of them to encourage them.

"What a pity, Akashi... If Reo or Nebu had been there... you shouldn't have stopped here..."

In the first semi-final match, Yangquan advanced to the finals with a score of 119-118!

Chapter 233 I've been caught in the rain, so I'm going to tear other people's umbrellas to shreds.

"Moshi moshi~ Is the person on the other end of the phone the sole heir to the Akashi family conglomerate?"

On the bus back to school in Rakusan, Akashi listened to the incoherent voice on the phone with twitching eyes, and said irritably, "If you're here to mock me, you'd better hang up now."

There's no need to verify the other person's identity; the only person who would dare to speak to Akashi in such a teasing tone is Xiangyang.

Xiang Yang chuckled and said, "How could that be? I know exactly how you feel after losing a game. To mock others at this crucial moment, I'm not that kind of person."

Akashi rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window, but he didn't hold back when he said to Xiangyang, "If someone like you isn't considered to have a bad personality, then I really can't think of anyone else who fits that description better."

Xiangyang: ...

"Let's not talk about this, let's talk about something else."

Xiang Yang cleared his throat, changing the subject, and said seriously, "Yang Quan played very well today, but your performance has exceeded my expectations by too much. You are very strong, Akashi. The responsibility for the two mistakes at the end of Rakuzan is not yours."

Akashi remained silent for a moment, and after confirming that Hikaru was praising him, he politely replied, "Thank you."

"However, a loss is a loss. There is no such thing as Los Angeles losing but me not losing. I selected all the starting players, and I also bear responsibility for their poor performance."

It wasn't just polite talk; Akashi's tone was very serious. Clearly, he not only didn't blame his teammates, but also took the lion's share of the blame for the loss.

Xiang Yang clicked his tongue and sighed, "Your damn sense of responsibility... you're really born to be a big shot..."

"Speaking of which, my current situation is almost exactly the same as yours..."

Xiangyang looked at Yazi in the driver's seat next to him; she seemed to be in a good mood because she had won the race.

"Kaijo also lost two starters this year, and the most critical one is that Kise is no longer with the team."

Xiang Yang rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat helpless. Although he appeared confident in front of fans, teammates, and even coaches, only he knew the pressure he was under.

Excellent commanders never bring panic to their subordinates, but similarly, they often bear more burdens than the soldiers who charge into battle.

The team lacks a center, there are too many new players in the starting lineup, and the star player has left... All these pressures are now on Xiang Yang, and they are even making him feel suffocated.

Sensing the weariness in Xiangyang's voice, Akashi paused for a moment and said, "I'll be watching the finals."

Akashi's tone was relatively even, but he clearly meant that Kaijo's advancement to the finals was a foregone conclusion.

Xiangyang was taken aback, and subconsciously teased Akashi, "You have that much confidence in me? You know, Shutoku is not much weaker than Yosen, and Kaijo is also a depleted team. I'm really afraid that this year we will not only lose the championship trophy, but we won't even be able to step onto the final floor."

Akashi's expression remained unchanged as he listened to Xiangyang's self-deprecating humor.

He said confidently, "You can make it to the finals, and this year's champion will definitely be you!"

Xiang Yang fell silent. He stared at Akashi's number lit up on his phone screen, somewhat unable to believe what he was hearing. After a long while, he finally spoke with a smile: "Thank you for your kind words."

"Thank you for your kind words?"

Akashi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What kind of statement is that?"

As a Japanese person, Akashi was not able to understand many of the various ways Japanese is spoken. Xiangyang smiled and added, "It's nothing, I'm just thanking you."

"Haichang will be playing against Yangquan in the finals, remember to come and watch!"

After saying that, Xiangyang hung up the phone, turned his head and leaned against the car window, smelling the quiet and elegant fragrance of orchids in the car, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Seeing this, Masako, who was in the driver's seat, quietly slowed down the car to keep it as stable as possible so as not to disturb Xiangyang.

If we're talking about who understands Hikari's exhaustion best right now, it's probably only Masako... no, now we should also add Akashi.

Akashi shook his head as he listened to the dial tone of the phone being disconnected. He put down his phone and looked out the window, a hint of resentment in his eyes.

Akashi was not without a ripple of emotion at having to stop here due to the incomplete roster.

As a fellow depleted team, he did not want Haichang to suffer the same fate as him.

"We have to win tomorrow's game... and we absolutely have to win the finals too!"

……

……

On the day of the second semi-final match

Xiude changing room

Midorima slowly removed the bandage from his right hand, a shooting hand that he had meticulously maintained for years and only used during official matches.

In a corner of the locker room, a bunch of green ivy sat there; without a doubt, it was Gemini's lucky charm for the day.

Midorima raised his right hand and clenched it a few times, muttering to himself, "Today's luckiest zodiac signs are Gemini and Virgo. If these two meet, even stronger willpower is needed to achieve victory..."

Midorima let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then slowly got up, took off his glasses and wiped them.

"gone."

Midorima whispered something, then put his glasses back on his face, his sharp eyes flashing with an unwavering determination to win.

Pushing open the locker room door, Takao leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. When he saw Midorima finally come out, he couldn't help but laugh and curse, "Slow as an ox, Shin."

Midorima did not answer, but gently stroked the green ivy in his arms with his right hand. As a lucky charm, it was naturally meant to be placed on the bench to fight alongside him.

Takao rested his hands on his head, already used to Midorima often carrying all sorts of strange gadgets before matches.

"Luoshan was eliminated by Yangquan."

Takao followed Midorima, and the two headed to the arena together.