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

"No, no, I'm fine!"

Fukuhara quickly waved his hand, then an excited expression appeared on his face.

[Shude...you must be really strong. Playing against an opponent like that is really getting me excited!]

Just as Fukuhara was feeling happy, Yuki raised her hand and asked, "Senior Xiangyang, what position should I play? Should I take a break?"

Yuki was originally supposed to play the shooting guard position, but considering the completeness of the roster, Xiangyang arranged for Moriyama to play the starting shooting guard position before the game, while Yuki, whose playing style is more versatile, filled in at the small forward position.

Xiangyang shook his head decisively in denial, saying that Kise had already left the team, and Yuki was still going to play, so how was he supposed to play?

"You should go back to playing shooting guard. If Fukuhara is on the court, it should be easier to protect the rim at home."

Xiangyang touched his nose, his gaze sweeping over the Kaijo group before finally settling on Tanaka.

"Tanaka."

"exist!"

Tanaka trembled at Xiangyang's sudden call to name, and immediately sat up straight, waiting for Xiangyang to continue.

Just when Tanaka thought he was bound to get a scolding, Xiangyang put his arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Don't be so tense, your body is too tense."

"Relax, I'll keep you on the field until the crucial moment arrives."

Tanaka blinked, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face. He really wanted to tell Xiangyang that he couldn't defend against the Shutoku family's center forward.

However, Xiangyang didn't give him a chance to say anything discouraging. He patted his head and then looked away, giving his teammates other instructions.

Seeing that his teammates didn't seem to care about his poor performance at all, Tanaka opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

He slapped his cheeks hard, and when he opened his eyes again, his eyes were filled with determination!

beep—

The whistle blew to start the second quarter.

Fukuhara excitedly jumped up from the bench and led the way towards the field.

In the dim light, Xiangyang seemed to see Kobori-senpai from another angle...

Is our team inextricably linked to hot-blooded idiots?

Xiang Yang gave a dismissive look, then casually patted Tanaka beside him, saying irritably, "Can't you learn from others? If you're not passionate and an idiot, are you even a center?"

Tanaka:…

"Hey, it's about what Senior Xiangyang taught me."

Now that Xiangyang has officially entered the third grade, he can finally unleash his unbridled seniority.

Seeing Tanaka's obedient response, Xiang Yang nodded in satisfaction, rolled up his sleeves, and laughed, "Let's go, guys, let's bring the score back before the end of the first half!"

"Hi!"

Chapter 235 Two Pauses in Two Minutes

"That's strange. You played like that, didn't the coach of Haichang take you out?"

As the second quarter began and players from both sides entered the court one after another, Kimura spotted Tanaka at a glance, immediately walked to his side, and mocked him with a sneer.

Tanaka's face showed anger. Even if his skills were inferior to others, it didn't mean he would let others mock him. Just as Tanaka was about to step forward and say something, he was pulled back by Ohara from behind.

Tanaka turned his head in confusion, and Ohara patted him on the shoulder, blocking Tanaka's way and facing Kimura directly, saying, "You really have the nerve to beat up a first-year student and act like you're so great."

"What?!"

Kimura's face immediately turned ugly. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Ohara, saying sternly, "Don't think you're so great just because you've latched onto a few powerful figures. Without Hikaru and Kise, a player of your caliber would never have been able to win consecutive championships!"

As Kimura spoke, he clenched his fists, preparing for a conflict with Ohara. However, faced with his rather hurtful words, Ohara not only did not get angry, but also nodded happily and replied, "You're right, I really did get this thanks to Senior Xiangyang."

Kimura:? ? ?

Kimura's mouth was slightly open, clearly not understanding what Ohara was thinking. On the other side of the court, Xiangyang rested his hands on his knees, quietly observing the commotion.

"Takao, aren't you going to do anything about your own players?"

Xiangyang turned his head and asked.

Takao stroked his chin and replied with a grin, "It's just a little conflict among the juniors in the family. Since they didn't fight, let them be."

Takao naturally saw Kimura's actions, but he had his own considerations.

In any case, Kimura wouldn't be at a disadvantage against Tanaka. Under these circumstances, letting Kimura provoke him would definitely be more beneficial than harmful. Moreover, if it could ignite Ohara's anger and make him fight Kimura to the death, that would be good news for Shutoku.

Seeing Takao's nonchalant attitude, Xiangyang licked his lips and revealed a malicious smile: "Since you want to play like this, don't blame me for being inhuman."

Takao was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"No, it's nothing."

Xiang Yang shook his head, his gaze focusing on Da Yuan, his lips moving slightly.

Talent: Zone Mode Shared Version is activated.

Unconsciously, a wisp of light from Xiangyang wrapped around Dayuan, and at the same time, the referee's whistle rang out.

The second quarter begins

Hai Changjia's first attacking possession

Xiangyang dribbled slowly across half-court. Facing Takao's defense, he adjusted his rhythm with a few crossover dribbles, then broke through on the right and pulled back before unleashing a mid-range jump shot, which missed the target.

Xiangyang didn't care that he missed the shot. After all, he wasn't a god and couldn't make every shot. Besides, he had already put Dayuan in "zone" mode, so he could play more easily throughout the second quarter.

He originally intended to reserve the shared spot for Yuki, but Kimura Taisuke's overbearing sarcasm changed Xiangyang's plans.

As a four-time champion and the star defender for Haichang, regardless of his position...

From a status perspective, it's not appropriate for Xiangyang to step forward and confront Kimura. Under these circumstances, Ohara is naturally the best choice.

Shutoku attacked, and Midorima continued his passive style of play from the first quarter. After a simple offensive setup, Takao once again lobbed the ball to Kimura.

In the paint, slightly towards the outside, Kimura received the ball. Looking at Tanaka, who was closing in on him, he unleashed a powerful shot, pushing Tanaka half a body length away while taking a step back and raising the ball to shoot.

Because Tanaka couldn't contain his opponent's attack, he could only stand there and pray that Tanaka would miss his mid-range shot.

However, in the air, Kimura had a smile on his face.

Although his shooting skills are not outstanding as an inside player, this is the position he practices shooting from the most.

I've got this ball!

Kimura flicked the ball with his right fingertips, and the basketball flew towards the basket in a very straight trajectory.

Seeing Kimura's smooth attack rhythm, Tanaka, who was standing on the ground, had a look of despair on his face. But soon, his expression suddenly changed and he became somewhat surprised, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Kimura noticed the change in Tanaka's expression. He frowned slightly and thought to himself: Even if I score against this kid, he still has this expression. Is he really a hopeless case?

While thinking about how to mock Tanaka after landing, Kimura glanced at the basket. Judging from the feel of his shot, a basket was a sure thing!

However... a sudden arm appeared out of nowhere, swatting the basketball and Kimura's desire to score out of bounds.

Ohara jumped up from the side, stretching his left arm out towards the basketball in the air. Just as his fingertips touched the basketball, Ohara's pupils shifted, and his gaze returned to Kimura.

"You don't have anything to be proud of."

As soon as Ohara finished speaking, the basketball, through the interference of his fingertips, flew sideways out of bounds.

The stadium fell silent for a moment.

Haichang crosses the boundary

The referee blew his whistle, as if flipping a switch.

The stands erupted instantly, with countless Haichang fans standing up and excitedly chanting the name of Ohara!

Xiangyang placed one hand across his eyebrow, whistled, and exclaimed, "That last shot, Ohara's forehead almost touched the rim, right? That was amazing!"

Takao stood blankly beside Xiangyang, listening to Xiangyang's words. He slowly turned to look at Xiangyang, his face full of disbelief: "You call this amazing? This is insane!!"

"Someone pinch me. Is this some kind of alien planet? Anyone can just bump their head on the rim like that."

At this moment, Takao spoke for everyone, and if we were to say who was experiencing the most turmoil, it would undoubtedly be Kimura.

Kimura stared blankly at the basketball that had flown out of bounds, Ohara's words echoing in his ears. His hands trembled slightly, and he murmured, "Is that kind of thing... really possible?"

"Hey! Kimura, stop spacing out! We still have possession!"

Seeing that Kimura's condition seemed off, Takao frowned, gave him a warning, and then left.

The serve began when the ball was out of bounds.

However, Kimura seemed to have lost his soul on the court after that. Not only did he fail repeatedly on the offensive end, but he also hesitated to step up and defend against Ohara's attacks on the basket, as if he had been traumatized.

The score difference between the two sides changed rapidly, and it was soon tied by Haichang.

With half of the second quarter gone, the score was tied at 41-41!

With the support of the "zone" mode, Ohara became more and more courageous, not only contributing several wonderful blocks on the defensive end, but also assisting his teammates to score many points on the offensive end.

Seeing their hard-earned lead being tied, Shude's coach, Hitoshi Nakatani, had no choice but to call a timeout.

Xiude applied for suspension

"Kimura, why don't you go off the field and rest for a bit?"

Seeing Kimura's seemingly demoralized state, Nakatani Jinsuke waved his hand and instructed, "Next, Miyaji will play center. The overall offense needs some adjustments..."

"Midori? Is everything alright?"

Nakatani Hitoshi looked at Midorima with hopeful eyes. If Midorima could step up and break the deadlock, that would be the best outcome.

Midorima gripped his shooting hand a few times, his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, filled with determination.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Coach.”

……

The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.

Xiangyang strolled leisurely over to Midorima's side, habitually adopting a defensive stance.

From the start of the first quarter, he stayed by Midorima's side, but Midorima never attacked with the ball. He was happy to do so, simply standing next to Midorima to observe the game situation, becoming the spectator closest to the court.

However, this time, Takao dribbled the ball past half-court and then transferred possession to Midorima.