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

"Haizaki..."

Kise was somewhat lost in thought; even after so much time had passed, this man's name still affected him.

“Back then, I told him that you would definitely surpass him in the future. I didn’t misjudge you, Ryota.”

Akashi continued speaking at length, while Xiangyang, who had been paying close attention to the situation at the top of the arc, suddenly changed his expression.

"Genius! Stop daydreaming!"

"The future is yours, Ryota, but the present is mine."

As soon as Akashi finished speaking, he seized on Kise's momentary lapse in attention and delivered a tricky cross pass to Reo on the outside.

Oh no! Kise came to his senses, but it was too late. Reo's speed was too fast; there wasn't enough time for him to get there in time.

At this moment, the only hope lies with the reliable senior, Kasamatsu. However, due to the prolonged high-intensity competition and the "pressure" brought by his status as a senior, Kasamatsu Yukio is not as calm as usual.

Lingyang leaped high into the air, launching a fadeaway jump shot that seemed to reach the sky and the ground. He was determined to hit this three-pointer at the last moment and tie the score for Luoshan.

Kasamatsu gritted his teeth. As a senior, he felt really unwilling to just watch his juniors work hard on the final stage.

I'm going to defend this! You're not going to score that one!

Kasamatsu leaped high into the air, pressing his entire body against Reo's front, raising his right hand to block Reo's path of attack.

After a brief moment of surprise, Reo, who was jumping in the air, looked at Yukio Kasamatsu in front of him and smiled slightly: "Are you really okay being so close to me?"

After saying that, Reo subtly adjusted her shooting point, and facing Kasamatsu's outstretched hand, she forcefully flicked the ball away. A loud thud reached the referee's ears.

beep—

The referee had just blown the whistle to award Reio a free throw, but fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on Kaijo at that moment.

The ball that Lingyang threw slammed into the metal block behind the basketball hoop, bounced high into the air, and finally landed inside the hoop.

Los Angeles No. 6's 3+1 goal stands

With a crucial four points, Los Angeles regained the lead.

Huh? When Kasamatsu heard the referee's final ruling, he finally couldn't hold back anymore. He immediately rushed to the referee and explained emotionally that he hadn't crossed his own cylinder at all, and that Reo had deliberately hit his arm.

However, referees don't like to listen to others' opinions. He waved his hand at Kasamatsu to indicate that his ruling was correct. Seeing that Kasamatsu was still insistent, he frowned and was about to give Kasamatsu a technical foul.

Seeing this, Xiangyang rushed over and...

Kasamatsu, if you get expelled now, Kaijo will have to pull someone out of the atmosphere team to take your place.

Seeing Kasamatsu's expression, Kise pursed his lips and proactively extended his hand in apology. If he hadn't been influenced by Akashi's words, they wouldn't have lost the ball, and Kasamatsu wouldn't have committed the foul. Hidamari waved his hand and said, "Talking nonsense is useless; let the other side apologize too."

Upon hearing Xiangyang's words, Kasamatsu, who had been keeping his head down and remaining silent, raised his head, a resolute expression on his face.

That's right, the game isn't over yet.

Lingyang stood at the free throw line and, as expected, made the shot smoothly.

126:

In the final moments, Rakusan regained the lead with 24 seconds remaining, giving Haechang their final attack.

A chorus of boos erupted from the stands, signaling the end of the match.

This year's champion

Luoshan? Haichang?

Momoi covered her eyes with her hands, too afraid to look! Aomine frowned slightly, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness rising in his heart.

Kuroko sat upright, quietly cheering for Ryota, while Kagami clenched his fists, watching the two teams battling it out on the field, a fighting spirit rising within him.

Midorima, on the other hand, crossed his arms and appeared as still as a virgin, but the way he gripped his arms tightly revealed the excitement in his heart.

Alright, what will you do, Ryota?

Akashi took a deep breath and shouted sharply, "Defend! This year's champion..."

"It will be Luoshan!!"

In an instant, the atmosphere in Luoshan was extremely good. Lingyang's fatal four-point attack ignited the hope of turning the tide in everyone's hearts.

"Help me with defensive reinforcements."

After saying this, Akashi walked to the high position and faced Kise alone. A faint pain emanated from his eyes. Had he used the Emperor's Eye too much? Even so, Akashi's pupils continued to dart around like a madman.

Not only him, but Kise was also in no better shape at the moment. His flawless imitation had almost pushed his body to its limits.

At this moment, the two standing opposite each other reached a consensus: to hell with overtime, I want to see who wins the championship in 20 seconds.

Xiangyang passed the ball to Kise, and then began to leisurely stroll around the field.

On the sidelines, Takeuchi felt a pang of regret. If Katsura hadn't called a timeout, at least they could have devised a strategy. There was nothing he could do but let them handle it themselves. He glanced at Kise, then at Mukahi, silently encouraging himself.

Kise took possession of the ball, glanced at the time, and saw that there were only 20 seconds left. He didn't attack, but stood at the top of the arc, slowly waiting for time to pass.

Everyone in the stadium held their breath. Trailing in the score, yet still daring to run down the clock? They must be incredibly confident.

Akashi adjusted his defensive position to one that would prevent Kise from getting up and shooting directly. While defending Kise one-on-one was unrealistic at his current level, all he had to do was prevent Kise from shooting.

Kise also saw through Akashi's intention, and with 6 seconds left on the clock, Kise made his move.

With a sudden downward pass to the left, the speed boost from imitating Aomine rendered Akashi's prediction futile.

"Reinforce the defense! Reinforce the defense!"

Akashi followed closely behind Kise, shouting at the top of his lungs.

If he scores that ball, then everything will be over.

Hayama quickly moved forward to double-team Akashi, while Nebu and Reo constantly moved around the field, disrupting Kise's passing vision.

At this moment, Kobori landed in the low post and had enough space to shoot, but Kise only glanced at him indifferently and did not pass the ball to him.

That's right, Kise! Instead of passing to your teammates, you should take the hits yourself.

Akashi's youthful face revealed a hint of excitement as he saw in the Emperor's Eye that Kise, despite the combined efforts of the two, ultimately failed to make a move.

Takeuchi, sitting on the sidelines, slapped his knee. He had also seen that Kise hadn't passed to Hori, but that was the choice made by their own superstar in the final moments. Even if he had timed out, he wouldn't have interfered.

The situation slowly aligned with what Akashi had in mind. With Hayama's help, Kise's offensive space was gradually shrinking. At this moment, there were only three seconds left.

A hint of helplessness appeared on Kise's face. Just like Akashi thought, Kise preferred to trust himself rather than pass the ball to his teammates at the last moment. But there was one exception.

If I can't get a shot off, and I don't pass the game-winning shot to you, I'll be really worried, Xiao Xiangyang.

Pass it over here, genius. You know I'll be here.

Although they did not communicate verbally, at this moment, the two stars of Haichang were of one mind.

Kise's eyes sharpened, and he leaped high to the right, flying through the air almost parallel to the ground. Perfectly imitating Aomine, he still had a chance to deliver the decisive blow in the match.

"I've pinned all my hopes on you! Get in here, you bastard!!"

With a roar, Kise threw the ball to the three-point line, where Xiangyang had somehow appeared! He then crashed heavily to the ground, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Xiangyang.

Xiang Yang received the pass, looked up at the basket, which was exactly the maximum range for his long-range three-pointer.

With two seconds left in the game, there was no choice but to shoot.

"Dai!"

Akashi roared, and Dai Chihiro, who had been keeping a low profile and looking for an opportunity until the very last moment, finally revealed herself.

He stood behind Xiang Yang, his face contorted with rage. He had been lying in wait all this time for this moment.

Xiang Yang remained expressionless, seemingly unaware that someone was behind him, and continued to raise his hand, ready to strike.

All eyes were focused on this match, the final showdown.

Chapter 67 The Champion

"Luckily you're not a hater."

Xiang Yang raised his hand, aimed at the basket, and said softly. Then he jumped backward, crashing heavily into Dai Qianxun. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, and the final whistle blew.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xiangyang's shot was wildly off target, even becoming an airball.

"I saw you a long time ago. If it were that guy, I wouldn't have been able to see him so easily."

Xiangyang stumbled a few times after landing, but steadied himself and looked at Dai Qianxun with a smile.

beep—

Haichang No. 2 fouled.

(Basketball trivia: A shooting foul occurs when the defender violates the cylinder of the ball while the player is shooting; it is not a foul committed by the shooter.)

Three-point foul, three free throws!

Dai Qianxun stood there, looking completely bewildered. Xiang Yang had been watching him ever since he lowered his profile and concealed himself.

With only two seconds left in the waiting time, when Xiangyang received the pass from Huangse, he noticed that Lao Liu was behind him, and a plan came to mind.

Xiang Yang was very confident in his abilities. Facing a power forward who was over 190cm tall, how could he possibly sink a three-pointer while being defended? He had a chance, but it was difficult. So, he was aiming to foul on this play. Fortunately, he executed the foul well, and the referee was lenient, which led to the three free throws that ultimately determined the fate of both teams.

Kise raised an eyebrow, walked over with a relaxed expression, and exchanged fist bumps with Xiangyang. Although there were no free throws yet, he had complete trust in Xiangyang.

Xiaoju rushed over from the inside and gave Xiangyang a bear hug. Having played pick-and-rolls with Xiangyang so many times, he had long since become like Xiangyang.

Hayakawa-senpai also jogged over and gave Xiangyang a high five.

Kasamatsu ran up behind Xiangyang and delivered a chop to his wrist, coldly saying, "If you dare to miss the penalty, I'll kill you." Although his tone was icy, his trembling hands said it all.

They're really going to win the championship!

"Go in!"

"Go, Xiangyang!!"

The substitutes from Haichang couldn't sit still any longer and stood on the sidelines, loudly cheering for Xiangyang.

Coach Takeuchi even knelt on the ground with his hands on his knees, his eyes fixed on the field. If Xiangyang dared to miss a penalty, he would rush up and strangle him immediately.

Everyone, including the others from Rakuzan, stared intently at Xiangyang, completely forgetting to criticize Dai Qianxun. Akashi's eyes were bloodshot, his pupils darting wildly, praying to see Xiangyang being punished.

Even "God" has to pray now.

Xiang Yang shook his head, stepped to the free-throw line, and took a deep breath to adjust his breathing.