Chapter 235: The New Sixth Man

"Hahaha, you crack me up, Senior..."

Hayama's response was as breezy as a summer day, but his actions spoke volumes. He casually placed four fingers on the ball, and the echoing thud of his dribble resonated through the court.

Miyaji's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he realized Hayama was handling the ball with only four fingers.

Before the bewilderment could settle into anger, Hayama sprang into action.

The ball became a blur, a streak of controlled chaos as he effortlessly danced through Miyaji's defense.

Miyaji couldn't contain his frustration, and it burst out in a loud curse, "Shit!"

But Hayama kept moving forward.

With a powerful leap, he slammed the ball down the basket, setting off a thunderous cheer from the electrified audience.

Miyaji could only look on with frustration etched across his expression as he glanced at Hayama's figure who slowly approached him.

"Hmm, senior, is four too hard for you? Should I do three?"

Hayama's voice rang out, and Miyaji's temple pulsed with irritation as he glared at the chuckling Hayama, who casually strolled away.

"...Rude son of a bitch," Miyaji muttered under his breath as the game pressed on.

Shutoku struggled to crack Rakuzan's resilient formation.

Midorima faced tight marking, and Miyaji found himself thwarted by Hayama's sturdy defense, unable to counter the relentless attacks.

With the scoreboard rapidly tipping in Rakuzan High's favor, pressure mounted on Shutoku.

Takao dribbled the ball in front of Akashi, who appeared surprisingly relaxed. Frustrated, Takao silently cursed, realizing, "He probably didn't even take me seriously, did he?"

However, it wasn't the time to dwell on such matters.

Takao saw it as excellent news, considering he wasn't entirely confident he could handle Akashi if the latter was truly serious.

Takao swiftly maneuvered to the left, closely shadowed by Akashi. He then took a step back and delivered a precise pass to Kimura, who was being closely marked by Nebuya.

Nebuya approached with an air of carelessness, prompting Kimura to protest, "Don't underestimate us, Rakuzan!"

In response, Kimura lofted the ball into the air for an alley-oop. Otsubo leaped towards the ball, snatching it in mid-air, and forcefully slammed it through the basket.

Nebuya's face lit up as he looked at Otsubo.

"Oh? Almost forgot about him, hahahaha."

"...Can you tone it down a bit?" Mibuchi frowned, gently shaking his head.

"Reo's right, Nebuya! We're double-teaming Midorima. Focus on your job!" Hayama added, shaking his head too.

"Hahaha, alright, alright!"

Nebuya laughed it off, seemingly unfazed by the advice.

Akashi frowned slightly at Nebuya's mistake but chose not to dwell on it, recognizing that Nebuya was aware of his error.

Rakuzan quickly retaliated as Hayama effortlessly penetrated Miyaji's defense, soaring towards the basket.

However, Shutoku seemed to have foreseen this move.

Kimura stepped up as a backup, leaping to block Hayama's attempt.

Despite the defense, Hayama's eyes remained bright and twinkling. He smoothly altered his movement mid-air, executing a double clutch before elegantly putting the ball into the basket with a layup shot.

Kimura landed on the ground, visibly surprised as his attempt failed.

"...He's pretty light on his feet too, huh?" he muttered softly, glancing at Hayama's figure.

The crowd, feeling the heightened intensity of the game, erupted into louder cheers.

"Shutoku is having a tough time..."

"Yeah, Rakuzan's players have stepped up. It was bound to happen..."

"Well, Shutoku has improved too, but it looks like it's not quite enough."

Fukuda Sogo players exchanged murmurs amongst themselves, closely watching the unfolding game.

The talk of Rakuzan's prowess had Tsuna noticing Jiro's prideful expression, as if he personally achieved it. This sight made Tsuna shake his head. "...If only he'd be more honest in front of Seijuro."

Tsuna recognized that his father, Hirutora, shared similarities with Jiro—they both struggled to express themselves in front of their child.

Returning his focus to the court, Tsuna observed the momentum swinging back towards Shutoku as they prepared to counter.

Choosing a strategy that proved effective earlier, Takao swiftly passed the ball to Kimura.

Anticipating Nebuya closing in, Kimura was surprised to see Nebuya maintaining a distance and immediately adjusting his body for a shot.

"Hmm!"

However, he was alarmed as he saw Nebuya slightly lean forward, as if the guy was ready to pounce.

"Damn, could he reach me from that distance?"

He dropped the ball, dribbling with sweat rolling down his face. 

Kimura realized he needed to make Nebuya adjust his position, but before he could react, Nebuya smirked.

Mayuzumi's figure emerged like a shadow from behind, striking the ball out of Kimura's hand.

"Since when!?"

Kimura shouted in frustration, swiftly moving to reclaim the ball.

However, it was too late; Nebuya immediately pounced on it, passing the ball to Hayama.

Midorima's eyes widened in disbelief as he sensed a familiar play unfolding before him.

It dawned on him that Mayuzumi had left his side.

Upon closer inspection, he saw Kuroko's shadow in Mayuzumi's figure, leading him to realize, "He could use misdirection!"

"...."

The audience grew more frenzied, but a hush fell over the section where Seirin players were seated.

Kuroko stood up in disbelief, closely observing Mayuzumi's figure. "...What?"

"That was misdirection, wasn't it?"

"...Yeah, I just noticed, that player feels a lot like Kuroko."

"But to think he could actually steal the ball in that same way..."

They sat there, utterly dumbfounded.

"...You don't seem surprised, Atsushi," Himuro voiced his confusion, observing Murasakibara's disinterested expression as he casually enjoyed his snacks.

Murasakibara simply shook his head lightly. "I was a bit surprised, but honestly, not that much."

"It was Tsunacchin who showed Kurochin a way to find something unique..." Murasakibara's voice trailed off as he glanced at Mayuzumi's figure, which felt uncannily similar to Kuroko.

He added, "And it was Akachin who guided Kurochin into misdirection..."

Technically, Tsuna hadn't meant to lead Kuroko in that direction; he was trying to emphasize the basics. However, Kuroko misunderstood his words, considering him a benefactor who helped him find his way.

Since Murasakibara wasn't aware of the details, he remained in the dark about it.

"...So, you're saying, as long as there's someone compatible, Akashi could create another sixth man on his own? Is that what you mean?"

Murasakibara nodded in response.

As the game pressed on, Shutoku felt an even greater pressure mounting on their figures, realizing that Rakuzan was even stronger than they had anticipated!

"...This is bad." Nakatani sighed, swiftly moving forward to request a timeout.

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