NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Falling Behind by a Huge Margin!
As soon as Kuwata shouted "Fast break," Rukawa sprinted toward the front court.
At that moment, everyone reacted.
"Was that a steal?"
"He's so fast!"
Sasaoka and Iishi, standing near the baseline, finally caught on.
"That freshman seems amazing. First, he scored back-to-back long threes, and now he pulled off an airborne steal."
"Who would've thought he'd be this good?"
"Akagi and the others are in trouble now!"
The crowd watching Ryu's impressive performance couldn't help but marvel.
"Wow!!"
"He's so cool!"
"Go, freshman!"
Among the onlookers, some female students couldn't hold back their excitement seeing Ryu, who wasn't just good-looking but also incredible on the court.
In an instant, Ryu's presence overshadowed everyone else.
On the sidelines, Ayako's eyes widened in surprise. Her expression was full of amazement. "Ryu… Is he really a beginner?"
Ryu's performance so far not only made him look like a candidate for the main team but even comparable to a player like Rukawa Kaede.
If this was considered "beginner-level," what would that make Kogure?
"Damn it. I underestimated that kid," Akagi muttered, his face serious. "Get back on defense!"
Seeing the steal, Akagi immediately shouted and led Yasuda and the others back to defend.
Ryu, meanwhile, wasted no time after the steal. Dribbling quickly, he sprinted toward the basket.
Kogure chased after him, muttering under his breath, "No way you're scoring on a fast break!"
If the first-year scored again, it would be a massive blow to their pride.
Before long, Ryu reached the basket.
Ding!
[Mission: Make five assists.]
[Reward: Precision Passing.]
[Precision Passing: High success rate (90%) for long passes, short passes, and behind-the-back passes. Greater distances consume more stamina.]
It reminded Ryu of his full-court shooting skill.
The system's sudden message made Ryu pause briefly.
"Another mission in this practice game? Not bad, not bad."
"Five assists? Easy enough."
Ryu slowed his jump toward the basket.
Kogure quickly followed, leaping to block the shot with all his might.
But in the next instant, seeing Kogure in the air, Ryu smirked.
"Sorry, senpai. Got you again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryu threw the ball toward the backboard.
"He's not aiming for the basket!"
Akagi and the others reached the basket just in time to see Ryu's move and yelled at Kogure.
But it was too late.
Bang!
The sound of a powerful dunk filled the court.
Rukawa Kaede, catching the ball mid-air, delivered a stunning alley-oop, slamming the ball into the hoop.
During the steal, Ryu had glanced at Rukawa, and the latter instantly understood.
After scoring, Rukawa smirked and said, "Nice pass."
"Much better than certain idiots," he added, throwing a mocking glance at Sakuragi Hanamichi on the sidelines.
With their smooth teamwork, Ryu and Rukawa completed a two-on-one play successfully.
Kuwata and the others, arriving late, saw the score increase and shouted excitedly,
"Ryu! Rukawa! That was awesome!"
Kogure, meanwhile, felt helpless.
This was unbelievable. He had been completely toyed with.
Akagi glanced at Kogure and offered some words of encouragement.
"Kogure, stay composed. There was nothing you could do about that last play."
"Let's push harder!"
Though frustrated, Kogure nodded firmly in response.
Akagi inbounded the ball.
"Stay steady and watch out for Ryu's steals," he warned while jogging up the court.
"Come on, let's stop them this time."
Kuwata and the others, their confidence boosted, immediately focused on their defensive assignments.
Ryu exchanged a knowing smile with Rukawa.
"Rukawa, let's do more plays like that."
"With you here, getting five assists is a piece of cake."
Rukawa nodded in agreement.
As the referee's whistle blew, the first quarter ended.
The score was shocking: 17-4.
The first-year team had a huge lead.
During the short break, Kuwata and the others gathered around Ryu, full of admiration.
"Ryu, are you really a beginner?"
"You're amazing!"
Throughout the rest of the quarter, Ryu had drawn defenders away and created numerous opportunities for Rukawa to score.
To the first-years like Kuwata, it felt like they were playing two against five. Ryu was a monster.
"I just read about a few strategies in books," Ryu said with a laugh, brushing off the compliments.
There was no way he would reveal the system. Even if he did, no one would believe him, so he came up with a random excuse.
"Haha, great job!"
"Keep it up!"
"We're counting on you," Ayako said, patting both Ryu and Rukawa on the shoulders. Her gaze lingered briefly on Ryu, who felt different from the beginner she had initially thought he was.
Meanwhile, Kogure sat on the bench, his face filled with frustration.
Against Ryu, he had been completely outmatched, whether on offense or defense.
It made him question himself—was he really that weak?
Still, deep down, Kogure was happy to see Ryu's potential. It was clear that Ryu was already at the level of a regular team member. With Akagi, Ryu, and Rukawa, Shohoku's strength would greatly improve.
As vice-captain, that was what he wanted most.
"Haha, Ryu's been hiding his abilities well. Looks like we underestimated him," Akagi said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Rukawa too. Not bad. This year, we might really achieve our goal."
Just then, a cocky voice echoed in the gym.
"Hey, captain, isn't your team looking pretty pathetic right now?"