NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Taoka Moichi’s Career Focus
The game continued as possession switched. Houichi, expressionless, tossed the ball back to Shinji.
"You really are only good enough to be a benchwarmer. Not just bad at the game—your sportsmanship is terrible too," Houichi said coldly before stepping back.
Shinji's face twisted in anger. Enraged, he got into a back-down position, determined not to let Houichi strip the ball again.
"What's up with Houichi?"
"I've never seen him this serious before. He looks mad."
"Another back-down move? Can he even steal the ball again?"
"That last play was too risky. What happened?"
Haruko, standing by the sidelines, exclaimed, "No, Shinji stuck his foot out to trip Houichi-kun. That's why he jumped like that!"
Taoka Moichi, sitting nearby, perked up at her observation. "This girl has sharp eyes," he muttered. "It's a shame she's not a boy—I'd recruit her as a team manager."
Watching the game unfold, Taoka chuckled softly. "Well, let's see how you handle this reckless guy, kid."
Shinji had already pushed his way to the paint. This time, Houichi stayed close, refusing to give up his defensive ground.
"Alright, time to finish this dull match with a dunk!" Shinji thought. He glanced at the rim—he was well within range for a slam.
With no referee to stop him, Shinji decided to add some muscle. He forcefully bumped into Houichi with his shoulder, determined to create space for his move.
Finding an opening, Shinji grabbed the ball securely, ensuring no chance for Houichi to knock it loose.
"It's over!" Shinji shouted as he jumped, both hands gripping the ball tightly.
Dunking is one of the most exhilarating moves in basketball, capable of shattering an opponent's confidence. Shinji's body soared upward, the ball inching closer to the rim.
Smack!
Just as everyone thought the dunk was inevitable, a hand slammed into the ball, sending it hurtling to the floor.
"What?!" Shinji's eyes widened in disbelief. A player ten centimeters shorter than him had blocked his dunk!
Landing smoothly, Houichi said icily, "I take back what I said earlier. Sure, we're both 'top-eight' players, but even among the top eight, there are levels."
Dribbling and jumping—Shinji couldn't match Houichi in either.
Taoka, watching with narrowed eyes, murmured, "This kid's vertical jump must be close to a meter. Impressive."
Not only had Houichi jumped later than Shinji, but his explosive power allowed him to reach higher and faster. The gap in their abilities was too significant for a mere ten-centimeter height difference to matter.
"This time," Houichi declared, "I'll beat you head-on."
Shinji, his confidence shattered, trembled with rage. Facing Houichi's relentless energy, veins bulged on his forehead as he made up his mind.
Houichi dribbled carefully, fully aware Shinji would resort to foul play again. The same trick wouldn't work twice.
Shinji didn't disappoint. As Houichi prepared to shoot, Shinji moved in close, spreading his legs wide under the guise of maintaining balance while planning another dirty trip.
But this stance gave Houichi a golden opportunity.
With a swift move, Houichi bounced the ball under Shinji's legs and faked a step to his left.
"Just block him from passing, no matter what!" Shinji thought, reacting instinctively.
When Shinji reached out, he only grabbed air. Houichi ducked and slipped under his arms, regaining control of the ball.
Accelerating toward the basket, Houichi leaped high.
Boom!
The ball slammed through the rim with authority.
The entire court fell silent. Only the sound of the rim shaking echoed under the setting sun.
Not only had Houichi blocked Shinji's dunk, but he had dunked in Shinji's face in return.
Shinji was utterly defeated.
[System Notice: You have defeated Shinji Hiro. Reward: +4 Dribbling Attribute.]
Houichi's teammates erupted into cheers.
"Amazing! Houichi, you're the best!"
"That's our Hikaru Middle School ace!"
"What was that about high school players being better? How's that for an answer?"
Having endured Shinji's trash talk earlier, Houichi's teammates seized the chance to fire back with their own taunts.
But Shinji wasn't done. Humiliated, he signaled to his two teammates. The three of them closed in, surrounding Houichi near the basket.
Though faced with the menacing glares of three burly high schoolers, Houichi remained calm. He wiped the sweat dripping from his chin and stood firm.
"Apologize now, and maybe I'll let you off easy!" Shinji growled, cracking his knuckles menacingly.
Houichi's teammates wanted to help but were stopped by other onlookers.
"Don't mess with Shinji. They're thugs from Miuradai."
"Why didn't he just pretend to lose? What's the point of all this trouble?"
Haruko, however, wasn't deterred. She stepped forward, determined to protect Houichi.
One of Shinji's goons raised his hand, intending to slap her. To them, fighting had no age or gender boundaries.
Before the slap could land, Houichi grabbed the man's wrist in an iron grip.
"Let go!" the thug shouted, using his other hand to grab at Houichi's shirt.
Seeing an opening, Shinji prepared to punch Houichi.
"Stop this at once!"
The commanding voice silenced the chaos. Everyone turned to see Taoka Moichi stepping onto the court.
In Japan, respect for elders runs deep. Seeing an adult intervene, Shinji and his group hesitated but didn't back down entirely.
"This is none of your business, old man!" Shinji snapped.
"Oh, but it is," Taoka replied coolly. "You're from Miuradai's basketball team, right? I happen to know Coach Harada very well. What do you think he'll do if he finds out his players were brawling and risked the entire team being disbanded?"
Shinji froze, recognizing Taoka as the coach of Ryonan High.
"Tch, you're lucky this time, kid!" Shinji growled, signaling his goons to leave. The three slinked away, defeated.
With the tension gone, no one felt like playing anymore.
"Coach Taoka?" Houichi asked, surprised to encounter the Ryonan coach in such a situation.
"You're Houichi-kun from Hikaru Middle School, right?" Taoka asked, studying him.
As a coach, Taoka had followed the prefectural middle school tournaments. He had noted Houichi's performance but dismissed it, deeming him less impactful than stars like Mitsui Hisashi or Miyagi Ryota.
Today, however, Taoka saw Houichi's potential. If he joined Ryonan as a small forward, it would free Sendoh Akira to play point guard, rivaling even the best players from other schools.
"Interested in joining Ryonan's basketball team?" Taoka asked directly. "You've got potential, but there's room for improvement. Under my training, you could become a small forward as good as Hasegawa."