บท 64: Shiro Takes the Court, Devastation Ensues

Beep!

"Teiko requests a substitution"

The piercing whistle rang out as Shiro walked onto the court, a calm smile on his face. Glancing at Kise, who was slowly stepping off the court, Shiro chuckled lightly, "Watch carefully and learn"

Turning to face Komagi Junior High's bench, his expression went blank, but a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

Simultaneously, Kuroko was also subbed out. Kise, unable to hold back his curiosity, asked, "Kuroko, is Shiro really that good?" Truthfully, he didn't know much about his actual abilities.

Kuroko stared intently at Shiro, who had now stepped onto the court. After a brief pause, he finally answered, "Honestly, I only recently joined the first string myself, so I only know a little about Shiro. But I do know he was the Finals MVP of the Nationals. From what others have said, his skills are in a league of their own — he's arguably the strongest player in the country"

Hearing this, Kise's jaw dropped in shock. He had always assumed Shiro was strong—his teammates had made that clear—but he never imagined he was on this level of dominance.

At this moment, the score was tied at 75:75, with only two minutes left on the clock.

"Are they giving up? They're subbing out their starters for rest. Looks like Teiko isn't all that great after all!"

"Yeah, they should just pack it up and go home. Don't make it embarrassing by crying on the court later!"

The Komagi fans burst into laughter, mocking Teiko's players. Yet, a small group in the crowd, who recognized Shiro, grew visibly tense, their faces darkening.

Shiro's smile widened slightly as he raised a hand, signaling the point guard for the ball.

Without hesitation, the point guard passed it to him—after all, if the strongest MVP in the nation was on the court, who else could the ball possibly go to?

Shiro caught the ball smoothly, positioning himself just past half-court. Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and launched the ball toward the hoop. Before anyone could process what was happening, he had already turned and jogged back on defense, his movement calm and deliberate.

"Swish!" The ball cut through the air like a missile, sinking into the hoop with a clean, precise sound.

The entire court fell silent. All eyes were on the ball bouncing lightly on the floor. Time seemed to freeze as the spectators turned their gaze toward Shiro, who was already in position on defense, his face showing no sign of effort.

"No way!"

"That has to be luck!" Komagi's fans couldn't believe it. Someone had casually sunk a shot from half-court—and was confident enough to turn away before it even went in.

"Impossible!" Kise stood up in shock. He had never seen such a casual yet insane shot in a real game. The ease with which Shiro pulled it off was something he couldn't even dream of emulating at his current skill level.

The game resumed, and Komagi took possession.

Their point guard, still shaken from Shiro's half-court three-pointer, dribbled nervously. Suddenly, a sharp "slap!" echoed as Shiro stole the ball with astonishing speed.

Komagi's players didn't even have time to react before Shiro was back at midcourt, holding the ball. He paused briefly, his posture signaling another shot.

"No way he's shooting from there again!" Kise exclaimed, his voice capturing the disbelief of everyone in the gym.

But Shiro didn't hesitate. With the same confidence, he launched another shot from midcourt.

"Swish!" The ball sailed through the net with precision, the sound cutting through the stunned silence.

Shiro raised a single finger, wagging it at Komagi's players with a sly grin.

The crowd erupted. Komagi's fans, furious at Shiro's boldness, began shouting insults.

"Get out of here, you show-off!"

"Komagi doesn't need clowns like you!"

But their anger contrasted sharply with the awe-struck looks from the Komagi girls, who couldn't help but admire Shiro's charisma and dominance on the court.

"Who is that guy? He's so cool!"

"He's from Teiko? He's amazing!"

Shiro ignored the noise, his calm confidence unshaken. In fact, he seemed to thrive on the hostility. Nothing energized him more than silencing an opposing crowd in their own gym.

Komagi resumed their offense, but a misplaced pass allowed Shiro to intercept it effortlessly. This time, instead of taking another long-range shot, he darted toward the basket.

As he slowed near the paint, three Komagi defenders swarmed him, hoping to block his path.

Shiro's smirk widened. In a flash, he accelerated, his movements sharp and precise. Two steps inside the free-throw line, he launched himself into the air like a soaring eagle.

Time seemed to freeze. All eyes locked on Shiro as he executed a tomahawk slam, the force echoing with a resounding

BOOM!

For a moment, the arena stood still. The audience was stunned into silence, their minds struggling to process the sheer dominance they'd just witnessed.

Kise, shaken, muttered, "This is the power of the National MVP?"

Shiro loomed before him like an unscalable Everest, filling him with a newfound pressure.

The Komagi defenders, left humiliated by the poster dunk, sat on the floor, their spirits crushed. Shiro's sheer dominance had erased any will they had left to compete.

Landing gracefully, Shiro swept his gaze over the crowd. Slowly, he raised a hand to his ear, signaling for silence.

No one dared to make a sound. Even Komagi's loudest fans had nothing left to say, their confidence shattered by Shiro's overwhelming display of skill and composure.