Shutoku was on offence while Rakuzan defended. Takao had the ball, and Reo was on him. The other Rakuzan players had their own marks as planned. "They haven't give up?" questioned Kagami while looking at Kuroko.
"Yes." replied the latter. "He is trying to do something."
'If they're trying to claw back in now, they'll need Midorima's threes.' noted Hayama while glancing at the said boy. 'But as long as Akashi is on him, that's impossible no matter how you look at it!'
"Less than ten seconds for a violation." said Koganei when he saw the timer counting down how long Takao, who was trying to shake off Reo, could have the ball. "So their offence is getting nowhere?"
"That's part of it." replied Kiyoshi. "But more than that, what they're going to try now is probably pretty damn risky."
"What do you mean?" asked Izuki while looking at him.
"Considering the time and the score, at this point one mistake can cost the game." explained Kiyoshi. "Indecision and doubt will lead to mistakes. Which means, they'll be on the move when they resolve to make the move.
Midorima then recalled the time he met Takao, who went against him once during middle school and lost. The latter then told him he felt traumatised from that experience, and continued working hard despite quitting. His first impression on Takao was not a good one, but it changed when he saw how much effort he was putting into the harsh practices at Shutoku.
'This is a bet.' he thought while still trying to shake off Akashi. With four seconds left for a violation, Takao was also trying to get past Reo's defence. 'I need to believe in my teammates more than believing in myself. It's not enough that I've done everything I could. However, I have no doubts. There is not one man on this team who has not done his best!'
To Akashi's surprise, as well as the rest's, Midorima took a step back and got into the shooting position. 'He entered his shooting motion despite not having the ball?' questioned Kise, who was thinking the same thing as Kagami. Otsubo and Kimura knew what they were going to pull off, and went under the hoop to get ready for the rebound.
'What is he doing?' asked Akashi. 'It can't be...' As soon as Midorima jumped with his hands held above his head, Takao stepped away from Reo and passed the ball right into his hands, surprising everyone even more. Midorima then launched the shot while still in mid-air, and the ball went through the net, scoring three points for the team.
"Alright!" cheered Kimura.
"Yeah!" shouted Miyaji.
"It's true that if he's that high, you can't get the ball even if you can see the future." said Himuro. "But that just now wasn't something that was just a little difficult, you know!"
"It's a given Midorima is amazing for landing that shot, but to throw the pass exactly where Midorima was." commented Izuki. "That is unbelievable accuracy!"
"Something like this was unbelievable from Midorimacchi from now." said Kise, which caught his teammates' attention. "Midorimacchi only takes shots that he is absolutely confident in sinking. But that just now... No matter how accurate the pass, the accuracy drops compared to a normal shot. Even if it is to win against Akashicchi. To make a shot being fully aware he could miss is something he can't do unless he really trusts his teammate."
'Midorima.' thought Yasu with a smile while looking at him. 'I'm glad.'
"Rebound!" shouted Miyaji when Hayama missed the shot.
Otsubo then caught the ball before Reo or Nebuya could. 'Old man's got a nasty rebound even this late in the game!' thought the latter. 'He's got some stamina!'
YOU ARE READING
That Manager - Kuroko no Basuke (Book 3)
Фанфик(Third Book of "That Manager") Yukimura Yasu was the manager of the Teiko Junior High basketball team, a team that consisted of six team players each with special skills and abilities. However, during her Senior year, she had to move to another coun...
