Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Aoi Kunisaku brushed past Miyagi Ryota as he moved back on defense.

He glanced at Miyagi Ryota, his meaning clear without words.

"You..." Miyagi Ryota's face flushed slightly. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. In the end, he just endured Aoi Kunisaku's mocking gaze, both frustrated and helpless.

On the second floor of the gymnasium.

The excitement had vanished from Aida Yayoi's face.

Her eyes were now filled only with shock and dread.

She stared at Aoi Kunisaku on the court, unsure of how to describe her current feelings.

After a long while, she finally muttered, "Kanagawa's about to be flipped upside down."

There were only 17 seconds left until the end of the first half.

Because of Aoi Kunisaku, the psychological pressure on Miuradai's players was growing wildly.

In these final seconds, they didn't plan to attack anymore. They just wanted to drag it out until halftime.

They needed to reset mentally.

But Aoi Kunisaku didn't care about their mindset.

As Miuradai passed the ball around, maybe due to the mounting pressure, Araki Kazuo made a mistake when catching the ball, and it slipped from his hands.

Miyagi Ryota saw it and instantly went for the steal.

But Araki Kazuo quickly recovered.

Their hands reached the ball almost at the same time, and the ball bounced out wildly.

And it just happened to bounce toward the sideline.

Now, there were only 5 seconds left in the half.

Miyagi Ryota and Araki Kazuo seemed to silently agree not to chase the ball.

Miyagi Ryota figured it wasn't worth it.

Araki Kazuo thought it was a perfect way to run down the clock.

But neither of them expected what happened next.

Just as the ball was about to fly out of bounds—

A flash of white streaked past their eyes and vanished.

And the ball disappeared with it.

Both Miyagi Ryota's and Araki Kazuo's pupils shrank.

They instinctively thought of the same person.

But their thoughts couldn't have been more different.

Miyagi Ryota: Damn! The ball's gone—it's gotta be that guy again! That's insane!

Araki Kazuo: Damn! The ball's gone—it's gotta be that guy again! We're screwed!

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

The sound of the ball hitting the court echoed again and again, pounding in the hearts of Miuradai's players.

The seconds ticked by.

Miuradai's players realized what was happening and scrambled to fall back on defense.

Muramasa Kengo's face was filled with panic and urgency. He shouted to his teammates, "Get back on defense! Don't let him score this one!"

Fortunately, Miuradai's Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi were nearby and got back in time before Aoi Kunisaku reached the basket.

Both focused completely, arms spread, eyes locked on Aoi Kunisaku charging at full speed.

With 3 seconds left in the half, Aoi Kunisaku reached them.

He looked at the two in front of him, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.

Suddenly, he came to a dead stop, going from max speed to zero instantly.

To Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi, it looked like a broken frame, something unreal.

Aoi Kunisaku then did a quick crossover, switching the ball from his right to left hand, spun 180 degrees counterclockwise, and broke through on their right side.

Panic flickered in their eyes as their bodies reacted, trying to cut him off in time.

Takatsu Hiroshi chased from behind.

Kawasaki Akio stepped up to intercept.

In that moment, Aoi Kunisaku was sandwiched between the two.

With 2 seconds remaining.

Aoi Kunisaku showed no sign of panic.

Right in the middle of the double-team, he jumped.

Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi leapt too, locking him in midair.

Everyone watching was dumbfounded.

"Is he nuts? The safest move here is to pass! There's no need to force a shot!" said Koshino Hiroaki in confusion.

Uekusa Tomoyuki frowned. "Is he that confident he can score?"

Ishii Kentaro added, "If he passes to Mitsui Hisashi, there's a good chance they'd tie the score."

"That guy... he wouldn't try it if he wasn't sure," Sendoh Akira said calmly.

He saw it differently from the rest.

Aoi Kunisaku's shot selection might've looked reckless, but he understood—just like Sendoh Akira—that someone with that kind of strength doesn't take meaningless risks.

That kind of pride and confidence is part of being a true competitor.

…

Elsewhere—

Aida Yayoi analyzed aloud, "Too reckless. Getting trapped mid-air like that… If he had passed it before getting double-teamed, Shohoku might've squeezed in another basket before halftime."

Only 1 second remained in the half.

Suspended in the air, Aoi Kunisaku went straight into a shooting motion.

Kawasaki Akio and Takatsu Hiroshi quickly extended their arms, sealing off every possible shooting angle.

In that moment, Aoi Kunisaku's arm brushed against Kawasaki Akio's.

Then, he pulled the ball back, his body bending and leaning sharply to the right.

With one hand supporting the ball, he stretched out sideways, avoiding their block zone.

Aoi Kunisaku swung his arm and tossed the ball toward the rim that Kawasaki Akio had just blocked.

His posture was completely off-balance, twisted and unnatural.

At that very moment, the timer hit zero.

BEEP—

The referee's whistle followed.

But no one paid attention to that.

All eyes locked on the ball flying through the air.

Right before everyone's eyes, the ball struck Miuradai's backboard, bounced off the inside of the rim, hopped once on the edge—

And dropped through the net.

Swish…

Shohoku 43, Miuradai 44.

Everyone stood frozen, mouths hanging open.

BEEP—

Before the crowd could even cheer—

The whistle paused the rising roar of emotion.

The referee pointed at Kawasaki Akio and declared loudly, "Miuradai No. 8, hand foul! Basket counts. One bonus free throw."

BOOM—

It was as if a lightning bolt hit the gym.

A hand foul. One bonus free throw.

Aoi Kunisaku had just turned a buzzer-beater into a 2+1.

While being double-teamed.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the entire gym exploded in cheers and screams.

"Whoa! It's a 2+1!"

"That was insane!"

"How did he even get that shot off under those conditions?"

"Didn't he lose his balance just now?"

"Must've been luck! He clearly just threw it blindly!"

"Whatever it was, that shot was incredible!"

…

The Ryonan team, who earlier thought his decision was poor, now sat slack-jawed.

None of them expected that to be a 2+1 play.

Aida Hikoichi looked like he was about to lose it.

Eyes wide, trembling with excitement, he shouted, "That last play was insane! To pull off that move while being double-teamed!"

Even Sendoh Akira hadn't seen this coming.

It had truly caught him off guard.

He already thought highly of Aoi Kunisaku.

But he still underestimated him.

This guy couldn't be measured by normal standards.

"That shot… was it luck? Or…" A trace of unease crept into Sendoh Akira's heart.

Aoi Kunisaku gave off a strange sense of dissonance.

But what it was exactly, he just couldn't figure out.

And he wasn't the only one who felt it.

Anyone who truly understood basketball sensed something was off.

Like Aida Yayoi, who was now frantically snapping pictures.

Or the players and bench from both teams.

And even in a quiet corner of the second floor—

Maki Shinichi, silently watching the match.

His gaze was fixed on Aoi Kunisaku.

He actually felt a strange pressure coming from him.

After a long moment, he finally looked away.

"Shohoku's No. 9..." Maki Shinichi muttered, then turned and disappeared down the tunnel.

…

Swish…

The ball brushed through the net.

Aoi Kunisaku made the free throw with ease.

Shohoku scored 1 more point.

Shohoku 44, Miuradai 44.

Shohoku vs. Miuradai. First half: tied.