The all-powerful middle schooler

"Snapped."

With a casual flick of his wrist, he hit the basketball towards Fujiwara Chika.

"Failed!"

Hinata was taken aback, but this was still within expectations.

He wasn't too worried because he had four trustworthy teammates, which was the opponent's disadvantage compared to him.

And it is.

The basketball team members anticipated this scenario and rushed towards the target that Hasegawa might pass the ball to.

"Watch me steal the ball with ease!"

Chifeng Ronin was closest to the ball, so he quickly approached Fujiwara Chika, intending to snatch the basketball from the girl's hands.

In his view, his imposing physique would likely scare the girl into a panic, allowing him to easily snatch her away.

……

"Are you going to stop me, Hasegawa-kun? If you do that, doesn't that mean you're doomed to lose?"

Hinata looked at the man in front of her with great surprise and said...

He never expected that Hasegawa would come to keep an eye on him, so he stopped to chat. Anyway, in a 4v4 situation, there was no way they could lose!

"Soleiwado Kana."

A mysterious smile appeared on Izumi Hasegawa's lips, and the underlying color in her eyes had unknowingly begun to glow with a dazzling red light.

"You might not be a match for them when they're all in zone mode!"

...

"My body feels so light."

"This is the first time I've fought with such a cheerful feeling."

"I feel... I'm no longer afraid."

Nibutani Mori Natsumi seemed somewhat puzzled by her strange state.

But at that moment, she didn't have time to sort all of this out.

Because the team needs her help.

"Hey!"

Facing the formidable opponent, Fujiwara Chika felt inexplicably fearless. She steadily used the technique she had practiced before, gently tossing the ball to Nibutani Morika, who suddenly appeared from the side.

"Attack quickly!"

After receiving the ball, Nibutani Mori immediately dribbled forward and broke into the opponent's half of the penalty area.

"Don't even think about it!"

At that moment, what stood in her way was Hiiragi no Matsu, who was like a high wall.

But instead of trying to get past her, she made a light tossing motion, throwing the basketball to the side.

She knew that someone would be there waiting for her to pass the ball, simply because they had exchanged a glance and seemed to understand each other's thoughts.

'Could it be that I've awakened a superpower similar to mind reading?'

No, no!

'At a time like this, I still have these delusional, immature thoughts. Am I beyond redemption?'

Dansheng Valley Senxia quickly cleared away these inexplicable thoughts and continued to assist in the attack.

In just a few short seconds.

"Master, please, death!"

Sanae Dekomori easily caught the basketball that was passed to her, and then looked at Rikka Takanashi, who was already approaching the heart of the field.

With a 'thud,' the basketball hit the ground and bounced back up.

Another perfect pass, and the ball landed on Rikka Kotori.

At this point, the half of the court where the basketball team was located was completely undefended.

This was entirely because the basketball team had made a strategic prediction, believing that they could easily steal the basketball from Fujiwara Chika and then score quickly.

Unexpectedly, the opponent's coordination was almost seamless, leaving no time for thought, as if they were fighting based on instinct.

As a result, it has turned into this horrifying scene for them.

"Dark matter missile!"

While chanting the name of her move, Rikka Takanashi leaped up and shot the ball without being affected by anyone else, fully demonstrating the skills she had honed.

The moment the girl shot the ball, everyone in the basketball team felt their hearts stop.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air and, to everyone's astonishment, landed in the hoop.

"Snapped."

The sound of the basketball hitting the ground was crisp and loud.

"Beep~!"

The whistle blew.

The Evil King's True Eye has successfully fired the first shot!

37 Have you ever seen Tokyo at 4 a.m.?

"Wow!"

After a brief silence, the onlookers cheered and applauded.

"So you finally understand? The Evil King's True Eye is the strongest!"

Hearing the cheers from the crowd, Rikka Takanashi turned around and proudly made a peace sign.

"You didn't expect it, did you? Under the guidance of the Sage, we have undergone a complete transformation and improvement!"

Sanae Tokomori also excitedly clenched her fist.

"You guys are amazing! You actually managed to score against the basketball team!"

"So it turns out we can win without Hasegawa-kun even lifting a finger?"

"Alright, let's keep winning like this!"

This legendary scene was incredibly dramatic.

To be honest, no one took the girls seriously. Even those who supported the Far East Magic Society thought that Hasegawa would create another miracle, but they didn't expect that the first ball would be so surprising.

Could it be that we can win without Hasegawa's intervention?

That is of course impossible.

For example, Kaguya Shinomiya, and her professional attendant Ai Hayasaka, who was hidden in the crowd, were surprised, but also had their own thoughts.

That last goal looked so easy, but there was a reason and a coincidence involved...

"And they can even use breathing techniques?"

Hayasaka Ai leaned against the wall, her hands behind her head, chewing bubble gum, a thoughtful expression on her face.

……

"It's careless!"

Not far away, Hinata Konji, who was observing this scene, understood it very well.

Just now, the basketball club members thought that the girls had no ability to play basketball, so they made the wrong judgment that all they had to do was rush in and completely ignored the defense against the other girls. As a result, when Fujiwara Chika made a pass, it became a 3 vs 1 situation.

In that situation, even if the deputy minister was tall and had excellent basketball skills, he would not be able to defend against the passing and attack of three people at the same time. Therefore, he would be facing a situation where he could almost score into an empty net, and failure was to be expected.

However, after that last play, he could see that while the girls' skills might not be exceptionally high, they were at least capable of playing to this level. Coupled with their almost telepathic teamwork, they managed to defeat the stronger team.

"How did you manage to transform them so much in such a short time? And what is Zone?"

He turned to ask the man.

Have you ever seen Tokyo at 4 a.m.?

Instead of answering, Hasegawa Izumi asked a question, her tone becoming enigmatic.

"No."

Hinata shook his head this time.

As students, they still maintained good daily routines.

"This is where you failed!"

"You have to understand, they have been training with all their might for the past three days, not afraid of hardship or fatigue. It was only after three days of unremitting efforts that they have reached this level!"

"It is this process of sedimentation that creates fine wine..."

He spoke vehemently.

Is three days a long time?

Hinata's expression at this moment seemed to be asking—

are you kidding me?

"You are certainly not at your level to understand. They are just not interested, while you lack the talent."

He said in a low, somber tone.

"Whoo~"

Hinata suppressed the urge to make a move and be sent off, and took a deep breath.

This guy's words are really irritating!

We've already made it to the national championship finals!

If this doesn't count as talent, then what does? Winning an NBA championship?

Surely we're not fighting aliens!

"As for the zone, simply put, it's a state that can enhance one's own abilities. Just like when you're studying, if you can concentrate, your learning ability will be greatly enhanced. Of course, there's also a second-level zone, which not only enhances the abilities of the entire team but also makes the team members more connected. That's what they're doing now."

Izumi Hasegawa continued her explanation.

Is this for real, or just a hoax?

Hinata is finding it difficult to make a judgment in this situation.

That's definitely nonsense!

If you take chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) seriously, you're doomed to lose.

"Hasegawa-san, their current performance has indeed exceeded our expectations, but the fundamental gap is not so easy to bridge! I still have full confidence in my team members."

The flame of fighting spirit in his eyes still burned brightly.

"They're really tenacious, but that's certainly to be expected."

Hasegawa Izumi gave a word of approval, then turned to look at the arena.

The 4v4 matches are still ongoing.

However, compared to the cheers at the beginning, the game fell into a strange stalemate.

……

Let's go back to what we were doing earlier.

"Why is this happening!?"

Kurosaki was slightly embarrassed, and his expression revealed a hint of frustration.

This indescribable pressure! What is going on?!

How could the skills I honed be surpassed by these young girls?

Isn't that the most ridiculous thing ever?