Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 214 - 187: July Athletic Festival (4)_2

Chapter 214: Chapter 187: July Athletic Festival (4)_2

The broadcast announced, reminding everyone to enter before the start of the game.

The point guard, Koguchi Ainosuke, patted Uesugi Sakura on the shoulder:

"Just do your best!"

The other players also patted his shoulder one by one as they passed by him.

"Come on."

"Come on."

"Come on."

Uesugi Sakura turned his head, looking at everyone heading to the court, the people he just met and who seemed to have been dissatisfied with him earlier.

Amid the chatter from the audience seats, under the watchful eyes of thousands of students and teachers from the five campuses, a silent Uesugi Sakura thought.

They really smell like sweat!

————————

A whistle blew.

The game started!

The referee tossed the basketball high up within a circle whose name Uesugi Sakura didn’t know.

Standing at the back of the line, Uesugi Sakura watched as their point guard—Koguchi Ainosuke and the tall black guy from Hoshin jumped to compete for the shot.

Bam!

A low, muffled sound.

A hot-blooded hand full of veins and muscles patted the basketball, directing it towards their team’s side.

They successfully got the ball!

This was something the tall black guy from Hoshin International Academy hadn’t anticipated.

In terms of physique, he was bulkier than their own power forward—Ookubo Fumataro.

The center, Takamoto Minoru, reacted swiftly.

He quickly retreated, his sneakers seemed to ignite the wheat-colored floor beneath him.

He jumped up, swiftly scooped the basketball, and grabbed it in his hand.

After catching the ball, Takamoto Minoru’s sharp eyes darted around.

The other three teammates were blocking the opponents’ steps, preventing the ball from being ruthlessly intercepted during the pass.

Hoshin Academy’s foreign friends were smart, quickly returning to their team for defense when they saw they hadn’t snatched the ball.

With their formation and physicality, Kamigoe definitely couldn’t compete with them in offense and defense.

With no other options, Takamoto Minoru threw the ball left with his right hand, passing it to the shooting guard—Uesugi Sakura.

Then quickly stepped into the half-court.

The center’s duty is to protect the basketball.

And before the game, coach Tachibana had instructed him to run, protecting Uesugi the shooter for a shot.

Although he didn’t know how strong he was, they let him try anyway.

The other teammates thought so too, opening positions for him to attack conveniently.

.....

Silent waiting.

Uesugi Sakura’s hands gathered all the gazes.

Everyone was waiting for him to dribble into the battlefield.

Beeeep——!

The referee blew the whistle.

"Holding the ball too long, violation!"

Uesugi Sakura: "..."

The basketball foul naturally led to a free-throw penalty.

Hoshin International Academy’s foreign friends looked at each other, shrugging.

"Can Uesugi play basketball?" Kyujuu Rika rubbed her forehead, "Even if his shooting is accurate, there’s no need to hold the ball for so long."

"Anyway, I’ve never seen him play." Ayaka Rie, sitting in the back row, said, then turned to Hanamaru Hanabi beside her: "Hanabi-chan should know more."

Hanamaru Hanabi also only found out last-minute that Uesugi Sakura was called to play basketball.

"Hanabi...hasn’t seen it either..."

Not in twelve years, except the shooting tests in PE class.

In the front row, Haneda Kimu smiled indifferently: "It seems like he really can’t, otherwise he wouldn’t have held the ball for so long just staring."

On the court.

Kamigoe’s players walked towards their basket.

Takamoto Minoru said to Uesugi Sakura with a helpless face, "Uesugi-san, you wouldn’t happen to think this is an NBA game, would you?"

"What’s the difference?" Actually, he didn’t even know the most basic basketball rules.

"The difference is you can’t hold the ball for too long. Even without pressure defense, you shouldn’t have held it that long! It disrupts the game’s continuity, and we’ll be penalized with free throws."

The other team members all shrugged helplessly as they passed by.

"Forget it," Takamoto Minoru patted him on the shoulder, encouragingly, "Don’t do it next time, remember to dribble and pass. You’re the shooter in this game; most of our points will depend on you."

"Though trusting a basketball newbie who doesn’t know the rules is pretty strange too."

Uesugi Sakura: "..."

The game restarted, the free-throw relay.

A blond American student caught the ball first, then executed two consecutive run-and-pass plays, slipping past Kamigoe’s defense lines one by one.

The small forward, Chiyo Uemon, tried to jump for an interception outside the three-point line.

But that small Spanish guy lobbed high ahead, straight toward the opposing tall black guy.

Playing basketball requires reaction speed.

The tall black guy had no hesitation. He jumped to receive it, his powerful arm slammed the basketball downward.

Then he rushed forward, his athletic body darting ahead.

With an unparalleled back-to-back dodge, dribbling between his legs, amidst the thumping and scraping sounds, the ball slammed down and bounced perfectly, going through Takamoto Minoru’s legs, surpassing Kamigoe’s last defense line.

In the spot that Uesugi Sakura didn’t know, within the right inside of the three-point line, a player leaped upwards.

Steps! Body rising!

Grabbing the ball that just bounced up, amid the audience and opponents’ shrinking pupils, a round dunk.

Bam!

The basketball crashed into the hoop, drawing a powerful curve downward.

"F***!" International Friendly Ambassador Chiyo Uemon couldn’t help but curse.

This offside catching skill was simply beyond their control.

This tall black guy, except for their power forward—Ookubo Fumataro, no one else could block him at all.

That’s why he had little hope for this game.

Once Ookubo Fumataro was pinned down, their hopes were slim.

Although Uesugi Sakura didn’t understand the game rules, he knew who was strong just now.

In the audience seats.

Haneda Kimu asked, "Isn’t it hard to win?"

Kyujuu Rika: "As things stand now, indeed it is."

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