Ryonan High School · Basketball Court.
By then, the players from Shoyo and Ryonan were already standing on opposite sides of the court, quietly waiting for the game to begin.
Shoyo's starting lineup was as follows:
Center, Akagi Takenori, Number 4.
Shooting Guard, Yasuda Yasuharu, Number 6.
Point Guard, Shiosaki Satoshi, Number 8.
Small Forward, Kogure Kiminobu, Number 5.
Power Forward, Rukawa Kaede, Number 11.
Ryonan's starting lineup was as follows:
Center, Uozumi Jun, Number 4.
Shooting Guard, Koshino Hiroaki, Number 6.
Point Guard, Uekusa Tomoyuki, Number 8.
Small Forward, Sendoh Akira, Number 7.
Power Forward, Ikegami Ryoji, Number 5.
Aside from center Uozumi, everyone else on Ryonan looked fairly ordinary.
Except for Ikegami Ryoji, who stood over 180 centimeters tall, the others were all between 170 and 175 centimeters.
The one who deserved special mention was Sendoh Akira, wearing Ryonan's Number 7 jersey.
He was one of only two tall players on the Ryonan team. Standing over 190 centimeters, he was handsome and refined, giving off a unique sense of approachability.
His especially eye-catching spiky hair stood straight up, each strand pointing skyward, making him look just like a walking broom.
The game had yet to begin, but cheers had already erupted inside the gym.
"Ryonan... fight... Ryonan... fight... crush Shoyo..."
Shoyo's bench.
Hearing the cheers from Ryonan's cheer squad, everyone felt as though a heavy stone had been placed on their hearts.
Yamada Tadashi, a first-year, could not help saying, "The Ryonan players look so imposing!"
Kuwata Toki also said uncertainly, "We should be okay, right?"
Ishii Kentaro asked, "Is that Sendoh? Is he really that good?"
Kogure Kiminobu explained, "It's not a question of whether he's good or not. Sendoh was recognized as one of the best players last year. He was even called 'Genius Sendoh.' If Shoyo and Kainan hadn't held Ryonan back, they might very well have made it to the National Tournament last year."
At those words, all the first-years' expressions changed again and again.
Rukawa Kaede also turned his gaze toward Sendoh, and wisps of fighting spirit began to burn in his eyes.
Just then, Sakuragi Hanamichi took the initiative and walked up to Sendoh.
He stared straight at Sendoh and said, "I, Sakuragi Hanamichi, am a secret weapon. Sendoh, I'll take you down."
At that, Sendoh raised an eyebrow.
The others from Ryonan also stared at the scene in astonishment.
"This guy's got some nerve!" Koshino Hiroaki said unhappily from the Ryonan team.
Uekusa Tomoyuki also said, "Does he even know who he's talking to?"
Akagi Takenori's eyelids twitched violently. That idiot.
Even Ayako, standing off the court, wore a worried, troubled, and helpless expression. "That boy, honestly..."
While everyone was still deeply shocked by Sakuragi Hanamichi's words, Sendoh merely smiled and said slowly, "Then I look forward to it."
"Sure." Sakuragi Hanamichi shook hands with Sendoh.
The game officially began.
At the same time.
Three girls hurried into the second floor of the gym.
They were none other than Akagi Haruko and her two best friends, Fujii and Matsui.
"We made it at last." Akagi Haruko wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed in relief.
"It's because you kept dawdling. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to run here." Matsui complained.
Akagi Haruko's pretty face flushed. She said sheepishly, "Don't put it like that!"
"Rukawa Kaede... I love you... Rukawa Kaede... I love you... Rukawa Kaede... I love you..."
Just then, a unified cheer reached everyone's ears.
Akagi Haruko and the other two turned around and saw three girls in ultra-short cheerleading uniforms waving handkerchiefs and raising their snow-white long legs as they cheered endlessly for Rukawa Kaede.
The sight left everyone in the gym stunned.
Fujii and Matsui pulled Akagi Haruko aside.
Fujii whispered a warning, "Don't do anything that stupid, okay?"
Akagi Haruko looked bashful and replied weakly, "I wouldn't do that."
Matsui stared at her with dead-fish eyes, clearly unconvinced. "You, honestly... It's hard to say!"
Beep...
While the three girls were talking, the game below officially got underway.
With a whistle, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air between the two teams.
Akagi Takenori and Uozumi Jun planted their feet and leaped into the air at the same time, reaching for the falling ball.
Elsewhere.
On a train bound for Ryonan High School.
"Hahahahahaha..."
Three punks laughed loudly without a care for the other passengers.
One of them said smugly, "After I beat him up good, I said..."
"Said what?" another punk hurriedly asked.
The punk continued, "I said... 'Getting into a fight isn't hard. I'm always ready.' Wow! Wasn't that badass?"
With that, the three punks began laughing recklessly again.
The other passengers in the carriage cast fearful yet disdainful glances at them, either deliberately or otherwise.
Quite a few girls and women unconsciously drew in on themselves, afraid that the three punks would notice them.
Just then, two figures entered through the train doors.
The first to step in was an exceptionally beautiful girl with a graceful figure and a vibrant, youthful air.
When the three punks saw her, their eyes immediately straightened. Their eyes turned into heart shapes, and they looked as though they wanted to hang themselves right in front of the dazzling girl.
However, the next second, a shadow fell over the three punks.
Behind the girl stood a tall, straight-backed youth radiating an inescapable wildness.
The three punks felt overwhelming pressure and lethal danger from the youth.
They could not help trembling all over.
The young man and woman who had entered were none other than Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon.
Seeing that the three punks were blocking the way ahead, Qing Junce simply said, "Move."
The three punks swallowed nervously and subconsciously stepped aside.
Shimizu Kanon had long since grown used to things like this.
When she saw the three punks clear the way, she immediately took Qing Junce's hand and walked between them.
The three punks could only watch the two of them leave without daring to say a word.
Only after Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon had gone some distance did the three punks finally breathe a sigh of relief.
One of them said, "That guy was terrifying. I thought I was going to die just now."
Another punk said, "Didn't you say fighting wasn't hard?"
Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon's appearance naturally drew the attention of many people in the carriage.
Everyone was captivated by their looks.
The men naturally focused their attention on Shimizu Kanon.
The women also began admiring Qing Junce's appearance.
Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon had long since grown accustomed to the gazes of those around them.
Shimizu Kanon glanced at the time on her phone, then complained, "Honestly, so much time has already passed. It's all your fault. I wonder how the game is going now."
Looking lazy, Qing Junce said, "There's still plenty of time. Even if things go badly, they won't lose by too much."
"That's not okay! That's such an awful thing to say! They're your teammates." Shimizu Kanon said seriously.
"Tch..."
Qing Junce clicked his tongue and said nothing more.
By then, the game between Ryonan and Shoyo had also become completely one-sided.
A little less than half of the first half had already passed.
The score on the scoreboard was 0 to 19.
Ryonan had 19 points.
Shoyo had yet to score a single point.
At that moment, the Shoyo players on the court were all panting heavily. Sweat rolled down their foreheads drop by drop, and their faces were filled with disbelief and despair.
They had never imagined that the game against Ryonan would turn out this way.
They knew Ryonan would probably be strong, but they had not expected them to be this formidable.
Basketball games in this era were divided into two halves, with each half lasting 20 minutes.
Thus, the Shoyo players on the court were not only physically exhausted but also under tremendous psychological pressure.
It was Ryonan's turn to attack.
Uekusa Tomoyuki broke through Shiosaki Satoshi's defense and successfully reached the front of Shoyo's three-point line.
Just as Kogure Kiminobu was about to move over and block him, Uekusa Tomoyuki immediately sent a long pass, throwing the basketball toward the restricted area.
At some point, someone wearing Ryonan's Number 7 jersey had appeared inside Shoyo's restricted area.
It was Sendoh.
Oh no.
When the Shoyo players saw this, their hearts leaped into their throats.
They were already 19 points behind. If the other side scored again, they would fall 20 points behind Ryonan.
Although 19 and 20 points differed by only one point, the pressure they placed on a team was worlds apart.
Just as everyone thought the shot could no longer be stopped, a red figure suddenly appeared and intercepted the ball before Sendoh could reach it.
What?
Sendoh's pupils widened.
The other Ryonan players also looked startled.
The one who had intercepted the ball was none other than Rukawa Kaede.
Rukawa Kaede landed and hugged the ball to his chest, staring ahead. It seemed he was deliberately speaking to Sendoh behind him when he said, "All right. Let's go."
At those words, Sendoh narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next moment, Rukawa Kaede immediately took off, dribbling rapidly toward Ryonan's basket.
Sendoh was unwilling to fall behind and chased after him with all his might.
Rukawa Kaede dribbled past Uekusa Tomoyuki and Koshino Hiroaki in succession, charging straight into Ryonan's restricted area.
However, just as Rukawa Kaede leaped to lay the ball up, Sendoh suddenly shot forward and caught up from the side, blocking Rukawa Kaede's path to the basket with one hand.
Rukawa Kaede stared ahead, his expression unchanged.
His layup motion suddenly shifted, and he tossed the ball backward from the other side.
The unexpected move made Sendoh's eyes widen.
At the same time, Akagi Takenori quietly appeared behind Rukawa Kaede and caught the ball Rukawa Kaede had thrown.
Without pausing at all, he leaped high into the air, gripped the ball with both hands, and slammed it down into Ryonan's basket.
Crash!
The sound of the dunk rang throughout the entire gym.
Akagi Takenori successfully dunked the ball into Ryonan's basket.
Shoyo 2, Ryonan 19.
At last, Shoyo had broken its scoring drought.
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