Qing Junce Appears

Shohoku's bench.

"So amazing, this is our Captain!"

"We haven't lost yet, there's still a chance."

"Ryonan isn't that scary either."

The first-years all had excited expressions on their faces, their previous frustration and gloom completely swept away.

"Hooray! Gorilla's Slam Dunk..."

The second floor of the gymnasium.

The Sakuragi Army, who had appeared at some point, were cheering ecstatically.

Akagi Haruko and the other two beside her were also screaming with excitement.

Akagi Haruko said excitedly, "See! It's only just beginning now! I have a feeling we're going to win!"

Fujii chimed in, "Yeah! The atmosphere might change."

Matsui reminded her, "But there's still a 17-point gap!"

Akagi Haruko said seriously, "It'll be fine, don't worry."

Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Rukawa Kaede, then, as if she thought of something, she began searching the Shohoku bench.

She found it strange, thinking, Strange, why don't I see Qing Junce! And Kanon isn't here either.

Just as everyone was cheering for Akagi Takenori's Slam Dunk, Ryonan's Coach Taoka Moichi spoke, "Because of Akagi's dunk, the guard lineup has become stronger, and Shohoku still relies on Akagi. However, before breaking the deadlock and leading to Akagi's dunk, it was the first-year Rukawa Kaede."

He narrowed his eyes as he said this, thinking to himself, If they still think this is Akagi's one-man team this year, they might suffer a painful lesson.

The game on the court continued.

Because of Akagi Takenori's dunk, the entire Shohoku team's momentum surged.

Everyone's condition was completely different compared to before.

In the subsequent offense and defense, Shohoku actually scored repeatedly, subtly gaining the upper hand against Ryonan.

The score between the two teams began to narrow.

4 to 19.

10 to 24.

22 to 38.

As the first half was about to end.

The score was temporarily frozen at 35 to 45.

Shohoku 35, Ryonan 45.

And at this moment, outside the gates of Ryonan High School.

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon had already arrived.

Shimizu Kanon grabbed Qing Junce's arm and ran towards the Ryonan High School campus.

As she ran, she said, "A-Ce, hurry up! The first half is almost over."

Qing Junce followed her, jogging, and only stopped when they reached a basketball gymnasium.

Phew... ha... phew... ha...

Shimizu Kanon panted heavily, completely relaxing.

At this moment, the cheers coming from the gymnasium were exceptionally enthusiastic.

Shimizu Kanon said, "The game seems to be intense, A-Ce, let's go in quickly!"

Qing Junce didn't say anything and walked into the gymnasium with Shimizu Kanon.

As soon as they entered, they saw everyone battling on the court.

They also saw the spectators standing around the gymnasium and the cheering voices.

"It's so lively!" Shimizu Kanon said, somewhat surprised.

Although she had played with Qing Junce since she was little, it was always on the streetball court, and the number of people watching was limited. Even then, she had received cheers from those around.

However, the cheers in a gymnasium were ultimately very different from those outdoors.

The cheers in the gymnasium were not only loud but also had a sense of etherealness and echo, impacting people's hearts more directly.

This was something that couldn't be felt on an outdoor basketball court.

"Coach Anzai, I'm very sorry, we're late." Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce to Coach Anzai Mitsuyoshi and bowed apologetically.

Qing Junce ambled in with a lazy demeanor, showing no sign of being late.

"You guys finally made it," Ayako said with a hint of helplessness.

Shimizu Kanon replied apologetically, "Senior Ayako, I'm so sorry."

Ayako waved her hand and said, "It's fine, the important thing is you're here. Fortunately, the score hasn't gotten too far out of hand."

Hearing this, Shimizu Kanon finally turned her gaze to the scoreboard.

"35 to 45, we're down by 10 points," Shimizu Kanon said, a little stunned.

Ayako explained, "Before you arrived, we were down by 19 points! Thanks to Captain Akagi and Rukawa Kaede, we've managed to close the gap."

Qing Junce showed no reaction to this, as if Shohoku's deficit had nothing to do with him.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi looked at Qing Junce and said, "Since you're here, you should go on the court!"

As soon as he said this, no one else had any objections, but Sakuragi Hanamichi was unhappy.

He shot up from his seat and went to Coach Anzai, shouting, "What are you saying! Old man! Why are you putting this guy in just because he showed up? I got here before him, why aren't you letting me play?"

As he spoke, he reached out and repeatedly patted Coach Anzai's chubby chin and round belly.

Slap...

Ayako, holding a folding fan, smacked Sakuragi Hanamichi directly on the head and said irritably, "Be quiet."

"But I want to play too!" Sakuragi Hanamichi whined.

The commotion naturally drew the attention of everyone playing on the court.

Akagi Takenori saw Qing Junce appear on the bench and snorted irritably, "Hmph, that guy."

Rukawa Kaede silently watched Qing Junce without a word.

As for the other members of Shohoku, they subconsciously showed a hint of relief on their faces.

The members of Ryonan, however, were all confused.

He arrived just as the first half was about to end.

Was he serious?

Both the Ryonan substitutes and the players on the court turned their gaze to Qing Junce on the Shohoku bench.

It wasn't for any other reason than the faint, inexplicable pressure emanating from Qing Junce, which they could feel from afar.

Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, widened his eyes and looked at Qing Junce, murmuring suspiciously, "Who is this person?"

His judgment among basketball coaches was second to none, and he naturally had a set of standards for evaluating people.

Some players required an entire game to gauge their strength.

But there were others who could determine their strength or weakness with just a glance.

Qing Junce undoubtedly belonged to the latter category.

He had never seen any player possess such a powerful aura.

In Ryonan's bench area, a young man held a notebook in his hand.

This young man was the one who had brushed past Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon at the entrance of Shohoku a week ago.

His name was Aida Kenichi.

His mouth hung open, and his eyes stared blankly at Qing Junce on the Shohoku bench, exclaiming, "Oh my gosh! Who... who... who is that? He's as tall as Senior Sendoh! I didn't expect Shohoku to have another ace up their sleeve besides Sakuragi Hanamichi, this is incredible."

The others from Ryonan also muttered to themselves.

On the court.

Uozumi, Sendoh, and others from Ryonan's side had become more serious.

They could naturally feel a strange pressure from Qing Junce.

It was a feeling like impending danger, causing their bodies to tense up involuntarily.

Beep...

Shohoku requested a substitution.

Qing Junce put on the remaining Shohoku number 9 jersey.

He didn't have any particular preference for the jersey number.

Soon, under everyone's gaze, Qing Junce arrived at the sidelines.

The player being replaced was Kogure Kiminobu, who was playing Small Forward.

Kogure Kiminobu tried to high-five Qing Junce, but was ignored.

Kogure Kiminobu felt a bit awkward but wasn't angry.

He directly patted Qing Junce's shoulder and said, "It's up to you now, Qing Junce."

Tch...

Qing Junce let out a scoff and then slowly walked onto the court.

Under everyone's gaze, the corners of Qing Junce's mouth twitched slightly, but he still gave off an air of laziness and listlessness.

Once on the court, Qing Junce spoke directly, "I thought you guys would be in a worse state! Only trailing by 10 points, not bad!"

As soon as he said this, Akagi Takenori's face immediately darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. He gritted his teeth, barely suppressing his anger, and retorted, "You scoundrel, you're always late. You have no right to say that."

The others from Shohoku were also somewhat displeased, but they didn't dare to refute him directly.

Rukawa Kaede, on the other hand, remained silent, completely unfazed by Qing Junce's words.

"Strange guy," Sendoh remarked, his interest piqued by Qing Junce upon seeing this.

"What an arrogant kid," Uozumi commented.

Koshino Hiroaki said dismissively, "He's got no reputation at all, just looks tall."

Beep...

The whistle blew again.

It was Shohoku's ball.

Akagi Takenori made the inbound pass.

Yasuda Yasuharu dribbled the ball forward.

Sendoh immediately moved to stand in front of Qing Junce.

"This guy," Sendoh thought, looking at Qing Junce before him and sensing the palpable danger emanating from him, he was inwardly alarmed.

Soon, the basketball was passed to Qing Junce.

Qing Junce held the ball with both hands, meeting Sendoh's gaze.

The entire stadium fell silent, as if waiting for something.

On the second floor of the stadium.

"Qing Junce versus Sendoh! I wonder what the outcome will be?" Akagi Haruko said, both excited and nervous.

She remembered how Qing Junce had dominated Rukawa Kaede that day, and her heart couldn't help but race with anticipation.

Not only her, but the rest of Shohoku were also anxiously awaiting the next development.

The Ryonan team also shifted their attention to this matchup.