Qing Junce Makes His Entrance

Shohoku's bench.

"How amazing! That's our captain!"

"We haven't lost yet. We still have a chance."

"Ryonan isn't anything to be afraid of."

The first-years all wore excited expressions. The frustration and gloom they had felt earlier had completely vanished.

"Yeah! Gorilla's dunk..."

The second floor of the gym.

At some point, the members of the Sakuragi Army had appeared and were cheering excitedly.

Akagi Haruko and the other two girls beside them were screaming with equal excitement.

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

Fujii agreed, "Yeah! The atmosphere might change."

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

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

Her gaze unconsciously turned toward Rukawa Kaede. Then, as if she had thought of something, she began searching the Shohoku bench.

She wondered, That's strange. Why can't I see Qing Junce? Kanon isn't here either.

Just as everyone was cheering for Akagi Takenori's dunk, Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, spoke up. "Because of Akagi's dunk, the backcourt has grown stronger. Shohoku is still centered around Akagi. However, before that, the one who broke the deadlock and set up Akagi's dunk was first-year Rukawa Kaede."

As he said this, he narrowed his eyes and thought, If they still believe this is Akagi's one-man team, they may suffer a painful lesson.

The game on the court continued.

Because of Akagi Takenori's dunk, the entire Shohoku team's momentum rose as well.

Compared with before, everyone was like a completely different person.

During the offense and defense that followed, Shohoku began scoring repeatedly, faintly showing signs of suppressing Ryonan.

The score between the two teams gradually drew closer.

4–19.

10–24.

22–38.

With the first half about to end,

the score temporarily settled at 35–45.

Shohoku 35, Ryonan 45.

At that moment, outside the gates of Ryonan High School,

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon had already arrived.

Shimizu Kanon grabbed Qing Junce by the arm and ran into the Ryonan High School campus.

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

Qing Junce followed her at a light jog. They did not stop until they reached a basketball gym.

Huff... gasp... huff... gasp...

Shimizu Kanon panted heavily, her whole body finally relaxing.

The cheers coming from inside the gym were exceptionally heated.

Shimizu Kanon said, "The game sounds really intense. A-Ce, let's get inside!"

Qing Junce said nothing and entered the gym with Shimizu Kanon.

The moment they stepped inside, they saw everyone battling on the court.

They also saw the spectators standing around the gym and heard their shouts of encouragement.

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

Although she had accompanied Qing Junce while he played basketball since childhood, those games had all been on outdoor courts, where the number of spectators was limited. They had still received cheers from the people around them,

but the cheers inside a gym were ultimately very different from those outdoors.

The cheers inside the gym were not only louder, but also carried a sense of spaciousness and echo that struck people's hearts more directly.

That was something she could not feel on an outdoor basketball court.

"Coach Anzai, I'm very sorry. We're late." Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce in front of Anzai Mitsuyoshi and bowed apologetically.

Qing Junce still looked languid, showing not the slightest awareness that he had arrived late.

"You finally made it," Ayako said helplessly.

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

Ayako waved her hand and said, "Forget it. It's good that you came. Fortunately, the score hasn't gotten too far apart."

At that, Shimizu Kanon finally turned her gaze toward the scoreboard.

"35–45. We're actually down by ten points." Shimizu Kanon was speechless.

Ayako explained, "Before you arrived, we were down by nineteen points! It was all thanks to Captain Akagi and Rukawa Kaede that we gradually caught up."

Qing Junce showed no reaction at all, as if however far Shohoku fell behind had nothing to do with him.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi looked at Qing Junce and said, "Since you're here, go onto the court."

At those words, the others had no objections. Sakuragi Hanamichi, however, was displeased.

He sprang up from the bench, went to Coach Anzai, and shouted, "What are you doing, Old Man? Why are you putting this guy in as soon as he arrives? I got here before him, so why won't you let me play?"

As he spoke, he kept reaching out and smacking Coach Anzai's chubby chin and round belly.

Smack...

Ayako raised her folding fan and smacked it directly against Sakuragi Hanamichi's head. She said irritably, "Be quiet."

"But I want to play too!" Sakuragi Hanamichi said aggrievedly.

The commotion naturally caught the attention of the players on the court.

When Akagi Takenori saw Qing Junce appear on the bench, he snorted unhappily. "Hmph, that guy."

Rukawa Kaede silently watched Qing Junce without saying anything.

As for the rest of Shohoku, they instinctively relaxed.

The members of Ryonan, meanwhile, were all completely confused.

He had only arrived when the first half was almost over.

Was this for real?

Whether they were the players on Ryonan's bench or those competing on the court, everyone's eyes turned toward Qing Junce on Shohoku's bench.

There was only one reason: the inexplicable pressure faintly radiating from Qing Junce could be felt from a great distance.

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

His eye for judging players was among the best of basketball coaches, and he naturally had his own standards.

Some players required an entire game before their strength could be judged.

But there were also some people whose strength could be determined with just one glance.

Qing Junce was undoubtedly the second type.

He had never seen a player with such a powerful presence.

Among the players on Ryonan's bench was a boy who always held a notebook in his hand.

This boy was the same person who had brushed past Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon at the entrance of Shohoku a week earlier.

His name was Aida Kenichi.

His mouth fell wide open, and he stared blankly at Qing Junce on Shohoku's bench. He exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Who... who... who is that? He's actually as tall as Sendoh! I never imagined that, apart from Sakuragi Hanamichi's secret weapon, Shohoku would have another trump card. This is incredible."

The other members of Ryonan were also muttering uneasily to themselves.

On the court,

Uozumi, Sendoh, and the others from Ryonan all looked noticeably more serious.

They could naturally sense a trace of inexplicable pressure coming from Qing Junce as well.

It felt as if danger were approaching, making their bodies tense involuntarily.

Whistle...

Shohoku requested a substitution.

Qing Junce put on the remaining Shohoku #9 jersey.

He had no particular requirements regarding jersey numbers.

Soon, under everyone's watchful eyes, Qing Junce came to the sideline.

The player being substituted out was Kogure Kiminobu, who had been playing Small Forward.

Kogure Kiminobu wanted to high-five Qing Junce, but Qing Junce ignored him.

Kogure Kiminobu felt somewhat awkward, but he did not get angry.

He simply patted Qing Junce on the shoulder and said, "I'll leave the rest to you, Qing Junce."

Tch...

Qing Junce clicked his tongue, then slowly walked onto the court.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the corners of Qing Junce's mouth lifted slightly, but he still gave off a lazy, listless impression.

After stepping onto the court, Qing Junce immediately said, "I thought you'd be in much worse shape! You're only down by ten points. Not bad!"

At those words, Akagi Takenori's face darkened, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He gritted his teeth and forced down his anger. "Bastard. You're always late. You have no right to say that."

The rest of Shohoku were also somewhat unhappy, but they did not have the nerve to refute him directly.

Rukawa Kaede, however, remained silent, completely unaffected by what Qing Junce had just said.

"What a strange guy." Seeing this, Sendoh became somewhat interested in Qing Junce.

"What an obnoxious brat," Uozumi said.

Koshino Hiroaki said disdainfully, "A nobody with no reputation. He just looks tall."

Whistle...

The whistle sounded again.

Shohoku had possession.

Akagi Takenori inbounded the ball.

Yasuda Yasuharu dribbled forward.

Sendoh came directly in front of Qing Junce.

"This guy..." Sendoh looked at Qing Junce before him and felt the danger surging toward him. He was secretly alarmed.

Soon, the basketball was passed into Qing Junce's hands.

Qing Junce held the ball in both hands and met Sendoh's gaze.

The entire gym fell silent, as if everyone were waiting for something.

The second floor of the gym.

"Qing Junce against Sendoh! I wonder what the result will be?" Akagi Haruko said, both expectant and nervous.

When she recalled the way Qing Junce had brutally overwhelmed Rukawa Kaede that day, her blood began to boil.

She was not the only one. The rest of Shohoku were also nervously anticipating what would happen next.

The members of Ryonan had likewise focused their attention on them.