The First Battle of the Prefectural Tournament

The West Coast, after the storm.

May 19th.

This was the day the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament was set to kick off.

Outside the gates of Shohoku High School.

The members of the Shohoku basketball team had already gathered.

"Why is that bastard late again!" Akagi Takenori's veins bulged on his forehead, twitching as he roared.

He looked exactly like a thoroughly enraged gorilla.

Mitsui Hisashi, having witnessed Qing Junce's "habit" of being late, couldn't help but grumble, "How can someone with such a poor sense of time be so good at basketball?"

Miyagi Ryota shrugged helplessly and said, "Who the hell knows."

Ayako anxiously stared at her phone, which she couldn't get through, her brows furrowed. "It's one thing for Qing Junce to be late, but why isn't Kanon answering her phone either?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi seized the opportunity to make a sarcastic remark. "Let's not wait for that 'godless ghost' and just get going! Anyway, with this genius Sakuragi Hanamichi here, we can win even without him."

Everyone else just ignored his words.

They all knew Qing Junce's strength.

Although their opponent today was Miuradai, they were confident they could win.

However, if Qing Junce were present, it would make everyone feel a little more at ease.

Rukawa Kaede leaned against a nearby tree, wearing headphones, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi stood in front of the bus, glanced at his watch, then looked up and said to everyone, "It's time. Since Qing Junce isn't here, we won't wait any longer. Let's depart now!"

Meanwhile, inside the Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.

This was the venue where Shohoku and Miuradai would face off today.

At this moment, scattered spectators were sparsely seated in the stands.

As both Shohoku and Miuradai didn't have much of a reputation in the past, not many people had come to watch this game.

Just then, a group of about a dozen people appeared from the passage on the second floor of the gymnasium.

Some sharp-eyed spectators immediately exclaimed.

"Look over there!"

"It's Ryonan, it's Ryonan!"

"Wow, they're so tall!"

"Which one is Sendoh?"

"It's that guy with the spiky hair, the really handsome one."

Some girls screamed upon seeing Sendoh.

"Ah... Sendoh, look over here..."

Hearing the surrounding discussions and the girls' screams, the Ryonan members all turned their gaze to Sendoh.

Aida Kenichi looked on with envy. "Senior Sendoh is really popular!"

Sendoh smiled helplessly at everyone. "There's nothing I can do about it!"

Koshino Hiroaki, with his dead fish eyes, said with a hint of jealousy, "He's just a bit better looking and a bit better at basketball."

Ikegami Ryoji pouted. "This isn't the first time we've seen a scene like this."

Uozumi wasn't bothered by these things; his attention was entirely focused on Shohoku's game today.

Soon, the Ryonan members found a place to sit.

Aida Kenichi looked at the court and said, "I wonder how Shohoku will do against Miuradai? Miuradai is not to be underestimated."

Koshino Hiroaki said confidently, "With that guy around, Miuradai doesn't stand a chance."

"Huh? Senior Koshino, are you talking about Qing Junce?" Aida Kenichi scratched his head and asked.

"It's not just Qing Junce," Sendoh interjected. "There's also Rukawa Kaede and Akagi, and you can't judge that Sakuragi Hanamichi by normal standards either."

Hearing this, Aida Kenichi began to mutter to himself, "Qing Junce, Rukawa Kaede, Akagi, plus Sakuragi Hanamichi..."

As he spoke, his eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "My god, Shohoku feels so strong right now!"

Uozumi said, "Shohoku has undergone a complete transformation. If you still think of them as Akagi's team alone, you'll lose miserably."

While the Ryonan members were discussing the game.

The player tunnel doors for Shohoku and Miuradai opened simultaneously.

Players from both teams emerged from the tunnels one by one, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the gymnasium.

"Wow, he's so tall! Is that Akagi Takenori!"

"I heard Shohoku beat Ryonan by over thirty points in a practice match!"

"Is that Rukawa Kaede? He's so handsome!"

"Who's that red-haired guy?"

"I heard Shohoku has a really amazing player, but which one is it?"

The spectators chattered amongst themselves, curiously sizing up the players they knew or had heard of.

Elsewhere in the stands.

A man and a woman were busily snapping photos of the Shohoku and Miuradai players on the sidelines.

Around their necks hung badges identifying them as reporters for "Basketball Weekly."

Their names were also printed on the badges.

Aida Yayoi.

Nakamura Taizo.

Looking at the players from both teams who had already taken the court, Aida Yayoi remarked, "This year, Miuradai is aiming to beat Kainan, and with Shohoku gaining the super rookie Rukawa Kaede, this match is bound to be a fierce battle."

As if suddenly remembering something, Aida Yayoi began searching among the Shohoku players. "Strange..."

"What's wrong, Aida-senpai?" Nakamura Taizo asked, confused.

Aida Yayoi said with some bewilderment, "I heard Shohoku has another very strong first-year rookie besides Rukawa Kaede, why don't I see him?"

She carefully scanned the players while cross-referencing the Shohoku roster recorded in her notebook.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon Sakuragi Hanamichi, Mitsui Hisashi, and Miyagi Ryota.

These three looked somewhat unfamiliar to her. "Could it be one of them?"

The Ryonan team, upon seeing the Shohoku players on the court, instinctively began searching for the figure that had left a deep impression on them.

No, no, still no.

"Strange, isn't that guy here?" Ikegami Ryoji wondered.

"Qing Junce doesn't seem to be here!" Aida Kenichi exclaimed.

Koshino Hiroaki pondered, "Is he not planning to play in this game?"

Uekusa Tomoyuki analyzed, "It's possible. After all, Shohoku still has Rukawa Kaede, they might want to conserve their strength!"

At this moment, Sendoh suddenly spoke up, "Perhaps... that guy hasn't arrived yet."

He recalled that during their practice match, that guy had also shown up in the second half.

Hearing Sendoh's words, the others from Ryonan fell silent.

It wasn't impossible.

Although they didn't know much about Qing Junce, it was true that he had arrived in the latter half last time.

Uozumi snorted unhappily, "What an arrogant guy."

At the Shohoku team's tunnel entrance.

Akagi Takenori shouted loudly, "This time, we must win! Let's go!"

"Ooh!" The Shohoku team responded in unison.

Across the court, the Miuradai players looked at the Shohoku side with disdain.

Miuradai's captain, Murasame Kengo, raised an eyebrow and said, "Beat Ryonan by thirty points? They're just a second-rate team, what's there to be proud of. We only have one opponent to beat this year, and that's Kainan. We must settle the score from last year. What is Shohoku anyway?"

The two teams lined up.

The game was about to begin.

On the other side.

In front of a train station platform.

Shimizu Kanon looked dejected, complaining, "Honestly, the game has already started, A-Ce... It's all your fault for missing the last train."

Aha...

Qing Junce yawned, looking groggy, and said slowly, "It's just Miuradai, it won't make any difference if I'm a little late."

Shimizu Kanon glared at him, annoyed. "You idiot A-Ce... Today is Shohoku's first game in the Prefectural Tournament. If something unexpected happens, it'll be really bad."

"Huh?" Qing Junce picked at his ear, a look of disdain on his face. "With Akagi, Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui, and Miyagi, if they can't even beat Miuradai, then the Shohoku basketball team might as well disband right here and now."

"What are you saying!" Shimizu Kanon said indignantly. "Everyone worked so hard, I'm just worried!"

Just then, a new train slowly pulled into the station.

As the train stopped and the doors opened, Qing Junce stepped directly onto it.

"A-Ce... wait for me." Shimizu Kanon called out, hurrying to follow Qing Junce onto the train.

She looked out the window, silently praying in her heart, "I hope everyone goes smoothly! I've already given them all the information, so it should be fine."