The day after tomorrow.
May 19.
This was the day the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament officially began.
In front of Shohoku High School.
Everyone from the Shohoku basketball team had already gathered there.
"Why is that bastard late again!" Akagi Takenori roared, veins bulging and twitching on his forehead.
He looked exactly like a Gorilla who had been thoroughly enraged.
Mitsui Hisashi had witnessed Qing Junce's "habit" of being late and could not help muttering, "How can someone with no sense of time play basketball so well?"
Miyagi Ryota spread his hands and said helplessly, "Who knows?"
Ayako anxiously stared at the phone that still would not connect, her brows tightly furrowed. "Qing Junce being late is one thing, but why isn't Kanon answering either?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi took the opportunity to make a sarcastic remark. "Let's stop waiting for that 'Godless ghost' and head out! With this genius, Sakuragi Hanamichi, here, we can still win even without him."
Everyone simply let his words go in one ear and out the other.
Everyone knew Qing Junce's strength.
Although today's opponent was Miuradai, they were confident they could win.
But if Qing Junce was there, everyone would feel more at ease.
Rukawa Kaede leaned against a tree nearby with earphones on, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi stood in front of the bus. He lowered his head to check his watch, then looked up and said to everyone, "It's time. Since Qing Junce hasn't come, we won't wait any longer. Let's set off now!"
Meanwhile, inside the Kanagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.
This was the venue for today's match between Shohoku and Miuradai.
At that moment, only scattered spectators were sparsely seated in the stands.
Since neither Shohoku nor Miuradai had been particularly famous in the past, not many people had come to watch the game.
Just then, a group of more than a dozen people appeared at the entrance to the passageway on the second floor of the gymnasium.
Some sharp-eyed spectators immediately cried out.
"Look over there!"
"It's Ryonan! They're from Ryonan!"
"Wow, they're so tall!"
"Which one is Sendoh?"
"The guy with the upright hair. The especially handsome one."
Several girls began screaming the moment they saw Sendoh.
"Ah... Sendoh, look over here..."
Hearing the surrounding discussions and the girls' screams, the people from Ryonan all turned their eyes toward Sendoh.
Aida Kenichi was full of envy. "Sendoh, you're really popular!"
Sendoh smiled helplessly at everyone. "There's nothing I can do about that!"
Koshino Hiroaki rolled his dead-fish eyes and said jealously, "Isn't this guy just a little better-looking and a little better at basketball?"
Ikegami Ryoji curled his lips. "It's not like this is the first time we've seen a scene like this."
Uozumi did not care about any of that. His attention was already focused entirely on Shohoku's game today.
Before long, the Ryonan group found seats and sat down.
Aida Kenichi looked toward the court on the west side and said, "I wonder how Shohoku will do against Miuradai? Miuradai isn't a team to be taken lightly."
Koshino Hiroaki said confidently, "With that guy there, Miuradai doesn't stand a chance."
"Huh? Do you mean Qing Junce, Koshino-senpai?" Aida Kenichi asked, scratching his head.
"Not just Qing Junce." Sendoh cut in at that moment. "There's also Rukawa Kaede and Akagi. And that Sakuragi Hanamichi can't be measured by common sense either."
Hearing this, Aida Kenichi began muttering to himself. "Qing Junce, Rukawa Kaede, Akagi, plus Sakuragi Hanamichi..."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly widened, and he could not help exclaiming, "Oh my god, Shohoku seems so strong now!"
Uozumi spoke up. "Shohoku has already been reborn. If you still treat them as Akagi's one-man team, you'll definitely lose miserably."
While the people from Ryonan were discussing the match,
the doors to the player tunnels for Shohoku and Miuradai opened at the same time.
The players from both sides emerged from the passage one after another, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Wow, he's so tall! That's Akagi Takenori, right?"
"I heard Shohoku beat Ryonan by more than thirty points in a practice match!"
"Is that Rukawa Kaede? He's so handsome!"
"Who's the red-haired guy?"
"I heard Shohoku has an especially powerful player. Which one is he?"
The spectators chattered among themselves, curiously studying the players they knew of or had heard about.
Elsewhere in the stands,
a man and a woman were holding cameras and snapping repeatedly at the Shohoku and Miuradai players below.
Around their necks hung badges labeled "Basketball Weekly Reporter."
Their names were printed on the badges as well.
Aida Yayoi.
Nakamura Taizo.
Aida Yayoi looked at the players from both sides who had already entered and said, "I hear Miuradai's goal this year is to defeat Kainan, while Shohoku has also gained the Super Rookie Rukawa Kaede. This match will probably 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 doubtfully.
Aida Yayoi said with some confusion, "I heard that apart from Rukawa Kaede, Shohoku also has an incredibly talented first-year rookie. Why don't I see him?"
She compared the Shohoku roster recorded in her notebook while carefully searching.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on Sakuragi Hanamichi, Mitsui Hisashi, and Miyagi Ryota.
The three of them looked somewhat unfamiliar to her. "Could it be one of these three?"
When the people from Ryonan saw Shohoku's players take the court, they instinctively began searching for the figure who had left such a deep impression on them.
No. No, and still no.
"Strange. Is that guy not here?" Ikegami Ryoji asked in confusion.
"Qing Junce doesn't seem to be here!" Aida Kenichi said.
Koshino Hiroaki pondered. "Could he not be planning to play in this game?"
Uekusa Tomoyuki analyzed, "It's possible. After all, Shohoku still has Rukawa Kaede. Maybe they want to conserve their strength."
At that moment, Sendoh suddenly said, "Perhaps... that guy hasn't arrived yet."
He remembered that during the practice match, that guy had also only appeared in the second half.
After Sendoh said that, the others from Ryonan fell silent.
That was not impossible.
Although they did not know much about Qing Junce, he really had only arrived in the latter half of the previous match.
Uozumi snorted and said unhappily, "What an arrogant guy."
At the entrance to Shohoku's passageway.
Akagi Takenori shouted, "This time, we have to win! Let's go!"
"Yeah!" everyone from Shohoku answered in unison.
Across from them, all the Miuradai players looked at Shohoku with disdainful expressions.
Miuradai's captain, Murasame Kengo, raised his brows and said, "You beat Ryonan by thirty points? They were just a second-rate team. What's there to be proud of? The only opponent we're going to defeat this year is Kainan. We'll settle last year's score this year. What does Shohoku amount to?"
Both sides began lining up.
The game was about to begin.
Elsewhere.
In front of a train station platform.
Shimizu Kanon looked utterly dejected and complained, "Honestly, the game has already started, A-Ce... It's all your fault. You didn't catch the previous train."
A-Ce yawned, looking bleary-eyed as he drawled, "It's only Miuradai. Arriving a little late won't make any difference."
Shimizu Kanon glared at him crossly. "You idiot, A-Ce... This is Shohoku's first game in the Prefectural Tournament. If something goes wrong, it'll be a disaster."
"Huh?" A-Ce dug at his ear, a trace of disdain appearing 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 stop playing and disband on the spot."
"What kind of thing is that to say!" Shimizu Kanon said angrily. "Everyone's been working so hard. I'm just worried!"
Just then, another train slowly pulled into the station.
Once the train stopped, the doors opened, and A-Ce stepped straight inside.
"A-Ce... wait for me." Shimizu Kanon called out as she hurried after him and boarded the train.
She looked out the window and silently prayed, I hope everything goes smoothly for everyone! I've already given them all the information. Yes, there's definitely nothing to worry about.
Before you continue