Time passed.
In front of Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon finally arrived.
"Finally! We made it, A-Ce! Hurry up!" Shimizu Kanon exhaled in relief and said anxiously.
Qing Junce said impatiently, "Ah! I know."
Shimizu Kanon glanced at the time on her watch and said worriedly, "I wonder how the game is going now."
The two jogged all the way and finally reached the gym.
The moment they came out of the players' tunnel, they saw Shohoku making substitutions.
Shimizu Kanon immediately looked at the electronic scoreboard.
Shohoku 10, Miuradai 32.
Shimizu Kanon was shocked when she saw the score. "How could this happen? They're down by more than twenty points."
Qing Junce also saw the score.
However, he did not take it seriously.
It was only twenty-something points. They could make that up in minutes.
What mattered was—was Miuradai really that strong?
He glanced at Kogure Kiminobu and the others, who were covered in sweat, then at Rukawa Kaede and the others, who were brimming with murderous spirit, and immediately understood.
Is it because they hadn't played earlier? Qing Junce already had his answer.
"Coach Anzai..." Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce over to Coach Anzai.
She bowed apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Coach Anzai. We're late."
"Ho, ho, ho, ho..."
Coach Anzai chuckled. He looked at Shimizu Kanon, then at Qing Junce, before slowly saying, "It's good that you're here. Watch the game for now!"
Shimizu Kanon and Qing Junce found seats and sat down.
When Ayako saw Shimizu Kanon, she immediately greeted her. "You're finally here. I thought you'd be like last time and not arrive until the second half!"
Shimizu Kanon looked embarrassed. "I'm really sorry."
Ayako waved her hand. "I don't need to guess to know it wasn't your fault."
As she spoke, she looked at Qing Junce, who showed no remorse whatsoever. "Qing Junce, we're behind Miuradai by so many points. Don't you have anything to say?"
Qing Junce glanced at Ayako and said indifferently, "It's not like I was the one who made the team fall behind by twenty points. What is there to say?"
At those words, Kogure Kiminobu and the others, who had just been substituted out, lowered their heads guiltily.
"A-Ce..." Seeing this, Shimizu Kanon immediately reminded him.
Ayako held her forehead. "I really don't know what to do with you."
Shohoku's new player lineup was as follows:
Small Forward, Number 11, Rukawa Kaede, first year.
Power Forward, Number 10, Sakuragi Hanamichi, first year.
Point Guard, Number 7, Miyagi Ryota, second year.
Shooting Guard, Number 14, Mitsui Hisashi, third year.
The moment the people from Ryonan's second floor saw Shohoku make its substitutions, they all perked up.
Aida Kenichi looked excitedly at the four players sent onto the court. "Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi Hanamichi are finally playing. Huh? Wait, who are those other two?"
He shifted his gaze to Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryota, then checked the notebook in his hand. "Why aren't these two in my files?"
At that moment, Ikegami Ryoji looked at Miyagi Ryota in Shohoku's Number 7 jersey and cried out, "That guy—isn't he the guard, Miyagi?"
Uozomi asked doubtfully, "Why didn't he play last time?"
"Which one is he?" Aida Kenichi pressed.
Koshino Hiroaki prompted him, "The shorter one, the one wearing Number 7."
"Miyagi!" Aida Kenichi murmured.
Suddenly, his eyes seemed to catch sight of something. He immediately looked toward Shohoku's bench.
When he saw Qing Junce, he suddenly shouted, "Ah, he's appeared! It's Qing Junce!"
His shout completely drew the attention of everyone from Ryonan.
The people from Ryonan all turned their gazes toward Shohoku's bench.
When they saw Qing Junce sitting leisurely on Shohoku's bench, though no one knew when he had appeared there, their expressions all changed.
"That guy..." Uozomi said with a dark expression.
Koshino Hiroaki complained, "He still looks as relaxed as ever!"
Ikegami Ryoji guessed, "I wonder if he'll play today."
By then, twelve minutes had passed in the first half.
After the game resumed, the situation immediately changed.
First, Miyagi Ryota launched a fast break.
He broke through the opposing point guard's defense and charged straight toward Miuradai's basket.
Seeing this, Murasame Kengo immediately gave chase and blocked Miyagi Ryota's path in advance.
Miyagi Ryota saw this, then slammed the ball against the floor, bouncing it directly into the hands of Akagi Takenori, who had followed close behind.
Miuradai's lane was wide open.
Akagi Takenori leaped without the slightest difficulty and slammed the ball through with one hand.
Bang!
A thunderous sound rang out.
Akagi Takenori completed the dunk.
Shohoku 12, Miuradai 32.
The teams switched from offense to defense.
Miuradai counterattacked.
Miuradai's point guard wanted to slow the pace.
But after taking only a few steps, he was suddenly stripped of the ball by Miyagi Ryota, who had closed in.
Without the slightest hesitation, Miyagi Ryota charged forward with the ball.
In front of the three-point line, the opposing shooting guard blocked his path.
Miyagi Ryota kept his eyes forward, but his hands never stopped moving.
He immediately moved the ball behind him and passed it backward into the hands of Mitsui Hisashi, who had appeared at the side in time.
After receiving the ball, Mitsui Hisashi immediately jumped straight up, raised the ball, and aimed at Miuradai's basket.
Before any of Miuradai's other players could react, he released the shot.
The ball traced an exceptionally beautiful arc through the air before dropping into the basket with a crisp swish.
Mitsui Hisashi's shooting form possessed a unique beauty.
In the stands.
When Uozomi of Ryonan saw Mitsui Hisashi's shot, he immediately rose from his seat and exclaimed, "There's no mistake. He's Mitsui Hisashi from Takeishi Junior High."
Mitsui Hisashi?
Ryonan's first- and second-year players were unfamiliar with the name.
Uozomi explained solemnly, "Number 14. He's Mitsui Hisashi, the former Junior High MVP."
The Junior High MVP?
The people from Ryonan were all shocked.
Anyone who could win the Junior High MVP was definitely no ordinary player.
At the very least, he was on the same level as Rukawa Kaede and Sendoh.
Koshino Hiroaki also spoke up at that moment. "And that Number 7 is the Shooting Guard Miyagi Ryota, known as the Flash of Lightning."
Aida Kenichi looked at the newly substituted players below. "The Junior High MVP and Miyagi Ryota... I didn't know about either of them."
Uozomi frowned and thought, Akagi, Rukawa Kaede, Miyagi, Mitsui Hisashi.
He shifted his gaze to Qing Junce, who was dozing on Shohoku's bench. And Qing Junce. That one guy alone is already incredibly difficult to deal with. Shohoku's strength has risen by more than one level.
On the court.
The game continued.
With Miyagi Ryota linking up the offense, Shohoku's deficit gradually began to shrink.
17 to 32.
25 to 36.
27 to 38.
By this point, the score had reached 33 to 42.
Shohoku had cut a deficit of more than twenty points down to just nine.
Other than Ryonan, everyone in the gym found it unbelievable.
Click...
Click...
Click...
Aida Yayoi kept taking pictures with her camera, recording every moment of Shohoku's brilliant scoring plays.
She said in surprise, "I never expected Shohoku to change so much. With Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui Hisashi, and Miyagi Ryota, Shohoku is no longer Akagi's one-man team."
Suddenly, she recalled the rumor from before.
Shohoku still had someone stronger than Rukawa Kaede.
Her eyes swept across the court before finally stopping on Shohoku's bench.
"Has this person appeared before?" Aida Yayoi noticed Qing Junce. "Could he be..."
But looking at Qing Junce's sleepy appearance, he did not look like it at all.
Aida Yayoi shook her head. "Probably not."
Tweet...
Just then, the whistle drew everyone's attention.
The referee pointed at Sakuragi Hanamichi and said, "Shohoku Number 10, defensive foul."
"Ah..." Sakuragi Hanamichi looked helplessly at the Miuradai player he had knocked down. "I didn't do it on purpose! He ran into me himself."
But no one paid him any attention.
The referee gestured for him to raise his hand.
Sakuragi Hanamichi had no choice but to obediently raise his hand.
But unexpectedly, not long after that, another whistle stopped the game.
The referee pointed at Sakuragi Hanamichi again. "Shohoku Number 10, offensive foul."
Everyone stared blankly at Sakuragi Hanamichi on the court.
He had actually committed two fouls within one minute.
How was that even possible?
What everyone found even more unbelievable was that this was not Sakuragi Hanamichi's record.
Right after the call against Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Only a few seconds after the game resumed, another whistle sounded.
This time, everyone looked toward Sakuragi Hanamichi in perfect unison.
Sure enough, Sakuragi Hanamichi did not disappoint.
The referee's voice rang out once again. "Shohoku Number 10, defensive foul."
Sakuragi Hanamichi could not take it anymore. He went straight up to the referee and argued, "Are you doing this on purpose?"
"What did you say?" The referee's expression hardened.
When the Shohoku players heard Sakuragi Hanamichi's words, they immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Sakuragi Hanamichi continued pointing at the referee. "You're in Miuradai's pocket, aren't you? You bastard!"
Akagi Takenori hurried over and punched Sakuragi Hanamichi on the head. "Behave yourself."
Although Akagi Takenori stopped him, it was already too late.
The referee blew his whistle again and pointed at Sakuragi Hanamichi as he announced, "Shohoku Number 10, technical foul."
Boom...
It was as if another bolt of thunder had struck the heads of the Shohoku players.
Everyone felt that the world had become utterly unreal.
Good grief, four fouls in a single minute.
He was the first person in history to accomplish that.
Coach Anzai immediately said, "Qing Junce, start warming up."
At those words, Qing Junce said nothing and stood up.
He looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi on the court and clicked his tongue in amazement.
In a certain sense, that guy truly was unmatched.
Beep...
Shohoku requested a substitution.
When Qing Junce stepped forward,
everyone from Ryonan turned their eyes toward him.
Even the people from Shohoku looked over one after another.
For some reason,
the spectators suddenly felt that the atmosphere on the court had changed in a strange way, but they could not put their finger on it.
"Finally getting on the court!" Sendoh narrowed his eyes at the sight.
Aida Yayoi, who had always been sensitive to basketball, also noticed that something was off about the atmosphere.
"The atmosphere has changed. Could it be because of him?"
She stared at the Qing Junce who was about to enter the court and murmured:
Before you continue