Shohoku Gradually Gains Attention

Two days later.

Kanagawa Gymnasium.

More people than usual were visiting the gymnasium today.

The reason was simple.

Today was the day Shohoku High School would play against Kakuno High School.

The last time Shohoku played Miuradai, they won by a landslide, 125 to 61.

News of this victory immediately attracted the attention of many high school basketball teams and sports reporters.

After all, Miuradai was a team that claimed to aim to defeat Kainan.

Another matter also caught the attention of various high school basketball teams: Shohoku's number 9, Qing Junce.

The name Qing Junce had begun to spread among the major high school basketball teams.

Anyone who paid even a little attention to basketball newspapers now knew that Shohoku had a mysterious number 9 player.

A rookie whose high school records were impossible to find, yet whose strength was terrifying.

Unblockable shots, an offensive genius, a supernova sweeping through Kanagawa like a storm.

In short, a whole bunch of inexplicable titles.

Therefore, the basketball teams of various high schools sent people to watch Shohoku's second game to verify the truth of the rumors.

In the same place, for Shohoku, there was nothing different except for the opponent.

If anything, there were more spectators than they had imagined.

As soon as the Shohoku group appeared in the gymnasium, they immediately drew the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Anyone who stood in their way consciously parted to let them pass.

"That's the Shohoku High School group!"

"They're so tall!"

"The one in front is Akagi Takenori, right? He looks pretty intimidating."

"Which one is Rukawa Kaede?"

"That's the former Junior High MVP, and Miyagi Ryota, who's really fast."

"It's him, the red-haired guy, he dunked the ball over the opponent's head."

"Where's number 9? Didn't they say Shohoku had another number 9 player? Where is he? I don't see him?"

The surrounding chatter rose and fell.

The Shohoku group quickly reached their locker room, waiting for the game to start.

Meanwhile.

On the train heading to Kanagawa Gymnasium.

"A-Ce, honestly, we're going to be late again!" Shimizu Kanon sighed, her voice filled with heartache and exhaustion.

Qing Junce ignored her complaint and directly said, "Kanon, you're getting more and more meddlesome."

"Ah! A-Ce, how dare you call me meddlesome? I'm not talking to you anymore." Shimizu Kanon turned her head, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

The commotion also caught the attention of someone in the next carriage.

It was Ryonan High School's captain, Uozumi Jun.

He was on this train naturally to watch Shohoku's game.

He just hadn't expected to encounter members of Shohoku here.

He glanced down at the time on his watch, then turned his head to look at Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon, who were making noise. "The game has already started, why are they here?"

But soon, he seemed to figure it out. "Could this guy be late again?!"

He recalled the practice match and the previous game.

This guy seemed to only arrive in the latter half of the games.

Thinking of this, Uozumi's eyelids couldn't help but twitch, and he thought to himself, "How on earth does Akagi allow someone like this to join the basketball team?"

As time passed, the train finally arrived at Kanagawa Gymnasium.

Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce and they hurried off the train, rushing to the gymnasium as quickly as possible.

"A-Ce, hurry up, the game started a long time ago." Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce as they ran.

This scene also attracted the attention of many people around.

"That's strange, their school uniforms... they must be from Shohoku!"

"Didn't Shohoku already get in?"

"That guy is so tall!"

"Not only tall, but handsome too."

"That girl is way too cute!"

"Damn it! I'm so jealous of that kid."

Ignoring the chatter around them.

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon jogged, quickly arriving at Shohoku's locker room.

However, the locker room was already empty.

After a simple tidy-up, Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce along again, and they ran towards the exit leading to the court.

At this moment, most of the seats in the basketball arena were already filled.

It was many times livelier than the last time.

The flashing white lights and constant "click" sounds all around were proof enough that quite a few reporters had come.

The colors in the stands were also a kaleidoscope, with members of various high school basketball teams wearing different colored uniforms.

At this point, there were about 5 minutes left until the end of the first half.

The score was temporarily frozen at 56 to 13.

Shohoku 56, 13 Kakuno.

This score had stunned the players from the various schools who had come to watch.

Kakuno was being beaten without any ability to fight back.

No one had expected this situation.

The people from the various high school basketball clubs who had come to watch the game now paid even more attention to Shohoku.

Beyond the boundary behind Shohoku's basket, two more young men had appeared.

They paid no attention to the gazes of others and sat down directly on the ground, as if they had turned the spot into their viewing seats.

These two young men were one tall and one short.

The taller one was about 185cm, tall and thin, with a delicate and gentle appearance, carrying a hint of elegance. His eyes occasionally revealed a touch of innocence, and his face always wore a harmless smile.

This person was none other than Jin Koichiro, a member of the Kainan Affiliated High School basketball team, playing the position of shooting guard.

The shorter young man, looking at his arrogant and slightly cocky face, you could tell.

This person was none other than Kiyota Nobunaga, a first-year new member of the Kainan Affiliated High School basketball team.

Someone in the stands noticed them.

When they saw the clothes these two young men were wearing, they exclaimed in surprise.

"Aren't those guys from Kainan?"

"I can't believe even people from Kainan are here to watch this game."

"Isn't that the three-point sharpshooter, A-Jin?"

"Are they here to watch Shohoku too?"

Kiyota Nobunaga and Jin Koichiro ignored the murmurs from the stands.

They watched the game on the court, their expressions unchanged.

Jin Koichiro looked at the score on the electronic scoreboard and murmured, "Shohoku is quite capable."

Kiyota Nobunaga snorted dismissively. "What's so great about it? If it were us, we would have already scored over a hundred points against an opponent like this."

Just then.

At the player's entrance of Shohoku.

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon also emerged from the tunnel.

As soon as the two appeared, they were noticed by the sharp-eyed audience.

One was handsome and dashing, the other was as beautiful as a celestial being.

Their appearances were simply too striking.

Coupled with the sudden appearance of two people in an originally empty space, it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Initially, not many people were paying attention.

But soon, almost everyone turned their gaze.

"Who are those two people?"

"That girl is so beautiful, is she an angel descended to earth?"

"That little guy is so handsome! Look at him wearing the Shohoku uniform, is he also part of the Shohoku basketball team?"

"Strange, why haven't I seen these two people before?"

Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon arrived at the Shohoku bench under everyone's attention.

Shimizu Kanon was as usual. She walked up to Coach Anzai, bowed, and said, "Coach Anzai, I'm very sorry, we're late."

The Shohoku members beside them couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.

They had no idea how many times they had heard these words. No wonder everyone felt like something was missing today.

This had almost become a catchphrase for the Shohoku basketball team; they felt uncomfortable if they didn't hear it once a day.

Ho ho ho ho...

Coach Anzai was also as usual. He chuckled a few times, then waved his hand, "It's good that you're here. Please watch the game properly first!"

Qing Junce had already found an empty seat and sat down.

He glanced at the current score and immediately lost interest in the game.

However, while he wasn't interested in the game, some people had become interested in him.

Somewhere in the spectator stands.

A young man wearing a green uniform with "Shoyo" printed on the left chest and a pair of black-rimmed glasses stared intently at Qing Junce, muttering to himself, "Is he Qing Junce?"

This person was none other than Hanagata Toru, a member of the Shoyo High School basketball team.

He had come this time to ascertain Shohoku's strength and also to confirm the identity of the much-hyped Shohoku number 9.

However, when he saw Qing Junce appearing only now, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

How strong could someone with such a lack of punctuality be?

"I didn't expect you to come specifically to watch the game, Hanagata." Just then, a voice sounded from behind Hanagata Toru.

Hanagata turned his head and immediately recognized the person. "Uozumi. That's right. The opponent is just too weak. This kind of player isn't even qualified to force our main players to play."

Uozumi smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Perhaps!"

As his voice fell, he turned his gaze to Qing Junce sitting on the Shohoku bench. "He really didn't play, did he?"

"Did you lose to that late boy last time?!" Hanagata Toru asked.

He also wanted to know what kind of abilities Qing Junce possessed.

Uozumi said, "You'd better not underestimate him, Hanagata. That guy's terrifying nature isn't just what the reports say."

Hanagata Toru stared at Uozumi for a long time, then withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, "Shoyo will not lose."

Shohoku's game continued.

As expected, Sakuragi Hanamichi fouled out with 5 fouls before the end of the first half.

However, Coach Anzai did not seem to intend to send Qing Junce in. He directly had Kogure Kiminobu replace Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Qing Junce had no objections either.

After all, against such an opponent, he really couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

If he really went on the court, the opponent would probably forfeit midway.

As time ticked by.

The Shohoku players on the court were like wild horses that had broken free, madly attacking Kakuno's basket.

The score between Shohoku and Kakuno continued to widen.

The Kakuno players were all listless, panting heavily, as if they would faint at any moment.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Kakuno had already given up on the game.

Finally, Mitsui Hisashi shot a last-second three-pointer to seal the game.

In the end, Shohoku won with a score of 153 to 24.

Shohoku achieved a great victory.