Two days later.
Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Far more people than usual had come to the gymnasium today.
The reason was simple.
Today was the day Shohoku High School faced Kakuno High School.
In their previous game against Miuradai, Shohoku had defeated them by a landslide, 125–61.
As news of the match spread, it immediately attracted the attention of numerous high school basketball teams and sports reporters.
After all, Miuradai was known as a team whose goal was to defeat Kainan.
Another matter had also caught the attention of the various high school basketball teams: Shohoku's #9, Qing Junce.
The name Qing Junce had begun spreading among the high school basketball teams as well.
Now, anyone who paid even a little attention to basketball newspapers knew that Shohoku had gained a mysterious #9 player.
A newcomer whose pre-high-school match records could not be found, yet whose strength was terrifying.
An unstoppable shooter, an offensive genius, a super rookie who had swept through Kanagawa like a storm.
In short, he had accumulated a whole pile of inexplicable titles.
Therefore, the basketball teams of various high schools had all sent people to watch Shohoku's second game and verify whether the reports were true.
The venue was the same. For Shohoku, aside from facing a different opponent, nothing else had changed.
If they had to name one difference, it was that more people had come to watch the game than they had expected.
The moment the Shohoku group appeared at the gymnasium, they immediately drew the attention of the surrounding crowd.
Anyone standing in front of the Shohoku group very consciously moved aside to make way.
"Those are the people from Shohoku High School!"
"They're so tall!"
"The one in front is Akagi Takenori, right? He looks really intimidating."
"Which one is Rukawa Kaede?"
"He was the MVP in middle school, and there's also Miyagi Ryota, who's incredibly fast."
"That's him, the redhead. He dunked the ball right into the other team's head."
"Where's #9? Didn't they say Shohoku had another #9 player? Where is he? Why can't I see him?"
The voices of the people around them rose and fell.
The Shohoku group soon reached their locker room and waited quietly for the game to begin.
Meanwhile.
On a train bound for Kanagawa Gymnasium.
"A-Ce, seriously! We're going to be late again!" Shimizu Kanon sighed in exasperation and exhaustion.
Qing Junce completely ignored her complaint and said directly, "Kanon, you're getting more and more naggy."
"What! A-Ce, how dare you call me naggy? I'm not talking to you anymore." Shimizu Kanon turned her head away, her cheeks puffed up angrily.
The commotion also caught the attention of someone in the next carriage.
That person was none other than Ryonan High School's captain, Uozumi Jun.
He had taken this train precisely to watch Shohoku's game.
He simply had not expected to encounter someone from Shohoku here.
He glanced down at the time on his watch, then turned to look at Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon arguing. "The game has already started. Why are they here?"
But soon, he seemed to figure it out. "That guy didn't show up late again, did he?!"
He recalled the practice game and their previous match.
That guy seemed to have arrived only during the second half of both games.
At that thought, Uozumi's eyelids began twitching uncontrollably. How did Akagi ever allow someone like this to join the Basketball Club?
As time passed, the train finally arrived at Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce off the train and ran with him to the gymnasium as fast as they could.
"A-Ce, hurry! The game has already been going on for a long time." Shimizu Kanon tugged Qing Junce along as they jogged.
This scene also drew the attention of many people nearby.
"That's strange. Judging by their uniforms, they should be from Shohoku!"
"Didn't the Shohoku people already go inside?"
"That guy is really tall!"
"Not only tall, he's handsome too."
"That girl is way too cute!"
"Damn, I'm so jealous of that guy."
They ignored the comments around them.
Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon jogged all the way to Shohoku's locker room.
However, no one was left inside the locker room by then.
After making a quick adjustment, Shimizu Kanon pulled Qing Junce toward the exit leading to the court.
By then, most of the seats in the gymnasium stands were already occupied.
It was countless times livelier than the previous game.
The flashes constantly going off around them and the incessant sound of cameras clicking were proof enough that a large number of reporters had come.
The stands were a riot of color, filled with members of high school basketball teams wearing uniforms of all kinds.
At that moment, about five minutes remained before the end of the first half.
The score was temporarily frozen at 56–13.
Shohoku 56, Kakuno 13.
The score stunned the players from the various schools who had come to watch.
Kakuno had been beaten without the slightest ability to fight back.
No one had expected things to turn out this way.
At that moment, the basketball teams from the various high schools who had come to watch the game took Shohoku even more seriously.
Beyond the boundary behind Shohoku's basket, two boys had appeared.
They paid no attention to the gazes of the others and simply sat down on the floor, as though they had turned the spot into their own courtside seats.
One of the boys was tall, while the other was short.
The taller boy was about 185 centimeters tall. He was slender, with delicate, gentle features and a slightly scholarly air. A hint of innocence occasionally showed in his eyes, and he always wore a harmless smile.
This person was none other than Jin Koichiro, a member of the Kainan Affiliated High School basketball team. His position was Shooting Guard.
The shorter boy's flamboyant, slightly arrogant expression made his identity obvious.
He was none other than the newest member of the Kainan Affiliated High School basketball team, first-year student Kiyota Nobunaga.
Someone in the stands noticed them.
When they saw the uniforms the two boys were wearing, they immediately cried out in surprise.
"Isn't that Kainan?"
"I can't believe even people from Kainan came to watch this game."
"Isn't that the three-point sharpshooter, A-Jin?"
"Did they come to watch Shohoku too?"
Kiyota Nobunaga and Jin Koichiro paid no attention to the various discussions in the stands.
They watched the game on the court without the slightest change in expression.
Jin Koichiro looked at the score on the electronic scoreboard and murmured, "Shohoku's pretty decent."
Kiyota Nobunaga snorted disdainfully. "What's so impressive about that? If we were facing an opponent like this, we'd have passed a hundred points by now."
Just then.
At the entrance to Shohoku's player tunnel.
Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon emerged from the tunnel.
The moment they appeared, the sharp-eyed spectators noticed them.
One was handsome and dashing, while the other was as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
The two of them were simply too striking.
Moreover, two people had suddenly appeared in what had been an empty area, naturally drawing quite a bit of attention.
At first, only a few people noticed them.
But soon, almost everyone turned their gaze over.
"Who are those two?"
"That girl is so beautiful. Is she an angel descended to earth?"
"That guy is so handsome! He's wearing a Shohoku uniform. Could he also be a member of the Shohoku basketball team?"
"That's strange. Why didn't we see them earlier?"
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Qing Junce and Shimizu Kanon made their way to Shohoku's bench.
As usual, Shimizu Kanon approached Coach Anzai, bowed, and said, "Coach Anzai, I'm sorry for the trouble. We're late."
The corners of the mouths of everyone from Shohoku twitched.
They had no idea how many times they had heard those words. No wonder everyone had felt as though something was missing today.
It was practically becoming the Shohoku Basketball Club's catchphrase. If they did not hear it once a day, they felt uncomfortable all over.
Ho ho ho ho...
Coach Anzai was as usual. He chuckled a few times, then waved his hand. "You're here now. Just watch the game carefully for the time being!"
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, although he had no interest in the game, some people had taken an interest in him.
Somewhere in the stands.
A boy wearing a green uniform with the word "Shoyo" printed on the left side of his chest and a pair of black-rimmed glasses stared intently at Qing Junce, murmuring, "So that's 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 determine Shohoku's true strength and verify the Shohoku #9 who had been hyped up as though he were some kind of legend.
However, when he saw that Qing Junce had only just arrived, a trace of disdain flashed through his eyes.
How strong could someone with no sense of time possibly be?
"I didn't expect you to come watch the game in person, Hanagata." Just then, a voice sounded behind Hanagata Toru.
Hanagata turned around and immediately recognized the newcomer. "Uozumi. That's right. The opponents are simply too weak. They aren't even qualified to force our regular players onto the court."
Uozumi smiled faintly at that. "Perhaps."
After saying that, he turned his gaze toward Qing Junce, who was sitting on Shohoku's bench. "He really hasn't taken the court yet?"
"Your team lost to that late kid last time?!" Hanagata Toru asked.
He also wanted to know what Qing Junce was capable of.
Uozumi said, "You'd better not underestimate him, Hanagata. That guy's terrifying in ways the reports didn't even mention."
Hanagata Toru stared at Uozumi for a long while before looking away and saying flatly, "Shoyo will not lose."
Shohoku's game continued.
As expected, before the end of the first half, Sakuragi Hanamichi committed his fifth foul and was sent off.
However, Coach Anzai seemed to have no intention of sending Qing Junce onto the court. He directly had Kogure Kiminobu replace Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Qing Junce had no objections either.
After all, this opponent was far too weak to excite him.
If he really took the court, the opposing team would probably have to forfeit midway through the game.
As time passed second by second.
The Shohoku players on the court were like wild horses that had broken free, ruthlessly attacking Kakuno's basket.
The score between Shohoku and Kakuno continued to widen.
The Kakuno players were all listless, panting heavily as though they might faint at any moment.
Anyone with eyes could see that Kakuno had already given up on the game.
Finally, Mitsui Hisashi sank the last buzzer-beating three-pointer and killed the game.
In the end, Shohoku finished the game with a score of 153–24.
Shohoku had won a crushing victory.
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