A day later.
The area in front of Kanagawa Gymnasium was packed with people and filled with excitement.
Students in high school uniforms of all colors moved through the area in groups of three or five.
There were also plenty of scattered small groups. They were members of the Basketball Clubs from various high schools.
Today was the match between Shohoku High School and Tsukitake High School for a spot in the Top 8.
As last year's Top 8 team in the Prefectural Tournament, Tsukitake's strength could not be underestimated.
Shohoku, meanwhile, was a dark horse that had burst onto the scene and dazzled everyone on this year's court.
The clash between the two teams naturally attracted countless eyes. Everyone wanted to use this match to get a look at Shohoku's true strength.
The game had yet to begin, but the spectator stands inside the gymnasium were already packed.
Reporters from various basketball newspapers had also arrived early. They had seized excellent vantage points, cameras and recording equipment clenched in their hands, anticipation filling their eyes as they waited for the game to start and capture those brilliant moments.
Aida Yayoi had also arrived at the venue with her assistant, Nakamura Taizo.
They had spent two days carefully preparing for this match.
Both Shohoku and Tsukitake were highly valuable subjects for coverage.
Shohoku in particular had crushed its opponents all the way to the next round since its first game, scoring more than a hundred points in every match.
The team was brimming with talent: Qing Junce, who had burst onto the scene with extraordinary strength; Super Rookie Rukawa Kaede; former Junior High MVP Mitsui Hisashi; Miyagi Ryota, known as "Lightning Flash"; and center Akagi Takenori, who possessed National Tournament-level strength.
Aida Yayoi paid exceptionally close attention to Shohoku.
"Taizo, we need to shoot more footage this time. Try to capture every brilliant moment from both sides, especially Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede. Those two are the focal points, so we absolutely can't skimp on them." Aida Yayoi looked serious as she repeatedly reminded Nakamura Taizo beside her.
Nakamura Taizo hurriedly raised the camera in his hands, nodding repeatedly. "Got it, Yayoi! Don't worry!"
Aida Yayoi's sharp gaze swept across the gymnasium.
At a glance, she couldn't help clicking her tongue softly. The number of spectators far exceeded her expectations. "I didn't expect so many people to come today. Looks like this game has attracted a lot of attention!" she muttered.
Before long, Aida Yayoi spotted quite a few familiar faces in the crowd. "Those are the Ryonan players. And over there—Hanagata Toru and Fujima Kenji from Shoyo are here too. I can't believe they came in person to watch the game."
Muttering to herself, she raised her camera and kept snapping pictures.
Just then, a figure entered Aida Yayoi's field of vision.
The moment she saw that person, her eyes widened and her pupils sharply contracted. She couldn't help exclaiming, "That's... Maki Shinichi from Kainan. He actually came too. Did he come for Tsukitake or Shohoku?"
After her brief shock, Aida Yayoi quickly steadied herself, the light in her eyes growing hotter.
It seemed Shohoku's sudden rise had already stirred the nerves of quite a few powerhouse teams.
She increased the frequency of her shots, aiming her camera at these famous figures from Kanagawa's high school basketball scene and trying to record this special moment.
Time slipped quietly away.
As they waited, the spectators gradually grew restless. The atmosphere also became somewhat dull, and everyone hoped the game would start soon.
Clang...
Clang...
Two dull sounds shattered the slightly dreary wait inside the gymnasium.
Everyone turned toward the noise, only to see the iron doors at the player tunnel entrances on both sides of the court slowly opening.
Step... step... step...
Step... step... step...
A faint yet rhythmic series of footsteps drifted slowly from deep within the tunnels.
Before long, the players from Shohoku and Tsukitake filed out of the tunnels and entered everyone's view.
Boom...
In an instant, the previously quiet stands erupted.
Cheers and shouts surged like roaring waves, one after another sweeping across the entire gymnasium.
"Look, they're coming out!"
"That's Godai. I heard his three-pointers are deadly accurate."
"Shohoku's Rukawa Kaede is so handsome!"
"Wow! Shohoku's Number 9 is even more handsome."
"Is that Shohoku's Number 9? I heard he's even stronger than Rukawa Kaede. Is that true?"
"Tsukitake... let's go... Tsukitake... let's go... Tsukitake... let's go..."
In one corner of the stands, a large group of boys and girls in Tsukitake uniforms sat in neat rows. They were Tsukitake's students and cheerleaders.
A banner reading "Tsukitake Must Win" hung high on the wall below their seats. Its black characters stood out against the white background, displaying their cheering spirit to the fullest.
Shohoku's side had far fewer people than Tsukitake's, but three cheerleaders in extremely short white skirts were particularly eye-catching.
They raised their legs high, sent pom-poms flying up and down, and shouted "Rukawa Kaede" in unison, their enthusiasm showing no signs of fading.
A banner hung on the wall below the three cheerleaders as well. It read "Rukawa Fan Club" and radiated a fanatical energy. In terms of spectacle, it was not inferior to Tsukitake's side in the slightest.
If Tsukitake had overwhelming numbers, then Shohoku had unmatched flair.
The two completely different styles of cheering made the atmosphere at the venue incredibly heated.
Meanwhile, on the court.
Both teams appeared exceptionally calm as they conducted their warm-ups in an orderly fashion on their respective halves.
Qing Junce held a basketball in both hands and slowly made his way beneath his team's basket.
Kogure Kiminobu happened to pass by. Seeing Qing Junce, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, and he couldn't help teasing him. "You're actually not late today? Now that's rare!"
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Bouncing the ball rhythmically, Qing Junce said without turning his head, "I'm playing today."
The moment he finished speaking, he planted both feet firmly. Without even making the slightest jump, he simply raised the ball where he stood, took a slight aim, and flicked his wrist.
The basketball traced a somewhat strange, far-from-beautiful arc through the air. Yet the arc seemed enchanted, sending the ball precisely toward the hoop. With a swish, it dropped cleanly through the net.
Hearing Qing Junce's words, Kogure Kiminobu was filled with curiosity, but he still couldn't resist teasing him. "Oh, is that so? Is there a reason?"
Qing Junce did not respond. He simply continued focusing on his shots.
His unique shooting form quickly drew the attention of many people in the stands.
Maki Shinichi stared intently at Qing Junce, his eyes narrowing slightly. An inscrutable light flickered in his deep gaze, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Elsewhere, Fujima Kenji watched Qing Junce shooting below, then turned to Hanagata Toru beside him. "Is that the Shohoku #9 you mentioned before?"
Hanagata Toru nodded slightly and confirmed, "That's right. His strength can't be underestimated. It's just that Shohoku's previous opponents were relatively weak. I wonder how well he'll perform against Tsukitake today."
Looking at Qing Junce shooting below, Fujima Kenji commented, "His shooting method is very strange. His form isn't standard, but he makes it every time."
Hanagata Toru furrowed his brow slightly and agreed. "Yeah, I noticed that too. Maybe it's just his personal habit."
Fujima Kenji pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Perhaps."
For some reason, Qing Junce's shooting motion gave him an indescribably strange feeling.
The sensation was subtle, yet it made him feel uncomfortable all over.
Quite a few people shared that thought, but everyone treated it as Qing Junce's personal shooting habit and didn't pay much attention.
However, one person did not think so. That person was Maki Shinichi.
He had participated in the National Tournament many times and seen all kinds of players, each with their own unique skills and techniques.
Qing Junce's shooting style might indeed be a personal habit, but being able to make every shot could never be explained by a simple habit alone.
Just then, the gymnasium's broadcast suddenly sounded. "The game between Tsukitake and Shohoku is about to begin."
The moment they heard the announcement, the entire gymnasium erupted in thunderous cheers, as if they were about to blow the roof off.
Everyone was eager for the game to begin.
The players from both teams encouraged one another and walked onto the court, filled with fighting spirit.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, meanwhile, sat on the bench with a dark expression. His eyes were wide with rage as he gnashed his teeth and glared fixedly at Qing Junce's back, cursing inwardly. Damn Godless ghost! How dare you steal this genius's starting position! This is infuriating.
The players from both teams had taken their positions on the court.
Before the referee could blow the opening whistle, Tsukitake's Nangou Koichiro suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Qing Junce, and shouted, "Qing Junce, I'm going to beat you today and win the heart of my beauty!"
The statement left the players on both teams utterly bewildered as they looked at one another.
Did those two know each other?
Who was the beauty?
What was going on?
Qing Junce cast Nangou Koichiro a cold glance but ignored him.
In Qing Junce's eyes, he was nothing more than a clown, not worth wasting the effort to answer.
Nangou Koichiro, however, refused to let it go and continued shouting at length. "Just you wait! I'll crush you and Shohoku beneath my feet and show everyone what I can do today!"
With that, he threw back his head and laughed, planting his hands on his hips with an unbearably smug look.
The Shohoku players all wore dark expressions and glared at him with unfriendly eyes.
The Tsukitake players looked helpless and stood awkwardly to one side.
Seeing this, the referee looked speechless and warned him sternly, "Get to the center circle right now, or I'll call a foul on you."
Under the referee's intimidation, Nangou Koichiro obediently returned to the center circle and took his position.
Shohoku's starting lineup for this game:
Center, Akagi Takenori, #4, third year. (Captain)
Shooting Guard, Mitsui Hisashi, #14, third year.
Point Guard, Miyagi Ryota, Number 7, second year.
Small Forward, Rukawa Kaede, #11, first year.
Power Forward, Qing Junce, #9, first year.
Tsukitake's starting lineup for this game:
Center, Nangou Koichiro, #15, first year.
Shooting Guard, Godai Tomokazu, #4, third year. (Captain)
Point Guard, Natsume Hiroshi, Number 7, third year.
Small Forward, Izumi Takashi, #5, third year.
Power Forward, Mine Kenta, #8, third year.
Beep...
A whistle rang across the entire court.
The referee raised his arm high and forcefully tossed the basketball into the air between the two teams.
The game between Shohoku and Tsukitake officially began.
Before you continue