The next day.
News spread across Kanagawa like a raging storm, sweeping through the entire prefecture in no time.
The news that Shohoku had defeated Tsukitake and successfully advanced to the Top 8 grew wings and quickly spread throughout Kanagawa's high school basketball scene.
At the same time, the name Qing Junce caused a huge stir in Kanagawa's high school basketball scene.
His godlike dribbling, unpredictable shots, extraordinary speed, and nearly unstoppable offense—
All of these traits made him famous.
All kinds of titles were slapped onto Qing Junce as if they were free.
For a time, attention on Qing Junce shot up like a rocket, and Shohoku rose with the tide as well, becoming the hottest topic around.
Some people even boldly speculated that Shohoku might become the team to overthrow the King, Hainan's, reign.
Of course, these were merely topics for conversation over tea, meant to entertain people and give them something to marvel at.
Another piece of news, however, became the most eye-catching focus of the moment.
The western powers of the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament were about to clash! Shohoku VS Shoyo!
That news was like a bombshell, drawing the attention of every high school Basketball Club member in Kanagawa.
In everyone's minds, Shoyo carried the same weight as Hainan.
Although the championship had been firmly occupied by King Hainan in previous years, Shoyo had always held steady in second place. That alone was enough to prove how powerful Shoyo was.
It could be said that for many years, no team had been able to break the stalemate between Shoyo and Hainan.
At a cold-drink shop in Kanagawa, Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu sat across from each other, speaking in low voices.
"I never thought we'd really make it this far." Kogure Kiminobu was filled with emotion, and a trace of barely concealed excitement showed in his eyes.
Recalling every moment of his three years in high school, he felt as though he were living in a dream.
Akagi Takenori silently stirred the iced coffee in his cup. He said nothing, but his expression already showed that he agreed with Kogure Kiminobu.
Kogure Kiminobu continued, "Our next match is against Shoyo..."
He paused, a look of unconcealed anticipation appearing on his face, then continued, "Maybe we really do have a chance to compete for the national championship this year, Akagi."
Determination flashed in Akagi Takenori's eyes. He nodded heavily. "Yeah!"
Kogure Kiminobu suddenly spoke again. "Speaking of which, Qing Junce really gave us a huge surprise. I don't know why, but whenever he's around, I feel especially reassured."
"Hmph." Akagi Takenori snorted softly, stubbornly saying, "Who knows? He's just a guy who only knows how to play one-on-one. Shoyo isn't like the teams we've faced before. What are we supposed to do if they manage to shut him down?"
Uh...
Kogure Kiminobu froze. He really had never considered that question.
However, recalling Qing Junce's astonishing ability, he said, "That probably won't happen. With Qing Junce's ability, it's probably already difficult to find an opponent for him in high school basketball."
Akagi Takenori reminded him seriously, "Don't forget, we're competing in the Prefectural Tournament."
"Don't keep your nerves so tightly wound. You need to relax a little too, Akagi." Kogure Kiminobu smiled as he spoke.
Akagi Takenori might not have known it yet.
But Kogure Kiminobu had heard from Shimizu Kanon that the Super-high-speed dribbling and Formless shots Qing Junce had displayed last time were only the most basic techniques. He hadn't even used his more difficult skills!
That meant Qing Junce had still been holding back a considerable portion of his strength.
At the thought, the corners of Kogure Kiminobu's mouth rose unconsciously, and he thought to himself, It'll definitely be fine.
At an outdoor streetball court.
Qing Junce was alone on the court, working up a sweat and playing basketball to his heart's content, as if he were facing an opponent evenly matched with him.
Shimizu Kanon sat quietly on a bench outside the court. One moment, she lowered her head and fiddled with her phone, her fingers swiping rapidly across the screen; the next, she picked up a pen and wrote and sketched in her notebook. She was thoroughly absorbed in her work.
The rhythmic thumping of the basketball echoed incessantly, yet it did not disturb her thoughts in the slightest. In this lively atmosphere, her mind seemed even more active than usual.
Qing Junce had long grown used to scenes like this. He dribbled and shot on his own without disturbing her.
Time passed second by second. After who knew how long, Shimizu Kanon finally stopped moving her hands and raised her head, a relaxed, confident smile spreading across her face.
"Finally finished." She stood up and stretched, loosening her somewhat stiff body.
Just then, the sound of a basketball brushing through the net rang out. Qing Junce had already lost count of how many times he had sunk the ball.
As if he had noticed the movement on Shimizu Kanon's side, he turned his head and asked, "Done?"
Shimizu Kanon nodded lightly. "Yeah. I've organized the information on every Shoyo player. Want to take a look first?"
Qing Junce clicked his tongue disdainfully and said without interest, "No. That'd make it too boring."
Shimizu Kanon continued persuading him with a sly look. "I think you should at least take a look. Shoyo is really strong. Maybe you'll lose, A-Ce!"
"Huh?" Qing Junce raised an eyebrow, a confident gleam flashing in his eyes. "I'll lose? What nonsense are you talking about? Someone who can beat me..."
At that point, Qing Junce suddenly stopped, confusion flashing across his face.
Strange. Why did I say that?
Seeing him stop so abruptly, Shimizu Kanon asked curiously, "What is it? What were you about to say?"
Qing Junce came back to himself, shook his head, and said, "Nothing. I didn't get to play to my heart's content last time anyway. Hopefully Shoyo can hold out a little longer!"
Shimizu Kanon found that a little strange, but she did not press further. Instead, she said, "I'm going back to the school Basketball Club to organize the information. Let's go!"
"Hey! Why do I have to go too?" Qing Junce grumbled unwillingly.
Shimizu Kanon immediately put on a pitiful expression and wheedled, "You're a big guy! It's already getting late. Do you really have the heart to let a girl walk home at night?"
Qing Junce rolled his eyes at her. They had grown up together as childhood friends, so how could he fail to see that she was putting on an act?
"Ugh..." Qing Junce sighed helplessly and said, "Fine. I get it."
Seeing Qing Junce agree, Shimizu Kanon immediately dropped her pitiful expression, and a sweet smile blossomed across her face.
Toward evening.
Shohoku High School · Basketball Gym.
A fervent atmosphere permeated the quiet gym.
Bang...
Bang...
Bang...
The sound of the basketball striking the floor rang out rhythmically.
Rukawa Kaede darted rapidly across the court. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and the flames of battle burned fiercely in his gaze.
At that moment, his mind was filled with Qing Junce's impressive figure on the court.
Super-high-speed dribbling, Formless shots...
As he thought about it, he began imitating the way Qing Junce dribbled.
However, the moment he started, the basketball slipped out of his control and rolled away.
Rukawa Kaede frowned slightly. He did not become discouraged. He quickly picked up the ball and tried again.
Yet every attempt ended in failure. Either he flung the ball away with too much force, or he accidentally struck his foot with it. He simply could not control it as precisely as Qing Junce did.
His brows drew tightly together, and his heart was filled with unwillingness.
He had never imagined that the gap between his strength and Qing Junce's would be so enormous.
Recalling their previous one-on-one match, he realized that his opponent had clearly been holding back.
No, it had gone beyond holding back. Qing Junce had practically been holding back an entire ocean—an ocean as vast as the sea of stars.
At that thought, a nameless fury surged in his heart, but he quickly forced it down.
He knew that with his current strength, he was no match for Qing Junce. Challenging him to another one-on-one match would only be a waste of effort.
Then he remembered Qing Junce's seemingly casual yet unbelievably accurate shots.
He stood before the free-throw line, jumped, and imitated Qing Junce's casual shooting motion.
Clang...
The basketball slammed hard into the rim and bounced out of bounds.
He did not give up and continued trying.
Clang...
Clang...
Clang...
The sounds of basketballs hitting iron echoed throughout the gym. Several times, the shots even failed to touch the rim.
Only then did Rukawa Kaede truly realize that Qing Junce's seemingly simple and casual shooting style was far more difficult than it appeared. Not only did he have to grasp the timing and force perfectly, but even the angle was extremely hard to control.
That guy manages to make it every single time. He marveled inwardly.
At that moment, he failed to notice that someone was watching him through the half-closed door of the gym.
"That damn Stinky fox is even learning from that Godless ghost." Sakuragi Hanamichi watched Rukawa Kaede practicing bitterly inside the gym and muttered under his breath, but he did not push the door open.
He also longed to score on the court, but unfortunately, he could not.
Watching Qing Junce and Rukawa Kaede shine on the court left him feeling extremely bitter.
The two people he hated most on the Basketball Club were those two.
"Sakuragi Hanamichi." Suddenly, a voice came from behind Sakuragi Hanamichi. He turned deathly pale and trembled all over, nearly losing his soul from fright.
He stiffly turned around and discovered that Akagi Haruko had appeared behind him at some point.
In an instant, his expression became foolish and adorable, and his face filled with ingratiation. "Haruko..."
Akagi Haruko smiled sweetly and asked curiously, "Sakuragi Hanamichi, why are you standing here instead of going in?"
"Huh? I... I... I... well..." Sakuragi Hanamichi was momentarily speechless, stammering and unable to get the words out.
He instinctively shifted his body to block the gap in the door, afraid that Akagi Haruko would discover he had been secretly watching Rukawa Kaede practice. That would be far too embarrassing.
Akagi Haruko tilted her head and looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi curiously, feeling that something was not quite right.
Hahaha...
Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly burst into laughter, scratched his head, and explained, "I was just passing by. Haruko, what a coincidence that we ran into each other here."
Uh...
Akagi Haruko looked utterly bewildered.
Wasn't this the basketball gym?
Wasn't it perfectly normal to run into someone here?
On a path not far away, the dim streetlights cast a soft glow, and a stout figure stood quietly.
His white hair swayed gently in the evening breeze, as if telling the story of the passing years.
The glasses on his nose reflected streaks of cold light beneath the moon, giving him an inscrutable air.
The person standing there was none other than Shohoku's Basketball Club coach, Anzai Mitsuyoshi.
He had been passing by with nothing else to do when he unexpectedly saw Sakuragi Hanamichi standing alone at the gym entrance, sneakily peering inside.
The rhythmic "bang, bang" of a basketball hitting the floor occasionally drifted out of the gym.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi pondered silently and roughly guessed who was inside.
At this hour, most of the Basketball Club members had already gone home.
Usually, the only ones who would still be here this late were Akagi Takenori, Kogure Kiminobu, or Rukawa Kaede.
And judging from the rapid dribbling sounds coming from inside, it was clearly beyond what Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu could do.
Then the answer was obvious. The person practicing inside had to be Rukawa Kaede.
As for why it was not Qing Junce, Anzai Mitsuyoshi could not help chuckling.
That guy was always so lazy. It was already a blessing if he managed not to be late. Expecting him to stay behind for extra practice? Not even a ghost would believe it!
Watching Sakuragi Hanamichi over there, he saw the problem with his basketball skills and wondered whether he should find time to teach him some shooting techniques.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
However, he did not notice that two people not far away were watching him with strange looks.
"That was Coach Anzai, right? What is he doing over there?" Shimizu Kanon asked softly, her face full of confusion.
Qing Junce glanced over casually and said without concern, "Who knows? Why do you care so much about an old man's life?"
Shimizu Kanon blinked and thought, True. The coach is so old. It's normal for him to do things people can't understand.
Aha...
Qing Junce yawned, a hint of impatience in his voice as he urged, "All right, let's go! I haven't eaten yet!"
"Oh, okay." Shimizu Kanon was feeling hungry too.
The two walked side by side toward the school gate and soon disappeared into the night.
Before you continue