Shoyo High School Basketball Gym.
The quiet gym echoed with nothing but the rhythmic thud of a basketball hitting the floor.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Fujima Kenji dribbled the ball with intense focus, his eyes locked on the hoop not far ahead. Yet in his mind, he kept replaying Qing Junce's figure on the court that day.
He drew a deep breath, planted both feet, and leaped high. His arm rose gracefully, his wrist flicking lightly as he took the shot.
Although his height was not particularly outstanding among basketball players, his shooting form possessed a unique beauty—standard, precise, and flawless.
It was the steadiness and habit he had developed over the years through a strict training regimen, one step at a time.
Clang...
Just then, the gym doors were suddenly shoved open.
Hanagata Toru walked in and immediately spotted Fujima Kenji practicing. "I knew you'd be here, Fujima."
Fujima Kenji turned his head and glanced at Hanagata Toru. "The game's coming up, so I wanted to get a feel for my shot."
"Is that so?" There was a hint of meaning in Hanagata Toru's gaze as he stared intently at Fujima Kenji.
He and Fujima Kenji had known each other for years. They were not only perfectly in sync on the court, but also close friends in private.
He keenly sensed that Fujima Kenji was somewhat different from usual.
"Is this because of Shohoku?" Hanagata Toru got straight to the point.
Fujima Kenji fell silent.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the gym grew strange, so quiet and oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.
After a long while, Fujima Kenji finally said slowly, "Shohoku is strong. I don't want to admit it, but I have no choice but to face reality. As for Shohoku's number nine, I honestly can't think of an effective way to contain him."
"Wouldn't sending more people to double-team him work? We're different from Tsukitake, after all." Hanagata Toru offered his suggestion.
Fujima Kenji shook his head, his expression grave. "A double-team might indeed limit his performance, but what about Shohoku's other players? Besides Akagi Takenori, Shohoku also has Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui Hisashi, and Miyagi Ryota. Every one of them is highly capable. None of them can be ignored."
Hanagata Toru fell silent as well.
Individually, Shoyo's players were all outstanding in Kanagawa's high-school basketball scene, and they also held a clear advantage in height.
When ordinary teams faced them, they were either crushed by overwhelming skill or suppressed by their height advantage.
But Shohoku had neither weakness. It really was troublesome.
Hanagata Toru continued, "The game has to be played eventually. I'll do my best with the others to contain Shohoku's number nine."
Fujima Kenji looked at Hanagata Toru and smiled warmly, his eyes filled with trust. "I believe in you, Hanagata."
Kainan University Affiliated High School Basketball Gym.
Clang...
The gym doors suddenly opened.
A middle-aged man with distinctive features and an ape-like face strode in with steady steps.
He had short, jet-black hair and wore silver-rimmed glasses over his rugged face. He was Takato Riki, the coach of Kainan University Affiliated High School's basketball team.
"Maki... You haven't left yet?" Takato Riki spotted the figure inside the gym at once and called out to him.
Maki Shinichi, drenched in sweat, turned around. When he saw his coach, a trace of surprise appeared on his face. "Coach..."
Under normal circumstances, no one should have still been in the gym at this hour. He could not help wondering why his coach had suddenly appeared today.
Takato Riki walked up to Maki Shinichi and looked at his sweat-soaked appearance, a wave of satisfaction rising in his heart.
If every member of the basketball team worked as hard as Maki Shinichi, coaching them would be much easier.
Takato Riki reminded him, "We have another game tomorrow. Don't train too late."
Maki Shinichi replied, "I don't plan to play tomorrow. A-Jin and the others are more than enough for this game. I need to get myself into the best condition so I can face Shohoku with everything I've got."
Takato Riki was not surprised by the first part of Maki Shinichi's statement about not playing tomorrow.
However, when he heard the part about facing Shohoku with everything he had, his heart stirred, and he could not help asking, "Is that Shohoku really that strong?"
He had heard about Shohoku's crushing victory over Tsukitake, and Maki Shinichi had previously given him a detailed account of the game.
Hearing nothing would have been fine, but after listening to the whole story, he had truly been startled.
At one point, he even wondered whether Maki Shinichi was deliberately exaggerating and joking with him. It all sounded far too unbelievable.
Maki Shinichi replied with a firm gaze and solemn expression, "Shohoku's overall strength isn't enough to make us overly worried. It's just that Shohoku's number nine is genuinely a headache."
Takato Riki raised his eyebrows slightly, opened the folding fan in his hand, and waved it gently. "Shohoku's number nine? You told me before that his name was Qing Junce, right?"
A flash of wisdom crossed his eyes. He continued, "In that case, their next opponent is Shoyo, isn't it? Let's go watch together."
By now, he had also developed a strong interest in this player named Qing Junce.
He wanted to see for himself what kind of person could earn so much attention from Maki Shinichi.
Time flew by.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, the Kanagawa Gymnasium was packed with people and buzzing with excitement. The basketball court was filled to capacity, and the atmosphere was electric.
Four games would be held here in succession today.
They were the championship matches for Groups A, B, C, and D in the Semi-finals.
They were also the games that would determine which teams advanced from the Top 8 to the Top 4.
Only the champions of each group would qualify for the finals.
Group A: Kainan University Affiliated High School vs. Takeuchi
Group B: Shohoku vs. Shoyo
Group C: Ryonan vs. Hamada Chuo
Group D: Murisato vs. Okitama
In the venue for the Group B showdown, the game had not even officially begun, yet the stands were already boiling. Cheers and shouts rose one after another.
A boy wearing a Shoyo school uniform stood before a group of cheerleaders dressed the same way and shouted passionately, "Who has the right to compete in the National Tournament? Who is it?"
The Shoyo cheerleaders raised the two plastic bottles in their hands and banged them together while shouting at the tops of their lungs in unison.
"Shoyo... Shoyo... Shoyo..."
The boy leading them shouted again, "Shohoku and Shoyo—their names even sound a little alike. Which team will win?"
With that, he spread his hand beside his ear and made a listening gesture.
The cheerleaders once again shouted in perfect unison.
"Shoyo... Shoyo... Shoyo..."
Seeing the Shoyo cheerleaders' organized and overwhelming display, Akagi Haruko and the Sakuragi Army members sitting in the Shohoku section were all stunned.
Their side had no massive cheerleading squad. There was only Akagi Haruko and her two best friends, along with the four members of the Sakuragi Army—a total of seven people at most.
The seven of them stared wide-eyed at Shoyo's cheerleaders, dumbfounded. A wave of nervousness gradually rose in their hearts.
Matsui said blankly, "Shoyo's cheerleading squad really has a different kind of presence!"
Akagi Haruko also nodded blankly. "Shoyo brought so many people."
Fujii turned her head toward Akagi Haruko. "Then where's Shohoku's cheerleading squad?"
Akagi Haruko answered with utmost seriousness and a hint of innocent cluelessness, "They're all right here."
For a moment, it was as though a crow had flown over everyone's heads with a harsh caw, leaving the atmosphere awkward.
Meanwhile, Aida Yayoi and her male assistant hurried over.
Aida Yayoi wiped the sweat from her face and said breathlessly, "We finally made it. Today's four games will be held simultaneously in two venues, so we may have to run back and forth to watch them."
As she spoke, she picked up her camera and began taking pictures. "Click! Click!"
Nakamura Taizo suggested, "You don't actually have to work so hard running back and forth. I can keep an eye on the other game for you."
Aida Yayoi pointed at him and said irritably, "Do you think I don't want you to go? The last time I had you write an article, it was a complete mess. The photos you took were utterly unappealing too. How could I trust you to go alone?"
Er...
Nakamura Taizo flushed with embarrassment.
He could not understand why his articles and photographs were clearly quite good, yet looked so awful next to Aida Yayoi's work.
Hmph...
Aida Yayoi gave a soft snort and continued, "Anyway, pay close attention and learn properly. Basketball isn't as simple as you imagine."
Shohoku Locker Room.
Akagi Takenori looked at his teammates with a solemn expression and determined gaze. "Today's game is very important. Our opponent is Shoyo, a completely different team from the ones we've faced before. Everyone needs to stay fully focused."
Sakuragi Hanamichi grinned and walked up to Akagi Takenori. He carefully looked him up and down, then from side to side, before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Hahahaha... Gorilla, you've got dark circles under your eyes! So you get nervous too!"
Akagi Takenori's eyelid twitched violently. He retorted irritably, "You're talking about yourself, aren't you?!"
At that, Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately thrust out his chest and declared arrogantly, "Hmph! I, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi, trained bitterly until dawn to prepare for today's game!"
"I never thought even Akagi would be too nervous to sleep!" Kogure Kiminobu said with a smile. "Though I got up at four this morning myself."
Just then, Mitsui Hisashi stood up from the corner with a mocking smile. "You poor fools. The moment you heard we were playing Shoyo, you got scared into looking like this."
With that, he turned and walked toward the locker-room door.
Kogure Kiminobu hurriedly called out, "Hey! Where are you going? The game is about to start."
Mitsui Hisashi suddenly stopped, his expression stiffening. Without turning around, he said, "To the bathroom."
Hahahaha...
Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately burst out laughing. "So the most nervous person is Little Three! You were scared pissless!"
Mitsui Hisashi had just reached the doorway when he heard that. He instantly flashed his trademark shark teeth, thrust his head back through the door, and cursed furiously, his face bright red. "You're the one who was scared pissless! I just drank too much water, that's all!"
Ayako and Shimizu Kanon stood to the side, watching the slightly chaotic atmosphere in the locker room. They could not help sighing softly.
Miyagi Ryota sat alone in the corner, constantly fiddling with a basketball.
Rukawa Kaede leaned against the wall on the other side with his eyes closed, seemingly dozing.
Ayako looked at everyone's solemn expressions and could not help muttering, "This time feels different from usual. Everyone looks so serious!"
"Exactly!" Shimizu Kanon nodded and thought to herself, I wonder if they memorized the information I gave them.
She turned her head toward Qing Junce, who was sitting nearby. He was intently looking at something in his hands. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a magazine, whose cover featured a buxom woman in a bikini.
"A-Ce, what are you looking at?" Shimizu Kanon asked angrily, her pretty face flushing red.
Ayako had also noticed what was happening. When she saw the magazine in Qing Junce's hands, her pretty face flushed as well.
Without even looking up, Qing Junce replied casually, "Huh? A magazine!"
"That's not what I'm asking!" Shimizu Kanon said helplessly. She walked over, snatched the magazine from his hands, and declared, "You're not allowed to look at this kind of unhealthy stuff."
Qing Junce looked completely unconcerned. "I think it's pretty healthy!"
Shimizu Kanon lectured him sternly, "You're not allowed to look at this sort of thing, period. Confiscated. Confiscated!"
Tch...
Qing Junce gave a disdainful snort and did not take it to heart.
After all, this was hardly the first time something had been confiscated from him.
Ayako watched the scene, unsure what to feel. She thought to herself, Not a single one of them is easy to deal with. Whatever. At least there's still one person who isn't nervous.
Time passed second by second.
After who knew how long, the Shohoku players had all changed into their game uniforms and were ready to take the court.
Akagi Takenori swept his determined gaze across everyone, then shouted, "All right, it's almost time. Let's go!"
"Yes..." the players answered in unison.
Before you continue