Shōhoku vs. Shoyo

Beep...

The crisp whistle sounded, and the three minutes of preparation passed in the blink of an eye.

The referee blew the whistle again, signaling both teams to take the court and make their final preparations for the game.

As the players from both teams stepped onto the court, everyone keenly sensed that something was off.

The people from Shoyo naturally noticed the problem as well.

Fujima Kenji's expression darkened instantly, and a trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes.

That was because he hadn't seen the familiar figure he remembered among Shōhoku's lineup.

"Is Shōhoku looking down on us?" An unnamed fury suddenly rose in Fujima Kenji's heart. He clenched his fists tightly, his voice carrying a hint of anger.

Hanagata Toru's expression also turned grim. He slightly furrowed his brows and said coldly, "Isn't that taking us a little too lightly?"

The people from Ryonan and Kainan were equally puzzled when they saw that Qing Junce hadn't taken the court.

"He isn't starting?" Maki Shinichi slightly furrowed his brows and said, his voice full of confusion.

Jin Koichiro's gaze was deep. After thinking briefly, he analyzed, "Are they hiding their strength? Perhaps Shōhoku plans to send Qing Junce onto the court at a crucial moment!"

Kiyota Nobunaga, meanwhile, looked thoroughly displeased and shouted, "They're just putting on an act! It's all an act!"

Takato Riki slowly fanned himself, first looking toward Anzai Mitsuyoshi, who sat calmly on Shōhoku's bench, then at Qing Junce, who sat on the bench with an indifferent expression. A thoughtful look showed in his eyes.

Taoka Moichi's expression was much the same as Takato Riki's. He understood Qing Junce somewhat better than Takato Riki did.

Although he couldn't figure out what Anzai Mitsuyoshi was thinking for the moment, his years of experience as a coach and his keen instincts still allowed him to guess at least some of the truth.

Aida Kenichi wore a slightly disappointed expression and said softly, "Qing Junce isn't playing? I thought I'd get to see him perform right from the start!"

Ikegami Ryoji folded his arms and analyzed seriously, "Could it be that they're confident they can beat Shoyo with their current lineup?"

Koshino Hiroaki picked up the thread. "Who knows? It's also possible that guy simply doesn't want to play."

After hearing Koshino Hiroaki's words, everyone thought it over carefully and felt that they made sense.

Considering what they knew about Qing Junce, doing something like this did fit his personality.

Sendoh's focus was completely different from everyone else's.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he looked playfully toward Shoyo and said leisurely, "Shoyo probably feels insulted right now. Shōhoku didn't let Qing Junce start, which Shoyo might see as contempt. They should be furious."

Many spectators had come specifically to watch Qing Junce. When they discovered that Qing Junce wasn't on the court, they immediately became unhappy.

"What's going on? Why isn't Shōhoku's Number 9 playing? I came here to watch him."

"Exactly! Who's that redhead? Hurry up and get him off the court."

"How is Shōhoku's coach doing his job? Make a substitution! We want to watch Qing Junce play!"

"Yeah, we want to watch Qing Junce play!"

"Shōhoku, hurry up and make a substitution..."

The spectators' dissatisfaction surged like a flood and clearly reached Shōhoku's bench below the stands.

Hearing the complaints from the stands, Ayako couldn't help feeling worried. She called softly, "Coach Anzai..."

Anzai Mitsuyoshi remained calm, completely unaffected by the spectators' denunciations. He continued sitting steadily in his seat with a gentle smile and said, "Ho ho ho ho... Don't worry about that, Ayako."

As he spoke, he turned his head toward Qing Junce, who sat beside him, and asked, "Qing Junce, do you also think it was a mistake for me not to let you play?"

"Huh?" Qing Junce was slightly taken aback, his face showing that he didn't understand. He then replied, "I don't really mind! If the opponents aren't strong, playing would be boring anyway. Hopefully, Shoyo won't disappoint me!"

Ho ho ho ho...

Hearing Qing Junce say this, Anzai Mitsuyoshi couldn't help laughing.

There was no doubt that Anzai Mitsuyoshi thought highly of Qing Junce, and he naturally had his reasons for not letting him play.

In all his many years of contact with basketball, he had never seen a player as extraordinarily gifted as Qing Junce.

There had never been one before, and it would probably be difficult for another to appear in the future.

He knew all too well just how monstrous Qing Junce's talent was.

In his view, talent like that might be unique in the entire world.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, to a player who had once been under his command—Yazawa Ryuji.

He, too, had been a "genius" player in whom Anzai Mitsuyoshi had placed great hopes.

However, even though Yazawa Ryuji had been exceptionally talented, he was still far, far inferior to Qing Junce.

Players with such extraordinary talent often had certain problems with their personalities, and Qing Junce was no exception.

Basketball was originally a team sport, but Qing Junce's presence had shattered the established concept of a "team."

Every time Qing Junce took the court, his other teammates seemed to be shut out.

Strangely enough, it wasn't the team isolating Qing Junce. Rather, Qing Junce was isolating the entire team without realizing it, while the team couldn't do without him.

Qing Junce was simply too powerful—powerful enough to rival an entire team. Over time, he had developed the habit of playing without relying on his teammates.

That was precisely the situation Anzai Mitsuyoshi didn't want to see.

He longed to change Qing Junce's view of basketball.

Rather than changing his way of thinking, it would be more accurate to say he wanted to change his philosophy.

He wanted Qing Junce to understand the importance of a team.

Anzai Mitsuyoshi firmly believed that once Qing Junce understood the power of teamwork, no team would be able to stand against Shōhoku on the stage of the National Tournament.

That was the first reason Anzai Mitsuyoshi had kept Qing Junce off the court.

The second reason was that he was considering Shōhoku's long-term development.

If Shōhoku wanted to become truly strong, it couldn't rely solely on Qing Junce. The other players needed to keep growing as well.

Clashing with a powerful team was an excellent opportunity to temper Shōhoku, so keeping Qing Junce on the bench for the time being was also part of that consideration.

Once Qing Junce entered the game, the other players would have far fewer opportunities to train, which would hinder their growth and improvement.

On the court.

The players from both teams had taken their positions.

Shōhoku's starting lineup:

Center, Akagi Takenori, Number 4, third year. (Captain)

Power Forward, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Number 10, first year.

Small Forward, Rukawa Kaede, Number 11, first year.

Point Guard, Miyagi Ryota, Number 7, second year.

Shooting Guard, Mitsui Hisashi, Number 14, third year.

Shoyo's starting lineup:

Center, Hanagata Toru, Number 5, third year.

Power Forward, Takano Shoichi, Number 8, third year.

Small Forward, Nagano Mitsuru, Number 7, third year.

Point Guard, Fujima Kenji, Number 4, third year. (Captain)

Shooting Guard, Hasegawa Kazushi, Number 6, third year.

The people from Shōhoku suddenly noticed that the people from Shoyo were glaring at them with eyes full of hostility, as if they could kill. They looked as though Shōhoku owed Shoyo millions.

The people from Shōhoku had already been somewhat nervous, and now their nerves tightened even further, adding several more degrees to their tension.

At the same time, they were filled with confusion, unable to understand why Shoyo was acting this way.

Hanagata Toru's eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he stared fixedly at Akagi Takenori standing before him. His voice was low and intimidating as he said, "I'll make you regret the choice you made."

Huh?

Akagi Takenori looked completely dumbfounded. He had no idea what the other man was talking about.

What choice?

What had they done?

Why was he picking a fight the moment they met?

Mitsui Hisashi's gaze remained firmly locked on the opposing Number 6 player.

Earlier, he had accidentally heard this player say in the bathroom that he would keep Mitsui Hisashi's score under five points. That had left him extremely displeased.

Rukawa Kaede still wore his usual indifferent expression. His face was as blank as a playing card, as though nothing happening in the outside world—even a earth-shattering event—could make his expression change in the slightest.

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes swept back and forth over the people from Shoyo, an unfathomable light flickering in them. No one knew what he was plotting at that moment.

Miyagi Ryota was rather helpless.

He looked at the row of tall Shoyo players before him, then at his own relatively short frame, and instantly felt terribly insignificant.

An invisible pressure, like a heavy stone, slowly piled up in his heart.

Just as everyone was harboring their own thoughts and the atmosphere had grown unbearably tense, the referee finally blew the whistle decisively to signal the start of the game.

Beep...

The crisp whistle rang out above the court.

Immediately afterward, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air above the players from both teams.

The game between Shōhoku and Shoyo officially began.