Shohoku vs. Shoyo

Beep...

The crisp whistle blew, and the three-minute preparation time vanished in an instant.

The referee blew his whistle again, signaling the players from both sides to take the court and make their final preparations for the match.

As the players from both teams stepped onto the court, everyone keenly sensed something unusual.

Shoyo, naturally, also noticed the problem.

Fujima Kenji's expression instantly turned grim, a flicker of displeasure crossing his eyes.

This was because, in Shohoku's lineup, he didn't see the figure he remembered.

"Is Shohoku looking down on us?" Fujima Kenji's heart suddenly flared with unprovoked anger. He clenched his fists tightly, his voice tinged with displeasure.

Hanagata Toru's face also darkened, his brow furrowing slightly. He said coldly, "This is quite the insult!"

Ryonan and Kainan's members were also filled with confusion upon seeing that Qing Junce was not on the court.

"He's not starting?" Maki Shinichi frowned, his voice full of doubt.

Jin Koichiro's gaze was deep. After a moment of thought, he analyzed, "Are they hiding their strength? Perhaps Shohoku intends to have Qing Junce play at a crucial moment!"

Kiyota Nobunaga, on the other hand, was visibly annoyed. He shouted loudly, "It's a bluff, a complete bluff!"

Takato Riki fanned himself at a leisurely pace, his gaze shifting towards Anzai Mitsuyoshi, who appeared calm on the Shohoku bench, and then to Qing Junce, who sat on the bench with an indifferent air. His eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

Taoka Moichi's expression was similar to Takato Riki's. He understood Qing Junce better than Takato Riki did.

Although he couldn't quite figure out what Anzai Mitsuyoshi was thinking at the moment, his many years of experience as a coach and his keen intuition allowed him to sense something was brewing.

Aida Kenichi showed a hint of disappointment on his face and said softly, "Qing Junce isn't playing! I thought I'd get to see his performance right from the start!"

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

Koshino Hiroaki chimed in, "Who knows! It's also possible that the guy himself doesn't want to play."

Upon hearing Koshino Hiroaki's words, everyone thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense.

Considering their understanding of Qing Junce, doing something like this was indeed in line with his personality.

Sendoh's focus was entirely different from the others.

The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, and he looked playfully towards Shoyo's side, saying leisurely, "Shoyo must feel insulted right now! Shohoku not having Qing Junce start might be seen as a slight by Shoyo, they should be quite angry."

Many spectators had come specifically to see Qing Junce, and upon discovering he wasn't on the court, they immediately became displeased.

"What's going on? Why isn't Shohoku's number 9 playing? I came to see him."

"Exactly! Who is that red-haired guy! Tell him to get off the court quickly."

"How is Shohoku's coach doing his job? Make a substitution quickly, we want to see Qing Junce play."

"Yeah, we want to see Qing Junce play."

"Shohoku, make a substitution quickly..."

The torrent of dissatisfied voices from the crowd clearly reached the Shohoku bench below.

Hearing the complaints from the stands, Ayako felt a surge of worry. She softly called out, "Coach Anzai..."

Coach Anzai, however, remained composed, completely unfazed by the public criticism. He sat steadily in his seat, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "Ho ho ho ho... Don't mind them, Ayako."

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

"Huh?" Qing Junce was slightly taken aback, his expression showing confusion. He then replied, "I don't mind! If the opponent isn't strong, it's boring to go on. I hope Shoyo doesn't disappoint me!"

Ho ho ho ho...

Hearing Qing Junce's words, Coach Anzai couldn't help but laugh.

Coach Anzai's high regard for Qing Junce was undeniable, and his decision not to let Qing Junce play certainly had its own considerations.

In his many years involved with basketball, he had never encountered a player with such extraordinary talent as Qing Junce.

There hadn't been anyone like him before, and it was unlikely there would be anyone like him again.

He knew firsthand just how monstrous Qing Junce's talent was.

In his opinion, such talent was perhaps unique in the entire world.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, recalling a player he once coached, Yazawa Ryuji.

He too was a "genius" player whom Coach Anzai had placed great hopes in.

However, even with Yazawa Ryuji's outstanding talent, he was far inferior to Qing Junce.

Players with such extraordinary talent often had certain personality issues, and Qing Junce was no exception.

Basketball was fundamentally a team sport, but Qing Junce's existence seemed to break the established concept of "team."

Every time Qing Junce played, the other teammates seemed to be excluded.

Strangely, it wasn't that the team was isolating Qing Junce, but rather that Qing Junce was invisibly isolating the entire team, yet the team couldn't do without him.

Qing Junce's strength was too immense, so powerful that he could contend with an entire team. Over time, he had developed the habit of playing without relying on his teammates.

This was precisely the situation Coach Anzai did not want to see.

He yearned to change Qing Junce's way of thinking about basketball.

Rather than changing his thoughts, it was more about changing his philosophy.

To make Qing Junce understand the importance of a team.

Coach Anzai firmly believed that once Qing Junce understood the power of teamwork, no team on the National Tournament stage would be able to match Shohoku.

This was the first reason Coach Anzai kept Qing Junce from playing.

The second reason was for Shohoku's long-term development.

For Shohoku to become truly strong, they absolutely could not rely on Qing Junce alone. The other players also needed to grow continuously.

Clashing with strong teams was an excellent opportunity to temper Shohoku, so having Qing Junce temporarily on the bench was also a consideration for this aspect.

Because if Qing Junce played, the other players would have significantly fewer opportunities to be tested, which would be detrimental to their growth and progress.

On the court.

The players from both sides had already taken their positions.

Shohoku's starting lineup:

Center, Akagi Takenori, #4, 3rd year. (Captain)

Power Forward, Sakuragi Hanamichi, #10, 1st year.

Small Forward, Rukawa Kaede, #11, 1st year.

Point Guard, Miyagi Ryota, #7, 2nd year.

Shooting Guard, Mitsui Hisashi, #14, 3rd year.

Shoyo's starting lineup:

Center, Hanagata Toru, #5, 3rd year.

Power Forward, Takano Shoichi, #8, 3rd year.

Small Forward, Nagano Mitsuru, #7, 3rd year.

Point Guard, Fujima Kenji, #4, 3rd year. (Captain)

Shooting Guard, Hasegawa Kazushi, #6, 3rd year.

Everyone from Shohoku suddenly noticed that the Shoyo players were all staring at them with hostile, murderous gazes. Their fierce expressions made it seem as if Shohoku owed Shoyo millions of yuan.

The Shohoku members, who were already somewhat nervous, felt their nerves tighten even further, their tension increasing.

At the same time, their hearts were filled with confusion, not understanding why Shoyo would adopt such an attitude.

Hanagata Toru's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, fixed on Akagi Takenori standing before him. He spoke in a deep, intimidating tone, "I will make you regret your current choice."

Huh?

Akagi Takenori looked completely bewildered, not understanding what the other person meant at all.

What choice?

What did we do?

Why are you confronting me right from the start?

Mitsui Hisashi's gaze was locked onto the opponent's #6 player.

He had overheard this player in the restroom earlier saying he would limit his own scoring to within 5 points, which had greatly annoyed him.

Rukawa Kaede maintained his usual indifferent demeanor, his face as expressionless as a poker face. It seemed as if no matter how earth-shattering the events happening around him, his expression wouldn't change even slightly.

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes scanned the Shoyo players back and forth, a mysterious glint flashing in his gaze. No one knew what he was plotting at that moment.

Miyagi Ryota felt a bit helpless.

He looked at the row of tall Shoyo players before him, then at his own relatively short stature, and instantly felt how insignificant he was.

An invisible pressure, like a heavy stone, slowly began to build in his heart.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and the atmosphere reached its peak tension, the referee decisively blew the whistle to start the game.

Beep...

The crisp whistle sounded through the air of the court.

Immediately after, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air between the players of both teams.

The match between Shohoku and Shoyo officially began.