A swish rang out from the basketball hoop once again.
The ball dropped into Shohoku's basket yet again.
The numbers on the electronic scoreboard immediately changed.
Shohoku 0–21 Shoyo.
Nothing unexpected had happened, yet the result had exceeded everyone's imagination.
Shoyo had finally pulled ahead by more than twenty points.
The result left everyone dumbfounded.
Boom...
In an instant, the Shoyo cheer squad's cheers surged like a tidal wave and swept across the entire court once again.
"Shoyo... Shoyo... Shoyo..."
The earth-shaking chants seemed ready to blow the roof off the gymnasium.
Over on Shohoku's side, every player seemed to have a heavy, lingering cloud pressing down on his head. The atmosphere was stifling and oppressive.
"Coach Anzai, what do we do? We're already down by twenty points." Ayako was frantic, and her voice trembled slightly as she hurriedly sought Anzai Mitsuyoshi's help.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi calmly took a slow sip of tea and said, "Don't rush. The game isn't over yet!"
"Huh?" Ayako was completely dumbfounded. She had no idea what Coach Anzai was planning.
Ayako was not the only one confused. Taoka Moichi and Takato Riki in the stands were equally baffled.
Taoka Moichi frowned, his face full of doubt. "Why hasn't Coach Anzai called a timeout yet? I really don't understand!"
Takato Riki curled his lip and muttered inwardly, Could Shohoku really be planning to give up the game? What are they thinking?
The players from Ryonan and Kainan also exchanged bewildered looks.
The sight of Shohoku being brutally crushed had far exceeded their expectations.
They had even begun to wonder whether coming to watch Shohoku play Shoyo had been a mistake.
But when their eyes swept toward Shohoku's bench and saw Qing Junce sitting leisurely on the bench, they immediately cast that thought into the farthest reaches of their minds.
On the court, Shohoku once again came under Shoyo's pressure.
Fujima Kenji dribbled the ball and quickly charged into Shohoku's half.
His eyes flashed as he rapidly surveyed the positions of both teams on the court. Then, he casually glanced toward Qing Junce outside the court and thought to himself, You still don't plan to take the court? I don't know what you're up to, but if that's how it is, I'll widen the gap until you can't recover.
With that thought, he suddenly changed direction while dribbling and faked a pass. Miyagi Ryota was fooled at once, allowing Fujima Kenji to break through into Shohoku's interior.
Damn it.
Miyagi Ryota hurriedly turned back to cover him.
But at that moment, Fujima Kenji flicked his wrist and passed the ball out.
The ball landed securely in Hasegawa Kazushi's hands.
From the beginning of the game until now, Hasegawa Kazushi had given everyone the impression that he was merely a player skilled at defense. As a result, Mitsui Hisashi had not spent much effort guarding his shooting.
And that ended badly.
After receiving the ball, Hasegawa Kazushi did not hesitate in the slightest. He raised his hand and shot.
Mitsui Hisashi froze on the spot. Looking at his opponent's shooting form, he inexplicably found it familiar.
"That's..." Kogure Kiminobu's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.
Ayako was so startled that her mouth fell open. She wondered whether she was seeing things.
Akagi Takenori, Rukawa Kaede, and Miyagi Ryota were equally shocked, because they could all see Mitsui Hisashi's shadow in Hasegawa Kazushi's shooting motion.
It was similar—far too similar.
Of course, the oblivious Sakuragi Hanamichi noticed nothing unusual about the scene.
Whoosh!
The ball shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.
Under the astonished, shocked, and disbelieving gazes of everyone from Shohoku, the ball dropped precisely into the basket.
Swish...
The ball went through the net.
Shoyo scored a three-pointer.
Shohoku 0–24 Shoyo.
"Shoyo... Shoyo... Shoyo..."
The Shoyo cheer squad's chants once again spread throughout the entire court.
At that moment, less than five minutes remained before halftime.
Qing Junce had originally been scheduled to enter in the second half.
But now...
Whoosh...
Qing Junce exhaled, the corners of his lips curling into a mysterious, slightly eerie smile.
He stood up and twisted his neck from side to side. A series of crackling sounds rang out.
Then he turned toward Anzai Mitsuyoshi and said calmly, "Coach, it's time for me to take the court."
As soon as he said this, everyone else on the bench turned their eyes toward him.
Everyone's eyes lit up.
"Qing Junce!" Kogure Kiminobu's voice rose several octaves with excitement.
Shiosaki Satoshi's face was filled with longing, as if he had already seen the dawn of victory. "That's wonderful."
Yasuda Yasuharu grinned, revealing a row of bright white teeth. "I'm counting on you, Qing Junce."
Several first-year members gazed at Qing Junce eagerly, their faces filled with delight. "Qing Junce, we're counting on you for everything."
Watching everyone's reaction, Anzai Mitsuyoshi could not help sighing again inwardly.
The team relied too heavily on Qing Junce now. That naturally had its advantages, but it also had disadvantages.
He looked at Qing Junce and sighed helplessly to himself.
In theory, with the current lineup on the court, Shohoku should not have been in such a miserable state. They should have had at least some ability to fight back.
Could I have been taking things for granted?
Forget it. Things have come to this. We can only take it one step at a time.
In the end, Anzai Mitsuyoshi nodded and said, "All right! Go ahead and take the court."
Ayako hurriedly encouraged Qing Junce. "Qing Junce, do your best! Show Shoyo what's what and let them know how strong Shohoku is."
Without even turning his head, Qing Junce said, "Isn't that only natural?"
Hearing this, Ayako shook her head helplessly, but a relieved smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
Beep...
The whistle blew.
Shohoku requested a substitution.
In an instant, the noisy gymnasium seemed to have been paused. It fell into an eerie silence.
Tap... tap... tap...
Qing Junce's steady, powerful footsteps rang clearly in everyone's ears.
At that moment, everyone's gaze seemed drawn by a magnet, firmly locking onto the figure walking onto the court.
Fujima Kenji narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with scrutiny and caution. "Is he finally taking the court?"
Hanagata Toru looked at Qing Junce and muttered, "We're already ahead by twenty points. What difference can it make if he comes in now?"
Akagi Takenori and the others did not look happy when they saw Qing Junce enter the court.
After all, their previous performance had been far too embarrassing.
In the stands, the players from Ryonan and Kainan instantly perked up.
Sendoh's eyes shone as he stared at Qing Junce below. "Looks like Shohoku is about to launch a counterattack."
Koshino Hiroaki frowned and said in confusion, "He's only entering now. Isn't that a little late?"
Uozumi, however, remained completely calm. He said directly, "For that guy, this point gap is nothing."
Aida Kenichi was so excited that his hands trembled slightly. He hurriedly raised his video camera, aimed it at Qing Junce, and began snapping pictures nonstop. "I've finally waited for Qing Junce to enter! I'm going to record all his brilliant plays."
Taoka Moichi watched from the side with a dark expression. He raised his hand and slammed his fist into Aida Kenichi's head, shouting irritably, "That's enough! I gave you the camera so you could record the entire game, not just him."
Maki Shinichi stared intently at Qing Junce with a solemn expression and slowly said, "Let me see what you can do against Shoyo!"
Takato Riki thought to himself, Let me see what you're really capable of.
On the other side, Aida Yayoi's face was full of anticipation, and her eyes were practically sparkling.
The Qing Junce she had been longing for had finally entered the game.
Waiting for more than ten minutes had been pure torment for her.
She excitedly ordered Nakamura Taizo beside her, "The person we've been waiting for has finally entered. Make sure you record everything carefully. Don't miss a single shot, and capture every one of his attempts."
"Yes." Nakamura Taizo hurriedly agreed, fumbling as he adjusted the equipment.
Qing Junce wore an unruly smile, his eyes full of mockery. He swept his gaze over Akagi Takenori and the others one by one, casually picking at his ear as he said bluntly, "You guys, stop standing there like a bunch of rocks. You're in the way. Be sensible and have one of you go down."
As soon as he said this, Akagi Takenori, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui Hisashi, and Miyagi Ryota froze on the spot, as if a strange wind had swept over them.
But they quickly recovered from their stupor, and then all five exploded.
"You bastard! Who are you calling a rock?" Sakuragi Hanamichi was like a firecracker that had been lit. He was the first to jump up, eyes wide and face furious.
Miyagi Ryota's face flushed red with anger, his fury rising rapidly. "You guy who hasn't even played yet, what right do you have to order me around?"
Mitsui Hisashi went so far as to raise his middle finger, showing no attempt to hide his displeasure. "Is that how you speak to your seniors? You ignorant brat."
Akagi Takenori's veins bulged as he growled, "First-years these days are really no fun at all."
Rukawa Kaede let out a cold snort. "A bunch of idiots."
Qing Junce ignored their accusations completely and calmly urged them, "Have you decided? Who's going down? I don't mind if all of you leave."
His words were like water poured into a pan of hot oil, completely igniting Akagi Takenori and the others. Every one of them trembled with rage, their shark-like teeth grinding loudly. Even the sense of helplessness caused by Shoyo's total suppression vanished in the face of their fury.
Outside the court, Shimizu Kanon watched the scene and sighed helplessly. "A-Ce, honestly, can't you speak properly?"
Ayako also looked helpless as she rubbed her forehead and gave a bitter smile. "I knew this would happen."
Anzai Mitsuyoshi could not help laughing as he watched the situation on the court.
Ho ho ho ho...
He could see that the tension in Akagi Takenori and the others had completely disappeared.
The method was different, but the result was the same.
Anzai Mitsuyoshi was deeply gratified by this.
At that moment, everyone from Shohoku on the court focused their gazes on Miyagi Ryota.
Miyagi Ryota shuddered under their stares and stammered, "Y-You... why are you all looking at me like that?"
Mitsui Hisashi: "Why are you still standing here?"
Miyagi Ryota: "..."
Sakuragi Hanamichi: "You're the shortest one here. Staying on the court will only get in the way."
Miyagi Ryota: "Sakuragi... you..."
Akagi Takenori: "Don't waste time. Hurry up and get off."
Miyagi Ryota: "You guys..."
Rukawa Kaede sighed helplessly and spread his hands toward Miyagi Ryota. His meaning could not have been clearer.
Miyagi Ryota: "Being short isn't my fault."
Qing Junce did not forget to add fuel to the fire. "That's reality. Who told you not to drink enough milk when you were young? Who else can you blame for not growing taller?"
Boom...
Qing Junce's words completely set Miyagi Ryota off.
Miyagi Ryota stomped his feet and shouted, "You bastard! What does being short have to do with drinking milk? There has to be a limit to looking down on people, damn it!"
In the end, under everyone's pitying yet faintly schadenfreude-filled gazes, Miyagi Ryota still left the court angrily.
Before you continue