Time passed.
Soon, it was time for the second half.
Qing Junce immediately stood up, took off his jacket, and walked onto the court.
His eyes were half-open, and he still looked as if he had not woken up.
However, the corners of his lips were slightly raised. His gaze swept over Akagi Takenori and the others before finally settling on the scoreboard.
29 to 35.
The upperclassmen were leading.
Those 29 points had basically all been scored by Rukawa Kaede alone. The others were practically wooden statues.
Just then, Sakuragi Hanamichi spoke with a smug and confident expression: "Just you wait! Watch how this genius beats you!"
Qing Junce completely ignored this clown.
He loosened up his body, then quietly waited for the game to begin.
Toot...
With the sound of the whistle, the second half officially began.
The upperclassmen got the ball first.
Led by Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu, the opposing side attacked extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the three-point line on Qing Junce's side.
Akagi Takenori did not slow down. When he saw Rukawa Kaede preparing to defend him ahead, he immediately waved and passed the ball to Kogure Kiminobu on the side.
"Leave it to me..." Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly pushed off the ground. Like an arrow released from its bow, he blocked Kogure Kiminobu's path in the blink of an eye.
This sudden turn of events frightened Kogure Kiminobu into forcibly stopping his advance.
The others were also extremely shocked by the sight.
No one had expected Sakuragi Hanamichi's explosive power to be so strong.
However, Sakuragi Hanamichi had only just begun playing basketball. Kogure Kiminobu used a feint to distract him, then took the opportunity to toss the ball toward the basket again.
At the same time, Akagi Takenori used his powerful body to shove Rukawa Kaede aside. He then forced his way into the key, jumped, caught the basketball flying through the air, and prepared to slam it into the hoop.
The first-year students' expressions changed drastically as they cried out, "An alley-oop!"
Rukawa Kaede's gaze also sharpened.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He seemed to have already imagined how this shot would end.
Just when everyone thought Akagi Takenori would dunk the ball into the hoop—
A palm suddenly appeared and slapped the basketball out of Akagi Takenori's hands.
Akagi Takenori's pupils shrank, his face filled with disbelief.
The others were also stunned.
They stared in astonishment at Qing Junce, who had blocked Akagi Takenori's shot, wondering if they had seen it wrong.
Bang... Bang bang... Bang bang bang...
The basketball rolled out of bounds.
For a moment, the entire court fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Qing Junce.
"Captain Akagi actually got his shot blocked!" Ayako, watching from the sidelines, could not help crying out.
Coach Anzai held a steaming cup of tea in his hands, his gaze fixed on Qing Junce on the court. White light flashed across his glasses several times.
Kogure Kiminobu also stood there with his mouth wide open, stormy waves surging through his heart. He was deeply shaken. "That guy actually blocked Akagi head-on."
The game continued.
Since the basketball had gone out of bounds, possession still belonged to the upperclassmen.
The upperclassmen put the ball back into play.
The basketball was passed toward Akagi Takenori.
But before it could reach Akagi Takenori's hands, a large hand blocked the path first.
Qing Junce suddenly appeared in the middle and intercepted the pass.
Akagi Takenori only felt a gust of wind sweep past him. His vision blurred, and the basketball vanished.
What?
Akagi Takenori was shocked.
The others were also frozen in place.
By the time they belatedly turned toward the sound, Qing Junce had already dribbled past half court.
This guy...
Akagi Takenori was horrified. He took a step to chase after him, but when he saw Qing Junce entering his side's key, he ultimately stopped.
There was no point chasing him now.
In the next moment, Qing Junce made a three-step layup and sent the ball securely into the hoop.
The gym fell completely silent.
The players' positions on the court looked extremely bizarre.
Nine people stood on one half of the court.
Only one person stood on the other half.
That person was naturally Qing Junce.
At that moment, everyone looked at Qing Junce as if he were a monster.
The same question flashed through all their minds.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
Ayako was recording information on the sidelines. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes nearly popped out. Covering her mouth, she cried out again, "Oh... my God! I'm not seeing things, am I? How can he be so fast? He scored in the blink of an eye!"
Shimizu Kanon merely curled up the corners of her lips, showing little surprise. It seemed she had long since grown accustomed to Qing Junce's performance.
However, Anzai Mitsuyoshi, who had been sitting beside her, had somehow already stood up. His eyes gleamed beneath his flashing glasses as he stared intently at Qing Junce on the court.
His usually unconcerned face now showed shock.
His heart was far from calm, and he secretly marveled, What astonishing talent. He may even surpass Yazawa. No, even Yazawa might not be able to compare with this boy. Such talent is truly rare in this world!
He sat back down on the bench, but his eyes now held a little more thought and anticipation.
On the court.
Everyone had been shocked by Qing Junce's sudden basket.
Rukawa Kaede especially stared fixedly at Qing Junce, fighting spirit that he could no longer suppress beginning to surge within him.
Even he had only vaguely caught a trace of Qing Junce's movements just now. By the time he found Qing Junce's figure, Qing Junce had already jumped and gone for the layup.
He sensed an aura belonging solely to the strong emanating from Qing Junce.
Kogure Kiminobu swallowed and stammered, "When did he get over there? I didn't notice him at all."
Akagi Takenori stood where he was, staring at Qing Junce in a daze.
His heart was in turmoil.
From the moment Qing Junce stole the ball to the moment he scored, only enough time had passed for Akagi Takenori to turn his head.
In such a short time, Qing Junce had already run to the key and made the layup.
Could a human really run that fast?
Qing Junce turned around and calmly looked at everyone staring at him. Then he said, "Don't tell me this is all you've got?!"
Hearing this, Akagi Takenori's face darkened. He said coldly, "What an arrogant brat."
The upperclassmen put the ball back into play.
This time, Akagi Takenori personally carried the ball forward.
He deliberately glanced toward Qing Junce's position.
For some reason, after having the ball stolen earlier, he had instinctively become wary of Qing Junce.
After dribbling across the center line, Akagi Takenori was intercepted by Rukawa Kaede.
After facing each other throughout the entire first half, the two had gained a certain understanding of each other. Both their offense and defense had become much more cautious.
Akagi Takenori did not charge forward. Instead, he searched for an opportunity to pass the ball.
He knew his speed and technique were inferior to Rukawa Kaede's, so he would never give his opponent a chance to get close.
He immediately turned around and backed into him, using his body to block Rukawa Kaede's view.
Taking advantage of this, he raised his hand and passed the basketball over Rukawa Kaede.
The basketball flew straight toward Kogure Kiminobu beyond the three-point line.
But just as the ball was about to land in Kogure Kiminobu's hands, a figure suddenly appeared and caught it in midair a step ahead of him.
Everyone was greatly shocked when they saw that figure.
The one who had caught the ball first was none other than Sakuragi Hanamichi.
No one had expected this sudden turn of events.
Shimizu Kanon, watching from the sidelines, was also somewhat surprised. She murmured, "This student has excellent talent. His explosive power and jumping ability are both very strong. If he is properly trained, he will definitely become a reliable player."
Hearing her analysis, Anzai Mitsuyoshi became interested and asked, "Oh! You think highly of Sakuragi, Shimizu? You were able to accurately analyze Sakuragi's strengths with just one look. It seems you understand basketball very well too."
At this, Shimizu Kanon merely giggled and said, "It's nothing. I used to watch A-Ce play basketball often, so after a long time, I learned a little about basketball too."
Ayako asked curiously, "You said you often watched Qing Junce play basketball? Then why have I never heard of him? With the strength he just showed, he shouldn't have remained unknown."
"You mean that?" Shimizu Kanon paused before saying, "A-Ce and I used to live in Hokkaido, and we only recently came back. Also, when he was in elementary and middle school, he didn't join the school basketball teams for some reason. I only accompanied him to play at some local street courts."
"I see." Ayako nodded thoughtfully.
While they were discussing Qing Junce, an unexpected change suddenly occurred on the court.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had intercepted the pass, dribbled rapidly toward the opposing basket.
Seeing his swift stride and skilled dribbling, everyone was incredibly surprised.
No one had expected Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had only just started playing basketball, to dribble without showing any awkwardness at all.
Akagi Takenori and Kogure Kiminobu were also astonished, while joy rose in their hearts.
At this rate of improvement, Sakuragi Hanamichi would soon be able to play in actual games.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sakuragi Hanamichi stepped straight into the key, then jumped into the air and raised the basketball in his hand toward the hoop for a dunk.
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