Halftime, the Storm Was Brewing!

When the halftime buzzer sounded, that shot from behind the backboard, like a frozen frame, was branded forever into the minds of everyone present.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Ryonan's players looked as though their souls had been collectively ripped away. They stood there dumbly, their empty eyes fixed on the scoreboard, which now read 36:36.

A tie?

This was actually a tie?

Even though Akira Sendoh had nearly delivered the best performance of his career, tearing apart Shohoku's entire defense by himself, they had only managed to tie their opponents?

And that number 1 on the other side had only taken one shot in the final minute.

That single shot had erased all of Sendoh's efforts.

What was this?

What the hell was this?!

Jun Uozumi lowered his head and stared at his hands. Just moments ago, that white-haired boy had flown past right in front of him, then thrown the ball into the basket in a way he simply could not understand.

At that moment, he felt his faith in basketball collapse.

"What are you all standing around for? Get back to the locker room!"

Coach Taoka's voice was hoarse and weak. He was the first to break free from the fear of that miracle, but his face was paler than paper.

Ryonan's players followed behind him toward the tunnel like walking corpses.

Akira Sendoh walked at the very back of the group. He did not look at anyone, merely keeping his head lowered so no one could see the expression on his face.

As he brushed past Shirakawa, who was about to leave the court, he heard a voice that sent chills through his entire body.

"I told you."

"The warm-up is over."

Sendoh's body suddenly stiffened.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Shirakawa's retreating figure.

That figure was lazy and casual, yet it felt like an insurmountable mountain, crushing him until he could barely breathe.

A warm-up...

So everything that had just happened had merely been his warm-up?

Meanwhile, in Shohoku's locker room.

The atmosphere was just as strange.

No one spoke. They simply stared straight at Shirakawa, who was wiping away his sweat with a towel, as if he were an alien.

"Hey, why are you all looking at me like that?" Shirakawa felt his scalp prickle. "Is there something on my face?"

"Shirakawa..." Ryota Miyagi swallowed, then asked in a dry voice, "You... that thing you did just now... how exactly did you do it?"

That question voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Which one?" Shirakawa looked completely innocent.

"That one! The one where you threw the ball in from behind the backboard!" Miyagi gestured excitedly.

"Oh, that?" Shirakawa thought about it, then said seriously, "By feel. I gave my wrist a little flick, it went duang, and it went in."

Everyone: "..."

You called that a little duang?!

Did you take us for idiots?!

"Alright, alright, stop studying that." Shirakawa waved his hand, cutting off their questions. "Let's talk business. How do we play the second half?"

He swept his gaze around the room and saw that everyone was still immersed in their shock. He could not help but sigh.

It seemed that shot had not only frightened the opponents; it had scared his own teammates badly too.

"Honestly."

He walked over to the tactics board and picked up a pen.

"Alright, stop spacing out and listen."

His voice was not loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention.

"In the second half, the strategy stays the same."

Shirakawa drew a huge arrow on the tactics board, pointing at himself.

"Get the ball to me."

"I'll handle everything."

Those words were arrogant to the extreme.

Yet at that moment, not a single person thought he was bragging.

They merely watched him quietly, their eyes filled with absolute trust and reliance.

"Captain Akagi, protect the paint."

"Senior Miyagi, push the fast break whenever there's an opportunity."

"Kaede Rukawa," Shirakawa said, looking at Rukawa, "if I get double-teamed, the ball will go to you first. Be ready."

Kaede Rukawa silently nodded without saying a word, but his clenched fists revealed the turmoil in his heart.

"As for Sakuragi..."

"Present! Lord Shirakawa!" Hanamichi Sakuragi immediately stood at attention.

"You..." Shirakawa looked at him, held back for a long while, then finally said, "Your job is to cheer for this ace."

"Yeahhhhh! Leave it to me, Lord Shirakawa! Shohoku! Victory!" Sakuragi immediately waved his towel and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The oppressive atmosphere in the locker room was instantly swept away by that clown.

Coach Anzai sat in a corner, smiling as he watched the scene. From beginning to end, he did not say a single word.

His gaze rested on Shirakawa, and an unprecedented gleam flickered deep in his eyes.

Shirakawa...

Just how many more surprising things were you hiding?

Heh heh heh, this game was getting more and more interesting.

The fifteen-minute halftime break quickly passed.

When the players of both teams returned to the court, everyone keenly noticed that the atmosphere had changed.

Shohoku's morale was soaring. Every player looked pumped up, his eyes brimming with confidence.

Ryonan, on the other hand, was shrouded in gloom, except for one person.

Akira Sendoh.

He stood at the front of the team, having taken off his warm-up jacket to reveal the blue number 7 jersey beneath it.

The lazy, playful look he had worn in the first half was gone from his face.

In its place was an unprecedented focus and resolve.

Like a hawk's, his gaze crossed the entire court and locked firmly onto the white-haired boy who was walking out of the tunnel while yawning.

Shirakawa, I admit that you're strong.

Strong enough to exceed my imagination.

But I, Akira Sendoh, am not so easily defeated!

In the second half, let me see for myself just how strong a monster like you really is!