The Game Was Over, and Kanagawa's Sky Was About to Change!

When the final buzzer sounded, the entire Ryonan Gymnasium fell into an eerie silence.

Every Ryonan student stared blankly at the enormous 95:50 score hanging above the court, feeling as though they were trapped in a nightmare.

They lost?

Ryonan... had actually lost?

And they had lost by a humiliating 45-point margin?

How was that possible?!

This was Ryonan, one of Kanagawa's top four teams, with Sendoh and Uozumi!

How could they have been crushed like this by Shohoku, a team that had failed to make it past the first round of the prefectural tournament last year?

Their gazes involuntarily converged on the white-haired youth wearing the number 1 jersey among Shohoku's players.

It was him.

It was all because of him.

From the moment he stepped onto this court, everything had changed.

He was like a god descending into the mortal world from some higher dimension.

He had dominated the entire game in a way they could neither comprehend nor resist.

He had crushed Ryonan's defense.

He had shattered the heart of the genius, Sendoh.

And he had completely overturned everything they thought they knew about the sport of basketball.

"What... what did we just see?" a Ryonan student asked, his voice trembling.

"I don't know..." His companion beside him shook his head dazedly. "I only know that, from today onward, Kanagawa's high school basketball world..."

"The sky is about to change."

"We won! We won!"

"Waaaaah! We actually beat Ryonan by 45 points!"

The instant the buzzer sounded, Shohoku's bench completely erupted!

Yasuda, Shiozaki, and the other substitutes charged wildly onto the court, excitedly embracing their teammates!

"Great job, Akagi! Miyagi!"

"Kaede Rukawa! You were insanely cool in the second half!"

"Sakuragi! That dunk was fucking awesome!"

Every face was brimming with the wild joy of victory!

They had defeated the powerful Ryonan!

And they had done so in a crushing fashion that even they themselves had never imagined!

"Wahahahaha! It was all thanks to this genius!" Hanamichi Sakuragi laughed smugly with his hands on his hips.

"Idiot, you're too loud." Kaede Rukawa glanced at him, but there was an unmistakable smile at the corner of his mouth.

Ryota Miyagi and Takenori Akagi, the two upperclassmen, were so excited that their eyes had turned a little red.

They had waited far too long for this day.

At last, they could see a glimmer of hope for conquering the nation!

And all that hope came from the man currently surrounded by everyone, yet still wearing that lazy expression.

Shirakawa.

"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up." Surrounded by the others, Shirakawa spoke helplessly. "It was just a practice game. What's there to make such a fuss about?"

"Save this level of excitement for when we win the national championship."

He said it lightly.

Yet to his teammates, his words felt like the strongest warm current.

That was right.

This was only the beginning.

Their goal was to conquer the nation!

"Line up!"

Takenori Akagi took a deep breath, composed himself, and shouted.

Shohoku's players quickly formed a line at the side of the court.

They looked at the Ryonan players opposite them, who were still immersed in defeat with their heads hanging low.

The envy and awe they once held in their eyes were gone.

In their place was a light called confidence.

From today onward, Shohoku would no longer be that weak team everyone could push around!

They were true powerhouses, capable of going toe-to-toe with any strong team!

Over on Ryonan's side, urged on by Jun Uozumi, they too finally trudged over with heavy steps.

Akira Sendoh walked at the very back of the line.

He had gotten back up, and calm had returned to his face.

But his eyes, once full of spirit and confidence, now looked hollow and dim.

"Thank you for the game!"

The players of both teams stood facing one another, bent down, and bowed.

Then came the handshake.

Jun Uozumi walked up to Akagi. The tower-like man looked at his longtime rival with complicated eyes.

"Akagi... you're strong."

"So are you," Akagi said deeply.

Coach Taoka walked over to Coach Anzai. The face that had once been full of confidence and calculation now held only bitterness and defeat.

"Coach Anzai... I... I lost."

He bowed deeply to Coach Anzai.

"I concede completely."

Coach Anzai chuckled as he helped him up. "Hehehe, Taoka-kun, it was only a practice game. Don't take it so seriously."

Coach Taoka gave a bitter smile.

Only a practice game?

He knew Coach Anzai was trying to comfort him.

But at the same time, he was telling him an even crueler truth.

For Shohoku, with that monster on their team, defeating Ryonan might truly have been no different from playing an ordinary practice game.

Lastly, it was Shirakawa and Sendoh.

When Shirakawa stopped in front of Sendoh, the despondent genius finally raised his head.

He looked at Shirakawa, his lips moving as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.

Shirakawa looked at him and did not offer any more mockery.

For an opponent who had completely lost his fighting spirit, no amount of words had any meaning.

He merely extended his hand.

Sen-

doh froze for a moment, then silently reached out and shook it.

"Your basketball is joyful."

Shirakawa looked at him and suddenly said something Sendoh had never ex-

pected.

Sendoh's body jolted.

He raised his head and stared at Shirakawa in astonishment.

"But," Shirakawa said with a smile curling at his lips, "my basketball is faster than yours."

With that, he let go, turned around, and followed Shohoku's team toward the gymnasium exit.

Leaving Akira Sendoh alone, standing blankly where he was.

Shirakawa's final words echoed relentlessly in his mind.

My basketball is faster than yours...

Just as Shirakawa was about to walk out of the gymnasium doors.

A long-awaited, cold mechanical notification suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Main Quest: "Kanagawa's First Cry" completed!]

[Quest Rating: S (Perfect)]

[Quest Requirements: Lead the team to defeat Ryonan (Completed), personally suppress Akira Sendoh in all aspects (Completed)]

[Calculating quest rewards...]

[Congratulations, Host. You have received Miracle Points: 5000!]

[Congratulations, Host. You have received an S-rank divine skill: "Emperor Eye" Fragment x1!]

[Congratulations, Host. You completed an S-rank evaluation and triggered a hidden reward!]

[Hidden Reward: Unlocked a new player template—one of the "Generation of Miracles," the "Three-Point Sharpshooter" Shintaro Midorima (Partial)!]