Defeating Ryonan

"We won!!!"

Hanamichi Sakuragi threw both hands into the air and began celebrating victory early.

"My first win! Wahahaha!"

The Shohoku supporters in the stands also began cheering and embracing one another.

"Idiot! It's not over yet!"

A low shout rang out.

Kaede Rukawa sprinted toward the backcourt like a cheetah.

The instant the free throw went in, Lin Bei turned and ran without the slightest pause.

He did not even make a celebratory gesture.

Because he had seen Sendoh.

The light in that man's eyes had not gone out.

"Get the ball in!"

Taoka Moichi stomped about on the sidelines.

Jun Uozumi grabbed the basketball and, without even stepping to the baseline, hurled it powerfully toward the frontcourt.

It was a desperate long pass.

The ball flew across half court like a cannonball.

Akira Sendoh caught it.

There were still four seconds left.

Without the slightest hesitation, he caught the ball and accelerated, cutting into Shohoku territory like a blue bolt of lightning.

"Stop him!!!"

Takenori Akagi roared beneath the basket.

But Sendoh was too fast.

He blew past the celebrating Sakuragi and past Kogure, who could not get back in time.

Only the basket remained before him.

Three seconds remained.

As long as he made the layup, Ryonan could win it at the buzzer!

"Not a chance!"

A dark figure lunged in from the side.

Kaede Rukawa!

Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out the last shred of strength in his body and slid in front of Sendoh.

"Kaede Rukawa..."

A trace of admiration flashed through Sendoh's eyes, but his movements did not hesitate in the slightest.

He stopped short and changed direction.

Rukawa was shaken half a step away.

Sendoh jumped.

At that moment, another figure appeared on his other side.

Lin Bei!

"Seriously, did you have to force me to work overtime until the very last second?"

Lin Bei wore a pained expression, but he jumped as well.

Though he did not get very high, his long arms perfectly sealed off Sendoh's passing lane.

Rukawa was on the left.

Lin Bei was on the right.

The two demons slammed the door shut!

In midair, Sendoh was already trapped between them.

There was no passing space.

No angle for a layup.

One second remained.

"I can only shoot."

Sendoh forcibly twisted his waist in midair. Relying on his astonishing core strength, he launched the ball through the gap between their blocks.

A pull-up fadeaway!

The form was beautiful as a painting, but the difficulty was utterly absurd.

Everyone's hearts stopped beating.

Their eyes followed the ball.

The basketball struck the front rim.

"Boing."

It bounced up.

It fell.

It bounced again.

Then it rolled around the rim once.

Finally...

It slipped off the outside of the basket.

"Beeeep—!!!"

The final buzzer sounded.

The red light came on.

The score froze at 89:90.

The sound of the ball hitting the floor was swallowed by deafening cheers.

"We won..."

Takenori Akagi stared at the score, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Shohoku, who always lost...

Shohoku, whom everyone mocked...

Had beaten Ryonan!

They had beaten last year's Final Four team!

On the court.

Sendoh landed and stared blankly at the basketball rolling away for two seconds.

Then he smiled helplessly and scratched his spiky hair.

"Ah... we lost."

"What a pity."

Though he said it was a pity.

There was not the slightest gloom in his eyes. Instead, they were filled with anticipation for the future.

On the other side.

The instant the buzzer sounded, Lin Bei collapsed onto the court as if all the bones had been pulled from his body.

"Finally... work is over."

"System, I want to redeem an iced cola."

"Right now, immediately!"

He lay sprawled out like a starfish, staring at the ceiling.

"Master!!!"

Before Lin Bei could catch his breath, a mountain of flesh crashed down on him.

Hanamichi Sakuragi pounced on him, smearing snot and tears all over him.

"We won! I'm a genius! Wahahaha!"

"Get off... I'm suffocating..."

Lin Bei rolled his eyes.

He felt like he had just escaped Sendoh's buzzer-beater, only to die in his disciple's embrace.

Kaede Rukawa stood nearby with his hands braced on his knees, gulping down air.

Sweat dripped onto the floor.

He glanced at Lin Bei beneath Sakuragi, then at Sendoh in the distance.

"Next time..."

Rukawa clenched his fist.

"I'll win more decisively."

At the sidelines.

Taoka Moichi stood frozen in place as half of the tactics board in his hand slipped down.

"We lost..."

"I actually lost to Shohoku..."

"No, I lost to..."

His gaze fell upon the number 16 figure lying on the floor.

The guy who looked the laziest and least motivated.

Yet had dealt Ryonan a fatal blow at the crucial moment.

"Lin Bei..."

Taoka Moichi gritted his teeth, but he could not help acknowledging it.

"Shohoku will turn everything upside down this year."

Coach Anzai sat in his chair, chuckling.

Light reflected off his glasses, concealing the sharp gleam in his eyes.

"Ho ho ho..."

"It seems this summer will be very interesting."

Lin Bei finally shoved Sakuragi away with great effort.

He sat up, feeling as though every bone in his body was about to fall apart.

In his mind, the system notification sounded pleasantly.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission]

[Reward issued: All attributes +1]

A smile curled across Lin Bei's lips.

Not just because of the reward.

But because...

"No need to wipe the floor. That's great."

The lingering echo of the buzzer seemed to still circle above Ryonan Gymnasium.

The bright red 89:90 on the scoreboard.

It was like an unbelievable miracle, deeply branded onto everyone's retinas.

After a brief silence came an explosive uproar.

Then the players from both teams lined up at center court.

Though it was only a practice game, the air was filled with a fiercer smell of gunpowder than an official match.

Takenori Akagi stood at the front of the line.

A bandage still covered his forehead, and sweat mixed with dried blood.

It made him look like a general who had just returned from the battlefield.

Across from him stood the equally exhausted Jun Uozumi.

The gazes of the two giants collided in midair.

The earlier hostility was gone, replaced by an emotion called recognition.

"You won this time, Akagi."

"But at the prefectural tournament, I'll take it all back with interest."

Uozumi extended his massive hand, his deep voice carrying a trace of unwillingness.

Akagi grasped that hand and squeezed it firmly.

"Anytime."

"But next time, Shohoku will still win."

The two released each other's hands and moved on to their next opponents.

The line moved slowly.

At last, Kaede Rukawa stood before Akira Sendoh.

The usually cold face of Kaede Rukawa was now filled with determination.

Sweat dripped from his sharp chin, and his eyes remained locked on Sendoh.

Sendoh, meanwhile, had returned to his signature lazy smile.

He held out his hand, his tone as casual as if they were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"Not bad, Kaede Rukawa."

"You defended that last shot beautifully."

Rukawa looked at the hand extended before him.

He didn't take the hand.

Smack!

A crisp slap rang out.

Kaede Rukawa raised his hand and smacked the outstretched palm.

It wasn't a high-five. It was more like some kind of ritual declaration of war.

Everyone around them froze for a moment.

Kaede Rukawa withdrew his hand and said coldly,

"Next time, I'll beat you directly."

"Not through luck, and not through teamwork."

"One-on-one."

With that, he turned and walked toward the next person without looking back.

Sendoh stared at his reddened palm, stunned for a second.

Then the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

"What an unlikable underclassman."

"But... he's interesting."