Hearing that someone had his eye on Haruko Akagi, Hanamichi Sakuragi immediately jumped onto the basketball court and headbutted the blond guy.
The thing was, the blond guy showed absolutely no reaction after taking a headbutt from Hanamichi Sakuragi.
Ryota Kudo had been about to go in and stop Hanamichi Sakuragi, but the conversation that followed made him stop in his tracks.
The blond guy on the court was called Koichiro Nango, and he was Tsukubu High School's starting center.
Tsukubu High School was also Shohoku High School's last opponent before the final eight. As long as Shohoku beat them, they would officially enter Kanagawa's final eight.
Just as Ryota Kudo had thought, Koichiro Nango and Hanamichi Sakuragi were the same type: simple-minded people with no real ill intentions. The two of them weren't going to get into a fight.
In the end, Koichiro Nango and Hanamichi Sakuragi made a bet that left people speechless.
If Shohoku High School lost to Tsukubu High School, Hanamichi Sakuragi would give up on Haruko Akagi and let Koichiro Nango pursue her.
Leaving these problem children's affairs alone, Ryota Kudo continued on to Shohoku's basketball gym for extra practice. It was only Tsukubu High School; he really didn't think much of them.
A week later, the final game for a spot in the final eight, Shohoku High School versus Tsukubu High School, officially began.
The two sides shook hands on the court. What Ryota Kudo hadn't expected was that Shohoku actually had deep ties with Tsukubu High School.
Tsukubu High School's captain, Tomokazu Godai, had been Takenori Akagi's teammate in middle school. He was a hardworking talent who excelled at three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, Hanamichi Sakuragi and Koichiro Nango glared at each other, both wishing they could kill the other with their eyes.
Most unexpected of all, Tsukubu High School's coach walked up to Coach Anzai and gave him a deep, respectful bow.
This coach was named Kazumi Kawasaki. He had been Coach Anzai's student in college, and his coaching skills were also excellent.
The players from both teams took their positions on the court. The game was about to begin.
Shohoku's starters today were point guard Ryota Kudo, shooting guard Hisashi Mitsui, small forward Kaede Rukawa, power forward Satoru Kakuta, and center Takenori Akagi.
Because Hanamichi Sakuragi fouled out with five fouls every time, Coach Anzai had kept him on the bench. He would play as a substitute this game.
Tsukubu High School's starting five were point guard Hiroshi Natsume, shooting guard and captain Tomokazu Godai, small forward Kenta Mine, power forward Takashi Izumi, and center Koichiro Nango.
Apart from captain Tomokazu Godai and super rookie Koichiro Nango, the other players were all average, but this team worked together extremely well.
Tweet! A whistle sounded, and the referee tossed the basketball into the air.
Koichiro Nango leaped high, successfully beating Takenori Akagi on the jump ball. Tsukubu High School gained the first possession.
Hiroshi Natsume raised one finger, signaling everyone to take their time with their first offensive possession. Even though Kanagawa's hottest "super rookie," Ryota Kudo, stood opposite him, he wasn't nervous at all.
Being taken so lightly by his opponent, Ryota Kudo immediately stepped closer, preparing to put pressure on Hiroshi Natsume.
But just as Ryota Kudo closed in, Hiroshi Natsume had already passed the ball. Tomokazu Godai received it, took just one dribble, and moved it on to small forward Kenta Mine.
This was Shohoku High School's first encounter with such a quick-passing style, and Hisashi Mitsui's attention involuntarily followed the basketball to the opposing small forward.
In that brief moment of distraction, Tomokazu Godai had already run into an open spot, and the basketball instantly returned to his hands.
Taking an open three, Tomokazu Godai sank the game's first basket with an exceptionally soft touch.
"Nice shot!" Celebrating loudly, all five Tsukubu High School players began retreating on defense. The team was extremely disciplined.
Against an opponent like this, Ryota Kudo found defending uncomfortable. He could easily lock down the opposing point guard, Hiroshi Natsume, but the other team simply gave him no opportunity to do so.
Passing within a second-against this style of play that relied on the entire team, even an elite defender like Ryota Kudo was helpless.
Receiving the inbound pass from the baseline, Ryota Kudo began dribbling across half court with an expressionless face.
Ever since gaining Kenji Fujima's on-court coaching ability, Ryota Kudo had felt that his court vision had changed.
He could vaguely anticipate his teammates' movements, and he somehow also knew where they would be more comfortable receiving the ball.
Of course, this depended on Ryota Kudo being very familiar with everyone on Shohoku. Otherwise, the ability wouldn't work.
This on-court coaching ability was a little like a "poor man's version" of the Eye of the Sky. The feeling of having the whole court under his control was truly satisfying.
Kaede Rukawa on the right had only just broken through the opposing defense when Ryota Kudo's pass arrived in his hands.
Kaede Rukawa froze for a moment upon receiving the ball. Once he reacted, he immediately took his steps and went up for a double-clutch layup, making the difficult shot.
"Kaede Rukawa! Kaede Rukawa!..."
In the stands, a group of girls in short skirts wildly celebrated Kaede Rukawa's basket, repeatedly kicking their legs high.
The spectators around them stared, transfixed. There was no denying that Kaede Rukawa really did have a lot of female fans.
Kanagawa's top four teams had all come to the stands. They were mainly there to observe Shohoku High School; no one thought Tsukubu High School could actually beat Shohoku.
Kenji Fujima, who had been sitting with his arms folded across his chest, stood up in surprise. That smooth, flowing pass was all too familiar to him.
He had just seen a reflection of himself in Ryota Kudo. In fact, with his superior physical abilities, Ryota Kudo had executed that pass even better than he could.
"What's wrong, Fujima?" Toru Hanagata looked at Kenji Fujima curiously. It was just a pass; he didn't understand why Fujima was so worked up.
"Nothing... probably just a lucky pass." Regaining his composure, Kenji Fujima sat back down. The game had only just begun; he needed to observe Ryota Kudo a little longer.
The game continued. This time, the ball quickly reached Koichiro Nango inside, and he put it into the basket under a double-team from Takenori Akagi and Satoru Kakuta.
After scoring, Koichiro Nango ran brazenly over to Shohoku's bench and taunted Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"Red-haired monkey, I thought you were so great, but you're just a substitute, haha! Sit right there and watch this genius perform.
Haruko Akagi has been mine all along!"
The person most angered by Koichiro Nango's outrageous declaration wasn't Hanamichi Sakuragi, but Shohoku's captain, Takenori Akagi.
Since when could people discuss his little sister like that? His face darkened with anger. If they hadn't been in a game, he would have punched Koichiro Nango already.
"Shut up, Nango! Don't taunt Shohoku's players, or I'll take you out right now!" Coach Kazumi Kawasaki finally couldn't stand watching any longer and loudly stopped the smug Koichiro Nango.
Haruko Akagi was equally bewildered in the stands. She hadn't seen Koichiro Nango's face that day and didn't know this person at all.
"Haruko, who's that blond guy? Is he one of your admirers too?" Haruko Akagi's close friend asked nosily.
"I don't know. I don't know him." Haruko Akagi shook her head in denial. She thought Koichiro Nango down on the court was a weirdo.
On the next possession, Takenori Akagi had barely reached the paint before he leaned with all his strength against Koichiro Nango behind him.
"Kudo, pass!" Takenori Akagi shouted. He was going to use basketball to teach this blond brat who didn't know his place a proper lesson.
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