Shirasawa's shoulders relaxed.
He had guessed right.
Oh well, eighteen assists met the target.
Coach Anzai offered no further explanation. The starters more or less understood, and quitting while they were ahead felt pretty good.
Of course, not everyone understood.
"Huh??"
Hanamichi Sakuragi sprang to his feet, his face flushed red.
"Old man, have you lost it?! If we come off, won't we lose?!"
He gnashed his teeth and waved his fists.
"This genius was staking everything on the second half! That Sendoh! And that damn monkey! I have to teach them a lesson!"
By the end of the first half, Sakuragi had managed just two points and three rebounds, along with three fouls to his name.
Meanwhile, Sendoh had effortlessly put up seventeen points.
Sendoh had practically led Sakuragi around on a leash for the entire half.
Akagi sighed, reached out an arm, and hauled Sakuragi against his chest in a headlock.
"You idiot! After playing like that, you've got the nerve to shout?"
"Benching you is your punishment! Extra practice when we get back! Play like that again, and you'll never get off the bench!"
Akagi could not be bothered explaining the tactical considerations, so he simply pinned all the blame on Sakuragi.
He knew perfectly well that Sakuragi was capable of more, but the guy got carried away too easily, and his form could collapse at any moment.
Once they reached the prefectural tournament, or even nationals, they would face all kinds of opponents. He had to fix that problem.
On the other side,
Ryonan's Coach Taoka also announced a new arrangement.
"Sendoh, Uozumi, Kaede Rukawa, you'll all rest in the second half."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaede Rukawa's gaze turned cold.
He did not understand Taoka's intentions, nor was he interested in understanding them.
He only wanted to beat Shirasawa!
But he had failed to do so in the first half.
After waiting so long and practicing so much, not only had he failed to force Shirasawa to shoot, but his own points did not even outnumber Shirasawa's assists...
He could not swallow that.
Moichi Taoka saw what was on his mind and added, "It's only a practice game. Don't rush. Besides, I suspect Coach Anzai will ease off in the second half too."
"Shohoku has gained the most from the current situation. He won't take any risks."
With that, Taoka turned and gave Mitsuyoshi Anzai a long look.
Isn't that right, Anzai-senpai?
Just then, Sendoh suddenly yawned...
"Ahh... finally, a chance to rest..."
Taoka flared up at that!
Were you ever under any pressure?! 'Finally,' my foot!
Shohoku's sitting pretty now, but what about us?
How embarrassing!
Our goal this year is the national championship, and Shohoku held us to a tie at halftime. Outsiders won't care how strong Shohoku is. They'll just think Ryonan's a paper tiger!
And whose fault is that, Sendoh?!
Moichi Taoka glared, seething with anger.
Although the practice game had served its purpose, that tied score still infuriated him.
He said nothing, but Sendoh had already read it all on his face...
He immediately put on an apologetic smile and raised both hands in surrender.
"Don't be mad, Coach..."
"I'll be more careful next time... ha-ha..."
The referee's whistle blew.
The second half officially began.
The players from both teams filed onto the court.
The moment they appeared, the spectators were baffled...
What was going on?
Where was everyone?
On the sidelines, Moichi Taoka and Coach Anzai exchanged a glance at the same moment and smiled, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Shohoku's backup center, Satoru Kakuta, faced Ryonan's backup, Kanpei, for the jump ball at midcourt.
Kakuta lost the tip, giving Ryonan the first possession of the second half.
From that point on,
the game, which had been so exciting, suddenly became enough to put people to sleep...
"This is so boring... did the teams arrange this beforehand?"
"Seriously, I've been watching Ryonan for three years, and I don't think I've ever seen those two guys on the court..."
"Just look at Shohoku. That guy with the glasses... even I play better than him!"
"Let's go. The second half's probably going to stay like this. Both teams want to save their strength. Still, Shohoku really has been a pleasant surprise this year."
"True, but they're still no match for us. See them at the prefectural tournament."
The spectators chattered among themselves, their minds long since off the game.
In the media section, Yayoi Aida was making the most of the time to scribble in her notebook, listing one eye-catching headline after another in her neat handwriting.
Beside her, Sanae rested her chin on her hand in boredom and glanced over. She did not need to guess what Aida was writing.
Everyone at the magazine knew that Yayoi Aida was a die-hard fan of Ryonan's basketball team.
Last year, Ryonan had reached the final four and received even more coverage than the champions, Kainan.
Especially when it came to Sendoh, it all boiled down to one phrase:
An honorable defeat.
Right now, she was surely finding all sorts of flattering ways to describe Ryonan, putting a different spin on the halftime tie.
"How come you've got so much time on your hands?" Yayoi Aida asked without looking up.
The promotion was a contest between the two of them, and she cared about it too.
Career plans aside, a promotion would give her more freedom, allowing her to write without so many constraints.
Sanae's professional ability was indeed a threat to her.
But Sanae's behavior today had her a little puzzled...
Sanae smiled with her lips pressed together, her eyes curving into crescents, and answered with a question:
"What do you think of Shohoku, Aida-senpai?"
The unexpected question made Yayoi Aida pause. She looked down at the headlines in her notebook and suddenly felt a little embarrassed...
"Uh... Shohoku? They're all right this year. They should make some progress."
Sanae merely smiled and shook her head without saying anything more. Inwardly, however, she was already turning things over. For the sake of Shirasawa's plan, it seemed she would inevitably have to face Yayoi Aida head-on.
Neither side managed to score at the start of the second half. The pace dragged, and the play was not particularly pretty. It became a picture of almost the entire remainder of the game. Still, Ryonan's bench had more depth, and as the game went on, the gap gradually widened.
Coach Anzai remained perfectly composed, showing no concern however the substitutes played. Coach Taoka was another story. Whenever he disliked what he saw, he stood up and shouted, putting Ryonan's iron discipline on full display.
Hanamichi Sakuragi sat dejectedly on the bench, bouncing one foot impatiently. He was full of pent-up anger today and felt it was all Ryonan's fault. The old man over there kept yelling too, getting on his nerves. After putting up with it for quite a while, Sakuragi finally acted.
He quietly left his seat and wandered over to Ryonan's side. Sneaking up behind the shouting Moichi Taoka, he clasped his hands together, joined his fingertips into the shape of a gun, aimed at the small of Taoka's back, and jabbed!
A quick whoosh.
Pfft.
That "finger gun" made Moichi Taoka's entire body recoil. His face instantly turned blue-purple, followed by an agonized scream. "GAAAH-!!!"
Taoka doubled over in pain and looked back, only to find that glaring head of red hair. "You! What are you doing?!" The sudden turn of events left Ryonan's entire bench dumbfounded, everyone frozen for a moment.
Hanamichi Sakuragi proudly raised his chin. "Old man, this is a genius's judgment upon you!"
Moichi Taoka roared in fury, "Referee! Referee! This guy's insane!" Only then did Takenori Akagi rush over. Without a word, he gave Sakuragi a thorough beating right in front of Taoka, then pressed his head down and forced him to bow in apology.
Only then did Taoka feel somewhat appeased. He sat back down indignantly, grimacing in pain. Coach Anzai waved to him from a distance in apology, but Taoka kept feeling... was that chubby face suppressing a smile? Was he imagining things?
The referee stood firmly by the rules and promptly called a technical foul on Hanamichi Sakuragi. Ryonan received one free throw and possession. With nowhere to vent his anger, Moichi Taoka turned and happened to spot Hikoichi Aida beside him. He grabbed his ear and shouted, "What mysterious expert?! That brat's nothing of the sort! Hikoichi, extra practice when we get back! Extra practice!"
Under both physical and mental torment, Hikoichi Aida still stubbornly squeezed out, "Sakuragi-senpai's ability... goes far beyond this. Believe me..."
That little incident provided the only bright spot in the dull second half. The game finally ended with Shohoku losing to Ryonan, 72-87. The teams had tied in the first half, but with both sides fielding only substitutes in the second, Shohoku had been outscored 23-38.
But just as Coach Anzai had expected, the loss had little effect on the main players' mentality. In their minds, Shohoku was already a team capable of going toe-to-toe with Ryonan, or even surpassing them.
The players from both teams walked onto the court together and exchanged friendly bows. When the two captains, Akagi and Uozumi, shook hands, veins bulged on their arms. Neither seemed to be holding back his strength.
"Akagi, I hope we meet again at the prefectural tournament," Uozumi said. "We won't go easy on you next time."
Akagi snorted. "Neither will we. Next time, we're taking the win."
Elsewhere, Kaede Rukawa once again stood before Shirasawa. Their expressions were still worlds apart. "You still didn't attack," Kaede Rukawa said flatly, his eyes full of defiance. His team had won, but personally, he had still lost. Shirasawa had beaten him off the dribble more than once, yet never attacked the basket, leaving him feeling insulted.
But this time, Shirasawa gave him a different answer. "Be ready next time."
Next time? Kaede Rukawa tensed inwardly, Shirasawa's final smile flashing through his mind. He then frowned thoughtfully and murmured, "Next time, I won't lose."
As Coach Anzai and Moichi Taoka waved goodbye, the practice game officially came to an end. Judging by the result alone, it had gone as most people expected. At most, they thought Shohoku had improved a little. After all, they had only lost by fifteen points. But only those who had watched it themselves understood how the game had actually unfolded.
Sanae and Yayoi Aida hurried back to the magazine office, each burying herself in writing an article about the game. Their writing styles were like two flames of entirely different colors colliding, incompatible-one blue, one red. In a couple of days, readers would see two completely different accounts of the game.
As for Shirasawa, he earned eighteen ability points from the game. As planned, he poured them all into his overall shooting stat. His overall shooting ability rose from 60 to 72. Opening the panel again, he found it much more pleasing to the eye.
[Host: Shirasawa.] [Height: 188 cm, weight: 90 kg, wingspan: 195 cm, body fat: 7%.] [Shooting: 72, athleticism: 85, ball handling: 87, basketball IQ: 85, passing: 99, ...] [Evaluation: A reliable core player.]
Shirasawa smiled at the panel. At last, that evaluation sounded a little more reasonable.
His touch really did feel different after his shooting improved. Now, even if he casually tossed a crumpled ball of paper, it would probably swish straight into the bin. He was still some way from his ideal level, but at least he no longer had to desperately farm assists like in the previous two practice games.
His current level should be enough for the first half of the prefectural tournament. He could improve gradually along the way, and by the time they reached the final four, he would probably be fully developed. Then it would be time to charge toward nationals.
The next morning, the basketball team practiced as usual.
Their captain, Takenori Akagi, was absent, leaving vice-captain Kiminobu Kogure in charge. Everyone found it strange that the ever-disciplined Akagi had actually missed practice.
Hanamichi Sakuragi even rubbed his chin and muttered, "Could Gorilla have gone extinct?"
Only when Kogure explained the reason did everyone receive a shock.
"Stop guessing," Kogure said, adjusting his glasses. "Akagi went to take part in a math competition. Didn't expect that, did you? He may not look it, but he's a well-known honors student in the third year."