Nango Koichiro was completely stunned.
His eyes were blank as he stared at the scene in front of him, totally unable to believe what he was seeing.
He stood frozen like a statue, brain wiped clean.
In the stands, the crowd buzzed with astonished murmurs. Many spectators even took a moment of silent sympathy for Tsukubu's number 15. While in awe of Aoi Kunisaku's incredible display, they couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for Nango Koichiro.
Both players landed on the floor nearly at the same time.
Without sparing Nango Koichiro a glance, Aoi Kunisaku immediately turned and jogged back on defense.
Nango Koichiro, meanwhile, remained standing blankly under the basket, his gaze fixed on his own palm—like he was trying to figure out if everything that just happened was just a hallucination.
The rest of the Tsukubu players fell silent too, their faces full of frustration and disappointment.
Just like that, the first half slowly came to an end.
By halftime, Shohoku was ahead 68 to 32, leading Tsukubu by 36 points.
A 36-point gap—by halftime.
The result stunned players from all the other high school basketball teams who had come to watch.
It was insane.
After all, Tsukubu had made the top eight in last year's prefectural tournament.
Everyone whispered in disbelief, unable to wrap their heads around what they were seeing.
Maki Shinichi, Fujima Kenji, Hanagata Toru, and the Kainan players were all silent as well.
Their hearts had been completely shaken.
Shohoku's strength was far beyond what they had imagined—especially Aoi Kunisaku. His presence alone was suffocating.
Even Maki Shinichi, usually full of confidence, was starting to doubt—if Kainan went up against Shohoku, could they hold off Aoi Kunisaku's fierce offense?
Fujima Kenji's mindset had shifted too.
He was no longer thinking about how to beat Kainan.
Now, all he could think about was how to keep Shoyo in second place in the prefectural tournament.
Aoi Kunisaku's pressure was too intense.
Even though he hadn't taken Tsukubu seriously before, now he had no choice but to reevaluate Shohoku's strength.
He stood up, turned, and said to Hanagata Toru, "Let's go, Hanagata."
Hanagata looked puzzled. "We're not staying to watch the rest?"
Fujima's gaze was firm, his tone serious. "No need. Tsukubu doesn't have a chance anymore."
Hanagata glanced up at the scoreboard, then gave a helpless nod. He agreed.
A 36-point gap—that kind of comeback in the second half was basically impossible.
And reality proved it.
Once the second half began, Tsukubu's momentum was completely different from before. It felt like their spirit had been sucked out.
They hadn't given up—but it was just a last-ditch struggle at this point.
Aoi Kunisaku kept showing off his inhuman instincts on both ends of the court, constantly stealing the ball from his opponents.
When he faced Godai Tomokazu, the latter stared him down like he was ready to go down fighting.
Aoi Kunisaku met his gaze without the slightest mercy.
In the next moment, he exploded forward like a bolt of red lightning.
His feet slammed the floor as he shot off, his speed jaw-dropping.
The basketball spun rapidly between his fingers, bouncing and darting like it had a life of its own.
His dribble tempo was blinding. Godai Tomokazu rushed in to block him, legs tensed, fully locked in on the ball, searching for a chance to steal it—but Aoi Kunisaku's movements were too unpredictable. He couldn't find any opening at all.
Then it happened.
Aoi Kunisaku suddenly changed direction.
His body twisted like a spring, the ball bouncing between the court and his fingertips with incredible speed, slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh.
Godai Tomokazu hurried to keep up, but Aoi's movement was just too fast.
The second he shifted his foot, Aoi's dizzying dribble rhythm completely threw him off balance.
Seeing the chance, Aoi accelerated again.
The ball shot forward like a cannonball, bouncing and dropping under his precise control.
A flicker of panic crossed Godai Tomokazu's eyes. He tried his best to steady his stance, but Aoi's blistering dribble was like a whirlwind—ripping his defense to shreds.
With a loud thud, Godai Tomokazu's legs gave out like he'd been tripped by invisible force. He lost balance and crashed hard to the ground.
Aoi Kunisaku didn't even pause.
Like a red bolt of lightning, he tore past Godai Tomokazu without even looking back.
Godai Tomokazu clenched his jaw tightly, silver teeth grinding, his heart full of frustration and unwillingness. But behind his eyes, a trace of despair had already crept in.
As the dribble crossed into Tsukubu's three-point line, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta stepped in fast to block Aoi Kunisaku's advance.
Aoi Kunisaku smirked slightly. His speed didn't slow down at all as he charged straight toward them.
Watching him rush in like a speeding train, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta both felt their nerves tighten. Unconsciously, they gulped at the same time. Cold sweat streamed down their foreheads.
Even so, both of them gritted their teeth and braced themselves, standing firm in Aoi Kunisaku's path.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that." Aoi Kunisaku grinned, flashing a perfect set of white teeth.
Before he finished speaking, he was already right in front of them.
Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta immediately spread their arms wide, trying to trap him between them.
But Aoi Kunisaku's body flickered—then suddenly pivoted and pressed in from the side.
Their double-team collapsed in an instant.
They froze for a second, then quickly tried to turn and chase.
Natsume Hiroshi panicked inside. He's too fast—I couldn't even react!
Mine Kenta was stunned. I was ready for him. And I still couldn't keep up?
Just as the two of them started to pivot, a figure zipped right between them. A gust of air brushed past their bodies.
Their spin halted on reflex. Both of them stared in shock.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
They turned to look—only to see Aoi Kunisaku soaring high in the air, releasing the ball in a graceful shot.
Neither of them understood how he had slipped through them so cleanly.
But from the stands, the crowd had seen everything.
Right when Aoi Kunisaku had lowered his body and shifted toward the side, he suddenly pulled a lightning-fast hand switch and redirected himself right back between them.
At that moment, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta had assumed he would break through from the flank. Their attention was focused there. They never saw the sudden reentry.
Huff... huff... huff...
As the final minutes of the game ticked away, every Tsukubu player was panting hard, like they'd just survived a brutal war.
Their spirits were shattered. Their bodies drained. The massive point gap weighed on them like a mountain, crushing their will to fight.
Aoi Kunisaku's dominance on the court had broken them—mind and body. Every possession they tried to stop him felt like trying to wrestle a wild beast.
But Aoi Kunisaku wasn't the only pressure on them.
In the second half, the rest of Shohoku had exploded too.
Akagi Takenori held down the paint like an immovable mountain.
He racked up basket after basket, completely suppressing Nango Koichiro. With his powerful frame and elite rebounding instinct, he snatched most of the rebounds.
Rukawa Kaede also put on a show, his scoring trailing just behind Aoi Kunisaku.
With dazzling technique and overwhelming individual skill, he repeatedly sliced through the defense to finish at the rim.
Mitsui Hisashi wasn't to be outdone either.
His three-point shots were like precision missiles, raining down one after another and ripping huge holes in the opponent's defensive line.
More than once, he even blocked Godai Tomokazu's shots—proving he wasn't just offense, but a complete player.
Thanks to him, Shohoku's offense became even more versatile.
Miyagi Ryota ended the game with the most assists.
He had a knack for disrupting enemy plays and snatching steals, constantly throwing off Tsukubu's rhythm.
When Aoi Kunisaku wasn't open, he always found the right time to feed Akagi Takenori, Rukawa Kaede, or Mitsui Hisashi—keeping Shohoku's offense running smooth as silk.
Shohoku attacked from every position, inside and out, completely breaking Tsukubu's defense apart.
At last, the final whistle blew.
Shohoku defeated Tsukubu, one of last year's top 8 teams, with a crushing score of 155 to 59.
A near 100-point margin.
Shohoku had officially advanced to the top 8.