TAP—
TAP—
Two firm footsteps echoed across the court.
Akagi Takenori and Hanagata Toru jumped at the same time. Both stretched their arms like eagle claws toward the basketball rising high in the air.
"Neck and neck," Kogure Kiminobu muttered with a spark in his eyes.
"Wait, look!" Ayako suddenly called out.
Everyone focused in. Akagi's hand was slightly higher than Hanagata's. He was the first to reach the ball.
Pa!
A crisp sound followed as Akagi tipped the ball. It dropped downward.
The ball landed cleanly in Sakuragi Hanamichi's hands.
Seeing that, Shohoku's players perked up. They silently cheered.
"Yes! We got first possession!"
The first-years shouted in unison, smiles spreading across their faces.
But amid the cheers, two people remained still—Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon.
Then, Aoi spoke bluntly, "That was pathetic."
Shimizu Kanon let out a soft sigh.
Just then—
BEEP!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Sakuragi, who had just grabbed the ball and was about to dribble forward, froze up. Panic instantly spread across his face. He turned to the referee and said nervously, "What?! What now? I didn't do anything! Don't tell me I fouled again?"
His heart was a mess. He was scared he'd messed up again.
But the referee didn't even glance at him. He pointed at Akagi and announced sternly, "Jump ball violation, Shohoku No. 4."
"Hmph…"
Hanagata smirked coldly. Then he stepped forward to inbound.
Akagi didn't argue. But his face turned dark, frustration flashing in his eyes.
In the stands—
Akagi Haruko winced. "Onii-chan…"
Takamiya Nozomi's jaw dropped. "I thought only Sakuragi fouled! Even the gorilla makes mistakes?"
Meanwhile—
"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"
Shoyo's cheer squad exploded in cheers. They waved their props like they were the ones who caused the foul.
The noise made the pressure on Shohoku's players heavier. Their tension spiked.
Shoyo gained possession.
Shohoku quickly dropped back on defense. They tightened up and readied themselves.
"Alright, let's score first," Fujima Kenji said, bouncing the ball calmly with his left hand.
He raised one finger on his right and nodded with confidence.
The moment he finished speaking, Fujima moved. He led Shoyo into a sharp offense.
His teammates spread out and locked onto their targets.
Takano Shoichi closed in and stood in front of Sakuragi.
Nagano Mitsuru stayed tight on Rukawa Kaede.
Hasegawa Kazushi squared up against Mitsui Hisashi, his eyes burning with energy.
Hanagata held position under the basket, boxing out Akagi.
The tension inside Shohoku's half rose fast. It felt like gunpowder was in the air.
Miyagi Ryota stepped up and stood right in front of Fujima.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound of dribbling echoed through the silent gym.
Fujima's expression didn't change. Calm and collected, he stared straight at Miyagi.
Suddenly, he pulled the ball up and lobbed it over Miyagi's head toward Shohoku's paint.
Miyagi's eyes went wide.
He instinctively reached up, but his short height gave him no chance. The ball soared far above.
Under the basket, Hanagata and Akagi were in position.
Hanagata used clever footwork to seal off Akagi, keeping him behind. He reached out with ease and caught the ball cleanly.
He didn't wait. He stepped forward, spun, and jumped. He raised the ball to shoot.
Akagi wouldn't let that go.
He stepped forward too, leapt up to block.
"If I stop Hanagata here," he thought, "Shohoku's momentum will shoot way up."
Off the court—
Shohoku's members lit up as they saw Akagi Takenori closing in on Hanagata Toru for a block.
"Akagi, stop him right there!" Kogure Kiminobu shouted excitedly.
Shiozaki Tetsushi followed up, "Let him have it, Captain Akagi! Show him who's boss!"
But Aoi Kunisaku scoffed and muttered, "Idiot."
Huh?
Ayako looked confused. "Aoi-kun, how can you call Captain Akagi an idiot?"
The others frowned and shot disapproving glances his way.
None of them liked hearing someone insult Akagi, but since it was Aoi Kunisaku, they kept quiet.
He ignored their stares and said flatly, "Didn't any of you notice how Captain is acting right now?"
Acting?
They all looked blank.
Ayako pressed him, "What's wrong with Captain Akagi?"
Aoi explained calmly, "He's being too aggressive. He didn't even think—just rushed up to block. That's exactly what the other guy wants."
Eh?
Everyone went silent.
They couldn't say whether Aoi was right or wrong.
But a second later, they got the answer.
On the court—
Akagi stuck close to Hanagata, preparing to block his shot.
Hanagata leaned back into a fadeaway.
Fadeaway?
Akagi's pupils shrank. He instinctively sped up his motion to try and stop it.
Then—
Smack!
Akagi's hand smacked Hanagata's arm, dead-on.
Hanagata released the ball a beat later.
Whoosh…
The ball arced high above Akagi's head.
Swish…
It went in clean.
Shohoku 0–2 Shoyo.
Shoyo scored first.
Then—
BEEP!
The referee pointed at Akagi and called out, "Shohoku No. 4, shooting foul. Basket counts. One Free Throw."
Boom…
The call hit Shohoku like a lightning strike.
No one saw that coming—Akagi had already racked up two fouls right at the start.
Akagi slowly raised his hand, dazed and confused.
"Aah… how did this happen? You really called it," Kogure said weakly, clearly deflated.
Yasuda Yasuharu looked nervous. "Two fouls already… this isn't good."
Shiozaki frowned. "Captain Akagi's not gonna be in trouble, right?"
Ayako furrowed her brows. She turned toward Coach Anzai and suggested, "Coach, should we call a timeout?"
Anzai Mitsuyoshi stroked his chin and thought for a second. Then he looked toward Shimizu Kanon. "Kanon, what do you think? Should we call one now?"
"Eh?" Kanon blinked, clearly caught off guard. But she quickly composed herself and replied seriously, "No need yet. Everyone's already seen the scouting report. As long as they follow the plan, we should be fine."
Anzai nodded. He had reviewed the report Kanon gave to the team.
And he had to admit—her talent was freakish.
He never imagined anyone could analyze opponent data that deeply and thoroughly.
In his eyes, if we're talking pure individual skill, then Aoi Kunisaku is clearly the strongest in Shohoku.
But if we're talking about the one most terrifying to opponents, that would be Shimizu Kanon.
She was a nightmare for any rival team. Her intel work gave Shohoku a huge edge.
Even if Shohoku started as just an ordinary team, with Kanon's support, they'd become an elite squad that no one could ignore.
But—
Against all expectations, the match quickly spiraled out of control.
Everything veered far beyond Kanon's predictions—And beyond what anyone on Shohoku had anticipated.