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The sharp whistle echoed through the gym.
The first half was over.
The score was locked in at 55 to 25.
Shohoku held a commanding 30-point lead over Aiwa Gakuen.
Shohoku bench.
Aoi Kunisaku came back and sat down, looking completely uninterested. He said bluntly, "Kanon… I'm not going back in for the second half."
Everyone paused for a second, then quickly understood.
It wasn't the first time Aoi had done something like this. They were all used to it by now.
When Sakuragi Hanamichi heard this, he jumped up in excitement. Joy lit up his face as he shouted, "Ghost Freak, that's great you're not going back in! Let me take the court for the second half. I'm so bored I'm dying over here!"
Shimizu Kanon nodded lightly. "Mm! Sakuragi-kun will sub in for Aoi in the second half. Their momentum's already broken. A 30-point gap is more than enough cushion."
Getting the green light, Sakuragi burst into loud laughter, bursting with confidence. "Perfect! Leave the second half to this genius! I'll show them how great I am!"
Mitsui Hisashi suddenly chimed in. "Just be careful you don't foul out as soon as you step on."
Sakuragi scowled instantly and fired back, "Damn you, Mitsui! You lost the one-on-one! Who are you to talk to me?"
Mitsui's face darkened—Sakuragi had hit a nerve. He stood up and yelled, "Who are you saying lost? I'll show you who wins in the second half!"
Sakuragi puffed out his chest. "You've already lost! Just leave it to me, Sakuragi Hanamichi, to take them out!"
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Watching the two argue again, the rest of the team just smiled like it was nothing new.
Ayako glanced at the scoreboard. Seeing the big, clear numbers, she couldn't help but say, "I thought this game would be tough, but we're winning so easily."
Kogure Kiminobu nodded and added, "Yeah! Ever since Aoi joined, our team strength's skyrocketed. Huge difference!"
Shimizu Kanon looked down at the notes in her notebook. After a moment of thought, she said, "As long as we lock down Moroboshi Dai in the second half, this game is ours."
Her eyes swept across the first- and second-year substitutes. "Anyone who wants to play can rotate in for the starters."
The first- and second-year subs lit up. Their faces were full of barely contained excitement.
"We can really go in?" Ishii Kentaro's eyes sparkled as he asked excitedly.
Sasaoka Satoro's face flushed slightly, the thrill on his face unmistakable. He asked nervously, "We won't drag the team down, right?"
Shimizu Kanon smiled. "Don't worry. We have full control of the game now. Even if you don't play that well, it won't change the outcome."
Even though it felt a little weird to hear that, none of them could afford to care. They all desperately wanted to experience what it was like playing in a national tournament.
That was exactly why Shimizu Kanon made this decision. She believed giving players real experience at Nationals was essential.
She'd be with Shohoku for the next three years, and she didn't want the team lagging behind.
Still, she politely checked with Anzai Mitsuyoshi.
He didn't object and agreed to let the bench players go in.
In the end, they decided to let the starting lineup play the first five to ten minutes of the second half, then switch in the subs.
That way, they'd be ready just in case Aiwa Gakuen suddenly launched a big counterattack.
No doubt, Shimizu Kanon's plan was airtight. She basically sealed off all of Aiwa Gakuen's chances of winning.
Everyone on Shohoku's side thought the same: having someone like Shimizu Kanon on their team was seriously awesome.
Soon, halftime ended.
Aiwa Gakuen's lineup stayed the same. Shohoku, on the other hand, subbed in Sakuragi Hanamichi.
When the Aiwa Gakuen players saw that Aoi Kunisaku wasn't on the court, rage surged in their hearts. They felt humiliated.
Especially Moroboshi Dai. Proud by nature, he saw Aoi sitting out as a clear insult. Shohoku was looking down on them—looking down on him.
His expression turned dark and stormy. His fists clenched tight, knuckles cracking. He gritted his teeth. "Damn Shohoku… Do they really think this is already in the bag?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi swaggered onto the court, walked right up to the Aiwa Gakuen players, grinning smugly. "Hahahaha! The genius is here! Get ready to be crushed by me!"
The Aiwa Gakuen players already felt belittled by Shohoku. Now, with Sakuragi's arrogant face and trash talk, everyone's emotions exploded at once.
Their faces flushed red. Veins bulged on their foreheads. Their teeth clenched tight, grinding audibly. Every one of them looked like they were ready to charge forward and beat up the red-haired guy standing in front of them.
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A crisp whistle rang out.
The second half had officially begun.
Fueled by rage, Aiwa Gakuen's players exploded like little universes. Their movements became wild and aggressive.
Especially the power forward matched up with Sakuragi Hanamichi. His glare was sharp and hostile. It made Sakuragi's back break out in cold sweat.
"What's with these guys? Why are they acting so weird all of a sudden?" Mitsui Hisashi stared at the Aiwa Gakuen players in confusion.
Akagi Takenori was just as puzzled. "They're nothing like they were in the first half."
Sakuragi was stuck, getting hounded like gum stuck to his shoe. The power forward stuck to him relentlessly, and he was getting more and more frustrated.
"Damn it! What's this guy's deal? Wherever I go, he follows. I can't shake him off—he's driving me crazy!" He was miserable, and there was nothing he could do.
He could barely even move, let alone get into position.
"Ahhh—!"
Moroboshi Dai's eyes burned with fury. He shouted loudly as he lifted the basketball and slammed it into Shohoku's rim.
Clang…
The ball hit the net.
Right at the start of the second half, Aiwa Gakuen managed to score.
The pace quickly flipped.
Shohoku launched a counterattack right away.
With Aoi Kunisaku off the court, the offense now fell on Rukawa Kaede.
After going through match after match of intense competition, Rukawa had grown a lot.
He didn't have Aoi's terrifying, lightning-speed explosiveness. But his skills had clearly reached the top tier of high school basketball.
And now, Aiwa Gakuen finally got to see what Rukawa could really do.
He cut through their defense like a blade.
Even with Moroboshi Dai defending, he used advanced dribble techniques to break through two defenders and land a Slam Dunk.
In the next few plays, both teams traded blows, keeping things even.
As time ticked by, the fiery anger that had ignited in Aiwa Gakuen began to fade.
Moroboshi glanced at the scoreboard. That glaring 77 to 47 stung him like a knife. The number itself felt like mockery.
He hadn't expected that even without Aoi Kunisaku, Shohoku's lead wouldn't shrink—it was still massive.
He knew exactly what that meant.
"So Shohoku really is that strong… No wonder they beat Sannoh." The frustration in Moroboshi's heart slowly faded.
He had given it everything.
Now, there were only about ten minutes left in the game.
There was nothing they could do anymore.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
He saw something that made him freeze. A heavy emotion surged in his chest. He didn't even have the strength left to get angry.
'Shohoku, this is just too much…'
They were clearly using Aiwa Gakuen for practice.
Even though they were pissed, no one on Aiwa Gakuen had the energy to be mad anymore.
They were worn out, both in body and spirit. Ready to collapse at any moment.
The game resumed.
As expected, the difference between starters and subs was clear.
The moment Shohoku's first-year substitutes hit the court, they lost the ball. Aiwa Gakuen pounced, turned defense into offense, and scored a clean point.
On Shohoku's second offensive possession, they lost the ball again. Moroboshi Dai snatched it and hit a clean Three-Point Shot.
As time passed, momentum tilted toward Aiwa Gakuen.
Shohoku's repeated mistakes fired up Aiwa Gakuen. Their morale surged. They chased the score like mad.
81 to 52.
83 to 54.
85 to 62.
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As the game went on, the situation became obvious.
Near the end, Aiwa Gakuen even seemed like they might pull off a comeback.
But sadly, it was all just a dream.
A 30-point lead was an unbridgeable chasm.
When the timer on the scoreboard finally hit zero, Aiwa Gakuen still hadn't caught up.
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The referee blew the final whistle.
The score froze at 94 to 80.
Shohoku won by 14 points over Aiwa Gakuen.
Shohoku advanced to the national Top 8.