The match between Hakata High and Shiramatsu High had ended.
Next up was the game between Kakutsuru High School and Koen High School.
As Aoi Kunisaku's gaze swept over the players from Kakutsuru and Koen, he instantly lost all interest in the match.
Even without knowing much about the two teams, he could easily judge the outcome just based on his own strength and sharp intuition.
In his eyes, the players from Koen High seemed average. The aura they gave off was clearly weaker than that of Kakutsuru.
For someone as strong as Aoi Kunisaku, a single glance was enough to gauge an opponent's level.
With a game like this, the result was already obvious.
"Nothing worth watching here. I'm leaving," Aoi Kunisaku said flatly, turning without hesitation. His tone was full of disdain.
"You're leaving already?" Kogure Kiminobu wanted to say more, but ended up staying quiet.
They were all here voluntarily anyway. He had no right to stop Aoi Kunisaku from going wherever he wanted.
Akagi Takenori spoke up, "Forget about that guy."
Kogure Kiminobu had no choice but to continue waiting for the match between Kakutsuru and Koen to begin.
"This one's a no-brainer. Kakutsuru's got this in the bag," Mitsui Hisashi said with certainty.
Miyagi Ryota gave him a glance, then scoffed, "You needed to say that? Anyone can see Koen's not a match."
Ayako fell into thought. "So far, the teams that have made it through are Hakata High and Kakutsuru. That leaves just two spots. I wonder who's next."
Shimizu Kanon quickly organized her mental notes and analyzed, "The remaining games are between Daiei and Ebihara, and between Meihou and Oyamakita."
Kogure Kiminobu didn't even hesitate. "There's nothing to guess. It's gonna be Daiei and Meihou."
Ayako nodded in agreement. "They were both in the top four last year. No way they're going down easy."
Everyone from Shohoku nodded. They shared the same opinion.
Daiei had been a powerhouse for years, always making it into the national top four.
Meihou was no weaker than them either.
Kogure Kiminobu let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness we're not in the same bracket as those monsters."
Shimizu Kanon continued analyzing calmly. "If I had to guess the final four, aside from us Shohoku, it would be Kainan, Hakata High, and Meihou."
"Why Meihou? Why not Daiei?" Sakuragi Hanamichi asked, genuinely confused.
Shimizu Kanon explained patiently, "Because Meihou has a new center this year—Morishige Hiroshi. He's really strong. I don't think Daiei has anyone who can stop him."
Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately got annoyed. "What's so great about him? We've got Gorilla too!"
Shimizu Kanon shook her head. "This time it's different. Morishige Hiroshi has immense strength and bulk. If Akagi-senpai faces him, there's a high chance he'll get overwhelmed, maybe even dominated."
Everyone froze at her words, their faces filled with disbelief.
Akagi Takenori's eyes narrowed sharply. He stared ahead, deep in thought.
He had no reason to doubt Shimizu Kanon's intel.
After so many games, Akagi Takenori had come to trust her talent in scouting and information.
If she said so, then Morishige Hiroshi must be a serious threat.
Akagi silently made up his mind. Meihou's match against Oyamakita would be held in the afternoon. He'd go there personally to witness Morishige Hiroshi's strength.
Soon, the match between Koen and Kakutsuru officially began.
As everyone expected, there were no surprises.
From the opening tip, Kakutsuru High showed off overwhelming power and dominated Koen.
Koen's players could barely defend against the relentless onslaught from Kakutsuru. They had no room to fight back.
Kakutsuru moved with tight coordination. Their offense surged forward in waves, pounding away at Koen's defense.
The score changed quickly under Kakutsuru's fierce offense.
The gap between the two teams widened.
By halftime, the score had settled at 38 to 13.
Kakutsuru led Koen by a whopping 25 points.
With such a lopsided score, anyone could tell who the winner would be.
"Looks like Kakutsuru's got this," Mitsui Hisashi muttered, sounding completely sure.
Kogure Kiminobu nodded. "The skill gap is just too big. Kakutsuru was in the top eight last year too."
At that moment, everyone finally understood why Aoi Kunisaku had turned around and left without even glancing at the match—it turned out he'd already guessed how it would go.
Hiss...
Just thinking about it made the Shohoku team collectively suck in a cold breath.
Could it be that Aoi Kunisaku had already predicted the outcome before the game even started?
How was that possible?
Some were quietly doubtful.
But then again, this was Aoi Kunisaku. It kinda made sense.
After all, Aoi Kunisaku's skill and perception were far beyond the norm.
He had sharp insight and judgment. Maybe he really could predict a match's result before it even began.
…
Meanwhile.
Out in the plaza of Hiroshima Gymnasium.
Aoi Kunisaku wandered aimlessly, his steps casual and unhurried.
The sunlight fell across his body, casting a long shadow behind him.
Soon, he strolled past an open street basketball court.
From inside came the steady "bang bang" of a basketball hitting the pavement.
The rhythmic sound caught his attention.
He looked toward the source. Inside the court, someone was practicing, fully focused on their dribbling.
Aoi Kunisaku narrowed his eyes slightly. A strange feeling welled up inside him. That figure looked… familiar.
The player inside seemed to sense his presence too. He paused, stopped dribbling, and slowly looked up.
They were a fair distance apart, but their eyes met. A subtle tension filled the air.
Then, before Aoi Kunisaku could say anything, the figure across from him spoke first.
"Aoi Kunisaku… we meet again."
"Hm?"
Aoi Kunisaku froze for a second. Surprised that the other recognized him.
But then, he brushed it off.
In the basketball world these days, anyone who touched a ball probably knew his name.
Still, the way he said "again" made Aoi Kunisaku pause.
Why "again"?
He let the question go and stepped into the court, walking straight toward the other boy.
He looked him over from head to toe.
The boy had short, clean black hair. He was just over one meter eighty tall, with neat and sharp features—good-looking, though a bit on the thin side. Compared to the tall and well-built Aoi Kunisaku, he seemed somewhat frail.
Aoi Kunisaku didn't beat around the bush. "You know me?"
The boy gave a helpless smile. "You don't remember me, huh? Makes sense. Last time we met, it was during a match. I was the one getting wrecked. Of course you wouldn't remember."
Aoi Kunisaku raised an eyebrow.
So they'd played before—and he'd crushed him.
But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember who this guy was.
Seeing the confusion on his face, the boy chuckled wryly and added, "It was two years ago. In Hokkaido. We played once."
Aoi Kunisaku blinked. Then a look of realization crossed his face.
So it was back in Hokkaido.
He nodded slightly to himself.
That explained why the guy looked so familiar.
He was one of the people Aoi Kunisaku had thoroughly destroyed during his games in Hokkaido.
As for the guy's name—he hadn't even bothered to remember it.
In Aoi Kunisaku's eyes, the weak weren't worth keeping in mind. He'd never had interest in them.
"Oh," he said simply, then turned around without hesitation, ready to leave the court.
"Wait up," the boy called quickly.
Aoi Kunisaku stopped and looked back, eyes cool. "What now?"
The boy grinned, something defiant glinting in his eyes. "I've seen articles about you. So, how about it? Think you've got the guts to play me now? Let me settle that loss from two years ago."
Aoi Kunisaku gave him a sidelong glance and replied coldly, "I'm not interested in weaklings."
But the boy wasn't offended. Still smiling, he said calmly, "We haven't played yet. How can you know who's weak and who's not? I lost to you two years ago. Doesn't mean I'd lose now."
"Oh?" Aoi Kunisaku looked intrigued.
To say something like that, the guy must have some confidence. Maybe there was something to him after all.
He studied the boy again, quietly assessing.
Then, the corner of Aoi Kunisaku's mouth lifted into a faint, provocative smile. He turned back toward the court and said while walking, "You sound pretty sure of yourself. Fine, let's see what you've got."