The first half had shown everyone the overwhelming strength of Shōhoku's basketball team. Now, the crowd couldn't wait for the second half to begin—especially to see if that man, Su Xiaoqi, the one who shattered the backboard, would finally take the court.
In the stands, Kainan's Maki Shin'ichi watched with a grim expression before turning to Fujima Kenji. "I was hoping for a rematch with you this year, but given how things are going, that might not happen."
Fujima forced a bitter smile. Aside from Rukawa, Shōhoku's other four starters had performed well but still within what he considered manageable.
But how do you defend against Rukawa? And worse—this wasn't even Shōhoku's strongest lineup. The legendary Sakuragi Hanamichi hadn't played yet, and they now had that backboard-breaking monster, Su Xiaoqi.
Even knowing their chances were slim, Fujima clenched his fists. "I won't give up."
Second Half – Shōhoku's New Lineup
Halftime passed quickly, and as Shōhoku re-entered the court, the crowd erupted in cheers.
When they noticed the complete lineup change, the noise reached a fever pitch—because that man was finally playing.
But Su Xiaoqi wasn't the only one drawing attention.
"Look at that red-haired bald guy! I've heard people call him the best in Kanagawa!"
"I came to see him today, but now there's someone even crazier!"
"Girls, that blond guy is so handsome! No matter how he plays, let's cheer for him!"
"Wait… why is there a white-haired guy too? He looks so lazy—can he even play?"
On the bench, Su Xiaoqi smirked at Kuroba Kaito, who was being completely overlooked. "Maybe you should dye your hair?"
Kaito chuckled. "I like black hair. Besides, the Phantom Thief Kid would feel weird if I changed it."
Su Xiaoqi laughed before addressing the team. "This is Hanamichi's home court. First play goes to him. After that, everyone gets to show off."
Hanamichi grinned wildly. "Big bro, I'll set this place on fire!"
Tip-Off Disaster
As the players took their positions, Taiyō's "secret weapon," Naitō Tetsuya, glared down at Su Xiaoqi.
"Shorty, breaking a backboard isn't impressive. I'll make sure you leave this court on a stretcher."
Su Xiaoqi didn't even bother responding—until the referee's whistle suddenly blew.
"Red 13, charging foul!"
Su Xiaoqi: ???
Shōhoku: ???
They turned to see Sakata Gintoki standing over a Taiyō player, who was curled up on the floor, clutching his crotch in agony.
"GODDAMMIT!"
Su Xiaoqi didn't need to ask—he knew what Gintoki had done. What confused him was why it wasn't called a flagrant foul.
Meanwhile, Gintoki launched into an Oscar-worthy performance.
Hands raised in innocence, he gasped, "Ref, that's a flop! Gin-san didn't even touch him!"
"If I had touched him, you think he'd still be breathing?"
The referee sighed. If he'd actually seen the foul, it would've been an ejection. But now…
"Red 13, raise your hand or I'm calling a technical!"
Grumbling, Gintoki reluctantly raised his hand—still muttering curses at the "injured" player.
The crowd roared with laughter. Some had seen the dirty play, but no one spoke up—Taiyō's cheap shots in the first half had earned them zero sympathy.
Thus, before the second half even started, Taiyō lost another player to "injury."
Hanamichi's Showtime
Furious at Gintoki's antics, Taiyō grew even angrier when they realized four of Shōhoku's players were just loitering near their basket, chatting.
Then—
"TRASH OF TAIYŌ! COME AT ME! THE GENIUS WILL TAKE YOU ALL ON—ONE VERSUS FIVE!"
Hanamichi's voice boomed across the gym as he blitzed toward Taiyō's ball-handler like a red lightning bolt.
"WOOOOOW!"
Before the dribbler could react, Hanamichi stole the ball with a flashy swipe.
Dribbling in place, he grinned at Su Xiaoqi. "Big bro, watch this!"
For the next few seconds, Hanamichi treated the crowd to a masterclass in ankle-breaking crossovers.
"This kid… really loves the spotlight."
Su Xiaoqi shook his head as all five Taiyō players collapsed to the floor—victims of Hanamichi's perfect imitation of Akashi Seijūrō's Ankle Breaker.
But just when Su Xiaoqi expected a dunk to finish the play, Hanamichi topped himself.
He let Taiyō's players stand up—only to drop them again with another series of crossovers.
With three seconds left on the shot clock, Hanamichi pulled up from half-court and launched a logo three.
SWISH.
The crowd exploded as Hanamichi jogged back, grinning. "Big bro, how's that for a show?"
Su Xiaoqi smirked. "Just listen to them. You've got the whole gym screaming your name."
"SO COOL! DO IT AGAIN!"
"SAKURAGI! SAKURAGI! SAKURAGI!"
"SHŌHOKU, YOU'RE AMAZING! I'M A FAN FOR LIFE!"
"THIS YEAR'S CHAMPION IS SHŌHOKU! EVEN KAINAN WOULD KNEEL!"
"SAKURAGI HANAMICHI, I LOVE YOU!"
Hanamichi's head snapped toward the stands. "HEY! I DON'T NEED YOUR LOVE! I'VE ALREADY GOT HARUKO!"
"Hanamichi…"
On the bench, Akagi Haruko's eyes shimmered as she watched him, her heart swelling with warmth.
Kaito's Magic Act
Kuroba Kaito stepped forward, smirking. "Mind if I take the next play?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded. "Hanamichi, get him the ball."
"LEAVE IT TO ME!"
This time, Hanamichi waited until Taiyō crossed half-court before snatching the ball away.
"Kaito, you're up!"
"Thanks." Kaito dribbled a few times before raising a finger to his lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen… it's showtime."
His dribbling looked ordinary—almost amateurish to trained eyes. But then…
The ball vanished.
"Where'd it go?!"
Taiyō's players froze as Kaito casually strolled past them.
Under the basket, he pointed upward. "Look closely, everyone. The ball's about to fall."
The crowd's eyes shot up—just in time to see the ball materialize midair and drop straight through the net.
Kaito bowed. "Did you enjoy the magic trick?"
"KID! KID! KID!"
The chant thundered through the gym. As for how they knew the name "Kaitou Kid"? A quick glance at the Sakuragi Gang—now counting cash from selling Kaito merchandise—explained everything.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew—followed by a no basket signal.
Truthfully, no one—not even the refs—had seen how Kaito pulled it off. With no instant replay in high school games, they defaulted to calling it back.
But it didn't matter.
The crowd had already witnessed magic on the court.
Next Up: The Real Carnage
As the game resumed, Su Xiaoqi cracked his knuckles.
"Alright. Now that the clowns have had their fun… it's my turn."