June 26th, Saturday—clear skies.
Kanagawa Prefecture Central Gymnasium was once again packed, though the atmosphere wasn't particularly spirited. Shohoku had rested its main players, leaving only the rotation lineup to finish against Fukuda.
The scoreboard read 105–70, with just two minutes left. Unless a miracle occurred, Shohoku's victory was secured.
Miyagi dropped his stance, accelerated, and with a sharp change of direction, blew past his defender. Stopping abruptly outside the paint, he rose for a jump shot.
Swish! The ball kissed the net cleanly.
While retreating, Miyagi gave Ayako a finger-gun gesture. Ayako chuckled softly, lowering her head to continue jotting statistics in her notebook.
That was Miyagi's seventh jumper of the game, bringing him to 25 points and 7 assists, the steady backbone of the rotation lineup that kept Fukuda from finding any hope of a comeback.
The notebook also showed Nango with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists; Rukawa with 23 points; Mitsui with 18; and Akagi with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
"Ryota! Great shot!"
"Keep it up, Kentaro!"
"Shiozaki, steady!"
"Kakuta, run!"
"Kogure-senpai, go for it!"
From the bench, Yasuda and the others shouted encouragement, unable to contain their excitement. With each passing minute, Shohoku drew closer to the National Tournament.
"Tch!" Sakuragi, who had put up 18 points and 12 rebounds, sulked on the bench. Having only played half the game, he hadn't gotten his fill.
Nango, who had also been subbed out at halftime, leaned over. "We're playing Ryonan tomorrow. Save your energy and unload everything on them. We're taking first place."
"Hmph! Tomorrow, I'll be the one to defeat Ryonan—and Sendo!" At the mention of Ryonan, Sakuragi recalled their first clash. Sendo had toyed with him back then, and now was the time for payback.
"...Overconfident." Rukawa, eyes still closed, muttered faintly.
Sakuragi's sharp ears caught it immediately. The two rivals were at each other's throats again in seconds.
Meanwhile, Fukuda's bench was steeped in gloom.
Their coach slumped in his seat with a bitter smile. The gulf in strength was simply too vast—this kind of loss crushed not only the scoreboard but also the players' spirits.
Indeed, Fukuda's substitutes looked lifeless, their only wish to crawl home and bury themselves under blankets. Consecutive heavy defeats to both Ryonan and Shohoku, and tomorrow against Kainan… the prospect of leaving with zero wins loomed large.
This was not the dream they'd fought so hard to enter the round-robin for.
After the game, Yasuda looked around. "Captain, there aren't any seats left."
Akagi considered for a moment. "Then let's go down and sit, as long as we don't disturb the next match."
Nango and Kano exchanged a glance, then shared a small smile as they followed at the end of the group.
The crowd, however, showed no intention of leaving. The earlier match had been just an appetizer. The true main event was about to begin—last year's top-four team, Ryonan High School, taking on the perennial powerhouse, Kainan Affiliated High School.
Shohoku, with two wins secured, already had one foot in the National Tournament. Whether the other foot crossed depended on today's outcome.
For Coach Anzai's health, Nango had asked Haruko, Yohei, and the others to escort him home early. That way, there'd be no undue risk.
Soichir was surprised to see Fukuda again and quickly relayed what little he knew of him to his teammates. But in truth, there wasn't much to tell.
At the same time, Coach Kouzu and Coach Taoka stood across from each other, hands clasped firmly. They said nothing, yet countless unspoken sentences seemed to spark between them, puzzling their players.
Maki, usually calm, finally asked, "Coach… do you have some kind of grudge with him?"
It was the first time he had ever seen Coach Kouzu so different, not even last year against Ryonan.
Coach Kouzu glanced at his players' eager expressions and explained, "When I first entered high school, Taoka-senpai was already a superstar across Kanagawa—known as 'Taoka Ali.' In our era, no one didn't know that name."
The team blinked in surprise.
Soichiro muttered, "I never imagined Coach Taoka had such a grand title…"
Kosuge turned away, whispering, "Kanagawa's Taoka Ali? Hard to picture…"
Kiyota, however, blurted, "Doesn't suit him at all! But Coach, what does that have to do with your rivalry?"
Smiling faintly, Kouzu continued, "Because I wasn't bad either. Even as a freshman, I was called the 'Terrifying Rookie,' just like Shohoku's Nango. No matter the tournament, our teams always met."
His players exchanged awkward looks at the comparison but wisely held their tongues.
Kouzu's smile softened into nostalgia. "Throughout my student years, Taoka-senpai and I were perfectly even. But—" His face hardened. "Since taking over Kainan, I have never lost to him. And I won't today, either. I believe in all of you."
"Coach…" The team's hearts stirred, loyal fire burning stronger.
Kiyota pumped his fist. "We'll absolutely win this, Coach!"
Kouzu roared back, "That's right! Keep the momentum! Go!"
"Yeah!!"
On the opposite side, Taoka too had ignited his players' spirits. The two teams stood brimming with equal momentum.
At center court, Uozumi stepped forward. "Maki, shouldn't Kainan hand over its qualifying spot this year?"
Maki raised his gaze, sensing the provocation. Trying to play mind games?
He answered coldly, "Uozumi, are you even qualified to ask that?"
Ikegami's face twisted. "What did you say?!"
Kiyota stepped up aggressively. "What? Not convinced?"
Uozumi pushed Ikegami back with a hand and left a firm remark: "Whether we're qualified or not—you'll find out soon enough."
The tension crackled before the tip-off, making the referee uneasy. He pressed the whistle to his lips, ready to blow at the slightest spark.
And Uozumi's words weren't just bravado. Ryonan had already resolved to stake everything in this battle with Kainan.
Better to fight Kainan head-on than clash desperately with Shohoku in the final game. As for whether they qualified in first or second place—that was secondary.
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