After a brief, stunned silence, the gym erupted in deafening cheers.
Everyone was visibly thrilled, shouting incoherently as their emotions reached a fever pitch.
"Wow! That was incredible! A double-clutch reverse dunk!"
"Kazuto is only 177 centimeters tall, yet he can dunk like that?! Unbelievable!"
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it! He's truly amazing!"
"This feels like watching an NBA highlight reel! I'm so hyped!"
Watching Kazuto's performance, Kuwata and the other freshmen on the court were ecstatic.
Even Rukawa, known for his stoic unbreakable demeanor, couldn't help but remark softly.
"That was a beautiful finish."
"This kid can actually dunk..." Akagi stared at Kazuto in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock as he stood frozen under the basket.
Kogure looked completely dejected, watching Kazuto with pure envy.
"I'm a centimeter taller than Kazuto," he muttered, adjusting his glasses, "but I can barely even touch the backboard. This is so demoralizing."
"This kid's jumping ability is just absurdly strong," Miyagi added, his face filled with a similar envy.
He couldn't help but wonder, 'If I had that kind of explosive vertical leap, could I dunk too? His talent is truly enviable.'
Outside the court:
"That... that kid... he actually dunked!"
Ayako's face was filled with shock as she watched Kazuto land smoothly on the court, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs.
The sheer athletic impact of his dunk was overwhelming.
Beside her, Akagi Haruko wore a similar expression of astonishment, her hands covering her mouth.
"That student doesn't even look 180 centimeters tall, yet he can dunk right over my brother! That's incredible."
She gripped her hands together, her eyes shining. "I never imagined someone this talented would join the Shohoku Basketball Team this year. With Rukawa-kun and Kazuto-kun, it seems like my brother's dream of reaching the Nationals might actually come true."
"This foreign exchange student is incredible! He can even dunk!"
"His jumping ability might actually surpass Sakuragi's!"
"Forget his jumping ability, his actual basketball skills are in a completely different universe from Sakuragi's."
"Comparing Sakuragi to him? That's not even a funny joke anymore."
As they watched Kazuto's astonishing performance, Yohei and the rest of the Sakuragi Legion couldn't resist taking a few jabs at their friend.
Hearing them trash-talking him again, Sakuragi finally snapped.
His face flushed bright red as he turned and shouted at them, "You guys! Shut up and stop interrupting our practice!"
Seeing Sakuragi about to actually lose his temper, Yohei and his friends stifled their laughter and refrained from provoking him further.
Even Coach Anzai, famously known for his unshakable composure, couldn't contain his excitement.
He stood up from his folding chair, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped his clipboard.
"Kazuto's basketball talent and physical comprehension are exceptionally rare, even by professional standards," Anzai murmured to himself.
"He's only fifteen years old. If he maintains this terrifying rate of progress, his future achievements will be truly immeasurable."
He looked up at the ceiling, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
'Yazawa, are you watching from up there? There's a super-genius right here in Kanagawa whose talent surpasses even yours!'
The more Coach Anzai thought about it, the more excited he became, his gaze toward Kazuto burning with a renewed intensity he hadn't felt in years.
Among all the spectators, the most thrilled was undoubtedly Ryonan's first-year student, Aida Hikoichi.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible! Coming to scout Shohoku today was worth every single second!"
Hikoichi feverishly scribbled notes in his data book, determined not to miss a single detail of Kazuto's performance.
After meticulously recording Kazuto's estimated stats and playstyle, Hikoichi paused, then pulled out his flip phone.
"No, I can't wait. I need to tell Coach right away. Shohoku has a super rookie—someone potentially even more stronger than Rukawa Kaede!"
He quietly slipped out of the noisy gymnasium and dialed Coach Taoka's number.
"Hello, this is Taoka Moichi speaking." A deep, resonant voice answered the call.
Hearing Coach Taoka's voice, Hikoichi blurted out in breathless excitement.
"Coach! I'm at Shohoku right now, and I've made a major discovery! The Shohoku Basketball Team has a ridiculously talented rookie!"
"I know, I know. You mean Rukawa Kaede from Tomigaoka Junior High, right? So he really did go to Shohoku High School?"
"Yes... well, no! I mean, Rukawa is here, but I'm not talking about him! His name is Kazuto, a transfer student! He's unbelievably skilled!"
"Hikoichi, calm down. What are you trying to say? A transfer student? I don't understand."
"Coach, Shohoku has a freshman on their team named Kazuto. He's only 177 centimeters tall, but he just double-clutched mid-air and reverse dunked right over Takenori Akagi!"
"What?!" The line went silent for a moment. "A 177 cm player dunked over Akagi?!"
"Yes! He's incredibly talented! And the craziest part is, I heard the manager say he's still a total beginner!"
"A beginner?! Hikoichi, come back to Ryonan immediately and tell us everything in detail."
"Understood. I'll be right back."
After hanging up with Coach Taoka, Hikoichi wasted no time and immediately sprinted toward the train station to return to Ryonan High School.
...
Ryonan High School Basketball Gym
"Coach, what happened on the phone to make you look so surprised?"
Seeing Coach Taoka hang up the phone with a stunned expression, Uozumi, Sendoh, and the other starters gathered around him, curious.
Noticing the group approaching, Coach Taoka's expression turned incredibly serious.
"Hikoichi just called," he said grimly. "While investigating Shohoku, he discovered they've recruited an incredibly talented freshman."
"An incredibly talented freshman? You mean Rukawa from Tomigaoka, right?" Sendoh interjected, his spiky hair bouncing as he nodded.
"I've heard of him. His offensive skills are indeed impressive, but he's still just a first-year student. There's no need to be so surprised, Coach."
Uozumi and the others nodded in agreement.
Rukawa Kaede was a well-known prospect in Kanagawa, but not to the point of causing their strict coach such astonishment.
"Not Rukawa Kaede!" Coach Taoka shook his head, correcting Sendoh. "Hikoichi said it's a transfer student named Kazuto. And supposedly, he's a complete beginner who just started playing basketball today."
'A beginner?' Sendoh and the others exchanged puzzled looks.
Coach Taoka composed himself, crossing his arms.
"This freshman, Kazuto, is only 177 centimeters tall, yet he just performed a highly difficult switch-hand reverse dunk right over Akagi."
Upon hearing this, Sendoh, Uozumi, and the rest of the Ryonan team were stunned, their minds reeling.
"A 177 cm beginner dunked on Akagi?! If this is true, this guy physical talent must be absolutely extraordinary."
"It seems Shohoku has recruited some real monsters this year."
"I'm even more excited for our practice match now. I can't wait to face Rukawa and this Kazuto."
"Careful, Sendoh. It's not fair for a second-year ace to bully a freshman."
Sendoh and the others looked excited, their faces brimming with competitive anticipation.
Seeing their fired-up reactions, Coach Taoka smiled faintly, his own expectations rising.
'This upcoming practice match is bound to be very interesting.'
...
Shohoku High School, Basketball Gym
'It seems I was right.'
'Combining different system techniques creates unique, enhanced effects.'
Kazuto paid absolutely no attention to the stunned silence in the gym, instead focusing internally on the technique combination he had just executed.
As the thought crossed his mind, a new anticipation stirred within him.
A Switch-Hand Layup followed by a One-Handed Dunk evolves into a Switch-Hand Reverse Dunk.
'What other combinations might be possible if I string skills together?'
Despite his eagerness to experiment, Kazuto knew he couldn't test his theories immediately.
The explosive dunk had completely emptied his stamina tank, pushing him past his physical limit.
His legs were shaking, and his lungs burned.
"Captain," Kazuto called out, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.
"My stamina is completely drained. I need to sub out. Let Sakuragi-kun sub in for me."
Hearing this, Akagi, who was still recovering from the shock of being dunked on, simply nodded numbly.
"Yeah. Go switch with Sakuragi."
Kazuto nodded tiredly and walked toward the bench area.
When he reached the sidelines, he tapped the redhead's shoulder.
"Sakuragi-kun, it's your turn to play."
"Really?!"
Sakuragi's face lit up instantly at the news.
Overjoyed, he burst into a booming, triumphant laugh.
"Hahaha! Finally! It's time for this genius to shine! You just relax here on the bench, Kazuto and watch me end this game with a single shot!"
'End the game with a single shot?'
Kazuto's exhausted expression froze as Sakuragi's confident words conjured a vivid, terrifying image from the anime in his mind.
'Captain... please take care of your head!'
Kazuto sighed inwardly, feeling a sharp pang of concern for Akagi's safety.
As Sakuragi swaggered onto the court to join the freshmen, Ayako approached the bench, studying Kazuto with keen interest.
She wasn't the only one.
Haruko, standing nearby with her friends, also cast constant, curious glances at the exhausted point guard.
After a moment of observation, Ayako's interest seemed to deepen.
She started slowly circling Kazuto, scrutinizing him closely from every angle like a prize horse.
Her intense scrutiny suggested she was determined to see right through his calm facade.
Noticing Ayako and Haruko's staring, Kazuto took a sip of his mineral water and teased them.
"Ladies, if you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to have to start charging admission."
Hearing Kazuto's smooth teasing, Haruko who was easily embarrassed, blushed a deep crimson and quickly looked away.
Ayako, on the other hand, reacted completely differently.
Far from being bothered by his teasing, the bold manager stepped even closer.
"I'm curious, Kouhai," she said, her voice dropping a register, "how exactly do you plan to charge?"
As she spoke, Ayako leaned in, her bright, delicate eyes sparkling with mischief as she gazed down at him, her breath carrying a faint, alluring fragrance of citrus perfume.
In that moment, Ayako reminded Kazuto of a blooming red peony—passionate as fire, exquisitely beautiful, and utterly captivating.
Looking up at Ayako's refined features, Kazuto smiled faintly.
"That depends entirely on what price range you're interested in, Senpai. The content I reveal will vary accordingly."
Ayako, with her slightly mischievous mind, immediately took his smooth words the wrong way.
Even the outgoing and lively Ayako found herself momentarily overwhelmed by the freshman's easy confidence.
A slight blush dusted her cheeks as she shot Kazuto a playful glare.
"You little rascal! You're younger than me, yet your head is already full of wicked thoughts."
She glared at him playfully before picking up a clean towel from the rack and tossing it onto his head with genuine concern.
"Wipe the sweat off your face before you catch a cold."
Kazuto chuckled beneath the towel and accepted it, refraining from further teasing.
Just then, Sakuragi stepped fully onto the court, immediately drawing the attention of Akagi, Miyagi, and the others.
"Is that loudmouth finally getting in?"
Miyagi's lips curled into a smirk as he watched Sakuragi excitedly replace Kazuto.
"Judging by his swagger, he's even more arrogant than the transfer student. I wonder how his skills measure up?"
"His skills... is complicated," Akagi replied, his tone grim and foreboding.
Kogure chuckled nervously.
"Actually, Sakuragi's quite an interesting case. He's incredibly full of himself, but his raw drive is undeniable."
After exchanging a few more wary words with Miyagi and Kogure, Akagi turned to the sidelines and pointed directly at Kazuto.
"Kazuto! I take back what I said earlier today. With your performance and skills just now, you've already earned your place as a regular starter."
Akagi's bold declaration left Kogure with a complex expression.
Just moments ago before the scrimmage, they had been discussing how many months it would take Kazuto to develop enough to become a regular.
Yet, in just ten minutes of game time, Kazuto had given them the perfect undeniable answer.