Two days later.
Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Today, the number of people visiting the gym was noticeably higher than usual.
The reason was simple.
Today was the match between Shohoku High School and Kakuya High School.
Last time, Shohoku crushed Miuradai with a final score of 125 to 61.
As soon as the report spread, it immediately drew attention from many high school basketball teams and sports reporters.
After all, Miuradai had claimed to be aiming to defeat Kainan.
Another thing that caught the attention of other high school basketball teams was Shohoku's number 9, Aoi Kunisaku.
The name Aoi Kunisaku started spreading among all the basketball teams.
Now, anyone who even casually followed basketball news knew that Shohoku had a mysterious number 9 player.
A rookie with no prior high school game record, yet absurdly strong.
An unstoppable shooter. An offensive genius. A supernova sweeping through Kanagawa.
In short, a pile of bizarre titles.
Because of that, basketball teams from various schools sent people to watch Shohoku's second match, hoping to verify the rumors.
To Shohoku, though, nothing had changed aside from the opponent.
If anything was different, it was that today's crowd was bigger than expected.
The moment the Shohoku squad appeared at the gym, the nearby spectators turned their attention to them.
Everyone standing in their way naturally moved aside.
"That's Shohoku High School, right?"
"So tall!"
"The guy in front must be Akagi Takenori! He looks scary."
"Which one is Rukawa Kaede?"
"He was a national junior MVP. And that fast one's Miyagi Ryota."
"It's that redhead! He dunked the ball right on someone's head."
"Where's number 9? Didn't they say Shohoku has a number 9 player? I don't see him."
…
The surrounding chatter didn't stop.
The Shohoku team quickly reached their locker room and waited for the match to begin.
Meanwhile.
On a train heading to Kanagawa Gymnasium.
"Saku-chan, geez, we're gonna be late again!" Shimizu Kanon sighed in frustration and exhaustion.
Aoi Kunisaku completely ignored her complaints and said, "Kanon, you're getting nosier by the day."
"Ah! Saku-chan, I can't believe you just called me nosy! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Kanon turned her head away, puffing up her cheeks.
…
Their commotion caught someone's attention in the next car.
It was Uozumi Jun, captain of Ryonan High School.
He was taking this train to watch Shohoku's game.
He hadn't expected to run into Shohoku students here.
He glanced at his watch. Then looked toward Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon arguing. "The game should've started already. Why are they still here?"
Then suddenly, he seemed to get it. "Don't tell me that guy's late again?!"
He thought back to the practice match and last game.
That guy only showed up during the second half both times.
Just thinking about it made Uozumi's eyelid twitch. He grumbled internally, "How the heck did Akagi let someone like that join the basketball team?"
…
Time passed, and the train finally reached Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Shimizu Kanon grabbed Aoi Kunisaku's hand and jogged off the train, rushing toward the gym as fast as they could.
"Saku-chan, hurry up! The game's been going for a while already!" Kanon tugged him along.
This scene caught the attention of the people around them.
"Huh? Those uniforms… they're from Shohoku, right?"
"But didn't Shohoku already go in?"
"That guy's so tall!"
"Not just tall. He's hot, too."
"That girl's seriously cute!"
"Damn, I'm so jealous of that guy."
…
Ignoring all the comments, Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon jogged their way to Shohoku's locker room.
But by then, it was already empty.
After quickly tidying up, Kanon dragged Aoi Kunisaku again toward the court entrance.
Inside the basketball arena, most of the seats were already filled.
Compared to last time, it was way more packed.
Flashes from cameras and constant shutter clicks made it obvious just how many reporters had shown up.
The crowd was colorful, filled with students from other high school basketball teams wearing all kinds of uniforms.
At that moment, about 5 minutes remained in the first half.
The score was frozen at 56 to 13.
Shohoku 56, Kakuya 13.
The number stunned all the players who had come to watch.
Kakuya couldn't put up any fight at all.
No one had expected it to be this one-sided.
Now, the visiting basketball teams were taking Shohoku way more seriously.
At the back boundary behind Shohoku's basket, there were now two boys sitting casually on the ground.
They ignored the stares around them and treated the place like their own personal spectator seat.
One was tall, the other short.
The taller boy looked to be around 185 cm, with a slender build and a gentle, refined face. His eyes carried a hint of innocence, and there was always a harmless smile on his face.
He was none other than Jin Soichiro, a member of the Kainan University Affiliated High School basketball team, playing as Shooting Guard.
The shorter boy's face was full of swagger and arrogance, easy to identify.
He was Kiyota Nobunaga, a first-year and new member of the Kainan basketball team.
Someone in the stands noticed them.
When they saw the uniforms the two boys were wearing, they immediately cried out.
"Aren't those guys from Kainan?"
"Didn't expect even Kainan to show up for this match."
"That's the sharpshooter Jin!"
"Are they here to watch Shohoku too?"
…
Kiyota Nobunaga and Jin Soichiro ignored the chatter in the stands.
They watched the game expressionlessly.
Jin Soichiro looked at the scoreboard and muttered, "Shohoku's not bad."
Kiyota Nobunaga scoffed. "What's so great about that? If it were us, we'd have scored over a hundred already."
…
Just then—
At the Shohoku player tunnel.
Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon emerged from the passage.
The moment they appeared, sharp-eyed spectators spotted them.
One was strikingly handsome, the other angelically beautiful.
They stood out too much.
Add to that the fact they appeared suddenly in an otherwise open space, and it was no surprise that people turned to look.
At first, only a few noticed.
But soon, nearly everyone turned their eyes to them.
"Who are they?"
"That girl's gorgeous—like an angel!"
"That guy's hot too! He's wearing a Shohoku jersey. Is he on the team?"
"That's weird, I didn't see them earlier."
…
Under everyone's gaze, Aoi Kunisaku and Shimizu Kanon walked to Shohoku's bench.
Kanon, as always, stepped in front of Coach Anzai, bowed, and said, "Coach, I'm sorry we're late."
The Shohoku team all winced.
They'd lost count of how many times they'd heard this.
No wonder something had felt off earlier—this line had become Shohoku's unofficial catchphrase. A day without it didn't feel complete.
"Hohohoho…"
Coach Anzai chuckled as always and waved his hand. "As long as you're here. Now watch the game."
Aoi Kunisaku had already sat down in an empty spot.
He glanced at the scoreboard and instantly lost all interest.
Still, while he wasn't interested in the game, someone was clearly interested in him.
In one corner of the stands.
A boy in a green uniform with "Shoyo" printed on the chest and wearing black-rimmed glasses was staring at Aoi Kunisaku, mumbling to himself, "So that's Aoi Kunisaku."
That boy was none other than Hanagata Toru, a member of Shoyo High School's basketball team.
He had come today to see if Shohoku was for real, and to check out the overly hyped number 9.
But seeing Aoi Kunisaku show up this late, his eyes flashed with disdain.
A guy with no sense of timing—how strong could he really be?
"Didn't expect you to show up for this, Hanagata," a voice called from behind him.
Hanagata turned and immediately recognized the speaker. "Uozumi. Yeah, the opponent's too weak. This kind of team doesn't even deserve to face our starters."
Uozumi smiled faintly. "Maybe."
He looked toward Shohoku's bench. "So, he didn't go in after all."
"You guys lost to that tardy kid last time, didn't you?" Hanagata asked.
He wanted to know what made Aoi Kunisaku so special.
Uozumi said, "You shouldn't underestimate him, Hanagata. That guy's scary. Way beyond what those articles say."
Hanagata stared at him for a while, then turned away and said calmly, "Shoyo won't lose."
…
The game went on.
Just as expected, Sakuragi Hanamichi fouled out before the end of the first half.
But Coach Anzai still didn't send Aoi Kunisaku in. He had Kogure Kiminobu sub in for Sakuragi instead.
Aoi Kunisaku had no complaints.
This kind of opponent didn't excite him at all.
If he really got on the court, the other team would probably forfeit halfway through.
As time ticked by—
The Shohoku players on court went wild like unleashed stallions, wrecking Kakuya's basket.
The score difference kept growing.
The Kakuya players looked completely drained, gasping for breath, like they might collapse any second.
Anyone with eyes could see that Kakuya had already given up.
Finally, Mitsui Hisashi sank a buzzer-beater three-point shot to seal the game.
Shohoku ended the match with a 153 to 24 victory.
A total blowout.