The next day.
Sunlight bathed the streets and alleys of Kanagawa.
News of Shohoku's victory over Shoyo spread like wildfire, tearing through the Kanagawa high school basketball scene at incredible speed.
Those who hadn't witnessed the match firsthand were left stunned when they heard the news, faces full of disbelief.
All the major basketball publications spared no praise, showering Shohoku with accolades and marveling at their power.
With bold headlines and detailed reports, they recreated Shohoku's spectacular performance for their readers.
Thanks to this media storm, Shohoku's name echoed louder than ever across Kanagawa, becoming the center of attention.
[Shocking! Shohoku crushes Shoyo with overwhelming score, complete domination]
[Too insane! Shohoku slaughters Shoyo—final score too brutal to look at]
[Kanagawa court turns slaughterhouse? Shohoku bulldozes Shoyo with ease]
...
Of course, the name that came up the most in all those reports was none other than Aoi Kunisaku.
After all, in that match, Aoi's playing style completely captivated everyone watching.
His incredible skill left every spectator in awe.
Now, all over town, basketball fans were already trying to copy his moves.
In no time, Aoi Kunisaku had become the biggest name in Kanagawa high school basketball.
[Basketball world quake! Super High-Speed Dribble?! Formless Shot?! Breaking the limits of the game]
[Breaking news! Shohoku stuns again—Shoyo overwhelmed by outrageous skill]
[Aoi Kunisaku scores 87 points—No.1 in high school hoops?!]
...
Although most of the spotlight was on Aoi, the rest of Shohoku also got some column space—just not nearly as much.
Everyone on Shohoku was fired up. None of them had ever dreamed of getting this kind of media attention.
But seeing Aoi Kunisaku get the lion's share of the coverage stirred up some jealousy they couldn't hide.
Sakuragi Hanamichi scratched his head and flipped noisily through the magazine, yelling, "Damn it! They mentioned all of you—why isn't my name in here?!"
Mitsui Hisashi stared proudly at the page about him. A smug grin crept up his face. "Guess those reporters know real talent when they see it."
Miyagi Ryota grinned as he admired his action shot, then turned to Ayako, beaming. "Ayako, look! I made it into the magazine!"
Akagi Takenori and Rukawa Kaede both kept straight faces, silent as ever.
Akagi was serious, not one to show emotion easily in front of others.
And Rukawa, as always, kept his poker face—no way to tell if he was happy or not.
Aoi Kunisaku read the lavish praise in the article with a calm face. There wasn't a ripple of emotion. It was like the compliments had nothing to do with him.
Shimizu Kanon, watching him, tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Saku-chan, doesn't it make you happy to see yourself in the news?"
Aoi replied flatly, like it was no big deal. "Why would it? It's not the first time."
Shimizu Kanon let out a quiet sigh and thought, Saku-chan's getting more and more distant...
Even though they still talked like usual, she couldn't shake the feeling that something in him was changing for the worse.
She didn't like it.
"Little Saku-chan from back then was so much better," she whispered.
In the basketball magazines, aside from Shohoku's story, two other headlines drew huge attention. One of them had fans buzzing with anticipation.
The big news: Ryonan and Kainan also advanced to the Final Four.
Maybe it was Shohoku's impressive showing that pushed them. In their match, Ryonan crushed Hamadachuo 168 to 63, winning by over a hundred points.
Kainan took on Takezono. Even without Maki Shinichi, Jin Soichiro, or Kiyota Nobunaga on the court, they still dominated 157 to 57—winning by exactly a hundred.
And the other headline? The upcoming match would be Shohoku vs. Kainan.
A lot of people were already speculating: if Shohoku could crush the former #2, Shoyo, maybe they could also bring down the #1 king of Kanagawa—Kainan.
Ryonan had indeed grown stronger this year, and Sendoh Akira's performance had soared past last year's level.
But with Shohoku charging in as the dark horse, stealing all the spotlight, Ryonan's shine was completely overshadowed.
Though some people still had faith in Ryonan, the majority were now rooting for Shohoku, hoping the underdog would keep the miracles coming.
One more result worth noting:
Takezato vs. Ookita — Takezato won narrowly, 83 to 79.
And with that, the Final Four was officially set:
Shohoku, Ryonan, Kainan, and Takezato.
But most people were already ignoring Takezato.
Just looking at the score difference made it clear: Takezato wasn't even close to the other three.
From high school basketball teams to media outlets, everyone agreed—Kanagawa's top three would be decided between Shohoku, Ryonan, and Kainan.
The day before the game.
Shohoku High School · Basketball Team Room.
"Gather up!" Akagi Takenori shouted at full volume. He swept his eyes across the team, face dead serious.
"The semifinals are right around the corner. The four teams moving on are Kainan, Ryonan, Takezato, and us. Only the top two will qualify for the national high school tournament."
Kogure Kiminobu's face was grim as he added, "Kainan beat Takezono by a hundred, and that was without using their main lineup. Takezono was ranked top eight, and they still got crushed. In the final, they'll definitely play their starters. It's about their pride as the strongest team in Kanagawa, and their record of 17 straight national tournament appearances."
Hmph...
Sakuragi Hanamichi snorted hard through his nose, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "What's so special about Kainan?! They're nothing! I, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi, will definitely beat them!"
Ho ho ho ho...
Coach Anzai chuckled and looked at Sakuragi with approval. "Mm, Sakuragi is right. From now on, that mindset is very important. No matter what, we must beat Kainan. Without that kind of drive, there's no point even stepping onto the court. Because they're the kind of opponent who can crush your confidence. They could even end your basketball career."
The moment he said that, everyone on Shohoku's team went pale. The whole gym suddenly tensed up. It felt like the air froze.
Ahh...
Right then, Aoi Kunisaku let out a loud yawn. A spark of excitement flickered in his eyes. He grinned with anticipation. "Kainan, huh? Hope they're really that strong."
His attitude was completely at odds with the serious, tense mood.
But it was that exact moment that reminded everyone—Shohoku had a monster like Aoi Kunisaku on their side!
Yasuda Yasuharu's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "That's right! We've got Aoi. Even Kainan might not be able to handle him!"
Chouzaki Tetsushi quickly nodded. "Yeah, Kainan's tough, but we've got Aoi and Rukawa. We'll be fine."
"Oi! Are you guys ignoring me?!" Mitsui Hisashi immediately snapped. "You only mentioned Aoi and Rukawa and left me out! You think I don't matter?!"
He was clearly pissed. Totally unacceptable.
Miyagi Ryota muttered under his breath, face full of frustration. "Tch... what's the big deal... so they're a little better at basketball... and taller than me..."
Ayako smiled as she tried to lift everyone's spirits. "That's right. Shohoku isn't weak anymore. And with Aoi, beating Kainan isn't impossible."
At that moment, Shimizu Kanon walked over holding a stack of documents. She said seriously, "Ayako-senpai is right. Kainan is strong, but Shohoku's current strength is just as good. People just think Kainan is unbeatable because of their reputation."
Privately, Kanon had done a thorough comparison between Shohoku and Kainan's rosters.
After digging into the data, she had to admit—overall, Kainan was one of the top teams in the whole tournament.
But as she analyzed more deeply, she found something really interesting.
Looking only at the starting lineups, Shohoku's strength wasn't just close to Kainan's—it might even be slightly better.
And with Aoi Kunisaku as the ultimate wildcard, she was confident: as long as Shohoku didn't make mistakes, taking down Kainan wouldn't be that hard.
Kanon had her own pride. In a way, she was just like Aoi—absolutely confident in her own abilities.
And when it came to gathering and analyzing intel, she firmly believed no one could match her.
"Let me break down Kainan's players," Kanon said, holding up the papers.
The room fell silent. Everyone perked up and listened closely.
At this point, Shimizu Kanon held the third-highest authority on the team—right after Coach Anzai and Akagi Takenori.
Even Akagi himself stood there quietly and listened when she spoke.
No one dared brush her off—her intel was just too accurate, too valuable.
"First up, their Center: Takasago Kazuma. Jersey number 5, 3rd year, 191 cm, 80 kg. His strength is second only to Captain Akagi. He's good at drawing fouls. Keep an eye on that during the match."
"Power Forward: Muto Tadashi. Number 9, 3rd year, 184 cm, 75 kg. Decent defender, not much of a scorer. Good at creating opportunities for teammates."
"Small Forward: Kiyota Nobunaga. Number 10, 1st-year rookie, 178 cm, 65 kg. Crazy bounce and tight ball control. If you face him, be careful. One more thing—he's super arrogant. He only respects those he looks up to. Otherwise, he acts like no one else matters. Use that against him."
"Shooting Guard: Jin Soichiro. Number 6, 189 cm, 71 kg. Average speed and jumping. But he's a deadly Three-Point Shooter—one of the best in the prefecture. Honestly, even Mitsui-senpai might not beat him when it comes to pure shooting."
Hmph...
Mitsui Hisashi's face darkened. He clearly didn't like that. But he still kept his cool. "I'll show everyone who the real Three-Point King of Kanagawa is."
Kanon continued, "Last, the Point Guard and Kainan's captain—Maki Shinichi. Number 4, 184 cm, 79 kg. When it comes to Point Guards, he's Kanagawa's No.1. One of the most respected players in high school basketball. They call him Emperor Maki. He's a great leader—calm, strong-willed, sharp observer, always composed. Never underestimates anyone. He's our biggest threat in the match."
As she finished, Kanon couldn't help but silently admire Maki Shinichi.
Since she got into basketball, he was one of the most naturally gifted players she'd seen.
Skill-wise, maybe he couldn't beat Aoi. But basketball isn't just about skill.
In other areas, Maki had the edge.
"Looks like Saku-chan will finally have some real trouble," she thought.
Just then, Coach Anzai spoke. "Like Kanon said, Kainan is strong. Do you all have the confidence to beat them?"
"Yes!!" Everyone on Shohoku shouted together. Their voices boomed through the gym.
Coach Anzai nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned to Akagi. "Akagi, I'll leave it to you now."
"Yes, sir..." Akagi replied, then turned to the team and shouted, "Alright! Back to training! If we want to beat Kainan, we need to stay sharp!"
"Yeah!!" the team roared back in unison.
And just like that, the gym echoed with the sharp rhythm of bouncing basketballs.