On the court, the air was so tense it felt like it could be wrung out.
Ever since Kainan sent in Miyamasu Yoshinori, Shohoku had inexplicably fallen into a passive state.
And the root of the problem was none other than Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Miyamasu's task was to mark Sakuragi closely.
But when Sakuragi looked at the short, frail-looking Miyamasu, he couldn't help but look down on him. He didn't take it seriously at all.
That slip-up gave Kainan the perfect chance to widen the gap.
Sakuragi kept making mistakes on the court. What had been a tight game with only a 4-point difference began to crumble.
As time went on, Shohoku's small disadvantage grew steadily.
With only 5 minutes left in the first half, the score gap had widened to 10 points.
The scoreboard now clearly read: Shohoku 24, Kainan 34.
On Shohoku's bench—
Coach Anzai suddenly broke the silence and said in a deep voice, "Aoi, warm up."
The moment he heard that, Aoi Kunisaku stood up without hesitation and calmly began warming up.
That movement immediately caught the attention of the Kainan players.
Their eyes were filled with wariness, tinged with unease.
In the press section—
Aida Yayoi's sharp eyes caught the moment. She grabbed her camera and fired off several rapid shots.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she murmured, "Looks like Shohoku is finally putting in Aoi Kunisaku. Now it's a real ace vs. ace matchup. I wonder how this will go?"
At the same time, the crowd was buzzing. Everyone craned their necks, eager to see Aoi Kunisaku in action.
They whispered nonstop, voices rising and falling.
"Look, it's Shohoku's No. 9!"
"He's going in!"
"Aoi Kunisaku vs. Maki Shinichi… I've been dying to see this."
"I can't wait to see how the game unfolds."
…
Meanwhile, the Kainan players all had the same ominous feeling—like a storm was coming.
They knew just how strong Aoi Kunisaku was. He was on another level, someone who commanded real fear.
Tweet—
A sharp whistle blew.
Shohoku called for a substitution.
Aoi Kunisaku walked steadily onto the court. His gaze locked onto Sakuragi Hanamichi, and he pointed to the bench without a word. The message couldn't be clearer.
Sakuragi looked disgruntled. He dragged his feet as he left the court. As he brushed past Aoi, he shot him a fierce glare, like blaming him for stealing his minutes.
Aoi Kunisaku ignored him completely. His expression stayed cold as he strode to the center of the court.
On Kainan's side, Takato Riki made a quick adjustment. He subbed out Miyamasu and sent in Jin Soichiro.
But the crowd's eyes were all glued to Aoi Kunisaku. Jin's entrance barely registered.
Step…
Step…
Step…
Aoi Kunisaku's footsteps echoed steadily. He stepped onto the court, scanning the Kainan lineup.
A smirk curled at his lips. In a loud voice, he said, "Let me see what Kanagawa's so-called number one team is really made of."
The second that line dropped, Kainan's players' faces darkened.
Kiyota Nobunaga's face turned red with rage. He roared, "You bastard! How dare you say that!"
Aoi Kunisaku just sneered, ignoring him completely. He waved to Miyagi Ryota for the ball.
Miyagi understood instantly. With a flick of his wrist, the ball flew cleanly to Aoi.
Aoi caught it smoothly. His eyes were sharp, scanning Kainan's defense in an instant. But he didn't rush the play.
Then Kiyota stepped forward, planting himself in front of Aoi in a defensive stance. He shouted, "I won't let you do whatever you want! I'm the real rookie of the year in Kanagawa!"
Aoi raised an eyebrow and shot Kiyota a sidelong glance. The smirk on his lips deepened into a cold, dismissive smile. Still, he said nothing.
That look was the last straw.
Kiyota was seething. The fury rushed to his head and burned away what was left of his composure. "Damn it! You think you're better than me?!"
With 5 minutes left in the first half, the match resumed.
Shohoku's lineup:
Center – Akagi Takenori, No. 4, 3rd year (Captain)
Power Forward – Aoi Kunisaku, No. 9, 1st year
Small Forward – Rukawa Kaede, No. 11, 1st year
Shooting Guard – Mitsui Hisashi, No. 14, 3rd year
Point Guard – Miyagi Ryota, No. 7, 2nd year
Kainan's lineup:
Center – Takasago Kazuma, No. 5, 3rd year
Power Forward – Muto Tadashi, No. 9, 3rd year
Small Forward – Kiyota Nobunaga, No. 10, 1st year
Shooting Guard – Jin Soichiro, No. 6, 3rd year
Point Guard – Maki Shinichi, No. 4, 3rd year
Thump…
Thump…
Thump…
The game clock on the scoreboard ticked back into motion.
At the same time, Aoi Kunisaku started dribbling. One bounce at a time, slow but forceful.
Each time the ball hit the floor, the sound drilled into Kiyota's ears.
Somehow, each thud felt unbearably heavy. Every bounce piled pressure on his shoulders, like invisible chains weighing him down.
A cold bead of sweat slid silently down Kiyota Nobunaga's cheek and hit the polished floor with a soft plop.
Just then, a faint breeze brushed across his face, offering a fleeting moment of relief.
But when he snapped back to reality, panic surged—Aoi Kunisaku was gone.
Thump...
The sudden bounce of the ball rang out behind him.
Kiyota's eyes flew open. His whole body jolted. "W-What the hell...?"
His voice trembled, face filled with disbelief.
He turned his head stiffly. Aoi had already broken past him. Like a red flash, he'd blown right past the half-court line in a blink.
Takasago Kazuma reacted fast and rushed up to block him.
But before he could even plant his feet or set his stance, Aoi spun and glided past him like a slick fish in water.
It all happened in an instant—too fast to catch.
Aoi drove straight into Kainan's paint. He leapt high, ready for a layup.
At that critical moment, a huge hand lashed out like lightning and smacked the ball in his hands.
Huh?
Aoi's pupils contracted sharply. But his hands didn't panic or break form.
With expert technique and a subtle sense of control, he absorbed the impact and regained his grip on the ball.
Still in midair, Aoi shifted his posture, tucked the ball behind his side, and used his body to shield it from the blocker.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ball shot out from behind him like a magic comet. It soared over his own head and arced toward the hoop.
Everyone in the arena held their breath, eyes glued to the ball.
As it hung briefly in the air, time seemed to pause. Then it dropped.
Swish...
The net rippled softly. The ball sank cleanly through.
Aoi landed steadily. But he wasn't even thinking about the shot he just made. His eyes had already shifted to his side.
Standing right there was the one who'd tried to block him—Maki Shinichi.
A faint grin tugged at Aoi's lips. A glint of respect flickered in his eyes. "Not bad."
"Tch..."
Maki let out a small scoff. His eyes stayed sharp. "Didn't block it, huh? I guess I really can't afford to slip up against you."
He knew it. He thought he had that block in the bag. But Aoi had somehow pulled the ball back midair and made a totally ridiculous shot from behind himself.
There was nothing standard about it. No logic to it. Just pure instinct and madness.
The two locked eyes. No strong emotion—just calm, silent scrutiny. Like a quiet clash of wills.
But the rest of the world wasn't so calm.
The crowd erupted.
Everyone was stunned by that insane shot.
"Holy crap! What kind of shot was that?!"
"He threw it from behind! And it still went in!"
"Finally! Aoi Kunisaku's crazy shot style is here again! But this one's on another level!"
Voices overlapped. The arena buzzed like it was on fire.
On the sidelines, Takato Riki stood frozen, like someone just slapped a question mark on his forehead.
He couldn't believe it. A player actually made a shot like that—from behind, midair.
Sure, he'd seen Aoi's unorthodox moves before. His Formless Shot had left a deep impression.
But this? This was something else.
"Wait... is this part of his regular arsenal now?" The more Takato thought, the more shaken he felt. His understanding of Aoi's ceiling had just shifted again.
On Shohoku's bench—
Even the substitutes couldn't sit still.
They'd seen Aoi shoot backwards behind the rim once before. That was already mind-blowing.
But this time, even if it wasn't as exaggerated, it still made their jaws drop.
He brought the ball behind his back and hooked it in like it was nothing. It shouldn't be possible, yet he did it—and scored.
"That's insane... Only Aoi could pull off something that inhuman." Kogure Kiminobu's voice trembled with excitement.
Ayako exhaled deeply, a look of relief and pride on her face. "He really didn't let us down. I thought for sure he was getting blocked just now."
At the edge of the court, in the press box—
Aida Yayoi's hands were shaking with excitement as she kept snapping photos. Click click click...
"I finally got the money shot... This is gold. That might be the best play of the whole game." She kept murmuring to herself as she captured every frame she could.
Back on the court—
Kiyota Nobunaga was visibly trembling. His eyes were wide like saucers. It felt like he'd stepped into a surreal dream.
"That guy..." he muttered. His voice was low, laced with shock and awe.
The rest of the Kainan squad didn't look much different.
Thinking back on that impossible shot, a chill crept up their spines.
He was supposed to be blocked cold. Yet somehow, Aoi turned it around—like he brought the ball back from the dead.
Their gazes all locked on Aoi as he jogged back on defense.
One thought echoed through every single mind:
Is this guy even human?