Inside the gym.
Clang…
Clang…
Two heavy metallic booms echoed through the arena as the player tunnel gates swung open. The sound sliced through the noisy crowd like a blade, reaching every corner of the stands.
The noisy, chaotic atmosphere came to a sudden halt, as if time itself had frozen.
Everyone's eyes, drawn like magnets, turned toward the now-open tunnel entrances on both ends of the court.
Step…
Step…
Step…
Light, rhythmic footsteps echoed from within the tunnels.
The players from Shohoku and Toyotama filed out one after another, slowly entering the audience's view.
Boom…
In an instant, the crowd erupted. Cheers and shouts roared like crashing waves.
"Toyotama… go… crush Shohoku… Toyotama… go… crush Shohoku… Toyotama… go… crush Shohoku…"
Toyotama's cheer squad shouted with wild energy.
Some were waving massive flags with "Toyotama" written across them. Others shook plastic bottles filled with rocks.
Of course, as Shohoku's players emerged from the tunnel, plenty of fans began shouting for them as well.
"Shohoku… Shohoku… Shohoku…"
"Aoi Kunisaku… Aoi Kunisaku… Aoi Kunisaku…"
Amid them, the three diehard fans in micro mini-skirt cheer uniforms were especially eye-catching.
They kicked up their pale legs high in the air, faces full of infatuation, screaming sharp and shrill.
"Rukawa Kaede… I love you… Rukawa Kaede… I love you… Rukawa Kaede… I love you…"
The whole stadium was instantly divided into two camps.
One side roared for Toyotama, the other for Shohoku. The clashing voices tangled mid-air, making the arena lively but absolutely deafening.
"Look! They're here—Toyotama's Minami Tsuchiya, and Shohoku too."
"I've never even heard of Shohoku before."
"That number 9 is Aoi Kunisaku. He was all over the news."
"Who's the redhead?"
"They're all huge!"
"I can't wait for the game to start!"
…
The hostile, unfriendly stares from Toyotama were sharp enough that even from a distance, Shohoku's players sensed them.
Shohoku didn't back down. They returned the glares head-on.
The two teams stared across the court at each other, eyes like lightning bolts colliding mid-air, sparking in a silent crash of thunder.
Then, both sides broke off eye contact and turned back toward their benches.
There were 15 minutes left before the game began.
Once ready, both teams stepped onto the court for pre-game warm-ups.
During the warm-up, neither team bothered the other. The mood was surprisingly quiet—no sign of the earlier tension.
Soon, warm-ups ended.
Coach Anzai announced Shohoku's starting lineup. "Starting players: Akagi… Mitsui… Miyagi… Rukawa Kaede… and finally, Aoi Kunisaku…"
Sakuragi Hanamichi froze where he stood, stiff like a statue, staring blankly at Coach Anzai.
Why wasn't his name called?
Sakuragi rushed up to Coach Anzai and asked, "Old Man, what about me? Why am I not a starter?"
Hohohoho…
Coach Anzai smiled warmly. "Sakuragi… You're our secret weapon."
"Secret weapon?!" Instead of joy, Sakuragi started yelling. "Liar! You fooled me last time with that same line!"
He started tugging at Coach Anzai—pinching his chubby chin one moment, poking his round belly the next, muttering nonstop, "Old Man, let me play already! I wanna start!"
"You can't treat Coach Anzai like that! Stop it!" Mitsui shouted, trying to pull him off.
But Sakuragi didn't care. He kept clinging to Coach Anzai like he wouldn't let go unless he got his way.
Thunk!
A dull thud.
Akagi Takenori punched him straight to the floor without mercy. "Sit down and behave."
Then Coach Anzai gently added, "Sakuragi… you'll play in the second half."
"Huh?" Sakuragi Hanamichi clutched his head, grumbling with a pout. "Second half? But I wanna play now!"
Kogure Kiminobu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Come on, Sakuragi. First half or second half, it's the same. Just wait another 20 minutes—it'll go by fast."
After everyone's persuasion, Sakuragi finally quieted down.
At that moment, Shimizu Kanon stepped forward and addressed the group. "I already handed out Toyotama's player profiles earlier. I marked the key things to watch out for. The only real threat is their captain, Minami Tsuchiya. Based on my analysis, Minami Tsuchiya's gonna go after Saku-chan right from the start. So…"
She turned to Aoi Kunisaku with a concerned look. "Saku-chan, be careful. Don't get hurt, okay?"
"Hmph!" Aoi Kunisaku scoffed, eyes full of contempt. "Just some trash who only knows dirty tricks."
He didn't even want to glance at someone like that.
Soon, players from both teams stepped to center court, silently waiting for the referee to announce the start.
Shohoku Starting 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
Toyotama Starting Lineup:
Center – Iwata Mitsuaki, No. 8, 3rd Year
Power Forward – Kishimoto Minori, No. 5, 3rd Year
Small Forward – Minami Tsuchiya, No. 4, 3rd Year (Captain)
Shooting Guard – Yajima Kyohei, No. 7, 3rd Year
Point Guard – Itakura Daijiro, No. 6, 2nd Year
The referee stepped between the teams, holding the ball in one hand and the whistle in his mouth, signaling readiness.
Tweet…
A sharp whistle pierced the air as the ball was tossed high into the center.
In that moment, both teams tensed. Everyone's eyes locked on the ball rising above them.
Akagi Takenori and Iwata Mitsuaki crouched low and exploded upward. Arms stretched fully, hands aimed right at the ball.
No surprise here.
Smack…
Akagi got there first.
He quickly tipped the ball to his right—toward Aoi Kunisaku.
Aoi caught it, but didn't take off into a fast break like everyone expected. He just stood there.
Ball in both hands, arms relaxed at his sides, body leaning forward. He looked totally uninterested, like he'd lost all energy.
Minami Tsuchiya reacted fast. He stepped forward, blocking Aoi's path.
They stared each other down. Neither moved. The air between them froze.
Then Aoi finally moved.
He dribbled once with his right hand.
Bounce…
The ball shifted to his left.
Left-hand dribble.
Bounce…
Back to the right.
Right-hand dribble again.
Bounce…
And just as the ball hit the floor, Aoi Kunisaku turned into a gust of wind, blowing past Minami Tsuchiya's side in a blur.
Whoosh…
Minami Tsuchiya's vision warped—Aoi vanished like a shadow splitting in two.
So fast.
Minami Tsuchiya's heart jumped.
He'd read all the reports. He knew Aoi was quick. But seeing it for himself? It was unreal.
In that flash of movement, he couldn't even react.
"This guy…" Minami Tsuchiya's face twisted in shock. He spun around quickly.
But Aoi had already pulled away by several steps.
Minami Tsuchiya shook it off and sprinted to chase.
Then what he saw stunned him again.
No matter how hard he ran, he couldn't close the gap.
What kind of joke is this?
Minami Tsuchiya's mind was racing, overwhelmed.
He wasn't even dribbling. How could he not catch up to someone dribbling?
This was ridiculous!
Toyotama's other players stood frozen, jaws practically unhinged.
From the sideline, they could see even more clearly—Aoi had already broken into the paint.
The whole thing had happened too fast. The area under the rim was wide open.
Aoi charged straight into the key, leapt high with ease, and slammed it down one-handed.
Clang!
The ball swished clean through the net.
Shohoku 2 – 0 Toyotama.
Shohoku scored first.
The whole gym fell silent.
Everyone was stunned by what they'd just seen—fast, clean, and overwhelming.
A moment passed before whispers and exclamations began to ripple across the stands.
"Holy crap... Who is that guy from Shohoku?"
"He was so fast. I blinked and the ball was already in."
"That was like, what, 5 seconds?"
"That's Aoi Kunisaku? That speed's insane!"
"I thought this game would be boring. Shohoku might actually be pretty good."
...
On the scoreboard, the game clock showed 19:52.
Only 8 seconds had passed since the game started.
And that included the time Aoi Kunisaku stood still at the beginning.
His whole drive and finish? Took maybe 4 seconds, tops.
The Toyotama players stared in disbelief. All eyes landed on Aoi Kunisaku, filled with shock and dread.
"What the hell?" Kishimoto Minori muttered, staring at Aoi, his voice shaking.
Clap… clap… clap…
Minami Tsuchiya clapped his hands and called out to his teammates, "No problem. Let's get one back right now."
Possession switched.
Toyotama launched their counterattack.
Minami Tsuchiya brought the ball across half-court quickly. Seeing Aoi hadn't caught up yet, he made a slick behind-the-back pass to the left—straight to Itakura Daijiro.
Despite his thick, blocky frame, Itakura dribbled with surprising ease.
Miyagi Ryota was on him, but their size difference was huge.
Whether it was on purpose or not, as Itakura drove, his elbow caught Miyagi right in the ribs.
Miyagi winced. Sharp pain shot through his side, and he stumbled a few steps.
Just like that, he lost his chance to guard Itakura.
Itakura seized the opening. He cut toward Shohoku's basket, jumped high, and went for the layup.
Ah…
Right then, Akagi Takenori stepped in. He jumped up, arms fully extended, and blocked the shot clean.
But Itakura didn't panic. In midair, he twisted his wrist and tossed the ball behind him.
Almost at the same time, Kishimoto Minori darted in from the side. Looked like he was set to catch Itakura's pass.
Crap.
He was wide open.
Shohoku's players felt their stomachs drop. They wanted to stop it, but it was already too late.
But at that exact moment, a large hand—fast as lightning—appeared out of nowhere and stole the ball before Itakura could even finish the pass.
Smack…
A crisp thud echoed through the court. Everyone heard it.
Itakura's eyes widened. His heart dropped.
His hands were suddenly empty. Which meant… something definitely went wrong.
Kishimoto's pupils shrank too.
From behind Itakura, a shadow shot forward—ghostlike and silent.
It was Aoi Kunisaku.
By the time he entered Kishimoto's view, Aoi was already in the air. His motion was fluid and clean, stealing the ball in one flawless move.
He landed smoothly. Without even a second's pause, he launched forward like a bullet out of the chamber.
The Toyotama players were still processing what just happened.
Minami Tsuchiya rushed forward, cutting off Aoi's path. His eyes locked on, and his mind scrambled, already plotting some underhanded way to hurt him.
But before he could act, Aoi surged closer in his vision.
Minami Tsuchiya moved—
—but Aoi shifted directions mid-sprint. A perfect feint.
He baited Minami Tsuchiya's center of gravity to the right, then slid left like a slick eel, completely bypassing him.
Whoosh…
A rush of air brushed Minami Tsuchiya's cheek. His eyes glazed.
Did I… just get passed again?
Bounce… bounce… bounce…
Aoi streaked across the court in a red blur, from midcourt straight to the basket.
He leapt.
Two-handed slam.
Clang!
The ball slammed through the rim.
Shohoku 4 – 0 Toyotama.
Shohoku scored again.
The game had barely been on for a minute, and they'd already racked up two clean shots.
The gym went dead silent once more.