In Shohoku Locker Room.
The locker room was unusually quiet.
The usual jokes and chatter were gone — replaced by a heavy, focused silence.
Each player sat in his spot, lost in his own thoughts.
Takenori Akagi sat on the bench against the inner wall, his broad back perfectly straight.
He didn't speak right away. Instead, he slowly lifted his gaze, letting his eyes move across each of his teammates' faces, as if trying to carve this moment into memory.
After a long silence, Akagi finally exhaled.
His hands were clenched, knuckles pale, his expression more serious than ever. When he finally spoke, his deep voice broke through the still air.
"I don't need to tell you how important this game is — you all know it. As for Ryonan's strength, you've already experienced it firsthand."
As his words faded, silence fell once more.
No one spoke. Even their breathing seemed to quiet.
The ticking of the wall clock echoed unnaturally loud in the tense atmosphere.
After a moment, Akagi continued, his tone firm and steady.
"Victory or defeat — it all comes down to this game. Everyone, give it everything you've got."
He had barely finished speaking when a movement caught his eye.
Sakuragi Hanamichi stood right in front of him, leaning forward — so close that Akagi could feel his breath.
Sakuragi stared at him with those blank, fish-like eyes, dead serious, not blinking once.
Akagi frowned, clearly puzzled.
"What is this idiot up to now…?"
Then suddenly, Sakuragi leaned even closer, grinning like he'd uncovered a great secret.
"You've got dark circles under your eyes! Hehehe… I know — you were so nervous you couldn't sleep, right?"
Akagi's face flushed red, as if his deepest secret had been exposed. He swatted Sakuragi's hand away, snapping,
"You're the one with dark circles!"
Sakuragi puffed out his chest proudly.
"This genius, Sakuragi Hanamichi, stayed up all night coming up with a plan to crush Ryonan and get revenge for last time!"
"Idiot!" Akagi barked. "With that empty head of yours, what kind of plan could you possibly make?"
As the two bickered, Kogure noticed the faint dark shadows under Akagi's eyes and chuckled softly.
"Akagi… you didn't sleep well either, huh? I woke up at four this morning myself."
A lazy, mocking voice drifted from the corner.
"You guys are pathetic."
Mitsui Hisashi leaned against the lockers with one hand in his pocket, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
"It's just Ryonan. You're all acting like you've seen ghosts. I think they've already gotten in your heads."
He turned toward the door.
Kogure blinked in surprise.
"Hey, Mitsui — where are you going? We're about to head out."
Mitsui froze mid-step, his back still turned.
After a brief pause, he replied, his voice betraying a flicker of tension:
"...The restroom."
The entire locker room went quiet.
Every head turned toward him at once — the same amused, knowing look on their faces.
Mitsui felt every pair of eyes burning into his back as he awkwardly walked out.
The moment the door closed behind him, Sakuragi burst into laughter.
"So he's the most nervous one! He's been running to the bathroom all morning!"
Akagi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"That guy…"
In one corner, Shohoku's three first-years huddled together, whispering.
"Don't you think everyone's acting weird today?"
"Of course! We're playing Ryonan — did you forget they beat us by fifty last time?"
"Yeah, but… can we win this time?"
Across the arena, Ryonan's locker room was calm — almost too calm.
The players were getting ready, chatting casually about their upcoming match against Shohoku.
"I never thought our semifinal opponent would be Shohoku," Koshino said as he tied his shoelaces.
Uekusa, crouched nearby packing his bag, nodded.
"Yeah. Can't believe they made it this far. We crushed them by fifty in that practice game."
Ikegami walked over with a water bottle in hand, his tone steady.
"You've all watched their recent games, right? Shohoku isn't the same team anymore."
Koshino waved dismissively.
"So what? We've got Ake and Sendoh. Doesn't matter how much they've improved — they can't beat us."
No one disagreed.
If Ryonan didn't have Ake, maybe someone would've argued.
But with him on their side, no one felt worried.
Ikegami still frowned slightly.
"Even so, we shouldn't let our guard down. Shohoku's not just Akagi's team anymore — Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryota are serious threats."
Uozumi's brow lifted slightly at the name.
"Mitsui Hisashi…" he murmured.
Uekusa looked up curiously.
"You know him, Uozumi-senpai?"
Uozumi nodded slowly.
"If I remember right, he's the same Mitsui Hisashi from Takeshi Junior High — led his team to the prefectural championship and was named MVP."
That revelation made several players pause.
"MVP?" Uekusa blinked. "When did Shohoku get a player like that? Why didn't he play in the practice game?"
Uozumi shook his head.
"No idea."
Just then, Sendoh smiled and chimed in, his tone casual but thoughtful.
"Still… Shohoku really is strong now."
He turned to Ake, sitting quietly on the bench beside him.
"You think so too, right, Captain?"
Ake was bent over, tying his shoelaces carefully. His jacket — usually draped over his shoulders — lay neatly folded beside him.
Without looking up, he answered evenly,
"Yeah. They're strong."
Koshino's eyes widened.
"Even you're saying that?"
Sendoh noticed something different about Ake today — a rare seriousness in his expression.
"Ake, are you starting today?"
Ake stopped, straightened up, and nodded.
"Yeah. The coach agreed."
Uekusa blinked in surprise.
"Wait, seriously? Shohoku's that good? Even you are starting?"
Ake rose from the bench, bouncing lightly on his toes, rolling his ankles to loosen up.
"Shohoku now has national-level strength," he said calmly. "If we don't take them seriously, we could lose."
The room went dead silent.
The air froze — even breathing sounded too loud.
'Had they heard that right?'
Their usually composed captain had just said they might lose?
Before anyone could react, Ake added in a steady tone,
"Don't get me wrong. I said might. If we let our guard down, we could lose. But if we play with focus… victory is ours."
Time ticked away. The arena was buzzing.
Then —
Clang!
The Shohoku team stepped out from the tunnel, one by one.
"They're out! It's Shohoku!"
"Let's go, Shohoku! Do your best!"
"Fight hard!"
The cheers were loud, but they carried a certain tone — encouragement rather than confidence.
It was the kind of cheer you gave to an underdog, not a favorite.
Another deep metallic sound echoed.
Clang!
The Ryonan tunnel opened.
Instantly, the energy in the arena shifted. Every head turned. Every eye fixed on the opposite tunnel.
Thump… thump… thump…
The footsteps came — not perfectly in sync, but steady and strong.
Then, they appeared.
Ryonan.
Led by Ake.
The stands exploded.
It was like the roof might blow off.
"Ryonan! Ryonan! Ryonan!"
"Sendoh! Sendoh!"
"Ake! Ake!"
The noise was overwhelming.
"Look! There's Ryonan's first-year captain!"
"Think he's starting today?"
Even Shohoku's players stopped mid-step, instinctively turning to look.
Ake's eyes swept briefly over them, unreadable, before he led his team calmly toward their bench.
He didn't need to say a word — his composure alone radiated confidence.
There was a quiet authority in his presence, as if he was born to be the center of attention.
The rest of Ryonan followed suit, standing tall, faces filled with calm, unshakable confidence.
Together, they exuded a presence that filled the arena — not loud or showy, but undeniably powerful.