The timeout ended in a flash.
When Sannoh Kogyo stepped back onto the court, everyone instantly noticed something was off.
Sannoh made a substitution—Kawata Mikio was taken off, and Matsumoto Minoru came back in.
Everyone on Shohoku's side looked puzzled. They couldn't figure out what Sannoh was planning.
"That's weird. Sannoh actually made a change," Ayako muttered softly, frowning, eyes full of confusion. "What are they trying to do?"
Kogure Kiminobu furrowed his brow and thought aloud. "Are they planning to triple-team Aoi Kunisaku? His strength must really feel threatening to them. Maybe this is their way of strengthening their defense."
Shimizu Kanon thought silently for a moment, eyes sharp. Then she spoke. "I don't think so. Matsumoto Minoru doesn't have 'Wild Instinct.' Even if he joins the double-team, it won't help much. If I'm right, there's only one reason they made this move."
...
On the court.
The mood grew heavy.
Sannoh launched a fierce attack.
Fukatsu Kazunari and Sawakita Eiji seemed to forget about Aoi Kunisaku completely, throwing themselves into the offense.
The five players on Sannoh moved as one, like a single unstoppable spear aimed straight at Shohoku's basket.
Everyone on Shohoku felt the raw power of Sannoh's pressure. It shook them to their core.
Akagi Takenori's pupils shrank sharply. He stared straight ahead, face turning grim. 'What insane pressure. It's like they're trying to tear us apart.'
Mitsui Hisashi broke into a cold sweat, eyes locked onto the Sannoh players. 'What's wrong with these guys? Something feels off. Like they're ready to risk it all.'
Sakuragi Hanamichi stared ahead, tense. Wild thoughts flashed through his mind. 'Are they trying to start a brawl or something?'
Rukawa Kaede's expression didn't change. Cold and serious eyes, same as always. No one could guess what he was thinking.
Aoi Kunisaku narrowed his eyes. His gaze swept across Sannoh's lineup like a hawk. He quietly waited for their move.
Soon, Sannoh crossed the half-court line and entered Shohoku's territory.
Before Shohoku could set up their defense, Sannoh's players scattered like knives thrown at lightning speed.
"What?"
Shohoku's players froze, confusion in their eyes.
They couldn't figure out what Sannoh was doing.
Aoi Kunisaku's pupils contracted. He seemed to realize what they were planning.
The ball was in Sawakita Eiji's hands.
Without hesitation, Aoi Kunisaku dashed over like a blur. In a blink, he was at Sawakita's side, swinging his arm hard to slap the ball away.
"I knew you'd come," Sawakita Eiji said with a smile, a flash of gold in his eyes. He snapped his arm and passed the ball away.
"Tch..."
Aoi Kunisaku clicked his tongue. "You guys are so boring," he grumbled.
Sawakita Eiji shrugged. "Can't help it. It's the only way to hold you back and have a shot at winning."
The ball drew an orange arc in the air, landing perfectly in Fukatsu Kazunari's hands.
Without pause, Fukatsu passed it to Nobe Masahiro.
Nobe pulled Rukawa Kaede aside, then sent the ball to Matsumoto Minoru on the other wing.
Matsumoto was wide open. Without hesitation, he jumped and shot.
'Damn.'
Mitsui Hisashi's heart dropped. He rushed forward to block, but it was too late.
The ball drew a clean arc in the air and dropped straight into Shohoku's basket.
Swish—
Nothing but net.
Shohoku 63, Sannoh Kogyo 71.
Everyone in the stands was stunned by Sannoh's smooth and aggressive offense.
"What a sharp attack! Are they going all out now?"
"That really scared me. Sannoh's pressure was unreal."
"Are they trying to hold the lead just by pushing offense?"
...
The crowd erupted in discussions and guesses.
But on the court, Shohoku's players didn't look happy. Everyone looked tense, and anxiety filled their eyes.
They hadn't expected Sannoh to use this strategy just to hold their lead.
To put it bluntly, this was now a battle of shooting percentage.
As long as Sannoh kept scoring each possession, they could hold the lead and win by the end.
Shohoku, on the other hand, had to both score and close the gap.
The advantage had clearly shifted to Sannoh.
'This is so cheap!'
Many people couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
The coach from Meihou saw this scene and couldn't help but smile. His tone was calm as he said, "As long as you can win, any method and rule can be used."
The game continued.
It was Shohoku's turn to attack.
Even though Aoi Kunisaku didn't take part in this round, the others used passing and personal skill to successfully land a shot.
Shohoku scored 2 points.
Shohoku 65 to 71 Sannoh Kogyo.
Then it was Sannoh's turn to attack.
They still used the same pattern as before. No hesitation. Just one goal—attack, attack, and attack again.
They were like emotionless war machines, launching wave after wave of fierce assaults at Shohoku.
With tight coordination, Kawata Masashi found his moment and slammed in a dunk.
The score changed again.
Shohoku 65 to 73 Sannoh Kogyo.
...
Time kept ticking away.
The game turned into a full-on shootout between Shohoku and Sannoh.
The score shifted with every exchange.
69 to 77.
72 to 81.
78 to 87.
...
The clock kept winding down. From the original 10 minutes, it dropped to 8, then to 5.
The score gap stayed within 10 points.
But things were getting more and more dangerous for Shohoku.
"Oi oi oi! What's going on here? Shohoku's not really gonna lose, right?" Kiyota Nobunaga said, staring at the deadlocked match.
Miyamasu Yoshinori had gone silent. He thought to himself, 'Could Shohoku lose, even with Aoi Kunisaku?'
Maki Shinichi stayed calm, his expression unchanged, as if he saw this coming. "I hate to admit it, but this is Sannoh. From start to finish, they've only ever wanted one thing—victory."
He paused, then added, "No matter what it takes."
He glanced at Aoi Kunisaku on the sideline. Doubt crept into his heart. He muttered, "Is there really nothing more he can do?"
Based on what he knew, Aoi Kunisaku wasn't someone who would just sit back and watch things fall apart.
Over on Shohoku's bench, everyone was getting anxious.
"Not much time left. What do we do? If this keeps up, we're done," Ayako said, restless, nerves getting the better of her.
Kogure Kiminobu and the other first- and second-years felt the same. Some even wished they could freeze the scoreboard clock.
But Anzai Mitsuyoshi stayed steady as ever, sitting there like a rock. He didn't seem the least bit shaken.
Shimizu Kanon kept watching the court. For the first time, her brows furrowed. She called out softly, "Saku-chan…"
Her mind drifted back to right before the game started...
Aoi Kunisaku: "They're strong, sure… but they're still just mortals."
Shimizu Kanon: "There you go again, talking nonsense like always."
...
Aoi Kunisaku: "Kanon, you'd never understand what's behind that door."
Shimizu Kanon: "That door?"
Aoi Kunisaku: "That's where the true realm of the unbeatable lies."
...
The memory ended.
Now, only a little over 3 minutes remained in the game.
The score stood at Shohoku 85, Sannoh Kogyo 92.
Sannoh had the lead.
And right now, it was Sannoh's turn to attack.
Sawakita Eiji was about to dunk the ball into Shohoku's basket.
Everyone thought Shohoku was finished. The game seemed to be tilting in Sannoh's favor.
But in that critical moment, with no warning and no time to react, it happened.
A flash of blue lightning shot across Sawakita Eiji's line of sight.
In the next second, his vision blurred, and the feel of the ball vanished from his hands.
Clang...
Sawakita Eiji's palm slammed down on Shohoku's rim.
But no ball dropped from the basket.
Nothing.
It was empty.
That's when Sawakita Eiji suddenly realized—his eyes wide, panic surging through him.
'Where's the ball?!' he screamed inside.
Everyone in the gym finally noticed something was off—the ball was gone.
Then—
Clang...
A loud dunk echoed again.
Everyone turned toward the sound, stunned.
When they looked, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Somehow, Aoi Kunisaku was now under Sannoh's basket.
He had already dunked the ball cleanly into Sannoh's hoop.
The scoreboard updated right away.
Shohoku 87 to 92 Sannoh Kogyo.
The gym fell into dead silence—again.