The next day arrived.
Today was the match between Shohoku and Aiwa Gakuen.
Because Shohoku had defeated Sannoh, the crowd pouring into the gym was no less than during their match with Sannoh.
Hiroshima Central Gymnasium.
The venue for the match between Shohoku and Aiwa Gakuen.
By now, every seat in the gym was filled.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation, their excitement and nervousness hanging thick in the air.
Reporters from major sports newspapers had arrived early.
They set up their video equipment skillfully, eyes filled with intense focus and eager to witness the game.
Among them were Aida Yayoi and her assistant, Nakamura Taizou.
Aida Yayoi looked up at the packed stands and sighed in awe.
"Looks like Shohoku's win over Sannoh really sent their popularity soaring."
She noticed that many spectators were holding banners with slogans like "Go Shohoku!" Clearly, most had come to support Shohoku.
Nakamura Taizou scanned the crowd from the stands, observing carefully.
"Looks like just about every team in the national tournament has someone watching here. Seems like Sannoh's defeat forced them to start taking Shohoku seriously."
Minute by minute, the clock ticked on.
Clang...
Clang...
Suddenly, the metal gates at the ends of the court—where the players enter—finally swung open.
The sudden noise grabbed everyone's attention. The gym instantly fell silent as all eyes turned to the entrances.
Soon, the players from Shohoku and Aiwa Gakuen began filing out one after the other.
As soon as both teams appeared in view, the gym erupted into loud cheers.
"Look! They're out! That's Shohoku!"
"The team that crushed Sannoh—they've really got presence!"
"That guy... the one in jersey number 9—that's Aoi Kunisaku! He single-handedly wrecked all of Sannoh!"
"I wonder what they'll do against Aiwa Gakuen today."
…
The crowd buzzed with excited chatter, eyes sparkling.
Most of the conversation was centered around Shohoku. Aiwa Gakuen was barely mentioned—just a side note.
To Aiwa Gakuen's players, the mood felt like a heavy stone crushing their chests. All the courage they'd built up before the match got washed away by the tsunami of shouts.
Their nerves began to spiral. Tension and unease spread quickly.
Soon, the cheers grew even louder. Someone led a chant.
"SHOHOKU... SHOHOKU... SHOHOKU..."
"Aoi Kunisaku... let's go... take down Aiwa..."
Before long, the whole gym was thundering with cheers for Shohoku and Aoi Kunisaku. The roar rolled like waves, deafening.
The Shohoku players were momentarily stunned by the wild scene.
They had never experienced this kind of glory.
The crowd's shouting was just as loud—if not louder—than the cheering for Sannoh in the previous game.
Soon, both teams took their places on the benches.
Shimizu Kanon stood before the team and spoke clearly.
"Now announcing the starting lineup."
Hearing that, the Shohoku bench instantly quieted down. Everyone perked up.
Shimizu Kanon continued,
"Center, captain Akagi. Point guard, Miyagi-senpai. Shooting guard, Mitsui Hisashi. Small forward, Rukawa Kaede. Power forward..."
She paused slightly and glanced at Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Sakuragi immediately straightened up like a tightened bowstring, repeating over and over in his head:
'Call me… call me… call me…'
But the next second, Shimizu Kanon turned toward Aoi Kunisaku and said,
"Power forward, Aoi Kunisaku. That's our starting lineup."
Sakuragi Hanamichi was sulking hard. He wanted to argue, but the difference between his ability and Aoi Kunisaku's was obvious. In the end, he sat down on the bench with an annoyed face, grumbling to himself.
"Damn it! Why wasn't it me? I'm the power forward too! This is favoritism. Totally unfair."
Glancing at the clock, Shimizu Kanon spoke again.
"Alright, there's no special strategy for today's game. Just play normally and we'll be fine."
Soon, the referee walked onto the court and called out loudly,
"Starting players to the court. Get ready."
With that cue, both teams' starting players stepped up and stood on either side of the center circle.
Moroboshi Dai looked at Shohoku's players. His eyes were burning with resolve—stronger than ever before.
He was already a third-year.
This tournament was the final summer of his high school basketball career.
There was no way he would hand over victory that easily.
His gaze moved to Aoi Kunisaku.
Aoi Kunisaku stood at the back of the lineup, still looking as lazy and uninterested as ever. His posture was slack like he had no strength to even stand properly.
"So that's the guy who beat Sawakita." Moroboshi Dai frowned. He was surprised by Aoi Kunisaku's attitude, but he didn't let it distract him.
Tweet...
The referee blew the whistle.
He stepped between both centers and tossed the ball high into the air.
The match between Shohoku High School and Aiwa Gakuen officially began.
Aiwa Gakuen's center barely reached 180 centimeters. He was a good ten-plus centimeters shorter than Akagi Takenori.
So when it came to the jump ball, Akagi easily won possession.
The ball dropped cleanly into Miyagi Ryota's hands.
But before he could even start pushing forward, a hand suddenly slipped onto the ball from nowhere.
Slap...
A muffled crack rang out.
Miyagi felt the ball vanish from his hands.
"What?!"
His eyes widened as he looked down quickly.
The ball... was gone.
He focused hard and realized someone was now standing beside him.
It was Moroboshi Dai from Aiwa Gakuen.
"When the hell did he get this close?" Miyagi stared at him, completely caught off guard.
After stealing the ball, Moroboshi Dai instantly broke toward Shohoku's basket.
But just as he made his first step—
Slap...
Another sharp sound hit the air.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. A gust of wind seemed to blow past. Then, he lost control of the ball.
"What?!"
His pupils shrank. He looked at his right hand in disbelief.
Empty. The ball was gone.
Bounce...
Bounce...
Bounce...
The sound of the dribbling ball faded into the distance behind him. Moroboshi Dai turned around.
It was him.
He saw the player now moving down the court.
That red jersey with the number 9 burned into his vision.
It was Aoi Kunisaku.
Moroboshi Dai snapped out of it and sprinted to chase him.
But after just a few steps, panic set in—he was falling behind.
'How?!'
His face twisted. A storm of shock crashed through his chest.
The rest of Aiwa Gakuen noticed it too. Every face turned pale with disbelief.
Aoi Kunisaku moved like no one else was on the court. He broke through Aiwa's defense like a ghost.
He leapt high, gripping the ball with one hand, and threw down a vicious Slam Dunk.
Clang!
The ball slammed through the net.
Shohoku 2 – 0 Aiwa Gakuen.