Mitsui turned mid-step, eyes wide. "Why is it always you two with the girls?!"
Hanamichi didn't even look back. "Genius attracts genius."
Rukawa didn't respond. He just kept walking, deadpan.
Mitsui groaned, pointing at his own squad. "Can't I get one banner without a skull on it?!"
One of the burly men shouted, "We made you that towel with flames on it!"
Mitsui sighed. "That's not helping!"
Yohei laughed as they reached the locker room doors. "At least they're loyal."
Mitsui muttered, "Yeah, loyal and terrifying."
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Two days later, Shohoku's 3rd game in the interhigh started with a bang.
The whistle blew. Akagi jumped clean and tipped the ball to Miyagi, who was already sprinting. No hesitation—he zipped a bounce pass to Hanamichi, who caught it in stride and slammed it down with both hands.
"Let's gooo!" Hanamichi shouted, already pounding his chest.
From the stands, his cheering squad exploded. Towels flew, signs lit up: "SA-KU-RA-GI #10" and "GENIUS MODE: ON." Haruko and her friends, now official team managers, clapped from the bench, trying to stay professional but clearly thrilled.
Coach Anzai on the other hand looks like a kid with new sets of toys as he fiddled with the team's line up. With a mischievous glint and a pair of shining glasses. He keeps on making substitutions whenever possible. Maybe it was his own way of bragging but Ryonan, Kainan and other teams' coaches faces grew increasingly pale as he kept making multiple team configuration and combination of players making it plentiful obvious the depth of Shohoku's bench.
Hasegawa tried to slow things down, but Shohoku wasn't having it. Rukawa drove past two defenders and finished with a smooth reverse. Mitsui hit a three off a Takamiya screen that sent one of Hasegawa's guards flying.
"Nice screen!" Mitsui shouted.
Takamiya grinned. "I flatten people. It's what I do."
Hanamichi grabbed a rebound, pushed the break himself, and dished to Okusu for a layup. Okusu pointed at him mid-run. "Nice pass!"
Yohei checked in early, calling out switches and keeping the wing defense tight. He made a smart cut off a Rukawa pass and finished with a clean layup.
Hanamichi was everywhere—putbacks, high-post jumpers, even a step-back three that made the crowd gasp. After draining it, he turned to the bench and shouted, "Make it louder!"
Miyagi rolled his eyes. "You're the loudest, that's for sure."
Coach Anzai didn't say much. He just watched, arms folded, nodding slowly. Ayako scribbled notes beside him, glancing up every time Hanamichi did something ridiculous.
Meanwhile, the fan sections were going wild. Rukawa's squad had matching headbands and a banner that said "RUKAWA-SAMA." Mitsui's cheering crew looked like they came from a biker bar—leather jackets, flame towels, and gravelly voices yelling, "THREE-POINT KING!"
Hanamichi's squad? They had chants, signs, and even a mini drumline. Every time he scored, they roared like it was a concert.
By the end of the quarter, Shohoku led 42–14. Hanamichi had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. He walked to the bench with a towel around his neck, grinning like he'd just won a prize.
Coach Anzai stood near the bench, calm as ever. "Akagi, Rukawa, Miyagi—rest for now. Sakuragi, you'll handle the ball."
The new lineup hit the floor: Hanamichi at point-forward, Mitsui and Yohei on the wings, Takamiya and Okusu in the frontcourt.
Hanamichi dribbled up with people who don't know much about him being surprise why he is playing point guard when he is supposed to be playing powqer forward or even better , center since Akagi is also off the court. Eyes scanning. Hasegawa's defense sagged, expecting chaos. Instead, Hanamichi called for a screen, used it cleanly, and zipped a bounce pass to Takamiya rolling hard. Layup. Easy.
Next possession, Hanamichi faked a drive, spun, and threw a skip pass to Mitsui in the corner. Splash. Mitsui's gang in the stands roared like it was a street fight.
Hanamichi pushed the pace again. This time, he drove hard, drew two defenders, and kicked out to Yohei, who swung it to Okusu for a mid-range jumper.
Haruko smiled from the bench, watching Hanamichi point and shout like he'd been doing it for years.
Then came the highlight: Hanamichi caught the ball at the top of the key, faked a handoff to Mitsui, spun, and threw a no-look pass behind his back to Takamiya, who finished through contact. The gym went nuts.
Coach Anzai rotated again—Miyagi and Rukawa came back in, but Hanamichi stayed.
Shohoku ended the quarter up 68–28. Hanamichi had 32 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds.
Ayako passed the stat sheet to Coach Anzai.
He smiled. "One assist away."
Shohoku came out of halftime with the same energy, but the pace was calmer. More deliberate. Hanamichi stayed in, still running the offense, now with Miyagi and Rukawa back on the floor.
First possession: Hanamichi caught the ball at the top, waited for the defense to shift, then fired a pass to Rukawa cutting backdoor. Easy finish.
Next play, Hanamichi grabbed a rebound off a missed three and pushed the break himself. He didn't rush—just waited for Mitsui to trail, then dropped it off for a clean jumper.
"Triple-double," Ayako said, not looking up.
Coach Anzai nodded once. "Next dead ball."
Hanamichi didn't hear it. He was already back on defense, calling out switches, pointing at cutters, boxing out like it was a one-possession game.
Then came the whistle—foul on Hasegawa. Timeout.
Coach Anzai stood. "Sakuragi, rest."
Hanamichi jogged over, breathing hard but smiling. "That's it?"
Coach nodded. "You've done enough."
Yohei handed him a towel. "Nice work."
Hanamichi sat down, leaned back, and looked up at the scoreboard. Shohoku was up big. He'd finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists.
Mitsui hit another three. Rukawa drove baseline. Miyagi picked off a pass and finished with a layup.
Shohoku entered the final quarter with a massive lead. Hanamichi sat on the bench, towel over his head, sipping water and watching the floor like a coach. He'd already secured his triple-double, and Coach Anzai had pulled him out without fanfare.
Akagi is back in anchoring the defense and keeping the team focused. When Hasegawa tried to push inside, Akagi shut it down with two straight blocks. Kogure checked in midway through the quarter. He didn't force anything—just moved the ball, hit an open jumper, and kept the offense flowing. When he sank a three from the wing, the bench clapped hard.
Hanamichi cheered "Nice shot, vice-captain," Kogure smiled.
The rest of the bench got minutes too. Sasaoka hit a mid-range jumper off a clean pass from Kogure. Yasuda ran the floor and finished a fast break with a soft layup. Even Kakuta got a block that drew cheers from the sideline.
Coach Anzai rotated calmly, giving everyone a chance.
Mitsui stayed hot, hitting one last three before sitting down. His gang in the stands gave him a standing ovation. Rukawa played a few more minutes, finishing with a smooth baseline drive and a fadeaway jumper. His fan section chanted nonstop, but he didn't react. He never did.
With two minutes left, and mostly becnh members playing with only 1 starter the whole way to the end. Shohoku was up by nearly 50. Hasegawa looked worn down, their starters dragging, their bench quiet.
Final possession: Kogure dribbled out the clock, passed to Yasuda, who swung it to Kakuta. He took a shot from the elbow—clean swish.
Buzzer.
Shohoku 112 – Hasegawa Industrial 63
The buzzer echoed through the gym. Shohoku's bench players were already on their feet, clapping hard, some with towels over their shoulders.
Kogure walked off the court with Sasaoka and Yasuda, all three smiling. "Good movement out there," Kogure said. "Everyone stayed sharp."
Even Kakuta got a round of applause from the bench after his late-game block.
Akagi walked by, towel around his neck. "Focus on Shoyo. That's the real test."
Hanamichi nodded. "Let's crush them."
Behind them, the Sakuragi Gang was already halfway through a loud chant, hyping up the bench players like they'd just won a championship.
The whole team lingered a little longer before heading to the locker room—not just because they won, but because everyone had a hand in it.
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The gym was loud before tip-off. Tsukubu's crowd brought drums and chants, but Shohoku's side was louder—especially Hanamichi's cheering squad, already in sync with their call-and-response routines.
Akagi won the tip, clean as usual. Miyagi took it up, quick pass to Rukawa on the wing, who drove baseline and finished with a soft reverse.
Next possession, Hanamichi grabbed a rebound off a missed jumper and pushed the break himself. One dribble, then a bullet pass to Mitsui trailing for a three. Swish.
Hanamichi played sharp from the start. Yohei checked in midway through the quarter, stabilizing the wing defense. Takamiya came in and immediately flattened a Tsukubu guard with a legal screen, freeing Mitsui for another jumper.
Okusu grabbed two offensive boards in one sequence, kicking out to Noma for a clean look. Shohoku's bench was active, loud, and locked in. By the end of the quarter, Shohoku led 30–14. Hanamichi had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Shohoku didn't slow down. Hanamichi opened the quarter with a clean rebound off a missed floater, pushed the break, and dropped a bounce pass to Rukawa for a finish in stride.
Next possession, he posted up, drew a soft double, and kicked it out to Mitsui—another three. The crowd was already buzzing.
Tsukubu tried to trap him at the top of the key. Hanamichi read it early, split the pressure, and lobbed a pass to Akagi for a dunk.
Ayako glanced at the stat sheet. "That's ten assists."
Coach Anzai nodded. "Next dead ball."
Hanamichi wasn't done yet. He grabbed another board, his tenth, and hit a high-post jumper over a late contest. That made 22 points.
Triple-double.
Timeout Tsukubu.
Coach Anzai stood up. "Sakuragi, rest."
The bench was fired up. Takamiya, Okusu, Noma, and Yasuda checked in. Kogure stayed on to guide the flow. Even Kakuta got ready to rotate in.
Shohoku kept the pressure on. Yohei ran the wing, hit a floater. Takamiya grabbed a board and kicked out to Noma for a three. Okusu finished through contact and flexed once before jogging back.
Haruko and her friends were clapping hard from the manager's corner. Mitsui's gang was still loud, now cheering for the bench guys too.
By halftime, Shohoku led 64–32. Hanamichi had 22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists—in just under two quarters.
He leaned back on the bench, sipping water, watching the floor.
Coach Anzai didn't say much. Instead made a promise to Hanamichi, "I will let you go wild once we're playing with Shoyo."
"Thanks coach!"
Shohoku opened the second half with their bench still rolling. Yohei ran the offense with calm precision, finding Noma and Okusu in rhythm. Takamiya set hard screens and grabbed boards.
Kogure stayed on the floor, guiding the younger players, calling out defensive shifts and keeping the ball moving. He hit a clean jumper off a swing pass from Yasuda.
Tsukubu tried to press, but Shohoku didn't panic. They broke it with sharp passes and smart cuts. Even when the pace slowed, Shohoku's execution stayed tight.
Mitsui checked back in briefly, hit a three, then sat again. Rukawa played a few minutes, scored twice, then returned to the bench without a word.
By the end of the third, Shohoku led 92–48.
The final quarter was all about control. Shohoku didn't chase highlight plays—they just ran their sets, defended hard, and let the clock work.
Yohei hit a floater. Okusu grabbed a tough rebound and kicked it out to Noma for another three. Takamiya got a putback and jogged back with a grin.
Even Sasaoka got on the board with a mid-range jumper that drew cheers from the bench.
Buzzer.
Final Score: Shohoku 108 – Tsukubu High 58
Hanamichi stood, bumped fists with Yohei, and nodded toward the scoreboard.
"Bench carried it."
Mitsui walked by, towel over his head. "Shoyo's next."
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There we go...next is Shoyo game