"Look, it's the Ryonan team!"
"Oh my god, Uozumi is so tall!"
"Where's Sendo? Where's Sendo?"
After finishing their game against Fukuda, Ryonan arrived quickly to scout their next two opponents.
Uozumi glanced at the scoreboard and chuckled. "Shohoku is stronger than I thought."
"But the gap isn't that big. Is Kainan still in such good form this year?" Sendo said thoughtfully. He had expected Shohoku to be leading, but not by only single digits.
Coach Taoka reminded them, "Find seats quickly—don't block the view. And don't underestimate Kainan. They were last year's Kanagawa champions and reached the Final Four at Nationals."
Hikoichi looked around anxiously. "Coach, there aren't any seats left. Everywhere is packed."
Taoka scanned the stands. Sure enough, no space. Then he grinned. "Then we'll sit on the floor. As long as we don't interfere with the game."
Though there were no seats, Taoka was in high spirits. This year's schedule is perfect. We preserved our strength against the weakest team, Fukuda. Now Shohoku and Kainan are tearing into each other, both suffering losses. And neither of them has seen Fukuda's true power yet. They won't have time to prepare.
Heaven itself must be helping me, Taoka Moichi. This year, Ryonan will reach Nationals!
He glanced at his proud players.
Uozumi had already put up a double-double and was in top form. Kainan's Takasago wouldn't be able to stop him.
Maki Shinichi would be left to Sendo. As for Kainan's shooter Soichiro Jin, Taoka trusted Ikegami to stick to him like glue.
Stroking the sparse beard on his chin, Taoka smirked. Kouzu, this year I'll crush you. I can't wait to see your face then!
Back in Shohoku's locker room, Nango extended his fist to Akagi.
"Captain, I didn't let you down."
Akagi bumped fists with him, his voice low but firm.
"You did well. The second half is mine."
Nango nodded and took a seat beside Miyagi.
Just then, Sakuragi tiptoed over.
"Nango, I barely touched the ball in the first half. Pass to me more later."
Nango chuckled. "Relax. The captain's back, you'll get your chance in the second half—but you'll have to seize it. And make sure you defend properly. Don't give Kainan easy baskets."
"No problem! With me around, they won't score that easily!"
Satisfied, Sakuragi walked away. Nango turned to Miyagi.
"Senior, you worked hard."
Miyagi gave a wry smile. "Worked hard? I couldn't even stop that guy."
"Who can?" Nango laughed. "He's Kanagawa's No.1 for a reason—a monster built like an ox."
Miyagi smirked. "Aren't you built like an ox too?"
The two burst out laughing together. Talking eased Miyagi's gloom, and he appreciated Nango's effort to cheer him up.
"Hmm? Looks like Ryonan already beat Fukuda."
As Shohoku and Kainan returned to the court, both sides noticed Ryonan's presence and felt a sudden urgency. Ryonan had already taken the first step forward in this survival tournament.
Akagi and Takasago squared up at center court for the second-half tipoff.
The referee tossed the ball. Takasago didn't even jump—he knew he couldn't beat Akagi in the air. Instead, he conserved his strength for defense.
As expected, Shohoku's first possession went straight to Akagi.
Mindful of Takasago's tricks, Akagi was cautious. After brief contact, he pulled a hook shot—but it rattled off.
Half a game on the bench had dulled his rhythm.
Takasago grabbed the rebound and fired it to Maki. Maki pushed the ball up fast, not waiting for Takasago to establish position.
"At halftime, Coach Kouzu told us to speed things up," Maki thought. "We can't let this turn into a half-court battle with Shohoku."
They knew with Akagi's return, Shohoku's defense would toughen dramatically. The only way to break them was to run, disrupt their formation, and deny them time to set.
Otherwise, if it slowed into a grind, Kainan risked a slow death.
But it wasn't easy to run with Akagi back—because that meant Nango was back at point guard, directly marking Maki.
Nango had played the entire first half without a single foul. He couldn't stop Maki then, but now he had fouls to give.
Maki accelerated left, pulling Nango toward the three-point line, then cut sharply back to the middle.
Nango shuffled desperately, but Maki's sudden burst got him free, and he finished smoothly at the rim.
"This year's Maki is still just as terrifying," Coach Taoka muttered from the stands. "His cuts are sharp, his finishes fearless, and he draws fouls while attacking the rim. His dribbling, his will to win, his experience… no one at this level can match him."
After scoring, Maki didn't retreat. He pressed forward, eyes locked on Nango.
Hasegawa frowned. "He's going full-court press already? Isn't that too early?"
Hanagata shook his head. "No. In the first half, Shohoku had two point guards, so pressing didn't work. Now there's only Nango. Is Maki trying to decide the game right here?"
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Hanagata noticed someone sneaking in. He smirked. "He really couldn't stay away after all."
On court, Nango sighed. "Senior, isn't this a little too close?"
Maki didn't answer. He just defended, relentless.
Nango tightened his grip and started dribbling carefully.
In high school play, each offense has 30 seconds, with 10 seconds to cross half-court.
Maki harassed him constantly, reaching for the ball, but never overcommitting, never losing position. His defense was surgical.
Step by step, Nango crossed half-court—barely beating the 10-second count. But by the time Shohoku set up, only 15 seconds remained in the possession.
"Maki never meant to steal the ball," Fujima murmured from the stands. "Kainan's goal is to drain Shohoku's clock and limit their half-court offense."
Hanagata frowned. "But won't Maki burn out this way? He's carrying both offense and defense."
Fujima's eyes narrowed. "Coach Kouzu must have that much faith in him. Hmph. How frustrating…"
He clenched his fists. If it were me out there against Maki, I wouldn't let Kainan get away with this so easily.
--------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking