The arena fell into stunned silence after the dunk. For a long moment, no one made a sound—then the crowd erupted in chaos.
"That's insane! He dunked right over him!"
"This dunk is even crazier than the last one!"
"Even Sannoh's Sawakita Eiji couldn't pull that off! He's supposed to be the strongest high schooler!"
"Don't talk nonsense! He's just good at dunking! Sawakita's still number one!"
Meanwhile, Minami lay sprawled on the floor. No one in the audience seemed to care.
"Are you okay?" Sakuragi asked, frowning. Though Nango looked perfectly fine while Minami was motionless on the court, Sakuragi still voiced concern.
Nango just shrugged and glanced down at the fallen player, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
"Guess I went a bit too far."
Sakuragi also looked down, unimpressed. "Hmph, serves him right," he muttered. Whether he meant the dunk or knocking Minami down, no one knew. Then he raised his fist toward Nango.
"Nice one."
The two shared a quick fist bump.
On Toyotama's side, Kishimoto was the first to react. He rushed over, shoving Nango and Sakuragi aside before crouching next to Minami.
"Minami! You okay?!"
Minami groaned softly and waved a hand, dizzy but conscious. Seeing that he wasn't seriously hurt, Kishimoto sighed in relief—then immediately turned and glared furiously.
"Are you trying to start a fight, you bastard?!"
He had clearly seen that smug fist bump, and it set him off. The game was already hopeless, but now his teammate had been flattened—and the culprits were acting like heroes. His blood boiled.
Before Nango could say anything, Sakuragi stepped forward, glaring. "This guy deserved it. What are you gonna do about it?"
Kishimoto's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?" he snapped, stepping closer and clenching his fists. One wrong word and he'd swing.
Nango quickly pulled Sakuragi back, whispering, "Don't take the bait. They're desperate—they just want us to fight and get suspended with them."
Sakuragi snorted but nodded reluctantly.
At that moment, the referee hurried over, sliding between the players before things got out of hand. Both benches began to stir—Toyotama's team crowding the ref, while Shohoku regrouped behind Nango, keeping a cautious distance.
Toyotama's players surrounded the referee, voices rising.
Itakura shouted, "Referee! That move was practically assault! Look at our captain!"
Kishimoto added, "Exactly! That guy should be ejected immediately!"
Yazaki pointed at Minami, who was still sitting on the floor. "Our player's down, and the guy who hit him is fine! How is that fair?!"
The referee looked uneasy but forced himself to stay firm. "If you keep arguing, I'll call a technical foul!"
"What?!" the Toyotama players shouted in unison.
"Do you even know how to officiate?"
"Our player's the one injured, and we get punished?!"
"How much did Shohoku pay you, huh?!"
The Toyotama fans joined in, their jeers echoing through the gym.
"Yeah! Take him out, Kishimoto!"
"Punch that ref! We've had enough of this bias!"
The Sakuragi Gang groaned, shaking their heads.
"Man, Toyotama's fans are hopeless," Yohei sighed.
Kano, watching nervously from the stands, asked, "They're not actually gonna fight… right?"
Eri frowned. "I don't know. But these Toyotama guys and their fans… they're all the same. Like a bunch of street thugs."
Coach Kinpei stormed onto the court, face red with fury. "What are you doing?! Stop this at once!"
But his players ignored him, still barking at the ref.
Kishimoto snapped, "Whose side are you even on? Can't you see Minami's still down?!"
Yazaki sneered from behind him, "Some coach you are—always siding with outsiders."
"Enough!"
A sharp, commanding voice cut through the chaos.
Everyone turned. Minami had finally stood up, wiping sweat from his brow. His eyes swept across his teammates coldly.
"The game's not over yet. What are you doing?"
At once, the Toyotama players fell silent. They only listened to Minami—something that made Coach Kinpei grimace slightly.
Minami turned toward the referee and smiled politely.
"I'm sorry, I caused a scene."
"Are you all right?" the referee asked.
"I'm fine," Minami replied, his smile widening. "Please continue the game."
The referee blew his whistle.
"Beep! Offensive foul—Shohoku number 13!"
The call silenced the arena for a second—then drew a wave of outrage from the crowd.
"What?! That dunk was perfect!"
"Does this ref even understand basketball?!"
The referee ignored them. He just wanted to end the game without further incident. One controversial call didn't matter to him anymore.
"Tch. What a coward," Mitsui muttered, crossing his arms.
Nango just smiled. "It's fine. One basket doesn't matter. They're finished anyway."
He knew he'd technically committed a foul—though not an offensive one. He'd only raised his arm to protect himself when Minami charged with his elbow up. The dunk had been a natural follow-through, using the rim to cushion his fall.
Foul or not, the outcome wouldn't change. Toyotama simply wasn't on Shohoku's level. Victory was already secured—it was just a matter of time.
The only thing Nango had to worry about now was keeping his team from getting dragged into Toyotama's chaos. This was Shohoku's first game in the Nationals. He wasn't about to let a stupid scuffle ruin everything.
As the referee and coaches dispersed, Kishimoto leaned toward Minami, frowning.
"So… we're just letting this go?"
The other Toyotama players looked at their captain uneasily.
Minami's expression darkened. "Let it go? Heh…" His smile twisted into something cold and ugly. "No. I'll make that guy regret what he just did."
Humiliation burned hotter than defeat. The "Ace Killer" wasn't done yet.
He beckoned his teammate
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