"Oh right… Sendoh Akira hasn't arrived yet."
Taoka Moichi glanced at his watch and frowned briefly.
Then his expression relaxed again.
"But it doesn't matter. Even if Sendoh isn't here, Uozumi Jun and the others are more than enough to deal with you."
"How arrogant!"
Several Shohoku players clenched their fists.
At that moment, a lazy voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Um… excuse me."
Everyone turned toward the sound.
They saw Makino Juro raising one hand while rubbing his sleepy eyes with the other.
"May I ask… where the away team's bench is?"
"The lighting here is a bit too bright. Is there somewhere with dimmer light… preferably a spot with good ventilation?"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Taoka Moichi froze.
Uozumi froze.
Even Akagi Takenori felt his face heating up with embarrassment.
This guy…
At a moment filled with tension and the smell of gunpowder—
The only thing he cared about… was where he could sleep comfortably?!
"Pfft…"
Someone from Ryonan's side couldn't hold back their laughter.
"Hahaha! Is that Shohoku's rookie?"
"Did he come here on vacation?"
"This is killing me! Captain Akagi, where did you even pick up this clown?"
Mocking laughter rolled in like waves.
Taoka Moichi shook his head, the contempt in his eyes growing even stronger.
"It seems I overestimated you."
"Akagi, with players who have that kind of attitude, you'll never win."
Akagi took a deep breath and turned toward Makino Juro.
Surprisingly, there was no anger in his eyes—only something deeper.
"Makino Juro."
"Go sit down."
"But remember what I told you yesterday."
Akagi lowered his voice so that only Makino Juro could hear.
"If the situation turns bad, get your ass onto the court immediately."
"Understood, Captain."
Makino Juro looked as if he had just been granted amnesty.
Ignoring the surrounding ridicule entirely, he walked straight toward a bench in the corner.
He found the most comfortable position, then pulled a towel over his head.
But at the exact moment the towel covered his face, a faint cold glint flashed in his dead-fish eyes.
[System Notification: Detected group mockery from opposing coach Taoka Moichi]
[Mission Issued: Face-Slapping Moment]
[Mission Objective: Make Taoka Moichi show an "unbelievable" expression at least three times during the game]
[Mission Reward: Stamina Potion (Medium) ×1, Skill Point ×1]
[Failure Penalty: Forced participation in one week of Devil Training]
"Tch."
A soft sigh came from beneath the towel.
"I just wanted to quietly be a handsome man…"
"And now you're forcing me to work overtime."
"Why are old guys these days always asking to be taught a lesson?"
"If Sendoh isn't here yet… might as well take a nap first."
"Hurry! Hurry! The game might have already started!"
The heavy iron doors of the gym creaked open slightly as three girls squeezed inside, panting heavily.
Akagi Haruko ran in front, her cheeks flushed from the sprint.
Behind her, Fujii and Matsui were gasping for breath, hands braced on their knees.
"Thank goodness… we made it."
Haruko patted her chest, her eyes anxiously searching the court.
But the next second, she froze.
At the front row of the stands, three girls wearing matching uniforms were waving pom-poms in perfect synchronization, their shrill voices echoing through the gym like a relentless chant.
"RUKAWA KAEDE! RUKAWA KAEDE! L-O-V-E! RUKAWA!"
The Rukawa Fan Club.
Their passionate cheering sounded especially dramatic in a gym that had barely any spectators.
"Uh…"
Haruko awkwardly shrank her shoulders and quietly led her friends to a corner seat.
"Wow… Rukawa really is popular," Fujii whispered.
On the court.
The referee's whistle rang out.
BEEEEEEP!
Akagi Takenori and Uozumi Jun—two towering giants—leapt into the air simultaneously.
"Ha!"
Relying on his explosive vertical leap, Akagi's fingertips touched the ball first.
The ball was tipped toward Shohoku's backcourt.
"Nice one, Gorilla!"
"Crush that monkey boss!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted from the sideline, pumping his fists loudly enough for the second floor to hear.
"Shut up! That's the captain!"
Ayako smacked the back of Sakuragi's head with her paper fan.
Up in the stands, Mito Yohei and the rest of the Sakuragi Army leaned against the railing, sipping freshly bought drinks.
"Wow, Hanamichi's as energetic as ever."
"But it looks like he's warming the bench again."
"Well, he is the secret weapon, hahaha."
Ōkusu Yūji laughed carefree.
The situation on the court suddenly changed.
Yasuda had just received Akagi's tip-off and was preparing to dribble past half court.
Suddenly—
A blue-and-white figure shot in from the side.
Ryonan's No.6: Uekusa Tomoyuki.
Even within Ryonan—a team famous for its defense—his stealing ability ranked among the best.
SMACK!
A crisp sound echoed.
Yasuda felt his hands suddenly empty.
The ball was gone.
"What?!"
Before Shohoku could even react—
Uekusa had already charged straight to the basket and finished with an easy layup.
2–0.
Ryonan struck first.
On the sidelines, Taoka Moichi crossed his arms, a smug smile curling at his lips.
"Hmph. Just as expected."
"Other than Akagi, Shohoku's point guard is far too inexperienced."
"As long as we shut down Akagi and exploit their guard's mistakes…"
"This year, Ryonan will definitely advance to the National Tournament!"
Watching Yasuda panic on the court, Taoka felt secretly pleased.
Shohoku's offense.
Akagi fought for position inside the paint, while Uozumi stood behind him like an immovable boulder.
"Pass me the ball!"
Akagi roared.
The ball was delivered.
With his back to the basket, he powered forward, shoving Uozumi back before spinning for a thunderous dunk.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Uozumi roared.
His massive body exploded upward again, one huge hand slamming onto the ball.
BOOM!
A brutal block—player and ball alike!
"So strong…"
Kogure Kiminobu picked up the loose ball and attempted a mid-range shot.
SMACK!
Another giant hand appeared.
Uozumi had jumped again, swatting the shot out of bounds.
"My god! Is that big guy a monster?"
"Two blocks in a row!"
Gasps spread across the stands.
Over the next few minutes, the court became a nightmare for Shohoku.
Rukawa attempted a drive but was disrupted by Uozumi's help defense.
Akagi attacked again but committed a traveling violation under a double-team from Uozumi and forward Ikegami Ryōji.
Meanwhile, Ryonan's offense flowed effortlessly.
Koshino's three-pointer.
Uekusa's fast break.
Uozumi's dominant inside scoring.
The scoreboard numbers climbed rapidly.
10–0.
14–0.
Shohoku had yet to score a single point.
"Good! That's it!"
"Crush them in one go!"
"We're scoring 100 today!"
Ryonan's bench exploded with excitement.
On Shohoku's side, the atmosphere was suffocating.
"Old man! Let me play!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi could no longer stay seated.
He rushed up to Anzai Mitsuyoshi, his face almost pressed against the coach's glasses.
"Look at that fox Rukawa! He's completely useless!"
"Only this genius can save the team!"
"Let me go out there and smash that monkey boss away!"