"WOOOAHHHH!!!"
The previously quiet Shohoku bench erupted in an instant.
"It's in!! Mitsui!! A three-pointer!!"
Kogure Kiminobu jumped to his feet in excitement, his glasses nearly flying off his face.
"We've taken the lead! We're ahead!" Yasuda and Shiozaki shouted, hugging each other.
On the court.
Mitsui Hisashi held his shooting pose, his right arm raised high as his fingers slowly curled into a fist.
Then he turned and flashed a bright grin at Akagi Takenori.
"Nice pass, Akagi."
Akagi looked at his former teammate, and even his stern face softened into a faint smile.
"Nice shot."
At the Ryonan bench.
Coach Taoka Moichi slapped his thigh hard, his face filled with shock.
"That's it!!"
"How did I forget about him?!"
He pointed at the spirited figure on the court, his voice trembling slightly.
"Shoyo miscalculated! Fujima miscalculated!"
"They focused on stopping Akagi's inside dominance, on containing Miyagi's drives—but they overlooked this man!"
"The former middle school MVP! The sharpshooter with terrifying range—Mitsui Hisashi!!"
"As long as he's on the court, that kind of extreme zone defense is suicide!!"
Sendoh Akira looked at Mitsui, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"So this is Shohoku's hidden card…"
"Akagi inside, Mitsui on the perimeter… with Miyagi and Rukawa connecting the flow…"
"This team's offensive firepower… is terrifying."
Shohoku's cheers echoed across the entire arena.
Miyagi Ryota ran over and slapped hands with Mitsui.
"Senpai! That shot felt so good!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi, though a bit annoyed at losing the spotlight, still shouted:
"Nice one, Mitchy!"
However.
Just as Shohoku was basking in the joy of taking the lead…
A powerful presence began to spread from the other end of the court.
The cheering gradually died down.
One by one, all eyes turned toward Shoyo's bench.
There—
Fujima Kenji slowly stood up.
Expressionless, he reached up and unzipped his jacket.
Whoosh.
The green-and-white team jacket slid off, revealing the No. 4 jersey underneath.
He bent down and began stretching his legs.
Unhurried—but every movement carried a quiet intensity.
"Fu-Fujima is going in?!"
Someone in the crowd gasped.
"No way—the first half isn't even over!"
"They've been pushed that far already?!"
"As soon as Fujima steps in, Shoyo becomes complete!"
Shoyo's cheer squad exploded into chants ten times louder than before.
"Fujima! Fujima! Fujima!"
The sound surged like a tidal wave, shaking the entire arena.
On the court.
Hanagata Toru glanced at Fujima, adjusting his glasses as he murmured:
"So you finally couldn't hold back…"
"Looks like the warm-up is over."
At the Shohoku bench.
Makino Juro, who had been lazily dozing off earlier, finally sat up straight.
His eyes sharpened as he watched the figure stretching on the sidelines.
"So it's finally happening…"
He cracked his neck, a series of sharp pops echoing.
"Now… this is where the real game begins."
He turned to Coach Anzai.
"Old man, looks like I can't sit this one out anymore."
Coach Anzai chuckled softly, a glint flashing across his glasses.
"No need to rush."
"Let the storm… grow even stronger."
Shohoku's comeback was like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil.
The entire arena exploded.
Whispers in the stands swelled into an unstoppable wave of noise.
People stared at the man who had just drained the three-pointer, high-fiving his teammates.
and suddenly, memories came rushing back.
"Hey—that No. 14… I remember now!"
A college student in a sports T-shirt slapped his thigh and pointed at Mitsui.
"That's Mitsui Hisashi! No doubt about it!"
"Mitsui who?" his friend asked, confused.
"Idiot! Did you forget the prefectural tournament three years ago?"
"The MVP from Takeishi Middle School!"
"The guy who led his team to a comeback victory with godlike three-pointers!"
"I can't believe he's at Shohoku!"
Like a virus, the realization spread through the crowd.
"Oh my god, it really is him!"
"The MVP actually came back?!"
"No wonder his form is so clean—it's textbook perfect!"
Then, the audience began reassessing Shohoku's lineup.
Their expressions shifted—from disdain, to surprise… to awe.
"Look at this roster…"
Someone started counting on their fingers.
"Inside, they've got one of the best centers in the prefecture—Akagi Takenori."
"On the outside, an MVP-level sniper—Mitsui Hisashi."
"At point guard, that lightning-fast Miyagi Ryota…"
"And that rookie who can go head-to-head with Shoyo—Rukawa Kaede…"
Hiss—
Sharp intakes of breath echoed one after another.
"This lineup is ridiculously stacked!"
"No wonder Shohoku made it this far—it's not luck!"
"This is basically an all-star starting five!"
Hearing the overwhelming praise, Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears twitched.
He planted his hands on his hips, a smug grin spreading across his face, nostrils flaring proudly.
He even shook his red hair dramatically—
Waiting for that one line of praise meant for a "genius."
One second passed.
Ten seconds passed.
The discussion remained lively—
But as if filtered by some invisible barrier, one red-haired figure was completely ignored.
"Akagi is amazing!"
"Rukawa is so cool!"
"Mitsui's shooting is insane!"
"Miyagi's speed is unbelievable!"
Sakuragi's smile slowly stiffened.
Then it cracked.
Finally, it collapsed into a face full of dark lines and bulging veins.
"Hey…"
"You blind idiots…"
His lips twitched, fists clenched, his body trembling with pure rage.
He suddenly turned and bared his teeth at the stands, his inner monologue exploding:
"WHY?!"
"Why is no one talking about this genius?!"
"Who grabbed those rebounds, huh?!"
"Who's been battling through this forest of giants?! Are you all blind?!"
"Damn it! I'll make you all see who Shohoku's real savior is!"
Grinding his teeth, Sakuragi was just about to storm over and argue with a girl who had been praising only Rukawa—
when a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"Don't embarrass yourself, Hanamichi."
"That's the fate of a supporting character. Accept it."
Miyagi Ryota passed by, patting his back with a wicked grin.
"Who are you calling a supporting character, you bastard Miyagi?!" Sakuragi roared.
While Shohoku was still bickering over "who's the main character"
A suffocating shift occurred on Shoyo's side.
The man who had been sitting calmly on the bench—
Fujima Kenji.
raised his hand, ready to enter the game.
The moment his No. 4 jersey was revealed—
the entire Shoyo crowd erupted once more.
"Fujima! Fujima! Fujima!"
END OF CHAPTER
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