Bang…
Bang…
Bang…
On the outdoor basketball court packed with onlookers, the only sound was the steady thumping of the basketball hitting the ground.
Everyone held their breath. All eyes were locked on the figure dribbling the ball.
Aoi Kunisaku stared ahead, fully focused. He looked like he was either analyzing Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji's defensive gaps—or silently mourning the rim he was about to conquer.
The ball bounced rhythmically, over and over, but Aoi never made a move.
Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji didn't dare lower their guard. They watched Aoi with full focus, not taking a single reckless step.
For a while, the three of them just stood there, eyes locked, frozen in place. The scene felt bizarre.
The crowd around them started showing puzzled expressions and began whispering.
"What are they doing? Why isn't anyone moving?"
"They were going so hard just now… Why did it suddenly stop?"
"Maybe they ran out of stamina. They were going at it like beasts—probably burned out."
"This is killing me. I came to see action, not a staring contest."
"Seriously! Move already!"
…
Some of the spectators couldn't hide their impatience and started complaining.
But Aoi Kunisaku, Sendoh, and Sawakita Eiji ignored it all.
They didn't care what anyone around them thought.
If you want to watch, fine. If not—leave.
Ayako glanced around at those making snide remarks. Her eyes flashed with irritation. "What the hell? No one forced them to come. They came here on their own. And now they've got the nerve to talk trash?"
Mitsui Hisashi stayed calm, his face showing clear disdain. "That kind of stuff won't get to those three. Let them talk all they want."
Kogure Kiminobu frowned in confusion. "They've all been standing there for so long… Why hasn't anyone moved?"
Shimizu Kanon finally spoke up. "Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji probably burned too much energy. They're playing it safe. As for Aoi…"
She looked at Aoi, who seemed completely lost in thought. Her mouth twitched slightly.
'It's this intense, and he's spacing out?'
But no one else seemed to notice that Aoi was zoning out.
'What the hell is this idiot even thinking?' Kanon cursed silently in her heart.
Just when everyone was confused and growing impatient—
Something changed on the court.
Heh…
Aoi Kunisaku looked like he just came back to reality. He glanced at Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji, who were standing at the ready, and smirked with a hint of mischief.
Then suddenly, something incredible happened.
That wild, bloodthirsty aura around him vanished completely.
In its place came a strange silence. A stillness so deep, it made him feel nearly invisible.
The shift was so sudden, even Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji—who were watching his every move—froze up. Their minds blanked for a moment.
It was too fast.
Just seconds ago, Aoi had felt like a lethal predator. Now, he looked like an ordinary guy—harmless and calm.
But precisely because of that, the tension in Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji's hearts didn't fade. It spiked even higher.
Especially for Sawakita Eiji—he'd felt something like this once before, during the game against Shohoku.
That deep, bone-chilling fear. The helplessness that pierced the soul. He would never forget it for the rest of his life.
He was just about to warn Sendoh to watch out for the strange change—
But then, in the very next moment—
Zzzzt…
Twin streaks of electric-blue light suddenly flashed from Aoi Kunisaku's eyes.
And then—
Whoosh…
Aoi's figure shot forward like a streak of blue lightning. He split right between Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji with terrifying speed.
Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji still stared ahead. They hadn't even reacted yet. They remained frozen in their defensive stances, standing there like statues.
Bang…
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground echoed behind them.
Only then did the two of them snap back to reality. They turned their heads stiffly.
What they saw was Aoi Kunisaku, suspended mid-air, about to slam the ball.
CRASH…!
A deep, thunderous slam resounded through the entire court.
Aoi Kunisaku had dunked the ball clean into the rim.
Sendoh, Sawakita Eiji, the crowd, and even the Shohoku team—everyone stood there as if a segment of memory had just vanished.
It was only after that mental lag passed that they realized—Aoi had already scored.
No one had seen how he got past Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji's defense.
It had all happened too fast.
Too sudden.
That brief moment of Zone plunged the whole court into silence.
Everyone stared blankly at the figure still hanging from the rim, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Thud…
Aoi let go of the rim and landed cleanly.
Without turning back, he spoke in a calm voice: "Hope next time you guys give me a better workout."
And with that, he turned around and walked off the court.
Sendoh and Sawakita Eiji stayed rooted in place. Their faces still carried stunned expressions.
Shimizu Kanon was the first to walk up. She suddenly jumped in front of Aoi with a smile. "Saku-chan… congrats on another win."
Startled by her sudden appearance, Aoi stared back at her with dead-fish eyes. "Why are you here?"
With a grin, Kanon stuck out her tongue and said, "Not just me! Everyone's here!"
Just as she finished, the whole Shohoku group walked over together.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, clearly jealous that Aoi had hogged the spotlight, grumbled, "You bastard, weren't you supposed to be sleeping back at the inn? Why are you out here playing?"
Then his eyes suddenly lit up as if he'd just solved a mystery. He pounded his right fist into his left palm. "I get it! You were scared that this genius would surpass you, so you snuck off to train in secret, right?!"
Everyone from Shohoku instantly sprouted dark lines on their foreheads. Their eyes were filled with disgust and exasperation.
Mitsui Hisashi: "Does this guy even know what he's saying?"
Miyagi Ryota: "Where the hell does his confidence come from?"
Akagi Takenori: "Why… did I ever agree to let him on the team?"
Ayako: "The fact he's made it this far in life is a miracle."
Rukawa Kaede: "Idiot."