"Is that guy really a first-year?" Mitsui Hisashi was shocked by Morishige Hiroshi's huge frame, eyes full of disbelief.
Miyagi Ryota looked jealous and frustrated. "This guy's only 16, right? What the hell did he eat growing up?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi grumbled quietly, face annoyed. "That guy's even taller than Gorilla."
Aoi Kunisaku didn't join their talk. He just quietly scanned Morishige Hiroshi up and down.
He knew it. Just in terms of physical ability, Morishige Hiroshi was definitely top-tier among all high schoolers in the country.
That powerful body and insane height gave him clear advantages.
Aoi Kunisaku's lips curled up slightly into a faint grin. He thought to himself, 'I wonder how strong this guy really is?'
He'd been a little bored earlier, but Morishige Hiroshi's appearance had sparked his interest.
Tweet—
The referee's whistle rang out sharp and clear. The game between Daiei and Meihou officially started.
Daiei's center was at least a full head shorter than Morishige.
At the tip-off, Morishige Hiroshi won the ball easily. He quickly tapped it to a teammate.
Meihou reacted fast and launched a fast break immediately.
Daiei's players were close in strength to Meihou. But during that fast break, they couldn't get a solid defense in place.
Meihou scored the first basket through smooth teamwork.
Soon it was Daiei's turn to go on offense.
But their attacks ran into wall after wall—and the source of all that pressure was Morishige Hiroshi.
He stood under the basket like a towering mountain. His presence completely blocked Daiei's path to the rim.
Tsuchiya Atsushi, Daiei's captain, kept orchestrating movement, trying to open up chances for his team to score.
But Morishige Hiroshi stood firm like an unshakable wall. No matter how well Tsuchiya ran the offense, he couldn't break Morishige's defense.
Smack—
A loud, heavy slap echoed through the gym.
Everyone clearly saw Morishige Hiroshi leap high and deliver a powerful block. The ball flew out of Tsuchiya's hands.
Meihou seemed prepared for it. They quickly picked up the loose ball and charged down to Daiei's basket.
Clang—
Another heavy slam.
The ball dropped through the net again.
Meihou scored another one.
Akagi Takenori narrowed his eyes slightly.
From that one block, he saw a lot.
Morishige Hiroshi wasn't just tall and strong.
His speed, reflexes, and awareness were all top-level too.
As the game continued, things became clear fast.
Smack—
Smack—
Smack—
The sound of blocks kept ringing out on the court.
Before they knew it, Daiei was already falling behind.
Mitsui Hisashi frowned slightly. Rukawa Kaede stared at Morishige Hiroshi. "This guy's no joke. Just with defense alone, he's crushing Daiei."
Kogure Kiminobu looked stunned and muttered, "That's crazy. He's racking up blocks one after another."
Ayako looked shaken too. She gasped, "That Tsuchiya Atsushi looks like a little kid in front of Morishige Hiroshi."
Miyagi Ryota said, "Why doesn't Daiei just shoot threes? Just pull away from him."
Shimizu Kanon explained, "It won't work. Daiei doesn't have a strong three-point shooter. Plus, Meihou's players are generally taller than Daiei's. Instead of risking it from outside, it's better to attack the paint. That gives them a better shot at scoring."
After a short pause, Shimizu Kanon continued, "The biggest problem is still Morishige Hiroshi. If Daiei misses a three, there's no way they'll grab the rebound from him. But if they attack inside, they can throw off his timing and maybe create a good shot."
Sure enough, right after Kanon finished speaking, Tsuchiya Atsushi used a fake to trick Morishige Hiroshi. He passed the ball to a teammate on the other side, and they scored.
Just like that, the two teams kept trading attacks. Before they knew it, the first half ended.
Daiei 32 – 47 Meihou.
Meihou was leading by 15 points.
Kogure Kiminobu sighed. "15 points… Even though Daiei figured out how to score, every point feels like a struggle. Meihou, on the other hand, scores pretty easily."
Miyagi Ryota added, "Looking at the score gap, I don't think Daiei has a chance to come back."
The rest of the Shohoku group felt the same.
The lead wasn't some ridiculous 20 points, sure.
But for a team with Morishige Hiroshi, a 15-point lead already felt like a canyon.
Time passed.
Soon, the second half began.
Right from the start, Meihou went on the offensive.
This time, Morishige Hiroshi was clearly more aggressive than in the first half.
Meihou's players passed the ball straight to him under Daiei's basket.
Morishige caught it, didn't hesitate, spun fast, jumped high, and slammed it down with both hands.
Two Daiei players rushed to stop him.
But as soon as they made contact, Morishige's body sent them flying. They crashed hard to the ground.
Clang—
A loud boom echoed across the court.
Morishige Hiroshi smashed the ball through the rim.
The two Daiei players on the floor looked up in shock, staring at Morishige Hiroshi as he hung from the rim, towering above them.
That mountain-like pressure made them tremble all over.
Tweet—
At that moment, the referee blew the whistle and pointed at Morishige.
"Meihou number 15, technical foul."
Aoi Kunisaku saw this and turned to leave without a word.
"Saku-chan—" Shimizu Kanon called out. "The game's not over yet. Where are you going?"
Aoi Kunisaku didn't stop walking. He didn't look back either. "There's no point watching the rest. Meihou's won. I'm heading back."
"Seriously, this again?" Shimizu Kanon stared after him, helpless.
Ayako blinked and said, puzzled, "He said Meihou will win? But the game's still going!"
"Jumping to conclusions this early seems too much. Even if Meihou's leading, anything can still happen," Kogure Kiminobu said calmly.
Mitsui Hisashi looked at Daiei getting crushed by Morishige and said flatly, "Isn't it obvious? Daiei's been getting dominated the whole time. In the first half, Morishige wasn't even attacking much. But the moment the second half started, it was like he turned into someone else."
Shimizu Kanon also said, "If Daiei wants to win this, they have to find a way to stop Morishige Hiroshi. But that's the problem. No one on their team can stop his dunks."
Clang—
Right then, another loud dunk rang out.
Everyone looked toward the court.
Morishige Hiroshi had slammed another one on Daiei.