"Meihou's number 15 is insane!"
"Tsuchiya Atsushi couldn't do a thing against him."
"I heard their first-year newcomer was ridiculously strong, but seeing it for real is shocking."
"Didn't expect Daiei to lose this fast."
"First it was Shohoku, now Meihou. I'm really looking forward to the next matches."
…
Even people who didn't understand basketball at all could see where this game was going.
On the court, the scale had completely tipped toward Meihou.
Daiei could only grit their teeth and keep resisting.
Morishige Hiroshi's repeated powerful dunks left the Daiei players unable to stop him. Some even started getting hurt.
From their expressions, it was clear. They were afraid of him now.
"Daiei's finished," Miyagi Ryota said calmly as he looked at the completely overwhelmed Daiei players.
The Shohoku group silently watched, emotions mixed.
Ayako thought back to what Aoi Kunisaku said before leaving and murmured, "He was right again."
Kogure Kiminobu looked surprised. "Last year Daiei and Meihou weren't that far apart. This year, they only added Morishige Hiroshi, and now the gap is massive."
Akagi Takenori's face was serious. His gaze was steady. "Alright, the game's decided. Let's head back. Next up, we're facing Kainan."
At the mention of their next opponent, the Shohoku members had complicated expressions.
They had already beaten Kainan once during the Kanagawa preliminaries. So this time, they weren't as tense as before.
"Kainan's going to go all out this time," Kogure Kiminobu said, a little uneasy.
Ayako nodded. "Last time, Kainan didn't know us well. We caught them off guard. But this time… who knows if we can pull it off again."
Shimizu Kanon quickly reassured them. "Don't worry, everyone. Kainan's strength won't suddenly jump in a short time. And we're stronger now. Honestly, we might even be better than them already. Beating Kainan won't be that hard."
Miyagi Ryota agreed. "I don't want to admit it, but she's right. With that guy on our side, we're taking the win."
When he said that, everyone from Shohoku suddenly pictured the same person in their mind.
Kogure Kiminobu smiled and said confidently, "Yeah. As long as Aoi Kunisaku is with us, we've got nothing to fear."
…
Time passed quietly. The game between Daiei and Meihou neared its end.
Tweet—
A sharp, long whistle rang out.
The last game of the national tournament's Elite Eight round had ended.
As expected, Meihou used Morishige Hiroshi's dominance in the paint and their strong team play to defeat Daiei. They advanced to the Final Four.
Now, the four teams heading into the semifinals were set:
Shohoku (Kanagawa)
Kainan (Kanagawa)
Hakata (Fukuoka)
Meihou (Aichi)
After the game, the Shohoku group returned together to Chidori-sou.
Everyone quickly shifted into game-prep mode for facing Kainan.
This time, their mindset had clearly changed. No more nerves or awe like before—now it was confidence and calm.
After all, they had already beaten the powerhouse Sannoh Kogyo.
In their eyes, Kainan was no longer an unbeatable opponent.
Each member of Shohoku could clearly feel this shift in mentality.
They knew that the match against Sannoh had sharpened and boosted their strength.
Now, they had both the confidence and ability to take on what was coming.
Akagi Takenori gathered everyone around and seriously broke down Kainan's tactics and key players.
He looked stern and said, "Even though we beat Kainan once, this time they'll definitely adjust. We can't take it lightly. Everyone needs to prepare seriously and play their best."
Sakuragi Hanamichi thumped his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, Gorilla. With the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi here, Kainan's got no shot."
Mitsui Hisashi chimed in, "Yeah. We've got experience against them now. If we beat them once, we can beat them again."
Meanwhile, over at Kainan's hotel, the team had gathered in a room.
The mood was heavy, the air tense. Everyone looked serious.
Jin Soichiro narrowed his eyes and spoke first. "Didn't expect to face Shohoku again so soon."
Kiyota Nobunaga clenched his fists, looking fired up. "Yeah! This time, I'm getting revenge for that loss."
Muto Tadashi looked grim and said slowly, "Shohoku's not what they used to be. Honestly, you could call them the strongest high school team now."
Takasago Kazuma nodded. "Especially that Aoi Kunisaku. He's even scarier than during the Kanagawa tournament. We're really going to have a hard time with him."
Kiyota Nobunaga muttered, frustrated, "No matter how strong he is, he's still just one guy. We've got five. If we focus and lock him down, we can shut him down."
Just as he said that, a large hand smacked him hard on the head.
Kiyota turned around, annoyed. But when he saw it was Maki Shinichi, he immediately shrank back. "C-Captain…"
Maki Shinichi looked calm. His tone was steady. "Shohoku isn't just Aoi Kunisaku. Just stopping him isn't enough. I'll take care of him. You all focus on your own matchups."
"But, Captain, you—" Kiyota tried to say more but got cut off.
Maki Shinichi continued, "All we need to do is give it our all."
Truthfully, deep down, Maki Shinichi knew that beating Shohoku was nearly impossible now—unless Aoi Kunisaku didn't play.
But that was obviously unrealistic.
What, draw fouls to get Aoi off the court?
Don't make him laugh.
That idea was pure fantasy.
He'd seen how good Aoi was at drawing fouls himself.
If anyone tried that, chances are they'd be the one called for the foul instead.
Thinking that, Maki Shinichi couldn't help feeling helpless.
But as Kainan's captain, even if he knew the odds were bad, he couldn't let his team see him hesitate.