The two teams facing off were Sannoh Industrial from Akita Prefecture and Koikawa High from Hiroshima.
But disappointingly, the crowd from Hiroshima wasn't rooting for their local team. Instead, the stadium thundered with cheers for the reigning champions—Sannoh Industrial.
Perhaps because of that, Koikawa's players looked fired up, but the scoreboard told a different story: 33–15, Sannoh leading comfortably. The game's flow was entirely in their control.
Sannoh's "stabilizer," Fukatsu Kazunari, calmly directed the offense. With his steady hands and sharp vision, he distributed the ball to their twin stars—Kawata Masashi and Sawakita Eiji—who effortlessly scored or assisted through pure skill and instinct. Their stats were strong, but more importantly, their presence dominated the court.
With the "Big Three" performing at such a high level, there was no tension on the Sannoh bench. Coach Domoto sat back, expression calm, contemplating whether to send Little Kawata in for some experience.
No team in the tournament dared to claim they weren't afraid of Meihou Industrial's twin towers, but Sannoh was different—they, too, had twin towers. And perhaps theirs were even more formidable.
With the Kawata brothers in the paint, Domoto was confident: Even Meihou Industrial wouldn't be a match for them.
On the court, a Koikawa player tried to start a fast break, but Fukatsu immediately cut him off, forcing him to slow down and protect the ball. Then, with octopus-like reach and anticipation, Fukatsu pressured relentlessly—his hands darting for the steal, never giving an inch of space.
Watching this, Miyagi felt a cold sweat bead down his temple.
"This guy's the same type as you…" he muttered to Nango.
Nango nodded slightly. "He locks down the opposing playmaker to break their rhythm. His style really is similar… but he can't lock me down. I can lock him down."
Fukatsu's defense was textbook perfect—but compared to Nango, he lacked size and power. In a way, Nango was like Fukatsu Kazunari—upgraded to PRO PLUS.
So while their styles mirrored each other, Nango knew that one-on-one, he had the edge. Fukatsu would be the one struggling.
But Sannoh's strength wasn't just individual skill. Their full-court press defense was famous nationwide—though today, they didn't even need to show it. The gap between them and Koikawa was simply too vast.
Nango's focus, however, was elsewhere—on Sawakita Eiji, Japan's top high school player. He wanted to see firsthand what made him the nation's best.
Unfortunately, the game was so one-sided that Sawakita was subbed out early, replaced by Matsumoto, without even breaking a sweat.
And he wasn't the only one.
Spectators unfamiliar with Sannoh's depth gasped.
"Wait, five in, five out?!"
A diehard Sannoh fan nearby scoffed, "What's so strange? Even if they played with one less man, they'd still win!"
"Is that Little Kawata?"
"He's massive…"
All eyes turned toward Little Kawata, whose towering frame dwarfed everyone on the court. Within seconds, he bulldozed his defender under the rim and banked in an easy shot.
"The defending champions, Sannoh Industrial… they're terrifying," someone whispered.
Kogure couldn't believe what he was seeing. If their substitutes were this good… how monstrous would their starters be at full strength?
Beside him, Akagi stayed silent, but his expression tightened. He hadn't expected anyone taller than Morishige Hiroshi, yet here stood Little Kawata—a mountain in sneakers.
He felt a wave of relief that Shohoku had advanced as a top seed. Otherwise, they might have faced Sannoh much earlier.
Meanwhile, Haruko kept sneaking glances at Sakuragi, trying to guess what was going through his head.
Was he… scared?
Sakuragi turned toward her, catching her flustered expression.
"Haruko, are you feeling sick?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine…" she murmured, cheeks pink.
Akagi overheard and immediately turned around.
"What's wrong? Do you need a doctor?"
"Brother, really—I'm fine. Maybe it's just stuffy in here," Haruko lied softly.
"Then let's step out for a bit."
Akagi needed to clear his mind anyway—if he let the pressure get to him, it could affect his next game.
"I'll come too!" Sakuragi blurted out, jumping to his feet.
Akagi immediately pushed his head down.
"Sit down, idiot! Watch carefully and study them!"
"But—"
"Enough!" Akagi snapped, dragging Haruko away.
Sakuragi pouted. "That stupid gorilla…"
Then the crowd gasped again—"Whoa!"
Sakuragi spun around. "Yohei! What happened?"
Before Yohei could answer, Okusu pointed.
"Sannoh's No. 6 just blew past everyone—his speed's insane!"
Okusu and the others, not being experienced players, could only marvel at the speed. But Mitsui noticed something deeper.
Why is someone like that only a substitute? Just how strong are their starters…?
Even Rukawa Kaede's eyes narrowed in focus.
But Nango only smiled faintly. "Isn't that what makes it interesting?" he said, his tone calm but confident.
Everyone stared at him, momentarily stunned by his words.
Then Sakuragi suddenly leapt up, shouting, "That's right! Who cares if they're the defending champs—I'll crush them all when the time comes!"
The others didn't respond. Sakuragi's spirit was admirable, but he still didn't understand just how strong Sannoh really was.
Mmph… have I really gotten that soft? Am I… afraid?
Mitsui smirked to himself. The thought was bitterly funny.
He stood, raising his head proudly. "He's right. The stronger they are, the better it'll feel to beat them. Just watch—I'll sink even more threes next time!"
Kogure smiled, encouraged by Mitsui's renewed fire.
With Captain Akagi gone, it fell on him—the vice-captain—to rally the team. He clapped his hands.
"Mitsui's right! No matter how strong Sannoh is, we'll find a way to beat them!"
Fueled by his conviction, everyone's fighting spirit reignited.
"We'll beat Sannoh!"
"That's right—we'll conquer the nation!"
"Go, Shohoku!"
Nearby spectators exchanged skeptical glances and whispered,
"Arrogant kids… they really think they can beat Sannoh?"
"Seriously, kids these days sure talk big…"
But they kept their voices low—none of them wanted to risk provoking the tall, fiery Shohoku players beside them.
----------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking