"You despicable sneak! If you hadn't pulled that cheap move, that dunk would've been a sure thing!" Sakuragi Hanamichi's face turned bright red as he shouted at Maki Shinichi. He looked like he'd just lost a few million yen. His grudge against Maki was rising at a terrifying pace.
Hoo...
Maki Shinichi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He ignored Sakuragi's yelling entirely.
His gaze landed on Sakuragi Hanamichi, eyes filled with surprise, doubt, and a trace of caution.
That intense Wild Instinct coming off Sakuragi shocked him.
In his mind, aside from Aoi Kunisaku, the one most likely to awaken Wild Instinct in Shohoku should've been the talented and powerful Rukawa Kaede.
But to think… the second person in Shohoku to awaken it was that goofy, unreliable loudmouth Sakuragi Hanamichi.
And what's more, the intensity of Sakuragi's Wild Instinct wasn't even beneath his own.
That realization caused a crease to form between Maki's brows.
He now understood—Sakuragi's awakening had thrown a huge wrench into the match.
As the seconds ticked by, Shohoku and Kainan were stuck in a tight back-and-forth.
Ever since Sakuragi tapped into Wild Instinct, he moved like a beast unchained. He ran wild across the court, throwing all of Kainan's rhythm into chaos.
Especially Muto Tadashi—his cocky attitude from earlier had vanished completely, replaced by pure discomfort and helplessness.
His expression was like someone who'd been forced to swallow something soft, wet, warm, and dripping.
It was a sickening feeling that words couldn't begin to describe.
Tweet—
A sharp whistle pierced the air, breaking the tension on the court.
The referee pointed straight at Muto Tadashi and called out loudly, "Number 9, Kainan! Defensive foul! Shohoku's ball!"
"Damn it! Why is this happening?" Muto seethed with frustration and disbelief. He was on the verge of breaking down.
He realized clearly now: Sakuragi Hanamichi with Wild Instinct was a whole different level. He couldn't keep up.
No matter what tactics or provocations he used, they didn't work anymore.
Sakuragi now was like a tiger on the prowl. And he—Muto—stood no chance in front of him.
"Nice one, Sakuragi Hanamichi!" A sweet voice called out from the stands. It flowed through the court like spring water.
The moment it hit Sakuragi's ears, they shot up like radar dishes.
That voice was too familiar. His heart skipped a beat.
He quickly looked up and searched the crowd with urgency.
Soon, his eyes locked onto a familiar figure.
"Haruko…" The moment Sakuragi saw Akagi Haruko, the serious tension on his face disappeared without a trace. He instantly turned into a goofy, love-struck fool.
His eyes squinted into lines, his mouth hung wide open, and a faint string of drool even threatened to slide from the corner of his lips.
Haruko, who had been cheering excitedly for him, blinked in confusion. A giant question mark popped over her head, and her expression went blank.
On the court—
Shohoku's players were getting ready to inbound the ball.
At that moment, Akagi Takenori stepped up behind Sakuragi Hanamichi with steady steps.
Without a word, Akagi raised his fist and slammed it onto Sakuragi's head. His face was stern and annoyed.
"Stop messing around! Focus on the damn game!"
"Oww..." Sakuragi clutched his head in pain. His eyes sparkled with tears, full of grievance and defiance.
He muttered under his breath, "Stupid gorilla… always hitting me in the head."
Soon after, Shohoku inbounded the ball again.
Sakuragi dribbled and once again faced off against Muto Tadashi.
Muto's eyes locked onto Sakuragi with full alertness. He didn't dare let his guard down.
After that foul, he was being extra cautious—not wanting to get caught off guard again.
Sakuragi bounced the ball steadily. His eyes showed no fear or hesitation as he stared down Muto's defense.
Then suddenly, Sakuragi spun while dribbling, as if to drive past Muto from the side.
Muto, tense and ready, reacted instantly. He stepped to the side, trying to block Sakuragi's path.
But Sakuragi stopped mid-spin—then spun right back.
The sudden switch caught Muto wide-eyed and stunned.
'A fake!' he realized in panic.
He never expected Sakuragi to use a feint.
Even though he recognized the trick, his balance was already off. He couldn't shift his weight back in time.
Sakuragi saw the opening and pounced.
With sharp control and calm execution, he blew past Muto Tadashi's defense.
"Dammit..." Muto Tadashi cursed in his heart, full of frustration. But at that moment, there was nothing he could do to stop Sakuragi Hanamichi.
After breaking past Muto, Sakuragi was momentarily unguarded.
The Kainan players reacted quickly and rushed back on defense, trying to stop Sakuragi from finishing his dunk.
Kiyota Nobunaga moved fastest. He was the first to reach the paint, planting his feet and setting up a firm defensive stance, ready to trap Sakuragi like a net waiting for its prey.
At the same time, the other Kainan players came in fast from both sides, aiming to completely cut off Sakuragi's path.
But Sakuragi's speed was too fast. His momentum was like a wild beast lunging at its prey, filled with overwhelming force as he charged toward the basket.
That aggressive energy made Kiyota Nobunaga's heart jolt. He felt like it skipped a beat.
He gritted his teeth and steadied his nerves, eyes locked on Sakuragi, refusing to blink.
He crouched lower, focusing all his strength into his legs, poised to leap. He was waiting for the exact moment Sakuragi jumped so he could deliver a devastating block.
But just as Sakuragi's feet crossed the three-point line, he suddenly stopped charging.
Right before the free-throw line, he jumped into the air.
Kiyota Nobunaga froze on the spot, totally stunned. His mind went blank.
'What's going on?'
'Why isn't he driving all the way?'
'Why'd he jump like that?'
'Wait… that motion—is he actually going to…?'
While Kiyota was still processing, Sakuragi had already risen into the air. He raised the ball above his head and assumed a textbook shooting form.
"No way! Is he seriously trying to shoot that?" Kiyota gasped, filled with disbelief.
"That guy's only good at dunking, right?" Muto Tadashi stared wide-eyed, shocked by the scene.
The rest of the Kainan team was just as surprised. Their eyes popped open.
In their minds, Sakuragi didn't even have a real jump shot. The few shots he'd taken before were either forced or wild guesses.
But now, he had chosen to shoot on his own.
Shohoku's bench.
Kogure Kiminobu looked worried. "Is Sakuragi really going to be okay? Wouldn't a dunk have a better chance of going in?"
Shimizu Kanon remained calm. She answered without rushing, "It's fine. Sakuragi-kun's been training his shot. It's not perfect yet, but it's enough to shake up Kainan."
…
On the court.
Sakuragi shot the ball with full confidence in front of everyone.
Whoosh…
The ball soared like a fired bullet, aiming to form a beautiful arc in the air.
But just as that arc was taking shape, a large hand suddenly shot out and slapped the ball out of its path.
Smack…
A crisp sound echoed across the court, yanking everyone out of their suspense.
Sakuragi's hopeful expression collapsed instantly.
He stared, then gritted his teeth. The one who blocked the shot was none other than Maki Shinichi.
"You again, you damn middle-aged man!" Sakuragi growled.
Seeing Maki ruin his shot yet again made Sakuragi furious. This guy just kept wrecking him—did he think Sakuragi was an easy target?
Maki ignored the anger. He quickly passed the ball to Kiyota Nobunaga, who was still spacing out.
Then he stepped up and firmly blocked Sakuragi from chasing.
Kiyota snapped out of it after catching the ball.
He didn't dare waste a second. He dribbled hard and sprinted toward Shohoku's half.
"Good thing captain had my back. I would've been toast…" Kiyota mumbled as he ran.
He knew full well—if Sakuragi had scored on him, his pride would've been destroyed.
With that in mind, he picked up speed.
But he didn't notice the shadow closing in from the side—a hand, fast and silent.
Kiyota had no clue. He just kept dribbling.
Smack…
Suddenly, the ball was gone from his hand. The familiar rhythm of the dribble vanished.
"What?" Kiyota's eyes widened in panic.
He turned—and saw a cold, sharp face.
"Rukawa Kaede…!" Kiyota gasped.
He tried to recover the ball, reaching out to snatch it back.
But Rukawa didn't give him the chance. With a flash, he was already past Kiyota like a red streak of lightning.
He headed in the direction where Sakuragi had blocked Maki.
Sakuragi stood there like a wall, blocking Maki's path and preventing him from interfering.
Rukawa didn't charge all the way to the basket.
Instead, he jumped from the free-throw line's side for a clean mid-range jumper.
Whoosh…
With no defender contesting, the ball sailed in a perfect arc.
Swish…
The shot dropped through the net, clean and flawless.