Shohoku's bench.
"Damn it! I aimed so perfectly, how did it not go in?!" Sakuragi Hanamichi slammed down onto the bench, glaring at his own hands. His face was full of frustration, like the anger was about to burst out. He looked completely miserable, like he'd just suffered some great injustice.
Kogure Kiminobu smiled gently beside him, patting his back to comfort him. "Alright, alright, Sakuragi, you did great. It was just a free throw. Missing it isn't a big deal. We didn't actually lose anything."
"But I haven't scored a single point since I got on the court!" Sakuragi Hanamichi drooped his head and slumped, looking pitiful. His voice carried a helpless, whiny tone.
Uh…
Hearing that, Kogure Kiminobu didn't know what to say.
After all, not scoring a single point did sound kind of embarrassing.
He also wondered to himself, still unable to figure out why this guy just couldn't seem to score.
Akagi Takenori wiped the sweat from his face after the intense first half. Then he grabbed his water bottle and took a few big gulps to soothe his dry throat.
His face was serious, and his gaze firm as he addressed everyone. "We had great momentum in the first half, but we can't relax yet. Let's keep this up in the second half."
As Shohoku's captain, his words were like an order. Everyone responded in unison, "Yes!"
Ayako was busy running around, handing out towels and water bottles to the players, while still cheering them on. "You guys played great in the first half! We're up by 9 points now! If we keep this pace, the win is definitely ours!"
At that moment, Shimizu Kanon walked over lightly, holding a stack of freshly written notes.
Her eyes were steady and full of confidence as she said, "The plan we set for the first half worked smoothly overall. As long as we maintain this rhythm, there's no need to adjust anything for now."
Kogure Kiminobu furrowed his brow slightly. He still felt uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure we don't need to change anything? Kainan might have figured out our strategy already."
Shimizu Kanon shook her head gently and replied firmly, "Even if Kainan figured it out, it doesn't matter. Right now, they can only rely on those few starters. Their bench players are useless, and putting them in would just weaken Kainan's overall strength."
…
Kainan's bench.
It felt like a dark cloud had settled over them. The atmosphere was heavy and suffocating.
Everyone looked downcast.
Their faces were full of worry, brows tightly furrowed, eyes reflecting anxiety and helplessness.
Takato Riki stared at his discouraged players and sighed deeply, his voice laced with frustration and disbelief. "Sigh… I really didn't expect Shohoku to grow this much so fast. It's beyond anything I imagined."
Kiyota Nobunaga was too anxious about the match to care about praise for Shohoku.
He blurted out urgently, "Coach, now's not the time for that! We're behind! Think of something, quick!"
Takato Riki was troubled too.
He had been racking his brain for a counter-strategy for a while. But the harsh truth was right in front of them.
Now, besides a few starters who could barely match Shohoku, Kainan's bench players were completely ineffective.
He looked at Kiyota Nobunaga and the others, his expression helpless. "To be honest, I don't have any better ideas right now. We've all been caught in Shohoku's setup."
Muto Tadashi looked confused. He couldn't help but ask, "Coach, what do you mean by that? Are you saying we really walked into Shohoku's trap?"
The other Kainan players also looked at Takato Riki, eyes full of confusion.
Maki Shinichi's eyes flashed with thought. He seemed to be pondering the deeper meaning behind the coach's words.
Takato Riki looked toward Shohoku. There, he saw Anzai Mitsuyoshi calmly sipping tea on the bench.
He sighed to himself. 'He really deserves the name "White-Haired Demon." He's predicted our every move—Jin's shots, Maki's passes, Muto Tadashi's foul… all of it. Unbelievable.'
Hearing the coach's words, the Kainan players started to catch on. They began to realize they might really have been drawn into Shohoku's web.
Maki Shinichi thought back to all the moments in the first half.
That feeling of being a pawn on someone's board, manipulated without control—he finally understood where it came from.
Takato Riki looked around at his players and spoke solemnly. "Shohoku is very strong now. We can't keep seeing them the way we used to. Don't forget—they're the ones who beat Sannoh. I'm even starting to suspect Sakuragi Hanamichi's awakening was part of their plan too. I've got no better options right now. We'll stick to the current strategy."
He paused, then added, "If we can't find a crack, we'll create one ourselves."
He looked straight at Maki Shinichi and called, "Maki…"
Maki Shinichi understood right away. He nodded firmly. "I got it, Coach. Leave it to me."
Time flew by in the tense wait.
Before anyone realized it, the second half of the match was about to begin.
Tweet…
The referee's sharp whistle sounded, officially starting the second half between Shohoku and Kainan.
Ayako watched the Shohoku players stepping onto the court, her brows slightly furrowed with worry. She muttered uneasily, "Kanon, our plan is pretty obvious… Will it really go the way you said? Are you sure they won't try something specific against it?"
Shimizu Kanon's lips curled into a confident smile. She replied calmly, "Relax, Ayako-senpai. If it was before Sakuragi Hanamichi awakened his 'Wild Instinct,' I might have hesitated. But now, I'm sure. Kainan will stick to their strategy. They're waiting for us to make a mistake—and I've already prepared that mistake for them."
"Mistake?" Ayako's face was full of confusion. Her mind was a mess. She had no idea what Kanon meant by that.
She stared wide-eyed at Shimizu Kanon, hoping for a bit more explanation.
But Shimizu Kanon just smiled and didn't say anything more. Her gaze turned meaningfully toward Miyagi Ryota on the court.
Her eyes were filled with confidence, like everything was playing out just as she planned.
At that moment, the game had already resumed.
Shohoku had possession.
The basketball moved quickly between players and eventually landed in Miyagi Ryota's hands.
Maki Shinichi immediately stepped up, standing firmly in front of Miyagi. His face remained calm, no visible emotion, like he was simply reacting on instinct. The moment Miyagi got the ball, he naturally went in for defense.
Miyagi Ryota stayed focused, shifting the ball behind him, dribbling rhythmically.
Bounce… bounce… bounce…
The sound of the ball hitting the court echoed, matching the tense heartbeat between the two of them.
Miyagi's eyes flicked left, but his body moved right. He switched the ball to his left hand as he moved.
With that smooth and clever move, he managed to break past Maki Shinichi's defense.
But as soon as he passed, Miyagi felt something off.
He couldn't believe he got past Maki that easily.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly tensed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand darting in like lightning, aiming straight for his dribbling ball.
'Crap.' Miyagi panicked and quickly pulled the ball back.
Whoosh…
A sharp gust brushed past his hand. He felt a cold shiver run across his palm.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Miyagi's forehead. He muttered, "That was close…"
No time to think more. Without hesitation, Miyagi passed the ball away.
Maki Shinichi didn't react further, acting like the pass meant nothing to him.
Miyagi frowned, staring at Maki for a moment.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but he turned to start his off-ball movement.
Maki followed him closely. On the surface, it looked like standard man-to-man defense. But Miyagi couldn't help feeling like there was more behind it, making him even more cautious.
Elsewhere.
The basketball landed solidly in Rukawa Kaede's hands.
Rukawa's eyes were cold. In his mind, Shimizu Kanon's instructions echoed clearly.
Agitate Kiyota Nobunaga.
He wasn't someone who was good at that sort of thing.
In his view, crushing opponents with absolute skill was the best way to piss them off. That was just how he operated.
With that in mind, Rukawa took immediate action.
Dribbling the ball, he stared directly at Kiyota Nobunaga. Like a leopard ready to pounce, he waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Shohoku's bench.
Shimizu Kanon saw everything and couldn't help but smirk.
She knew Rukawa Kaede's personality inside and out—his pride, his confidence.
That's exactly why she could trust him with this job.
At the same time, she understood Kiyota Nobunaga's personality perfectly.
From the beginning, Kiyota had seen himself as the "best rookie." Deep down, he had a complicated feeling toward Rukawa's arrival and all the talent he brought to Shohoku.
As long as Rukawa outperformed him on the court, Kiyota would grow increasingly irritated.
And each time Rukawa beat him, Kiyota's frustration would build higher and higher.
Shimizu Kanon calculated it all clearly. Once that anger reached a breaking point, Kiyota Nobunaga would definitely explode.
And when he lost control of his emotions, his performance would suffer. He might even do something reckless.
That would be when her trap truly took effect.
Shohoku would use that opening to widen the gap and take full control of the game.