The scene fell into a strange silence.
Sakuragi Hanamichi stared blankly at the basketball on the ground.
Maki Shinichi also looked at the ball in a daze.
Kiyota Nobunaga, too, was frozen, eyes locked on the ball.
After a while, Sakuragi finally came back to his senses. He glared at Rukawa Kaede with frustration and yelled, "Damn you, Rukawa Kaede! That shot should've been mine, you show-off!"
His voice was full of anger and grievance. He felt like Rukawa had stolen his spotlight.
Rukawa's expression didn't change at all. He calmly replied, "Big idiot. You're the one who got blocked."
Hearing that, Sakuragi's face turned red, then green. He snapped, "Stupid fox, who are you calling blocked? You're pissing me off!"
He clenched his fists, body shaking a little, looking ready to rush over and argue.
Maki turned to look at Rukawa. His expression became more serious.
He silently raised his evaluation of Rukawa in his heart.
'This guy stole the ball from Kiyota that fast... was he prepared for it? Or maybe… more importantly, that spot he chose to shoot from—it couldn't be a coincidence.'
The intensity between Maki's brows deepened.
Shohoku was applying way more pressure than they did during the Kanagawa tournament.
He didn't know why, but he felt like he was inside some invisible game board.
And that sensation made him really uncomfortable.
Time kept flying during the heated back-and-forth, and soon it reached the final stretch of the first half.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's dribbling grew more smooth and confident. His eyes were sharp, his drive fierce. He pushed forward without losing any speed, made a slick direction change, and easily broke through Muto Tadashi's defense.
"What the hell… what's with this guy? Did his 'Wild Instinct' get stronger again?" Muto was in disbelief. His eyes were wide, staring hard at Sakuragi's movement, trying to make sense of it.
Kiyota Nobunaga watched Sakuragi's rising power, unable to hold back a shout: "Is he just like that Aoi Kunisaku?"
His voice was full of shock and doubt. There was even a hint of fear in his eyes.
Maki Shinichi frowned deeply, his sharp gaze fixed on Sakuragi, trying to figure out the reason behind his change.
Eventually, Maki shook his head slightly and said, "No. He hasn't gotten stronger. He's just getting more used to his 'Wild Instinct.'"
His tone was confident, but even he had doubts that wouldn't go away.
Sakuragi had only just awakened that state. But now, he was moving like a veteran—someone who'd been using it for a long time.
That intense contrast made Maki feel completely lost.
Muto Tadashi gritted his teeth after getting beaten. He turned and chased after Sakuragi, full of frustration.
He felt helpless and furious, pumping his legs hard, desperate to close the distance.
Even though Sakuragi was in 'Wild Instinct,' his speed hadn't reached Aoi Kunisaku's monstrous level.
Muto could feel the gap closing, and a sliver of hope surged in him. He thought maybe he could catch up and block him.
Within a few breaths, Muto finally closed the gap.
At that moment, Sakuragi was just outside Kainan's three-point line.
Sakuragi sensed the danger closing in from behind. His eyes turned sharp, and he suddenly stepped out with a massive stride.
The step was huge. From beyond the arc, he landed right in front of the paint.
Without pausing, he gathered the ball. Then he crouched low and launched himself upward like a red bolt of lightning.
His movement was clean, powerful, and fluid. Everyone watching turned their heads.
"Shit, he's going for a dunk!" Muto's heart sank. He sped up and reached out, trying to swat the ball from behind mid-air.
He aimed to cleanly slap the ball away from Sakuragi's hands and stop the shot.
But Sakuragi jumped faster than he expected. Muto couldn't stop in time.
Because of momentum, his hand ended up poking Sakuragi in the armpit.
Sakuragi, who was dead serious and ready to dunk, suddenly jolted like he got electrocuted.
His body twisted mid-air into a bizarre, goofy pose.
The ball suddenly slipped from Sakuragi Hanamichi's shaking hand and shot straight into the air.
At the same time, his expression twisted ridiculously. His eyes rolled back, eyebrows contorted, and his mouth opened in a lopsided O-shape.
Thud…
A heavy sound followed.
Sakuragi Hanamichi fell from midair straight to the ground, sprawled out in an awkward pose. His body kept twitching slightly. Clearly, that jab earlier hit a sensitive spot.
Just then, the ball that had flown off began to fall.
Unexpectedly, its descent lined up perfectly with the hoop.
With everyone staring in disbelief like they'd seen a ghost, the basketball cleanly dropped through the hoop. Even the net barely swayed—if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it moved at all.
Tweet…
Almost as the ball sank, the referee's sharp whistle followed.
The referee raised a hand, pointing directly at Muto Tadashi, and announced loud and clear, "Kainan Number 9, defensive foul. The basket counts. One extra free throw."
"Damn it…" Muto Tadashi clenched his teeth, full of frustration.
At this point, no amount of arguing could change anything.
His move was too obvious. Everyone saw it clearly on the court. There was no room for excuses.
What shocked everyone even more was that under such a freak accident, the ball still went in. The luck was absurd.
Chatter quickly spread through the stands.
"Whoa! Shohoku's Number 10 is way too lucky! That actually went in?"
"Kainan's Number 9 is super unlucky. If he hadn't reached out, the ball probably wouldn't have gone in!"
"Did you guys see that redhead's face just now? He looked like he was in real pain!"
…
No one knew how long it had been when Sakuragi Hanamichi finally got up from the floor.
He turned around furiously to glare at Muto Tadashi, face full of resentment. One hand clutched the spot where he'd been poked. His face was dark with anger as he growled through clenched teeth, "You bastard, how dare you sneak attack me there! That's too much!"
Muto Tadashi flushed from the accusation, embarrassed.
He turned his head away, not daring to meet Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes. He also regretted that rash move a little.
Sakuragi Hanamichi still wanted to argue, ready to scold Muto Tadashi some more.
But just then, the referee walked over and sternly reminded him, "Shohoku Number 10, if you're fine, get ready for the free throw."
The moment he heard the words "free throw," Sakuragi Hanamichi instantly forgot about Muto Tadashi.
He looked at the ball the referee handed over, his eyes lighting up. A happy grin crept over his face as he thought, 'Yes! A free throw! This time, no one's gonna get in my way!'
A beautiful daydream popped into his head.
Under the spotlight, he would make the shot, and then Akagi Haruko would come running over with a bouquet, confessing her feelings in front of everyone.
Thinking that, his mouth curled up into a goofy smile.
"If you don't take the shot now, I'll call a technical foul," the referee snapped, seeing Sakuragi Hanamichi still grinning like an idiot.
Sakuragi Hanamichi snapped back to reality and hurried to the free-throw line.
"I just have to throw it in, right?" he muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the hoop.
He took a deep breath, raised the ball, and aimed. His form was textbook perfect. Anyone watching would've praised the shot.
Then he flicked his wrist and launched the ball.
Whoosh…
The basketball flew from his hands, tracing a graceful arc through the air, heading straight for the center of Kainan's hoop.
The shot was perfect—both in posture and trajectory.
The ball's path looked ideal. It seemed like it couldn't possibly miss.
Just when everyone was sure it would go in—
Clang…
A crisp sound echoed.
The ball slammed into the inner rim of the hoop, then, bouncing off the impact, shot back the way it came.
Everyone stared in shock as the ball bounced perfectly back into Sakuragi Hanamichi's hands.
The court fell into silence once again.
No one could say a word.
Before anyone could react—
Tweet…
The whistle blew again.
The referee signaled the end of the first half.
The scoreboard froze at 38 to 29.
Shohoku 38, Kainan 29.
The first half ended in this bizarre, dramatic atmosphere.