A uniform sea of green jerseys.
Each player looked like a moving tower.
Except for the one at the very front—
Fujima Kenji.
Behind him stood the four starters…
All over 190 centimeters tall.
Hanagata Toru.
Hasegawa Kazushi.
Takano Shoichi.
Nagano Mitsuru.
This was Shoyo's pride—
The "Green Great Wall."
When they lined up together, the sheer visual pressure was suffocating.
"S-So tall…"
Miyagi Ryota tilted his head back, staring at the giants, his throat going dry.
As the shortest player on the court, the pressure hit him harder than anyone else.
…
At the upper corridor of the stands,
Two groups wearing different team uniforms ran into each other by chance.
On one side stood the reigning kings of Kanagawa,
Kainan University Affiliated High School, dressed in purple jackets.
Maki Shinichi stood with his arms crossed, a jacket draped over his shoulders, his gaze deep and unreadable.
Beside him were Jin Soichiro and a visibly irritated Kiyota Nobunaga.
On the other side.
Ryonan High School, clad in blue jackets.
Uozumi Jun stood like an iron tower, while Sendoh Akira maintained his usual lazy demeanor, casually holding a bottle of lemon water.
"Yo, Maki-senpai," Sendoh greeted with a grin.
Maki nodded, his eyes shifting toward the court where both teams were warming up.
"Looks like you're paying attention to this game too."
"Of course," Sendoh replied lightly.
"After all, the winner here will be our opponent in the finals."
"A-and I've already started collecting data!" Aida Hikoichi added excitedly, clutching his notebook.
"Maki, who do you think will win?" Sendoh twisted open his bottle cap and asked casually.
Maki fell silent for a moment.
His gaze swept across Shohoku's bench.
Pausing briefly on a certain figure sitting beside Coach Anzai, yawning lazily—
Before shifting away.
"Shoyo."
He gave his answer calmly, with absolute certainty.
"Shohoku's offense is strong this year. That number 16 is… unusual."
"But Shoyo's height advantage is overwhelming."
"And this is also a battle of experience."
"A team like Shohoku, thrown together on short notice—once they fall into a tough fight, their mentality is likely to collapse."
"I'd say Shoyo wins by more than ten points."
Hearing Maki's analysis, Kiyota immediately chimed in smugly:
"Exactly!"
"A streetball-style team like Shohoku doesn't stand a chance against Shoyo!"
"That Rukawa Kaede—and that Makino Juro who only knows how to sleep—"
"They'll definitely be exposed today!"
"Is that so?"
A deep, heavy voice suddenly cut in.
Uozumi Jun stood with arms crossed, looking down at the court.
"I have a different opinion."
"Oh?" Maki turned his head toward him.
"I think Shohoku will win," Uozumi said.
"Oh? And your reasoning?"
"How many points do you think Shohoku will win by, Uozumi-senpai?" Jin asked curiously.
Uozumi slowly raised three fingers, his tone grave:
"Three thousand points."
The air fell silent.
"Hmph."
He offered no explanation.
In his mind—
He saw that day in the practice match.
That ghost-like figure.
The one who erased the point difference in an instant…
Who pushed Sendoh into a corner…
A monster with power as deep as a bottomless abyss.
If that guy went all out…
"Just watch."
Uozumi stared at the lazy figure on Shohoku's bench.
"That sleeping god of death… if he wakes up…"
…
Courtside.
"Tweet!"
The referee's whistle rang out, signaling the start of the game.
The starting lineups were announced.
On Shoyo's side.
Fujima Kenji was not starting. He sat on the bench in his jacket.
The starting five:
Hanagata, Hasegawa, Takano, Nagano, Ito.
Average height: 191 cm.
On Shohoku's side.
Center: Akagi Takenori
Power Forward: Sakuragi Hanamichi
Small Forward: Rukawa Kaede
Shooting Guard: Mitsui Hisashi
Point Guard: Miyagi Ryota
Makino Juro was not in the starting lineup.
Wearing his jacket, he sat beside Coach Anzai—
Still holding an unfinished bottle of sports drink.
"Coach, is it really okay if I don't play?"
Makino Juro tightened the cap and asked casually.
"That bunch of bamboo poles looks pretty cocky."
Coach Anzai's glasses reflected the light, hiding his eyes.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned his head slightly and looked at Makino Juro.
"Makino Juro."
"Can your stamina sustain high-intensity play for the entire game?"
Makino Juro paused for a moment.
Then shrugged without answering.
On his system panel—
That pitiful stamina stat remained his biggest weakness.
Even after recent special training, it had only risen to 65.
And stamina…
Was the hardest stat to improve the further you went.
If he activated high-consumption templates like Aomine Daiki or Midorima Shintaro—
His energy would drain faster than a three-year-old iPhone.
"Heh heh heh…"
Coach Anzai let out his signature chuckle, his chin wobbling slightly.
"That's why…"
"You are our secret weapon."
"You will deliver the fatal blow—at the most critical moment."
After saying that, Anzai turned toward Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was about to step onto the court.
"Sakuragi."
"Yes!"
Sakuragi immediately straightened his back, tense like a rookie awaiting inspection.
"This game… your role is crucial."
Anzai pointed toward the basket.
"The opponent is very tall. That means the battle for rebounds will be extremely intense."
"Akagi alone will have a hard time holding the paint."
"So…"
He paused, his tone turning serious.
"Can you protect the key?"
"Can you share Akagi's burden… and control the rebounds?"
Sakuragi froze.
He looked into Anzai's eyes—filled with trust.
Then turned to glance at the stands—
Where Akagi Haruko stood with her hands clasped, silently praying for him.
In his mind.
The sweat from training…
Akagi's roars…
Rukawa's cold stares…
And that mocking line—
"If you want to win, don't drag us down."
All flashed through him.
A surge of heat shot from the soles of his feet straight to his head.
"Old man!!"
Sakuragi slammed his chest with a loud thud.
"Leave it to me!!"
"I'm the genius, Sakuragi Hanamichi!!"
"As for Shoyo's rebounds—"
"This genius is taking them all!!"
With that.
He turned and strode toward the court.
That red figure.
For the first time—
Looked broad… and dependable.
Makino Juro watched his back, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"That idiot…"
"Looks like the training wasn't for nothing."
"Tweet!!"
The referee's whistle pierced the air.
The basketball was tossed high into the sky.
Under the bright lights, the orange ball spun upward—
Gripping the attention of thousands.
Akagi Takenori and Hanagata Toru leapt at the same time.
Two massive hands collided mid-air.
The battle for Kanagawa's Final Four—
Had officially begun.
END OF CHAPTER
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