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The fifteen-minute break passed quickly.
Ryu and the others returned to the court.
Seeing the opposing team substitute all their starting players, Ryu and the others remained calm, showing little change in expression.
This had been clear since the second quarter.
The Hayakawa starters' mentality had completely collapsed, so substituting them was understandable.
Ryu's lips curled slightly as he thought to himself,
'Although I feel somewhat sorry for you, I won't show any mercy.'
He scanned the Hayakawa substitutes who had just entered the game.
As for the Hayakawa substitutes, they were now truly experiencing the pressure of facing Toho Kotei Gakuen.
Leaving aside Ryu's innate, inexplicably oppressive aura, Kamimono Kazuo's domineering presence alone made the Hayakawa players' legs tremble.
Seeing the performance of these Hayakawa substitutes, Kamimono Kazuo and the others shook their heads slightly.
However, the game had to continue.
Toho Kotei Gakuen had possession of the ball.
Taking a simple and direct approach, Ryu signaled Kamimono Kazuo to charge directly to the opponent's basket.
Against these substitutes, who were even inferior to Hayakawa's starters, Ryu chose the most direct method.
Seeing Kamimono Kazuo successfully reach Hayakawa's paint, Ryu, from his own half of the court, swung his arm and tossed the basketball over the head of Hayakawa's small forward substitute.
With a height of 203cm, Kamimono Kazuo was an insurmountable mountain for the Hayakawa team.
He caught Ryu's pass without hesitation and easily dunked the ball into Hayakawa's basket.
Clang…
Swish…
Whoosh…
The second half unfolded in a similar fashion.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen players swarmed Hayakawa's half of the court, relentlessly stealing the ball from Hayakawa's players and scoring constantly.
The scoreboard showed Toho Kotei Gakuen's score climbing at an unbelievable rate.
They were scoring, on average, every 10 seconds—sometimes even every 5 seconds.
This game had become a scoring showcase for the Toho Kotei Gakuen players.
Hayakawa had become the backdrop for Toho Kotei Gakuen's rise to prominence, or rather, not even a backdrop.
Most of Toho Kotei Gakuen's points were scored by Kamimono Kazuo and his group.
While Ryu's points weren't as high as the others, no one could ignore him, because this situation was entirely his doing.
His terrifying stealing ability was like a precognitive power.
This was why Hayakawa's team couldn't even take the ball out of their own half, leaving them completely helpless.
The third quarter ended.
The score for Toho Kotei Gakuen had reached 196 points.
196 to 0.
What an incredible score!
It was rare for a team to score over 100 points, and 150 points was even rarer, perhaps not even seen once a year.
Not to mention Toho Kotei Gakuen had now reached 196 points.
Most importantly, Hayakawa's score so far was 0.
With this record, even if all five players from Toho Kotei Gakuen didn't play in the fourth quarter, and even if Hayakawa kept shooting, it would be impossible for them to catch up in a single quarter.
Soon, the fourth quarter began.
The referee had lost interest in the game's flow.
He wouldn't call fouls unless they were excessive, because Hayakawa was having a truly miserable time.
Even the referee, as a official, was starting to feel sorry for them.
But he was powerless.
As a referee, he had to be fair and impartial.
At most, he could loosen the rules a bit.
However, his good intentions were completely ineffective.
Hayakawa's substitutes simply couldn't withstand the momentum and pressure from the Toho Kotei Gakuen team.
Their defense was merely perfunctory, posing no real threat.
The basketball continued to be mercilessly slammed into Hayakawa's basket by Ryu and the others.
The game was incredibly boring, but the audience was thoroughly enjoying it.
They were witnessing history—witnessing the birth of the most incredible moment in history.
If Toho Kotei Gakuen could shut out Hayakawa in this game, they, as witnesses, would be incredibly proud.
Now, with every basket scored, the crowd cheered and shouted for Toho Kotei Gakuen.
The entire arena had become Toho Kotei Gakuen's home court.
Hayakawa's small forward substitute passed the ball.
Ryu's eyes flashed, and he easily intercepted the ball in its path.
Ryu passed the ball to Kugawa, who then shot, easily scoring 3 points.
Snap…
Kugawa intercepted a pass from Hayakawa's shooting guard substitute.
Snap…
Ryuichi Kuroki intercepted a pass from Hayakawa's power forward substitute.
Snap…
Kamimono Kazuo intercepted a pass from Hayakawa's center substitute.
Snap…
Hanafuji Souji intercepted a pass from Hayakawa's shooting guard substitute.
One interception after another, one steal after another, one shot after another.
These Hayakawa substitutes, who had previously been indifferent to winning or losing, felt their nerves were about to snap.
Whistle...
The final whistle blew.
It felt like heaven for everyone at Hayakawa High School; they could finally escape this hellish torment.
Even Hayakawa's coach slumped onto the bench, all his strength seemingly drained.
On the Toho Kotei Gakuen team, Kamimono Kazuo, Ryuichi Kuroki, Kugawa, and Hanafuji Souji simply high-fived each other in celebration, showing no particular excitement.
After all, this wasn't their first victory.
Moreover, this was only their first match; winning was only to be expected.
Back on the Toho Kotei Gakuen bench, the substitutes went up to congratulate them.
Kazama Kouki nodded, saying only one sentence, "Well done."
Applause and cheers erupted from the stands for Toho Kotei Gakuen.
From this day forward, the name Toho Kotei Gakuen would be known to everyone.
275-0, that was the final score.
Toho Kotei Gakuen had written a divine chapter in history—a chapter that future generations would virtually never be able to break.
At the end of the match, Ryu looked at the utterly dejected Hayakawa group and said,
"I'm truly sorry, but this is our school's first ever match. We didn't mean to target you. I believe that taking it seriously is the only way to show respect. We hope you continue to work hard, and we're always ready to challenge you."
He had no intention of demoralizing his opponents, nor was it intentional to sow discord among the Hayakawa group regarding basketball.
He said this simply to prevent the other side from giving up easily.
He had said everything he needed to say; as for their final choice, that was no longer his concern.
Hearing Ryu's words, the Hayakawa group was completely taken aback.
Then, their dull eyes regained their sparkle.
The Hayakawa captain looked at Ryu and the others with a complicated expression, then replied,
"Ah, thank you! You guys are really strong. We accept our defeat wholeheartedly. Although I think it's nearly impossible, we will become stronger next time. Next time, we will definitely take points from you."
Seeing this, Ryu smiled slightly, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes.
After shaking hands, the match was completely over.
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