On the sidelines, Aida Hikoichi clutched his notebook, his eyes wide, fixed on the area where the Sannoh team was, especially on that tall, sharp figure.
His voice trembled with excitement: "Coach Taoka! Look over there! That's Sawakita Eiji! Japan's number one high school player! I've only seen photos in my sister's interviews before, but today I finally get to see him in person!"
As he spoke, he furiously scribbled and drew in his notebook, as if he wanted to record every detail of Zawa Kita.
Taoka Moichi glanced in his direction, then turned his gaze back to the court, letting out a soft hum from his nose, his tone filled with undisguised disdain: "Japan's number one high school player? Did he ask our Gu Jin?"
Aida Hikoichi paused, still not understanding where Taoka's confidence came from, when the situation on the court had already become one-sided.
The Qingfeng Team was clearly stunned by the previous alley-oop, making a passing error that sent the ball directly into Gu Jin's hands.
Gu Jin held the ball, and three Qingfeng players immediately pounced like hungry wolves, aggressively trying to steal the ball.
The murmurs from the stands, which had just quieted down, rose again, everyone speculating whether Gu Jin would pass or force a breakthrough.
Gu Jin's lips curved into a faint smile, and he suddenly performed a crossover step change of direction, darting like a ghost between two defenders.
The third player reached out to grab him but only caught air—Gu Jin had already used his momentum to rush forward two steps, easily shaking him off.
"What incredible speed!" the commentator exclaimed.
But it wasn't over yet.
The other two Qingfeng players, seeing the unfavorable situation, quickly rushed back to defend, attempting to form an interception in the paint.
However, Gu Jin did not slow down at all; facing the two players' block, he suddenly made an abrupt stop, then leaned his body slightly backward, bending his knees to perform an almost fadeaway jump shot.
The Qingfeng players thought he was going to shoot and instinctively jumped to block.
At that very moment, Gu Jin's movement stopped abruptly—a fake! ! !
The basketball seemed to stick to his hand as he slipped past the other side of the two players.
In the blink of an eye, he had faked out these two defenders and was directly facing the basket.
"Oh my god! One-on-five! Gu Jin actually got past five defenders by himself!" The commentator's voice was cracking with excitement.
The entire audience had not yet recovered from this series of moves when, the next second, an even more astonishing scene appeared.
Gu Jin took off from the free-throw line, raised his right hand high, and firmly slammed the ball into the hoop!
"Boom!"
The sound of the basketball swishing through the net, accompanied by Gu Jin's landing, seemed to shake the entire stadium.
"One-on-five! He actually broke through the entire Qingfeng Team's defense by himself! What kind of divine play is this!" Another commentator was so excited he was practically standing up, "Number 17 Gu Jin, he is simply the dominator on the court!"
Taoka Moichi stood on the sidelines, vigorously slapping his tactical board, his face showing undisguised pride.
Aida Hikoichi was already dumbfounded, his pen having fallen to the ground, muttering: "Too amazing... Gu Jin is too amazing..."
In the stands, in Sannoh's section.
The nonchalant expression on Sawakita Eiji's face had long disappeared; his brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes were sharply fixed on the figure in the white jersey on the court.
Gu Jin's series of breakthroughs just now, every move was incredibly precise, especially the final dunk in mid-air, which demonstrated extreme control over his body.
"This guy..." Zawa Kita said in a low voice, his fingertips stopping their rotation of the mineral water bottle.
Masashi Kawata also looked somewhat surprised; he turned to Zawa Kita: "This Gu Jin seems stronger than I imagined."
Zawa Kita did not speak, only focusing his gaze more intently on the court.
The following time became Gu Jin's personal show.
He sometimes shot from beyond the three-point line, the basketball swishing through the net like a guided missile;
Other times, he drove into the paint with the ball, and facing multiple defenders, he always managed to put the ball into the hoop in unimaginable ways;
Occasionally, he would also make brilliant passes, assisting teammates to score.
The Qingfeng Team was completely broken; their defense was virtually nonexistent, and their offense frequently made mistakes, only able to watch helplessly as the score gap widened.
When the halftime whistle blew, the numbers on the electronic scoreboard made everyone gasp: 78:26.
And the statistics showed that Gu Jin alone scored 31 points!
"31 points in one half! My goodness!" The commentator's voice was hoarse with excitement, "You know this is the National Tournament, every team is a strong team! Yet Ryonan can lead their opponent by such a huge margin, Gu Jin's performance is indispensable! His form today is simply unstoppable!"
The Qingfeng Team players walked back to the bench dejectedly, many with despair written on their faces.
Moriyama sat in his chair, his face ashen; he looked at Gu Jin and Fukuda, who were surrounded by their teammates on the Ryonan Team's side, and then thought about his own complaints just now, feeling incredibly ironic.
The Ryonan bench, however, was filled with cheers, as players high-fived Gu Jin in celebration.
Gu Jin wiped his sweat, his gaze inadvertently sweeping towards Sannoh's direction, meeting Sawakita Eiji's eyes.
In that gaze, there was scrutiny, fighting spirit, and the pride belonging to "Japan's number one high school player."
Gu Jin's lips curved slightly upward.
In the stands, the atmosphere in Sannoh's section subtly changed.
Sawakita Eiji's gaze was fixed on Gu Jin like nails; the earlier nonchalance had completely faded, replaced by an almost burning excitement.
He suddenly clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, and turned to Masashi Kawata, saying: "When the time comes, this Gu Jin, he must be mine."
His voice held an uncontrollable tremor, not from nervousness, but from pure desire. "I really want to have a good fight with him and see who is stronger."
Masashi Kawata raised an eyebrow, looking at the rekindled flame in Zawa Kita's eyes, and slowly began: "What, do you think he can threaten your position?"
Zawa Kita, however, shook his head, his gaze returning to the figure on the court who was laughing and talking with his teammates. "Threat?" He paused, his tone containing a sincerity almost like reverence, "Compared to the empty title of 'Japan's number one,' I'd rather find an opponent who can give me a truly satisfying game."
"Before, those people either got crushed by me or didn't dare to go head-to-head with me at all." He said, his Adam's apple subtly bobbing, and the light in his eyes grew brighter, "But he's different. Look at his eyes when he broke through just now, that fierce determination to push through no matter how many people are blocking him—"
He suddenly laughed, the excited laugh of someone encountering prey. "This is what basketball is about. It's not about holding onto some position; it's just about wanting to go head-to-head with someone, to see who can stand until the end."
Masashi Kawata looked at him like this, silent for a few seconds, then suddenly clapped him on the shoulder. "It seems this trip wasn't in vain."
Zawa Kita didn't respond, only staring intently at the court.
Halftime ended quickly!
The second half was about to begin, and Gu Jin was bending down to tie his shoelaces; sunlight streamed through the stadium windows, casting a golden edge around him.
Sawakita Eiji licked his lower lip, with only one thought in his mind:
Faster, even faster.
The day Ryonan meets Sannoh, he must stand opposite Gu Jin and play with all his might.
Who cares who the champion is, who cares about winning streaks—
He just wanted to know if this person could handle all his moves, if he could truly make him feel like he was playing a proper game of basketball.