As soon as the whistle for the end of the timeout blew, Uesugi Yu received a pass beyond the three-point line.
He took a deep breath, jumped forcefully against Sendo's interference, and the basketball flew off his fingertips, hitting the front rim and bouncing up.
"Mine!"
Sakuragi's roar sounded even before the ball bounced.
He exploded like a cannonball from the crowd, forcing his way between Takahashi and Miyazaki, extending his long arm to firmly secure the rebound.
As he landed, he slightly bent his knees and smoothly tossed the ball to Gu Jin on the sideline, the entire sequence so fast that people couldn't react.
In the VIP section directly facing the court, a middle-aged man in a dark suit slowly lowered the binoculars in his hand.
His fingers tapped lightly on his knee, his gaze never leaving the bouncing red-haired player. He suddenly said to his assistant beside him, "Make a note: Ryonan Team's No. 7 and No. 10. Get me all their information after the game."
The assistant quickly pulled out a notepad: "Yes, Coach Muto."
The man referred to as Coach Muto was none other than Muto Fuji, the head coach of the National Youth Team. He watched as Sakuragi, once again, astonishingly blocked Takahashi's receiving route, and a barely noticeable smile curved his lips—this raw talent's explosive power and feel for the ball were far more interesting than those who trained conventionally.
When the halftime whistle blew, the scoreboard was frozen at 34:21.
Ryonan was leading by 13 points.
Sakuragi followed his teammates towards the players' tunnel, intentionally making his footsteps loud as he passed the Jinshan Team's bench, his red hair dazzling under the lights.
At the emergency exit at the end of the players' tunnel, Ye Zi leaned against the cold iron door, a public phone pressed to her ear, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the peeling paint on the wall.
The footsteps and clamor from the corridor were shut out behind her; only her occasional "Mm" or "I know" could be heard, her voice so soft as if she feared being overheard.
The moment she hung up, she let out a long sigh, raised a hand to press her brow, and only realized her fingertips were damp when they brushed her eye corners.
She hastily wiped it away with her sleeve and turned to walk back, only to bump into Gu Jin, who had just come out of the restroom.
He was holding a towel, clearly on his way back to the locker room. He stood a few steps away, his gaze fixed on her reddened eye corners, his footsteps halting.
Ye Zi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively pulled her shoulders back, forcing an unnatural smile: "Why are you here?"
Gu Jin didn't answer; he just looked at her.
He wasn't very good at reading expressions, but he could tell she was definitely not "fine" just now—her eyes were red like water-soaked cotton, and even her voice was tight and hoarse, clearly having cried.
"Ye Zi, what's wrong?" Gu Jin asked with concern.
"Ah... nothing, just checking in with my family," Ye Zi quickly turned her face away.
Afraid he would ask more, she hurried towards the locker room: "The game's about to start, let's go back."
Gu Jin didn't move, watching her almost fleeing back, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.
He seemed to vaguely hear her on the phone, couldn't make out what she was saying, but felt the difficulty and grievance in her tone, like a fine needle, gently pricking him.
He squeezed the towel in his hand and turned to walk back, but a knot inexplicably remained in his heart—what was she hiding?
As the second half began, Sakuragi seemed to have the word "fierce" carved on his face.
The Jinshan Team tried to play inside; as soon as Takahashi turned under the basket, Sakuragi flew in from diagonally behind him, forcefully tipping the ball out of bounds.
Even more astonishing was the alley-oop five minutes into the half.
Gu Jin was double-teamed while driving with the ball. He suddenly flicked his wrist, tossing the ball towards the basket.
Everyone thought the ball would go out of bounds, but Sakuragi sprang up from the side as if on springs, twisting his body in mid-air, grabbing the basketball with his right hand, and slamming it into the hoop!
"Slam!"
The backboard vibrated, and Sakuragi hung on the rim, swaying twice, then looked down at Gu Jin and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
This dunk completely extinguished the Jinshan Team's comeback momentum.
For the rest of the game, the point difference consistently hovered around 13 points. Sakuragi stood like a red barrier under the basket, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, and occasionally making steals with his beast-like intuition.
Muto Fuji watched from the stands with increasing focus, his pen writing ceaselessly in his notebook.
His assistant leaned over to look, seeing on the paper: "No. 10, Sakuragi Hanamichi, top-tier rebounding instincts, astonishing vertical leap, full marks for defensive aggression, weakness... shooting? Haven't seen it yet."
With three minutes left in the game, the Jinshan Team players had lost their fighting spirit.
After Miyazaki Ken had his third ball stolen by Sakuragi, he stood in place, panting heavily, watching the red-haired player bounce around under the basket, and for the first time, the thought of "can't win" crossed his mind.
Muto Fuji stood up and adjusted his suit: "Get me the information as soon as possible, especially on this No. 10. I want to know how long he's been playing basketball."
The assistant nodded in agreement, his gaze returning to the court—Ryonan's No. 10 had just grabbed his 18th rebound, standing with hands on hips, accepting his teammates' cheers, his red hair like a burning flame.
In the final 30 seconds before the end, the score was fixed at 86:75. The Jinshan Team had given up resistance, only Miyazaki Ken, with red eyes, still charged forward, as if wanting to regain some face in the final moments.
As Gu Jin brought the ball past half-court, the court suddenly cleared—Sendo and Uozumi tacitly pulled to the sides, and Sakuragi even stood directly beyond the three-point line, clearly giving him space for a one-on-one.
However, the four Jinshan Team players ignited like firecrackers, swarming around him wildly; even Takahashi abandoned the basket and rushed towards Gu Jin.
"Want to play alone? No way!" Yamamoto Sho roared, being the first to stick close, his arms locked tightly around Gu Jin's waist.
Gu Jin didn't stop his steps. He suddenly leaned his left shoulder into Miyazaki Ken, using the rebound force to abruptly change direction, pulling the ball behind him with his right hand to evade Uesugi Yu's steal attempt.
In a flash, he had already charged into the four-player-surrounded restricted area, like a trapped leopard, but with an even fiercer fire burning in his eyes.
"Stop him!" the Jinshan coach shouted futilely from the sideline.
Takahashi jumped from diagonally behind to block the shot, while the other two reached out to pull his jersey.
But Gu Jin seemed oblivious, suddenly soaring into the air, twisting his body half a turn mid-air to dodge all obstacles, gripping the basketball tightly with his right hand, and slamming it towards the rim with thunderous force!
"Slam—!"
The backboard groaned under the strain. Gu Jin hung on the rim with one hand, looking down at the four scattered opponents below, his gaze as cold as ice.
The final buzzer sounded just then.
The numbers on the scoreboard finally settled: 88:75.
The cheers from the entire arena almost blew the roof off, and Taoka Moichi cheered along.
Sakuragi rushed over and hugged Gu Jin's arm, his red hair swaying wildly in front of him: "Gu Jin! That shot was awesome! But it still wasn't as good as my block just now!"
Gu Jin let go and landed, glancing at the Jinshan players still stunned on the court. He didn't say anything, just walked towards the locker room.
As he passed the players' tunnel, he subconsciously looked towards the emergency exit, but didn't see Ye Zi's figure, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
But soon, he was surrounded by his teammates, and the celebratory shouts drowned out all other subtle emotions—they had won this game.