“In a week, our opponent will be the A+ ranked strong team Akita Tsukikan. As long as we win this game, Ryonan High School can advance to the semifinals,” Taoka Moichi said in a deep voice.
At this moment, the list of the top eight teams for the National Tournament had been completely released.
The matchups for the left bracket were: Sannoh Industrial, Aiwa Academy, Akita Tsukikan, and Ryonan High School;
The results for the right bracket were unexpected—Hainan Da Affiliated High School, Jinpo Da Affiliated High School, Koikawa High School, and Meihou Industrial successfully advanced.
Daiei Academy and Osumi Daini, previously favored, both lost.
It seems that the saying, analyzed by a blogger in his previous life, that “Kagoshima is Takehiko Inoue’s hometown, so it’s set as the birthplace of champions” is not true.
Even more surprising was that Koikawa High School, the Hiroshima region runner-up and only rated C-class, surprisingly defeated Daiei Academy by a large margin to advance to the quarterfinals. This result immediately sparked heated discussion.
Even Gu Jin couldn’t help but wonder, could they be another “Shohoku”?
It should be known that Yuragi Industrial, the Hiroshima region champion, had previously lost to Aiwa Academy by nearly 30 points with a score of 92:121.
And in the original manga, Aiwa was already no match for Hainan, which is enough to show the vast gap between Yuragi Industrial and first-tier teams.
However, Koikawa High School was able to defeat Daiei, which made Gu Jin feel a hint of vigilance.
In the hotel, Taoka Moichi was still meticulously planning strategies, but Gu Jin’s mind had already drifted far away.
On one hand, the list of qualifiers in the right bracket disrupted his expectations, and on the other hand, Yoko’s recent abnormal behavior made him even more restless—he clearly felt that Yoko was deliberately distancing herself from him.
Gu Jin and Yoko were neighbors in elementary school, and they confirmed their romantic relationship in middle school. Throughout their years together, Yoko had never hidden anything from him.
But in the past few days, she had been unusually cold to him. This aloofness was like a thorn, making it difficult for him to concentrate.
“Gu Jin! Are you listening?” Taoka Moichi’s voice suddenly rose, his face already covered in dark lines.
“I’m sorry, Coach, I zoned out,” Gu Jin quickly snapped back to attention.
“I just said that Aiwa Academy will most likely not be able to defeat Sannoh, and we will meet Sannoh sooner or later. To defeat Sannoh, we must limit Sawakita Eiji, and this task is entrusted to you,” Taoka Moichi’s tone carried an undeniable seriousness.
“Okay, Coach,” Gu Jin nodded in agreement.
“Also, did you remember the tactics for the game against Akita Tsukikan that I just explained?” Taoka Moichi pressed.
Gu Jin looked ashamed: “Coach, I… I’m sorry, I didn’t pay attention to that part either.”
Uozumi, who was nearby, quickly tried to smooth things over: “Gu Jin, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No,” Gu Jin replied softly.
Taoka Moichi’s temper instantly flared: “Gu Jin, be serious! Do you think you can get carried away just because you’ve won a few games?” It was no wonder he was angry; none of their upcoming opponents would be easy, and there was no room for even a moment of slack.
And the team’s absolute ace was acting with such an attitude, how could Taoka Moichi not be furious!
“Coach, I’m sorry,” Gu Jin apologized again.
“I don’t want to hear ‘I’m sorry’! It seems I’ve been too lenient with you before; you’re becoming more and more careless now!” Taoka Moichi’s voice grew even more severe.
Gu Jin’s mind was in a mess, completely unable to concentrate.
“Gu Jin, do you really understand how important the upcoming games are?” Taoka Moichi stared at him, his voice full of disappointment.
Gu Jin was still distracted, lowering his head and muttering, “I know.”
“What kind of attitude is that?” Taoka Moichi’s anger was completely ignited.
Gu Jin suddenly looked up, his voice carrying an uncontrollable irritation: “I said I know!”
This statement stunned everyone present, and Taoka Moichi’s face turned ashen with anger. Just as he was about to erupt, he was stopped by Sendoh.
“Coach, I’ll explain the tactics for the game against Akita Tsukikan to Gu Jin again later. He might be too tired recently,” Sendoh said, softening his tone to smooth things over.
Gu Jin also didn’t expect himself to lose his temper with Taoka Moichi. After calming down, he said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Coach, I want to be alone.”
With that, he disregarded everyone’s surprised looks and turned to leave the room.
“Yoko, go check on Gu Jin. He’s acting strangely today,” Sakuragi Hanamichi said to Shimamura Yoko, his voice tinged with worry.
But Shimamura Yoko didn’t move an inch, her face even devoid of expression, completely indifferent.
“Yoko?” Sakuragi Hanamichi didn’t expect her to react this way and tried calling her name again.
“Don’t bother with him,” Shimamura Yoko’s voice was very soft, yet it carried an undeniable coldness.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was completely stunned—this was not the Yoko who usually cared so much about Gu Jin! He truly couldn’t believe that she would treat Gu Jin with such an attitude.
Gu Jin, who had left alone, quickly found a public phone booth.
He clutched the receiver, his fingertips pressing slightly—what made him most uneasy right now was Yoko’s abnormality. He had to call back to Kanagawa to ask if something had happened at home.
He dialed “K楠 noodle shop.” The moment it connected, Gu Jin immediately spoke: “Hello, is this Aunt Konan? I’m Gu Jin, has something happened at home…?”
Before he could finish speaking, a soft “click” sound came from the receiver, and the call was directly hung up.
Gu Jin was stunned for a moment, then redialed.
This time, Sakuragi Zhe Xiong’s voice came from the other end of the line.
“Xiao Jin, it’s so late, is something wrong?” Sakuragi Zhe Xiong’s tone sounded a little unnatural.
“Uncle Sakuragi, has something happened at home? Just now Aunt Konan…” Gu Jin eagerly pressed.
“No, everything’s fine at home, nothing happened,” Sakuragi Zhe Xiong’s voice paused.
“Then what about Aunt Konan? Why isn’t she answering the phone?” Gu Jin wouldn’t let up.
“She…,” there was half a second of silence on the other end before the reply came, “She went out, she’s not at the shop.”
“Uncle, are you hiding something from me?” Gu Jin’s voice deepened; he could sense the other party’s evasion.
“No, really, don’t overthink it,” Sakuragi Zhe Xiong’s tone was still vague.
Just then, Gu Jin vaguely heard Sakuragi Xiaonan’s voice from the receiver, tearful and mixed with a hint of anger: “Zhe Xiong, I don’t want to hear his voice!”
This sentence was like a needle, instantly piercing Gu Jin’s heart.
Before he could press further, Sakuragi Zhe Xiong hastily said, “Xiao Jin, the shop is a bit busy right now, I’m hanging up first, we’ll talk later!”
Before he finished speaking, the phone was hurriedly hung up again, leaving only the “beep-beep” of the busy signal in the receiver.