Just as Qing Junce and Kaede Rukawa's intense one-on-one match reached its peak, three girls in Shohoku uniforms stepped into the gym.
Ayako and Shimizu Kanon, standing near the sidelines, caught the movement out of the corner of their eyes and turned toward the entrance.
"It's you girls!" Ayako called out cheerfully.
The three newcomers responded in unison, "Ayako-senpai!"
Kanon glanced at them, recognizing the trio immediately. She'd done her homework before joining the basketball club, and now those profiles sprang to mind.
The girl in the center was clearly the most striking — long black hair, skin like porcelain, and a sweet, delicate face. Her gentle eyes shimmered like starlight, full of youthful charm and energy.
This was Akagi Haruko, the younger sister of the team captain, Akagi Takenori.
Flanking her were her two best friends.
On her left was Fujii, with short black hair and a quiet elegance that balanced Haruko's bubbly brightness. A red hairpin adorned her hair, and though less showy than Haruko, she had a calm beauty of her own.
To the right stood Matsui, her bright orange twin ponytails making her stand out immediately. For some uncanny reason, she looked eerily like Akagi Takenori — especially her mouth. Not similar. Identical.
If you didn't know better, you'd think she was Akagi's biological sister too.
The three of them approached Ayako and Kanon. Haruko gave a cheerful greeting.
"I heard from my brother that there's a new manager on the team. That must be you! I'm Akagi Haruko."
Kanon returned her smile politely. "Nice to meet you. I'm Shimizu Kanon — just call me Kanon."
"Huh? Are they playing a match?" Haruko asked, her gaze shifting to the court where Qing Junce and Kaede Rukawa stood locked in a standoff.
Ayako clarified, "Not a full match. It's a one-on-one — Rukawa challenged Qing Junce. They're going all out."
Haruko blinked in surprise. "A one-on-one? With Kaede Rukawa?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Rukawa was her dream guy — handsome, stoic, talented. Naturally, she was curious to see who dared to challenge him.
She scanned the court. One of the players was, of course, Rukawa.
The other was someone unfamiliar.
"That guy... who is he?" Haruko asked, puzzled.
Ayako replied, "That's Qing Junce. He just joined the club with Kanon. He's a first-year too."
"Oh?" Haruko murmured, blinking again.
But her attention was quickly pulled back to the game. "So… who's winning?"
Ayako answered, "It's not over yet. But right now, Rukawa's on the back foot."
"What?!"
Haruko's eyes went wide. Kaede Rukawa is… losing?
She couldn't believe it. Rukawa — the MVP of junior high, hailed as the super rookie of the year — was being pushed back?
Just how strong is this Qing Junce?
Her eyes locked on Qing Junce.
He was tall, with striking blue hair and equally blue eyes. Handsome, yes — but his expression was sleepy and disinterested, as though he wasn't even trying.
Could someone like that really overpower Rukawa?
And then — her jaw dropped.
On the Court
The duel continued.
Rukawa dribbled rapidly, switching hands with sharp, fluid movements, trying to disrupt Junce's timing and reading.
But Qing Junce didn't flinch. He just stood there, calm and unmoving.
Rukawa narrowed his eyes.
He faked left — then exploded right.
He's fast! Haruko's heart raced.
But just as she thought he'd broken through —
BAM.
Qing Junce slid in front of him like a wall. No room to pass. No way around.
Rukawa quickly spun the other way — faked, switched hands again, and darted left.
And again — blocked.
Qing Junce was already there.
It continued like this for several more attempts.
Fakes, spins, crossovers, sudden pull-backs, post-ups — Rukawa tried everything in his arsenal.
Nothing worked.
He was completely locked down.
Haruko could barely believe what she was seeing. "He can't… break through."
This was the first time she'd ever seen Rukawa truly suppressed.
And so thoroughly.
Snap!
A clean sound echoed through the gym.
Junce had stolen the ball again.
By now, most of the onlookers weren't even surprised. They'd grown used to it.
But Haruko, Fujii, and Matsui stood frozen, still trying to process what they were seeing.
Rukawa… intercepted?
Qing Junce didn't waste time.
Without flourish or delay, he turned, took a single step, and leapt into the air.
That fast? Rukawa was stunned. He scrambled to intercept, but Qing Junce had already released the ball.
And then—
BONK!
Another ball collided with Junce's shot in mid-air.
Gasps erupted from the sidelines.
No one had seen that coming.
Across the court, Sakuragi Hanamichi stood with his hands on his hips, laughing triumphantly.
"Nyahahaha! Gotcha! You thought you could outshine me? Dream on!"
"Sakuragi-kun…" Haruko whispered in disbelief, covering her mouth.
The others looked equally exasperated.
Kogure facepalmed. "Not again…"
Akagi Takenori looked about ready to explode. A vein throbbed visibly on his forehead. "That idiot…"
Ayako sighed, shaking her head. "He's really doing this now?"
But Kanon remained calm.
She didn't look surprised in the least.
She had full confidence in Qing Junce.
A little disruption like this? It was nothing.
Back on the Court
Qing Junce reacted instantly.
As soon as he saw his shot deflected, he dropped like a stone.
The moment his feet touched the court — he sprang back up.
Whoosh!
He caught both basketballs mid-air — one in each hand — and hurled them toward the basket one after the other.
Everyone froze.
Both balls arced through the air.
Thud. Swish.
The first hit the backboard and dropped in cleanly.
The second spun around the rim and — after a breathless moment — also sank through.
The entire gym fell into stunned silence.