NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59: Will You Still Get Into Fights?
The match began!
As the whistle sounded, Uozumi shot up from his seat in the stands, shouting toward the court.
"Akagi! Crush Miuradai for me!"
"Ah! Uozumi-senpai!"
"Please calm down, Uozumi-senpai!"
The people around him moved away, visibly uncomfortable.
Sendoh and the others, embarrassed, quickly pulled Uozumi back down.
"We're still in the stands, Uozumi-senpai," Sendoh whispered.
Uozumi glanced around. His intimidating appearance made several spectators quickly avoid his gaze.
But on the court, things weren't going as expected.
Five minutes into the game, Shohoku was in a slump. Akagi was the team's sole contributor, managing only 4 points. Meanwhile, Miuradai had erupted with a stunning 26 points, establishing a massive lead.
The crowd buzzed with disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Is this really Shohoku's strength?"
"Why hasn't Ryu gone on the court yet?"
"Miuradai is insane! Shohoku's only scored 4 points!"
Uozumi couldn't hold back. He stood again, yelling furiously.
"Akagi! What are you doing out there? What kind of play is this?!"
Hikoichi tried to pull him back. "Uozumi-senpai, people are staring!"
"Let them stare! Shohoku is playing terribly—I can't stand to watch this!" Uozumi roared.
On the court, Akagi sighed deeply.
If it weren't for those hot-headed kids getting into a fight, they wouldn't be benched now.
He felt like he was back in his first two years, carrying the team on his own. Every time the opposition pressed hard, no one else could score.
Miuradai's captain, Murasa Kengo, mocked Akagi openly.
"So, this is the team that beat Ryonan? Pathetic!"
Miuradai's players joined in, laughing and taunting Shohoku.
Akagi gritted his teeth, glaring at them, but he held his tongue. The scoreboard said it all.
Sakuragi jumped up from the bench, furious and restless.
He stormed over to Coach Anzai, repeatedly patting the coach's chin to make his point.
"Old man! Look at the score! We're getting crushed! Put me in—I'll teach those Miuradai punks a lesson!"
Anzai's chin wobbled with every pat until Ayako rushed in, pulling Sakuragi back.
"Sakuragi, calm down! Coach Anzai must have a plan."
"But we're already losing by so much! There's no way the gorilla can handle this on his own!"
"Patience, Sakuragi!" Ayako shouted, smacking him hard on the back of his head with her fan.
"And show some respect to Coach Anzai!"
Anzai remained as calm as ever, smiling faintly without a trace of worry. It was as if the game was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
Seeing this, Ryu considered speaking up but decided against it.
"Trust Coach Anzai," he muttered.
Ryu exchanged a glance with Rukawa, and without saying a word, they both understood each other's frustration. For now, all they could do was remain seated.
Another five minutes passed, marking the halfway point of the first half.
The score: 10–40.
Shohoku was now trailing by a daunting 30 points. They managed only a few points every five minutes, struggling to keep up.
The crowd grew restless.
"What is Shohoku doing?"
"Why haven't they sent Ryu in yet?"
"Do they even want to win? They're down by 30 points!"
Uozumi sat with a deep frown.
"What is Shohoku thinking? Why aren't Ryu and Rukawa on the court? Miuradai can't stop those two!"
It seemed impossible that Shohoku would make it past the first round of the tournament.
Sendoh, however, remained calm, watching the game with a thoughtful expression.
Looking at Anzai's unbothered demeanor, he murmured quietly, "To Coach Anzai, Miuradai must not be much of a threat."
In truth, Anzai wasn't underestimating Miuradai at all. His decision to bench Shohoku's key players was purely a punishment for their earlier fight.
Meanwhile, on the court, Miuradai's players were brimming with confidence.
"Akagi, why don't you guys just give up? We'll go easy on you so it won't look so bad."
"You guys are just unlucky to face us in the first round. Haha!"
"This feels easier than a practice match!"
The constant taunting grated on Sakuragi's nerves. Even Ryu found it hard to stay quiet any longer.
"Coach, let me go in! I'll teach them a lesson!" Ryu said, standing up with determination.
Anzai looked at him, calm as ever, and asked softly, "Will you still get into fights after this?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
Ryu and the others nodded vigorously.
"No more fighting, Coach!"
"We promise!"
Finally satisfied, Anzai smiled and nodded. It seemed his lesson had been well received.
"Beep!"
Shohoku called a timeout. The tides were about to turn.