The lingering echo of the final whistle was still reverberating over the Kyoto General Gymnasium, and the player tunnel had completely fallen.

Reporters from various newspapers and basketball weeklies were packed like sardines, setting up a dense forest of long lenses and short cannons. The flashes merged into a continuous sheet of white light, and the clamorous questions were about to blow off the tunnel's ceiling.

Security personnel tried their best to maintain order, barely managing to clear a narrow passage.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the purple-haired boy who had single-handedly created the miracle of a shutout in the semi-finals.

"Coming... Tomakomai Junior High is out..."

Someone shouted, and the crowd instantly became agitated.

Reporters rushed forward carrying their equipment like sharks smelling blood, their microphones and voice recorders practically shoved right into the players' faces.

Asano Shu and Kurosaki Daigo, walking at the front of the line, were caught off guard by the encirclement and bit the bullet to answer a few questions, but the reporters' minds were not on them at all.

Their gazes swept past the two and locked in unison onto the slow-moving purple figure at the very back of the line.

Zijing Cheng walked at the back, clutching half a bag of unfinished lemon gummies in his hand, his fingertips stained with a bit of powdered sugar.

He would also stick out his tongue from time to time, licking his fingers without any regard for his image, doing so one finger after another.

This sight instantly brought a moment of silence to the chaotic and noisy scene.

All the reporters looked as if a pause button had been pressed on them, dumbfounded.

A few strands of Zijing Cheng's purple spiky hair were dampened by sweat, sticking to his temples, but he didn't care in the least. With half-closed eyes, he stuffed candy into his mouth as he walked, looking as lazy as if he hadn't fully woken up, as if the shutout victory just now had nothing to do with him.

Soon, the dazed group of reporters snapped back to reality and swarmed forward in a swarm.

"Student Zijing Cheng, how do you feel right now after shutting out Seitai Junior High in the semi-finals?"

"Having achieved so many shutouts in the National Tournament, do you think your defense is already at the ceiling of junior high?"

"You're facing Aoba Junior High in the finals. What is your evaluation of Eiji Sawakita? Do you have the confidence to continue shutting out your opponent?"

Questions hammered over like cannonballs, buzzing around his ears.

Zijing Cheng chewed his gummies, his cheeks bulging. He raised his eyes to scan the dense forest of microphones, his purple eyes devoid of ripples.

He leisurely swallowed the candy in his mouth, blurting out two words indistinctly:

"Not bad."

As his voice fell, the reporters were stunned.

Not bad?

A shutout against a semi-final opponent elicited just a "not bad"?

Someone was unwilling to give up, squeezed forward, and handed the microphone closer: "Can you elaborate? For example, facing a technical center like Toru Hanagata, how did you manage to suppress him throughout the game? Did you do targeted training before the match?"

Zijing Cheng tilted his head, as if thinking seriously, and only spoke slowly a few seconds later: "Never practiced it. He kept shaking around, which was such a bother. Just raising my hand and blocking him was enough."

This tone was as if he were talking about flies buzzing around, and then subconsciously swatting them to death with a flyswatter.

The corners of the surrounding reporters' mouths twitched collectively.

Toru Hanagata's proud footwork was just "shaking around and so much bother" in his mouth?

This was way too demoralizing!

A reporter seized the opportunity and immediately threw out the most watched topic of the finals: "Student Zijing Cheng, your opponent in the finals will be Aoba Junior High. Their ace, Eiji Sawakita, is known as the 'Number One Player in Junior High' and has extremely strong offensive capabilities. Have you paid attention to him before? What are your prospects for the finals?"

As soon as these words came out, the surroundings instantly quieted down.

Everyone pricked up their ears, waiting for Zijing Cheng's answer.

This was the most explosive topic before the finals; whether dropping harsh words or showing humility, it could make a big headline.

Zijing Cheng blinked, a hint of bewilderment showing on his face, as if he had heard some unfamiliar name.

He frowned and thought for two seconds, finally shook his head, and said in a frank tone:

"Sawakita... who? Never heard of him."

Boom...

The entire press corps instantly exploded.

Never heard of him?!

Eiji Sawakita!

That was the genius who had occupied the throne of the number one junior high player for years, the defending ace of the National Tournament, and he actually said he hadn't heard of him?

"How is that possible... Student Sawakita is the universally recognized strongest player in junior high!" A reporter couldn't help blurting out.

Zijing Cheng let out an "oh", shifted his gaze without much interest, still biting half a piece of candy in his mouth: "So what if he's the strongest? I'll just defend him when the time comes. Remembering names is such a bother, and they can't be eaten as food."

With this light sentence, the full house of reporters was choked into speechlessness.

Asano Shu stood nearby, feeling so awkward his toes could practically curl a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor. He hurriedly smiled to smooth things over: "Sorry everyone, Zijing Cheng usually doesn't pay much attention to other teams' information, and he doesn't care much about things outside of games. We will definitely go all out in the finals."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zijing Cheng added another sentence, nodding seriously: "Yeah, once we win, we can go eat the limited-edition wagashi buffet."

The whole audience: "..."

So your goal in playing the National Tournament is just to eat desserts?!

The reporters refused to give up, and someone else asked: "In the last match against Aotaki, you showed very strong offensive ability and posterized Akira Sendoh. Will you continue to initiate offense with the ball in the finals? Will you use offense to target Aoba's interior?"

As soon as this question came out, everyone perked up again.

After all, everyone wanted to know if Zijing Cheng, who was integrated in offense and defense, would completely unleash his offense in the finals.

Hearing this, Zijing Cheng frowned slightly, as if he had heard some troublesome matter.

He let out a long yawn, his voice lazy:

"Don't want to attack, it's so tiring. Why run and play when I can stand and defend."

"Unless..." He paused, his purple eyes lighting up slightly, "if we can eat two extra servings of matcha mille-crepe after winning, it's not out of the question."

The reporters were completely dumbfounded.

This was the finals of the National Tournament!

A stage that countless players fought tooth and nail to dream of, and you're actually calculating whether you can trade it for two more servings of dessert?

Their worldview was about to be shattered.

Seeing that continuing to ask wouldn't yield any explosive content, and they would instead be choked to death by this boy's Buddhist-like remarks, the reporters could only reluctantly make way.

Zijing Cheng's eyes lit up, as if he had finally waited for liberation. He tugged at the corner of Kurosaki Daigo's shirt in front and urged: "Hurry up and walk, if we go any later, the limited-edition chestnut wagashi will be sold out."

After speaking, he pushed aside the crowd and strode toward the exit, his steps much faster than before.

That eager look, as if the desserts would be snatched away if he went a step too late, was more serious than playing the match.

Leaving a group of reporters staring at each other in place, unable to recover for a long time.

After a long while, someone smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This Student Zijing Cheng... is really just like the rumors, completely playing outside the common sense!"

"Who's to say otherwise? I originally thought I could dig up some harsh words for the finals, but it turned out to be all dessert-related."

"But it's also normal, geniuses always have some weird temperaments."

Amidst the discussions, everyone's anticipation for the finals became even stronger instead.

What kind of sparks would collide when such a monster who played completely outside the norm yet was ridiculously strong faced the universally recognized number one player in junior high, Eiji Sawakita?

Just as the player tunnel was bustling with noise, the media interview area on the other side of the gymnasium was quite a different scene.

Aoba Junior High had just finished the interview for another semi-final. The players stood in a row, steady in demeanor, fully displaying the style of a championship-caliber team.

The boy standing at the very front of the line was undoubtedly the focus of the whole audience.

He wore Aoba Junior High's signature dark blue jersey, with a tall, slender physique and clean-cut shoulder lines, his back held straight. His neat short black hair was trimmed clean and fresh, with a few strands of bangs hanging slightly down his forehead, making his brows and eyes appear even more delicate and distinct.

The boy had fair skin, a high bridge of the nose, a clear and crisp jawline, and thin, clean-lined lips. The most eye-catching feature was his pair of eyes, bright and sharp like cold stars tempered with light; seeming casual, they hid a sharp competitive spirit.

Just standing there, he naturally carried a genius's arrogance and aura.

He was Eiji Sawakita.

The universally recognized number one person in the junior high basketball world, an unsolvable existence on the offensive end, and the sharpest spear on Aoba Junior High's path to defense of their title.

Most of the reporters' questions revolved around him.

"Student Sawakita, congratulations to Aoba on advancing to the finals. Tomakomai Junior High just shut out Seitai Junior High 61 to 0, creating a record once again. What are your thoughts after watching the match? How do you evaluate the player Zijing Cheng?"

Hearing this, Eiji Sawakita hooked the corners of his lips into an extremely faint smile, but his eyes lit up a bit.

He slightly tilted his head, gazing towards the direction of the other side of the gymnasium, his tone carrying a bit of anticipation along with a bit of absolute confidence:

"His defense is indeed very powerful; he is the most special interior player I've ever seen."

"Being able to shut out so many teams consecutively cannot be done relying solely on physical talent."

He spoke very frankly, without the slightest bit of contempt, yet without half a point of timidity.

The reporter pursued: "Then do you have confidence to break through his defense in the finals? Many people say that Zijing Cheng's paint is a 'no-fly zone', and no one has been able to break through it head-on so far."

As soon as these words came out, the surroundings instantly quieted down.

Eiji Sawakita chuckled softly, the sharpness of a young man revealing itself without concealment.

He raised his eyes to look at the camera, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, his tone calm yet carrying thousands of pounds of backing confidence:

"No-fly zone?"

"Then I'll tear it open with my own hands and see."

"Basketball has never been won by defense alone. Just because he can defend others doesn't mean he can defend me."

The voice was not loud, but it carried weight with every word.

The entire press corps instantly perked up, and the sound of camera shutters rose one after another.

A ruthless man.

This was the gunpowder smell the finals should have.

Compared with Zijing Cheng over there whose head was full of desserts, Eiji Sawakita's remarks were simply standard ace declarations, with aggressiveness maxed out.

Another reporter asked: "Then targeting Zijing Cheng's defense, did Aoba formulate any special tactics before the match? Will they use passing to stretch his defense like Aotaki did?"

Sawakita slightly nodded, but didn't answer directly, only smiling meaningfully: "Tactics definitely exist. However... compared to team cooperation, I want to personally compete with him even more."

"Head-on breakthrough, one-on-one."

His tone carried the competitiveness and bravado unique to a youth, yet it didn't feel arrogant at all; instead, it made people feel that if he said it, he would definitely accomplish it.

Aoba's coach standing beside him also added: "Zijing Cheng's defense is indeed phenomenal, and we will take it seriously. But Aoba's goal has always been only one, and that is the championship. No matter who the opponent is, we will win the finals."

The words were steady and full of confidence.

After the interview ended, Sawakita turned and walked toward the player tunnel.

A teammate leaned over and said with a smile: "Sawakita, what you said just now was so cool! Are you really going to go one-on-one and single out that Zijing Cheng? I heard he even posterized Sendoh."

Sawakita didn't stop his steps, his hands tucked into his jersey pockets. The smile at the corners of his lips faded slightly, but his gaze became even more serious.

"Yeah."

He responded softly, his voice very low, yet carrying full fighting spirit.

A defensive line that even Akira Sendoh couldn't break through?

That would be even more interesting, wouldn't it?

He wanted to see for himself whether that legendary Paint Behemoth could stop his offense.

Night gradually enveloped Kyoto.

On the square outside Kyoto General Gymnasium, the posters for the finals matchup had been hung up overnight.

On the left was Eiji Sawakita in a dark blue jersey, with an upright posture and sharp eyes, his ball-handling offensive posture brimming with sharpness.

On the right was Zijing Cheng in a purple jersey, tall in stature and lazy in brows and eyes, his hands hanging by his sides, yet naturally carrying an oppressive feeling that blotted out the sky.

The two posters faced each other from afar, with striking large characters printed in the middle.

【National Junior High School Men's Basketball Tournament, Grand Finals: Tomakomai Junior High vs. Aoba Junior High】

Passing fans stopped to take pictures one after another, and discussions rose one after another.

"We've finally waited for the finals! Sawakita vs. Zijing Cheng, the strongest spear against the strongest shield!"

"I bet Aoba wins. Eiji Sawakita is the number one player in junior high, an offensive kaleidoscope. No matter how well Zijing Cheng can defend, can he defend for a whole game?"

"Hard to say... Zijing Cheng is a shutout specialist after all. Even Toru Hanagata and Akira Sendoh have fallen, so Sawakita might not easily score either."

"Anyway, it's definitely going to be a clash of immortals. No matter what, I must grab a ticket tomorrow."

In the night, the gazes of the two people on the poster differed, but both exuded an unquestionable aura.

On one side was a long-famous, invincible genius ace.

On the other side was a newly emerged, undefeated Paint Behemoth.

Everyone was looking forward to it.

On the stage of the grand finals, would Eiji Sawakita personally tear apart the myth of the no-fly zone, or would Zijing Cheng use an impregnable fortress to add yet another shutout?