第十六章 成长的代价

The game between the Jaguars and the Ninjas had only just begun when Sakuragi lost his composure under the opponent's provocations and brutally knocked the Ninjas' number five, Takano Jinglei, to the floor. The game was suspended for a long time as a result.

The referees repeatedly reviewed the footage before finally calling an unsportsmanlike foul on Takano Jinglei. Sakuragi, meanwhile, was given a Flagrant 1 and ejected outright.

Sakuragi's game representing the Jaguars ended just like that.

"Sakuragi, are you all right?" Kawaguchi asked about Sakuragi's injury in the Jaguars' locker room.

"I'm fine. Maybe it's because of the special training before this, but my lower back feels much stronger now." Sakuragi had calmed down.

"That's good, but... Sakuragi..."

"Don't, Kawaguchi. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been so impulsive." Sakuragi rarely admitted his own mistake.

"Sakuragi..." Seeing how honest Sakuragi was being, Kawaguchi said nothing more.

The game on the court continued, and both sides played cautiously. The intensity was low, and the players looked as though they were simply going through the motions, somewhat absent-minded. Takano Jinglei might have been seriously hurt, as he did not return to the court. Both teams later sent in their substitutes. It was only preseason, and the main purpose was to evaluate the players.

In the end, the Ninjas defeated the Jaguars 86-77 at home, bringing that rather bizarre game to an end.

"Huh? Where's Sakuragi?" Miyagi asked after returning to the locker room and not seeing Sakuragi.

"Oh, Sakuragi? He's fine, but to be safe, the team doctors took him to the hospital for further tests." Kawaguchi entered the room as he spoke.

"That guy is still the same as ever, always causing one situation after another," Akagi said.

"Sakuragi reflected on it just now too. Everyone should encourage him more," Kawaguchi said in Sakuragi's defense.

"Even if Sakuragi isn't seriously hurt, what he did today could make him pay a painful price," Omoki said, plunging the locker room into silence.

Everyone knew that an ejection for a Flagrant 1 was only the beginning.

After leaving the arena, the Jaguars boarded a bus to return to their hotel.

The bus was deathly quiet. No one spoke; only the sound of the engine could be heard. Then Akagi's phone suddenly rang, startling everyone aboard.

"Hello, Akagi. I'm sorry..." It was Sakuragi on the other end.

"All right, it's over now. It was only a preseason game, so winning or losing doesn't matter. What's important is that you're not seriously hurt." It seemed Akagi had forgiven Sakuragi's reckless behavior.

"Captain..." Sakuragi choked up when he heard that Akagi had forgiven him.

"A man shouldn't cry and whine," Akagi said. He had always treated Sakuragi like an older brother looking after a younger one.

"Akagi, ever since I came back, we haven't had a proper get-together. We've been training every day. Today, we finally had a game to test the results of everyone's training, and then I... So tonight, I'm treating. Let's get together." After the hospital confirmed that he was fine, Sakuragi had found a very popular local Chinese restaurant and wanted to gather with his old Shohoku friends.

Once they learned it was Sakuragi calling, everyone on the bus listened in. From Akagi's responses, they could practically guess what the conversation was about.

"Coach..." After hanging up, Akagi wanted to ask Omoki for permission, but did not know how to bring it up.

"Go on. Don't stay out too late, don't drink, and don't cause trouble." Coach Omoki apparently already knew what Akagi and Sakuragi had discussed.

"Don't worry, Coach. I'll keep an eye on them." With that, Akagi went to the driver, and the bus headed for the restaurant where Sakuragi was waiting.

Before long, the bus arrived at the restaurant. Seeing Rukawa Kaede sleeping so soundly on the bus, Akagi did not have the heart to wake him.

Sakuragi had been waiting outside for a long time. When he learned that Rukawa Kaede had not come, he beamed with delight.

"Sakuragi, are you really okay?" After the four of them sat down, Mitsui was still worried about Sakuragi's condition.

"I'm fine, Mitsui. Your three-pointers weren't very accurate today, though!" Sakuragi teased him.

"We can finally have a proper get-together. We've been in closed training for the past two months! It's just a shame Rukawa Kaede didn't come," Miyagi said.

"Even if he hadn't fallen asleep, he probably wouldn't have come. He's used to being a lone wolf," Akagi analyzed.

"Forget that guy. It's better if he didn't come! Haha! The food's here. Let's eat and chat." Sakuragi seemed to have forgotten all the unpleasantness from before and was visibly excited.

Late into the night, Sakuragi's table was the only one left in the restaurant, yet they were still talking and laughing without pause. Akagi also set aside his usual sternness and chatted freely with these old schoolmates, old teammates, and now new teammates.

The next day, the Jaguars flew back to Kobe. In another week, the curtain would officially rise on the new season.

And the "painful price" Omoki had predicted for Sakuragi arrived just as expected.

The players were training in the arena when Kawaguchi hurried in and spoke with Omoki. After their conversation, Omoki said nothing and continued guiding the players through their training.

After the day's training ended, the players came to the meeting room for a review.

"Everyone trained hard and stayed focused today. Very good! The first game of the new season is only three days away, so keep pushing!" Omoki began by encouraging the players.

"There's also something regrettable to discuss. Sakuragi, it's about you." Omoki abruptly changed the subject.

"About me... regrettable?" Sakuragi was confused.

"Could it be..." Akagi had an idea and knew a decision had been made.

"That's right. Regarding Sakuragi's incident of striking someone in the previous game, the JBa committee has issued an additional penalty." Omoki handed a document to Sakuragi.

Only after receiving the document did Sakuragi suddenly understand, remembering what he had done before.

"Didn't they already throw me out of the game? Why are they punishing me again?" Before even reading the document, Sakuragi began demanding answers.

"Idiot, such an obvious and vicious incident of injuring someone was bound to bring additional punishment from the league!" Akagi said.

"And I heard that Takano Jinglei, the guy Sakuragi knocked down, was hurt pretty badly. He needed eighteen stitches near his eye," Omoki added.

"He was the one who used dirty tricks first! He deserved it!" Sakuragi said, then began reading the document.

"Regarding the JBa preseason game between the Kobe Jaguars and the Nagoya Ninjas in the 6-7 season... Jaguars number six player Sakuragi Hanamichi is suspended for five games and fined 50,000 yen. Suspended... five... games?!" Sakuragi reread the most prominent words, voicing them in utter shock.

"In other words, Sakuragi, you won't be able to play in our first five games of the new season." Omoki explained the penalty from another angle.

"No way, Coach... suspended for five games?! This genius had been preparing for the season opener for ages!!" Sakuragi reacted intensely, unable to accept the fact.

"The ruling cannot be changed. Accept it, Sakuragi. All right, everyone go back and rest. We'll discuss the specifics tomorrow." Coach Omoki clearly did not want to dwell on the matter for too long.

"Don't be too upset, Sakuragi!" Mitsui, Miyagi, and several other players came over to comfort Sakuragi before gradually leaving. The meeting room was left with only Sakuragi, staring blankly at the notice of punishment in his hand.

A moment later, Sakuragi's phone rang. When he took it out, he discovered that it was actually a text message from Haruko.

Haruko must know about this too. I'm done for! I'm done for! Sakuragi thought. He did not want to open it, but after hesitating, he did anyway.

"Sakuragi, are you okay?" Haruko's concerned opening question made Sakuragi stop feeling afraid, and he continued reading.

"I already know about what happened. It isn't entirely your fault. Actually, I learned that something had happened the day after the game, but I wanted to wait until the result came out before contacting you. Don't take it too hard, Sakuragi. Maybe this is the price of growing up! Use this suspension to practice even more, then give everyone an amazing debut. Wouldn't that be even better? I'll definitely be there to cheer for you, Sakuragi. So keep it up!! Sakuragi."

Tears filled Sakuragi's eyes after reading the message. At a time like this, anyone would be easily moved, especially when the other person was Haruko.

"Don't worry, Haruko! I, Sakuragi, will definitely put on an amazing debut!" Sakuragi typed the words with trembling hands and sent his reply.

After replying, Sakuragi walked out of the meeting room and shouted loudly.

"Old man, turn on the lights! This genius is going to start practicing!!!"