A Man's Decision

The Deer Horns and Jaguars had reached the decisive fourth quarter. The two sides traded blows, especially Maki, who displayed tremendous offensive power. But the resilient Jaguars kept the score close, tying it once again with one second left on a dish from Mitsui.

"97 all! Deer Horns timeout!"

Just as even the spectators were wondering how Sakuragi had made that pass, the replay on the big screen left everyone stunned.

After jumping to his highest point, Sakuragi did not descend. Instead, he seemed weightless, hanging in the air for over a second. In that extra second, he spotted Mitsui open in the distance. Sakuragi's athletic gifts were simply unimaginable.

After the timeout, the Deer Horns had the ball for the final possession!

The entire crowd rose to its feet to put pressure on the Deer Horns. Nobunaga held the ball and ran down the clock. Who would take the last shot?

With six seconds remaining, Nobunaga accelerated! Using Maki's screen, he drove straight through!! He did not pass to Maki, instead charging directly at the basket!! Akagi was still tangled up with Maki, leaving the paint wide open!

"Goodbye, Jaguars!" Nobunaga tossed the ball up.

"This genius is the first one to object!" Sakuragi burst in from the wing again, but it was a floater. Sakuragi shot up like a rocket, stretching his right hand toward it with all his strength.

"Tap!" A faint sound rang out as Sakuragi's fingertips seemed to touch the ball.

Sakuragi had indeed touched it. The ball was no longer rising and was about to fall.

As Sakuragi prepared to land in midair, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Glancing down, he saw Nobunaga lying there!!! Nobunaga's eyes were wide with terror as he looked at Sakuragi. If Sakuragi landed like this, he would step directly on Nobunaga. With the force of Sakuragi's descent, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Sakuragi had no time to think. Instinctively, his left hand grabbed the rim, forcefully bracing against his downward momentum, and then his right hand grabbed the rim as well. His body finally hung suspended in midair.

"Clang!" The falling basketball struck the rim, but it left Sakuragi dumbfounded.

"Beep!!" Seeing this, the referee immediately stopped the game. Under the rules, players were not allowed to pull on the rim while the ball was still on it. If they did, it was considered goaltending, and the basket had to count.

Everyone on the court stood frozen. The two teams that had been battling fiercely just seconds earlier were completely thrown into confusion by what had happened.

Nobunaga was pulled to his feet by his teammates, while Sakuragi climbed down from the rim. Neither of them said anything and quietly returned to their respective benches.

Both benches were quiet as well, because everyone knew what Sakuragi's actions would bring.

The officiating crew reviewed the footage again and again. This play would decide the winner of the night.

The referees seemed to have reached a unanimous decision.

"Defender number 6, goaltending. Two points count!"

Each of those eleven words stabbed into Sakuragi's heart. He slumped helplessly onto the bench again.

The Deer Horns did not celebrate wildly over the result either. They knew how it had come about. The atmosphere in the arena was strange; some spectators shook their heads, some stared at the scoreboard, and some had already left.

In the end, the referees still gave the Jaguars nine seconds, but everyone's minds had probably already drifted away from the game.

Rukawa Kaede forced up a shot, resulting in his third airball of the game and the Jaguars' first loss of the season.

The final score was 99–97. The Deer Horns won.

"Sakuragi! Don't be like this. It was only a regular-season game. Losing isn't a big deal!" Seeing Sakuragi sitting in his chair as though he might be crying, Akagi comforted him.

"Gorilla! I let everyone down..." Sakuragi truly began to feel guilty.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Your luck was just a little worse, that's all. Remember! Luck is part of a team's strength too. Stand up!" Akagi continued encouraging him.

"Sakuragi! You make me proud!"

Haruko came onto the court to comfort Sakuragi as well.

"Haruko... I..." Even though Haruko had said that, Sakuragi was still downcast.

"Sakuragi, if you had not chosen to protect Nobunaga back then, I would have decided never to speak to you again. But this is who you are, Sakuragi. You didn't let me down!!" Haruko continued trying to comfort him.

"Really, Haruko!?" Sakuragi finally stood up.

"Of course, Sakuragi. You were amazing tonight, far beyond anything I expected~!" Haruko's words finally helped Sakuragi recover somewhat.

"Just now... thanks!" Nobunaga walked over at that moment.

"Monkey, you ruined this genius's highlight! You're awful!" Judging by his tone, Sakuragi had recovered quite a bit.

"We were lucky to win this time. I look forward to facing you again next time!" Nobunaga's tone had changed considerably.

"Hmph, next time this genius definitely won't give you another chance!" Sakuragi's voice grew louder and louder.

"All right, then I'll look forward to it!" Nobunaga said before turning and leaving.

Sakuragi and the others gradually left the arena and returned to the locker room.

In the end, the Jaguars lost this highly anticipated battle because Sakuragi protected Nobunaga and caused a goaltending call. Many people might have predicted the result, but no one expected it to happen this way.

As for the game's statistics, Rukawa Kaede was still outstanding. In 8 minutes of play, he put up an astonishing stat line of points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, steals, and blocks. After scoring five straight points at the start, Sakuragi finished with 1 point, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks, recording a double-double in his first professional game! Impressive indeed.

"Clap clap clap clap clap!"

"Everyone..." Sakuragi was the last to enter the locker room. The moment he stepped inside, every player and coach, even Rukawa Kaede, applauded for him!

"Sakuragi, hold your head up. You're a man. Tonight, you made the decision a man should make!" Omoki stepped forward and put an arm around Sakuragi.

"Coach..." Like a child, Sakuragi hugged Omoki back.

"All right, Sakuragi. And everyone here, don't keep dwelling on what has already happened. Our new season has only just begun, and we still have a long road ahead. Losing can be a good thing too. We'll review this carefully and play the upcoming games well. You were all incredible tonight, truly beyond my expectations!" Omoki took the chance to encourage the entire team. After such a brutal battle, though they had lost, he still wanted to encourage these young players. Omoki knew that, based on tonight's performance, the Jaguars would definitely achieve something this season.

Coach is right. What this young team needs are tough battles like this. Even if we lose, it doesn't matter. Finding our problems is what matters most. If we can bring this kind of form every night, then this year—no, the future—really is full of hope! Akagi reflected to himself.

That was basketball. With no draws, every second had to be fought for. But the heart and soul of sports was the spirit of striving. The result was important, of course, but beneath the result lay morality. No one could cross that moral line, or else it would not be sports—it would be war! As Coach Omoki had said, Sakuragi had indeed made the decision a man should make.

There was no time for Sakuragi to dwell on regret, because more opponents were waiting ahead to challenge him. The Jaguars' new season had truly only just begun.

"Kogure, I never thought you old teammates were actually that good. You nearly forced the Deer Horns into overtime. So, do you miss those guys?" asked a handsome brown-haired boy with big eyes, speaking to the Jaguars' old acquaintance, the bespectacled Kogure Kiminobu.

"Of course I do. I've only talked to Akagi a few times over the phone. I really miss everyone. That guy Sakuragi probably still doesn't know I'm here, does he?" Kogure said.

"Yeah... Looking at the schedule, it's getting close!" The big-eyed boy glanced at the schedule, and the words Jaguars caught his eye.