The Next Opponent—Glory!

The Jaguars had barely returned to Kobe and arrived at the base when they received good news: Coach Omoki had given everyone half a day off!

That gave everyone some time of their own. Miyagi and Mitsui planned to soak in the hot springs and relax, while Sakuragi had something extremely important to do—a matter that could affect the rest of his life. He was going to follow Akagi to see Haruko!!

After getting himself ready, Sakuragi headed out.

Sakuragi moved quickly. The moment he stepped outside, he spotted Akagi walking ahead of him. Not wanting to alert the enemy, Sakuragi decided to follow him.

"Ha ha, this is going perfectly!" Sakuragi was thrilled.

Sure enough, Akagi soon entered a Western restaurant.

While tailing him, Sakuragi bought a bouquet of roses from a flower shop. He hid them behind his back, then followed him inside.

"Over there. Huff... huff... Come on, Sakuragi, you can do this!"

Sakuragi saw Akagi's face and confirmed the table, but the girl sitting across from Akagi had her back to him. Even so, Sakuragi kept adjusting his breathing and psyching himself up!!

Sakuragi straightened his back and walked toward Akagi's table like a gentleman.

"Sa... kuragi..." Akagi was somewhat baffled when he saw Sakuragi approaching.

Just as Sakuragi slowly reached the table, perhaps noticing the change in Akagi's expression, the girl suddenly turned her head.

"Ha... ru? Huh? Ah!!!!"

The instant the girl fully turned around, Sakuragi froze completely. Only one question remained in his mind!

"Who is this?" Clearly, the person sitting across from Akagi was not Haruko.

Seeing Akagi staring at Sakuragi, the girl asked, "Do you know each other?"

"Yeah, he's my teammate."

"Sakuragi, what are you doing here?" Akagi asked when he saw Sakuragi standing there dumbfounded.

"Ah... it's nothing. I just happened to pass by, saw you inside, and came in out of curiosity. Ha ha, it's nothing." Sakuragi desperately hid his embarrassment.

"Oh, is that so? What a coincidence. Then have a meal with us. Sit down!"

"I'd better not. I won't interrupt your good thing..." Sakuragi declined Akagi's invitation.

"What are you talking about, idiot? She's my third granduncle's daughter. She happens to live nearby, and we haven't seen each other in a long time, so we came out for a meal!" Akagi's words left Sakuragi completely stunned. He had not expected Akagi to have another younger sister besides Haruko.

"Oh, oh, oh! Ha ha, then it was a misunderstanding!" Sakuragi said after taking a moment to recover.

"Sit down. It's on me!" Akagi said as he prepared to make room for Sakuragi.

"Ah, no need, no need. I still have things to do, really. I'm leaving!" Sakuragi turned to leave, but just as he did, he remembered the roses in his hand behind his back. It would be truly embarrassing if they saw them, so he casually tossed them beneath an empty table nearby and ran out of the restaurant.

"Your teammate is pretty interesting!"

"Yeah, that guy's always like this. His head's a little messed up. Just ignore him..." After seeing off Sakuragi, who had suddenly dropped by, Akagi began his meal with his third granduncle's daughter.

"Hey, how did this happen? It was supposed to be Haruko—how did it become my third granduncle's daughter instead?! Sigh, I wasted all that effort for nothing! Next time I see Akagi, I have to ask exactly how many sisters he has!" Sakuragi was deeply dejected as he left the restaurant.

Rumble, rumble~~ Rumble, rumble~~!

A tremendous clap of thunder suddenly rolled through the sky. Before it had even faded, torrential rain began pouring down.

"Why is it raining again? Damn it, I didn't bring an umbrella, and there isn't even a taxi around here! Sigh! Miyagi and the others must still be soaking in the hot springs, maybe with beautiful girls too!! And me?! I'm hiding from the rain outside a convenience store! My precious day off!!"

Sheltering beneath an awning, Sakuragi looked especially miserable. His rare vacation had turned into hiding from the rain outdoors because of a misunderstanding.

A new day of training began.

"So, how did everyone enjoy yesterday!?"

Early that morning, Coach Omoki gathered the players in the meeting room. He began by asking an unrelated question.

"It was amazing! I never knew Kobe had such great hot springs!! We have to go again next time, right, Mitsui!!"

"Yeah, yeah! It felt like being in heaven!"

Miyagi and Mitsui's conversation made Sakuragi recall what had happened to him yesterday once more.

"Ha ha, now that you've relaxed, it's time to get down to business. We came here early today to analyze our next opponent!"

Coach Omoki spoke as he turned on the slideshow.

"Sado Island Brilliance."

Those large words appeared on the first slide, and Rukawa Kaede read them aloud.

"That's right, the Sado Island Glories. We'll face them at home in three days," Coach Omoki said as he flipped through the slides and began explaining.

"The Sado Island Glories are a new team. They have only been in the JBa for five years, but the management has put in a lot of work over those years, especially in the draft. They have a real eye for talent. Although they have never had high draft picks, the players they selected quickly integrated into the JBa and adapted well to the team, creating excellent chemistry. Their style is somewhat like the Fukuyama Flying Waves—they emphasize team basketball, and everyone has a clearly defined role. Compared with Fukuyama, they might just be lacking a player like Fujima Kenji!"

Hearing Coach Omoki make that comparison, Sakuragi could not hold himself back.

"Like the Fukuyama Flying Waves?? Then what is there to study? We crushed them completely! Take away a Fujima, and they're not a threat at all."

"No, Sakuragi. I said they're similar, but that doesn't mean the two teams are equal. The Glories definitely have their own characteristics," Coach Omoki said cautiously.

"Next, let's analyze the Glories' key players!!"

Perhaps because he had a lot to say, Coach Omoki paused to take a sip of water.

"Center: Shirai Kyodan. Height: 7. Weight: 99 kg. He is the most experienced player on the team. Although his individual ability is average, he has a high basketball IQ and is good at facilitating the offense. He is a very dependable blue-collar center.

Power forward: Eguchi Kyozo. Height: g. Don't let his height of less than two meters fool you—he is still a major threat inside. His greatest trait is how fiercely he plays. Every rebound, every defensive possession, every box-out—he gives everything he has! His movements are also quite rough! But that doesn't mean he plays dirty. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared, especially you, Sakuragi. Don't let his provocations get to you. Learn to control your emotions."

"Great! That's exactly the kind of opponent I like. I'm looking forward to it!!" Sakuragi's eyes shone with eagerness.

"Forward: Kuroki Akira. Height: 197 cm. Weight: 97 kg. He should be the most naturally gifted player on the whole team. I heard that in an amateur dunk contest, he once completed a 360-degree between-the-legs hand-switch dunk. His jumping ability is astonishing, and he also has a decent three-point shot. Mitsui, you'll need to put in extra effort against him!!"

"Don't worry, Coach. I have plenty of experience dealing with greenhorns like him!" Mitsui looked extremely confident.

"Next is shooting guard: Abe Duoheng. Height: g. This year's rookie. Although he was not drafted particularly high, he is still considered a promising prospect. I heard he suffered a serious knee injury in college, which more or less lowered his draft position. He should have recovered well by now. I don't know much else about him."

"I faced him during our college years. He's a technical player with very solid fundamentals. He can shoot and pass, and he's a very well-rounded player!" Rukawa Kaede suddenly spoke up.

"Tch, all you do is build up other people and undermine us," Sakuragi said disdainfully.

"That's enough, Sakuragi. As long as you understand him, that's good. You'll be matched up against him on the court," Omoki said to Rukawa Kaede.

"Finally, point guard: Miura Fei. Height: 19. Weight: 8 kg. His greatest trait is steadiness—he is extremely steady. He is also very calm-minded and almost never makes mistakes. Stealing the ball from him is practically impossible. He also has an outstanding wingspan, so Miyagi, you need to be careful. Make sure you protect the ball."

"Okay, no problem!"

Miyagi answered crisply, and everyone was brimming with confidence.

Coach Omoki's introduction made it clear that the Glories were a formidable team.