The next day, Shohoku High School's basketball gym.
As the players arrived one after another, everyone was stunned by the figure standing at the entrance.
He wore Shohoku's tracksuit, with a tall, upright build and neat short black hair. Though there were still bruises on his face, his eyes had become bright and resolute.
If not for that familiar face, they would hardly have recognized that the clean-cut athletic youth before them was the same person as the long-haired, dispirited, vicious delinquent from yesterday.
"M-Mitsui-senpai?" Ryota Miyagi called tentatively.
The short-haired young man turned around. When he saw Miyagi, an embarrassed smile appeared on his face.
"Yo, Miyagi."
It really was Hisashi Mitsui!
Everyone crowded around him, staring at him in amazement.
"Wow! The long-haired freak cut his hair! He looks like a completely different person!" Hanamichi Sakuragi circled Mitsui twice, clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Shut up, you red-haired monkey! Call me senpai!" Mitsui instinctively raised his hand to punch him, but halfway through, he reluctantly lowered it again.
He took a deep breath, walked over to Ryota Miyagi, and then, under everyone's shocked gazes, solemnly bowed ninety degrees.
"Miyagi, I'm terribly sorry about yesterday! Please forgive me!"
Miyagi was completely flustered by the sudden gesture and hurriedly waved his hands. "Ah... um... i-it's fine! Besides, I beat you up pretty badly too!"
"No, it was my fault." Mitsui insisted. "I shouldn't have brought personal grudges into the team, much less resorted to violence."
Seeing how sincere he was, Miyagi scratched his head and grew a little embarrassed as well.
"I told you, it's fine. We're teammates from now on."
"Yeah!" Mitsui nodded heavily and straightened up.
The two former bitter enemies smiled at each other, their old grievances finally gone.
"Ahem."
Shirakawa walked in from outside, yawning.
He