I'll Never Leave the Court Again

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Akagi stared at Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes, filled with anxiety and unwillingness, and froze.

He had originally thought this brat had come to cause trouble again.

He never expected...

"You're serious?" Akagi asked in a low voice.

"Of course I'm serious! This genius is absolutely serious!"

"Tomorrow, we're facing Shoyo!"

"If I get kicked out again in less than twenty minutes like before..."

"I... I absolutely won't accept that!"

Hanamichi clenched his fists, his face filled with resentment.

Akagi looked at him, and a trace of barely noticeable relief flashed through his eyes.

Had this amateur who always called himself a genius finally begun to face his own shortcomings?

"Hmph."

Akagi snorted and turned to grab the jacket hanging on the rack.

"Come with me."

"Where?" Hanamichi froze.

"Obviously, the gym."

"How am I supposed to teach you defense here? Use the dinner table as a basket?"

Meanwhile.

On a street outside Shohoku High School.

A deep engine roar shattered the morning quiet.

A heavy Harley motorcycle stopped by the roadside.

Tetsuo sat astride the bike, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

He looked at the figure in the distance walking toward the school with a sports bag on his back.

That figure had cut his hair short, wore a neat school uniform, and held his back straight.

None of his former decadence or gloom remained.

"Hey, Mitsui."

Tetsuo called out.

Hisashi Mitsui stopped and turned around.

When he saw Tetsuo, his eyes flickered before a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Tetsuo."

The two looked at each other from several meters apart.

Once, they had been partners who fought and brawled together, ruling the streets.

Now, they stood at the crossroads of two different worlds.

Tetsuo looked Hisashi over, then started the motorcycle.

The engine roared.

"That hairstyle..."

Tetsuo put on his helmet, his voice slightly hoarse through the visor.

"It suits you."

"Goodbye, sports boy."

With that, he showed no hesitation as he twisted the throttle.

The Harley roared like a black beast toward the end of the street and vanished into the morning mist.

Hisashi stood where he was, staring in the direction Tetsuo had gone for a long time.

After a while.

He took a deep breath, and the cool morning air filled his lungs.

"Goodbye, Tetsuo."

He turned and strode toward the gates of Shohoku High School.

His teammates were there.

His basketball was there.

And the glory he had once thrown away, which he now swore to reclaim even at the cost of his life.

"Shoyo..."

A blazing fire ignited in Hisashi's eyes.

"Just wait. I'll take back every bit of those three lost years!"

Shohoku High School's basketball gym.

Late at night, the only sound on campus was the chirping of cicadas.

Akagi led Hanamichi to the entrance of the gym and was about to take out his key.

Suddenly, both of them stopped.

Thump! Swish!

Thump! Swish!

The crisp sounds of dribbling and the ball brushing through the net came from behind the tightly shut doors.

At this hour, in this empty school, they sounded especially clear.

"A... a ghost?" Hanamichi swallowed and hid behind Akagi.

"Shut up, idiot."

Akagi frowned and shoved open the doors.

The lights were dim, with only one row of overhead lights switched on.

But on the court where light and shadow intertwined, a figure was running wildly, stopping abruptly, and pulling up for jump shots.

Black hair soaked with sweat clung to his forehead.

His gray T-shirt had completely darkened, tightly clinging to his body and revealing his lean, powerful muscles.

It was Kaede Rukawa.

He was not doing ordinary shooting drills.

He was simulating real-game action.

Kaede held the ball beyond the three-point line.

Though no one stood in front of him, he moved as if he were facing an entire army.

He lowered his center of gravity and violently changed direction to the right.

Then he instantly pulled the ball back with a behind-the-back dribble, followed by a huge step-back.

He jumped and released the shot.

His movements were frighteningly fast, and his eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Swish!

The ball went in.

Kaede landed without pausing for even a moment.

He immediately rushed under the basket to retrieve the ball, then ran back beyond the three-point line.

"Huff... Huff..."

His heavy breathing echoed through the empty gym.

Hanamichi stood in the doorway as though he had been struck by lightning.

He had always thought that this damn fox was strong because of talent, because he liked showing off.

He had thought that after winning a game, Kaede would surely be sleeping at home or watching television.

But now...

As he looked at that figure drenched in sweat, seemingly tireless.

For the first time, Hanamichi felt something called a "gap."

It was not just skill.

It was that desire for victory, that nearly obsessive effort.

"Rukawa..."

Akagi watched Kaede on the court, his expression complicated.

Kaede seemed to notice the movement at the door.

He stopped and turned his head.

Those indifferent eyes swept over Akagi and Hanamichi. He showed no surprise, merely giving a faint nod in greeting.

Then he continued practicing.

He completely ignored Hanamichi's existence.

"That damn fox..."

Hanamichi gritted his teeth, but this time, he did not rush over to start a fight.

An inexplicable fire burned in his chest.

"Gorilla! Hurry up!"

"Teach me already! I want to train too!"

"This genius absolutely can't lose to that fox!"

Hanamichi suddenly turned toward Akagi, his gaze blazing fiercely.

Just then.

Creak—

The gym doors were pushed open again.

"Let go, Ryota!"

"I haven't finished running yet!"

"I still need to get home early to watch JoJo!"

"I'm seriously calling the police! This is kidnapping!"

A helpless, highly resistant voice rang out.

Right after that, Ryota Miyagi dragged someone inside.

The person wore running shoes and had a completely dead expression. It was Lin Bei.

Hisashi stood behind them, his face full of surprise.

"Lin Bei! Just teach me once!"

"That Hyper-Speed Dribbling! That footwork where you vanish in an instant!"

"Tomorrow we're playing Shoyo. Fujima is fast, so I have to become even faster!"

Miyagi clutched Lin Bei's arm tightly as if it were a lifeline.

"Bro, I haven't even finished my ten kilometers today."

"Besides, that's talent. You can't learn it."

"How do you know I can't learn it if you won't teach me?" Miyagi refused to let up.

The two of them tugged and pulled their way into the gym.

When they looked up, they saw Akagi, Hanamichi, and Kaede inside.

The air suddenly fell silent for several seconds.

"Uh..."

Lin Bei froze for a moment.

He glanced at Kaede, who was wiping away sweat, then at Hanamichi, whose face was full of fighting spirit.

"What's going on?"

"Is this a gathering of Shohoku's problem children tonight?"

Lin Bei rubbed his forehead helplessly. "I just wanted to finish my run early and go home to sleep..."

"Lin Bei!!"

When Hanamichi saw Lin Bei, it was as if he had seen both a savior and a rival.

"You're here too! Perfect!"

"Watch this genius learn his new special move!"

"Don't want to. Not interested. Goodbye." Lin Bei turned to leave.

"No!"

"Since everyone's here, it must be fate!" Miyagi wrapped his arms around Lin Bei's leg.

"Captain, since everyone's here, how about a small scrimmage?"

"It'll help Hanamichi get familiar with the rules, and I can try defending against Lin Bei's drives too!" Hisashi's eyes gleamed.

At the words "scrimmage."

Kaede, who had been focused solely on his own practice, twitched his ears.

He stopped, hugged the ball, and walked over.

His gaze locked tightly onto Lin Bei, overflowing with fighting spirit.

"I'm playing too," Kaede said coldly.

Lin Bei looked at those pairs of wolfish eyes and let out a deep sigh.

He knew there was no way he would be getting any sleep tonight.

"All right, all right..."

Lin Bei took off his slippers and stretched his ankles.

"Since you want to get crushed so badly, I'll grant your wish."

He walked to the center of the court and picked up a basketball.

His eyes instantly turned sharp.

"But let's make this clear first: after this game, I have to go home."

That night, Shohoku's basketball gym was brightly lit.

No one knew what had happened inside.

All they knew was that the next morning, when the old caretaker came to open the doors, he found several people sprawled across the floor.

And right in the middle, Hanamichi Sakuragi lay spread-eagled.

Though he was too exhausted to move, a strange smile hung on his lips.

"Hehehe... this genius... learned it..."

"Next time... I definitely won't leave the court..."