Noma was taken aback. "Then why are you bothering?"
Two reasons.
Kawamoto's tone was full of rationality.
"First, my father's revenge must be taken. I agree with that."
Noma clenched his fist.
"Secondly, I have some plans that require manpower. Reliable, capable, and highly motivated personnel."
"If you just want to go and die tomorrow to give yourself an explanation, then you can leave now, and I won't stop you."
"But if you're still clear-headed, and your desire goes beyond mere redemption, but rather to see your enemies pay a far greater price, and you yourself live to witness that day..."
"Let's talk then. I have one night before my shift ends."
After saying that, he ignored Noma's rapidly changing expression and continued walking towards the convenience store.
Noma stood still, his chest heaving violently.
Takamiya watched him nervously, then glanced at Kawamoto's receding figure.
Finally, Noma spat out a mouthful of bitterness, as if to expel all the frustration and hesitation in his chest.
He took a step forward and resolutely followed in Kawamoto's footsteps.
Takamiya breathed a long sigh of relief and quickly jogged after him.
The night is still long.
June 4th, Saturday, Prefectural Gymnasium.
The crowds were enormous, and the noise almost lifted the roof off.
The match between Shohoku Shoyo, a pivotal game that would determine the final semifinal spot in Kanagawa, attracted an audience far exceeding previous ones.
Not only ordinary fans, but also all the players and coaches of the other two strong and one weak teams that had already secured their spots in the semifinals— Kainan University Affiliated High School, Ryonan High School, and Takezato High School— were present.
They occupied the best vantage point in the stands, observing with serious expressions this crucial battle that could determine their future opponents.
The long-disappeared Miuradai part-time worker team also came to the scene.
The one leading the Kengo Murasame.
The once invincible Miuradai Dreamer now wears an ordinary jacket, his face showing obvious fatigue and signs of hardship.
His former arrogance, as if he were the best in the world, had subsided considerably, and there was even a hint of melancholy between his brows.
Following behind him were Araki and others, former key players of the Miuradai basketball team, who had been humiliatingly swept by Shohoku in the opening game.
They were all dressed casually, their expressions less fierce than on the court, and more timid, as if beaten down by society.
The appearance of this group immediately caused a small commotion.
After all, the legendary 102-0 scoreline that started Shohoku's winning streak came against them.
"Look! It's Miuradai!"
Your complexion looks terrible...
What are they doing here?
"Are they planning something?"
Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Murasame glanced at the stands and finally led his brothers to sit down in one of the few empty seats at the back of Shohoku.
They sat with their arms crossed, their posture as upright as when playing basketball.
But his gaze wasn't focused on the players warming up on the field; instead, he stared into the void, with a sense of bewilderment.
Since the crushing defeat, the proud and arrogant Murasame did not choose to wallow in basketball.
Instead, he pulled together several teammates who also had no interest in basketball and embarked on an entrepreneurial journey.
They tried selling "special power drinks" at a street stall, which were actually just leftover sports drinks diluted with water.
An attempt was made to expedite the handling of the cargo at the dock, but this was ultimately abandoned due to its excessive weight.
He even considered reselling secondhand basketball shoes, but not only did he receive a bunch of counterfeit ones, no one was interested in buying them.
The result was predictable.
In the early stages of the bubble burst and the subsequent market downturn, a few inexperienced high school students plunged headlong into the fray, driven solely by enthusiasm.
In less than a month, he lost all his meager savings, experiencing several complete failures without even making a ripple.
Today, Shohoku will face off against the formidable Shoyo.
The series of setbacks left Murasame physically and mentally exhausted.
So I took my equally disheveled brothers to watch the intense game, reminisce about our lost youth, and temporarily forget about the hardships of reality.
" Murasame, are we really here to cheer on Shohoku?"
Miyamoto asked somewhat awkwardly.
They have a blood feud with Shohoku.
Murasame snapped out of his daze, glanced at the retreating figure of Kawamoto Kazuki, number 15, who had been giving him nightmares for a week, and snapped, "Screw you, 'cheating'! We're here to see how Shoyo beats them up, and maybe we can find some new ideas for starting a business."
"You... you want to start a business?"
The atmosphere in the stands behind Shohoku's bench was equally enthusiastic.
Haruko Akagi sat with her two best friends. All three girls were dressed in their neat Shohoku high school uniforms, their faces flushed with excitement and nervousness.
This was the first time they had cheered for the Shohoku team live at the county stadium.
Beside him are the four members of Sakuragi Gang: Yohei Mito, Nozomi Takamiya Oonusu, Yuji Okusu Chuichiro Noma.
Yohei Mito still looked lazy, Noma Takamiya Okusu have something on his mind.
What's even more eye-catching is a small area next to it.
Several girls dressed in trendy miniskirts and with exquisite makeup were vigorously waving homemade flags with the words "Rukawa Mikoto " prominently displayed on them.
They are Rukawa Kaede Fan Club.
At that moment, they were shouting in unison, " Kaede Rukawa! Kaede Rukawa! I love you!"
The stands behind Shoyo's bench were even more impressive.
The cheerleading squad, consisting entirely of people dressed in white and green short-sleeved uniforms with the Shoyo logo, filled almost the entire two sections, numbering between one and two hundred.
Each of them held two empty 2-liter beverage bottles, banging them vigorously in rhythm, producing a deafening thud.
A boy with a buzz cut and a rather irritating appearance stood at the front, giving a pre-battle pep talk with spittle flying everywhere.
"Hey! Everyone from Shoyo! Tell me! Who's the winner today?"
The crew-cut boy shouted himself hoarse.
"Xiang--Yang--!"
The group of a hundred people shouted in unison, and the sound of beverage bottles being banged echoed loudly.
"What is Shohoku? A dark horse? A challenger? What are they compared to us, Shoyo?"
"Miscellaneous fish!"
Laughter and banging mingled together, creating a highly provocative atmosphere.
"Defeat Shohoku! Conquer the whole country!"
"Defeat Shohoku! Conquer the whole country!"
The cheers from Shoyo grew louder and louder, almost drowning out all other sounds in the arena.
This arrogant display naturally caught the attention of Hanamichi Sakuragi and Koichiro Nango, who were on the sidelines trying to curry favor with Haruko.
Sakuragi's temper flared as he looked at the spiky-haired kid leading the shouting, " Shoyo's cheerleaders are infuriating. Especially that jerk leading them, he has such a smug look on his face. After the game, I'll have Yohei and the others bring him to Shohoku. From now on, during our practice, we'll make him kneel on the sidelines and shout that Sakuragi is a genius."
Nango, upon hearing this, gave him a look that said, " Sakuragi, your methods are too primitive. It's completely the mindset of a boisterous gang. How can you coerce someone like this, who's organized and can create a lively atmosphere, with violence? You should use incentives!"
"Enticement?"
"That's right!"
Nango's eyes lit up, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea. "Our Shohoku is so strong, we really need a professional cheerleading captain."
"After the game, I'll talk to him and offer him a high salary to entice him to transfer. How about I have him bring a group of people to chant 'Go Shohoku! Nango loves Haruko the most' during games?"
"It not only boosted the morale of Shohoku, but also highlighted my sincere feelings for Haruko- san."
"You damn blond bastard!"
Sakuragi lunged at Nango and grabbed him by the neck. "Don't you dare lay a finger on Haruko- san! And who gave you permission to poach her? That brat deserves to be punished by this genius and kneel down and call me a genius!"
"Cough, cough, what do you know? This is called resource integration and talent introduction."
Nango struggled while retorting, "Besides, the slogan should naturally highlight Shohoku's core ideology, which is that Nango loves Haruko the most. Are you suggesting that Sakuragi is a substitute?"
"I kill you!"
Unsurprisingly, the two got into a brawl on the sidelines, drawing sidelong glances and snickers from those around them.
Haruko sighed, rubbing her Yohei yawned indifferently.
The crew-cut kid from Shoyo seemed to have noticed the infighting on the Shohoku side, and shouted triumphantly, "Look! Shohoku's already fighting amongst themselves before the game even starts! Victory is destined for us, Shoyo!"
"Oh--!"
The cheers from Shoyo reached another climax.