Kawamoto Kazuki ignored the Sakuragi Gang's wary looks and somewhat provocative questions.
He had never been good with words.
He had only come because he had promised Takenori Akagi.
He spoke, his voice flat and even, yet reaching Hanamichi Sakuragi's ears clearly.
"Captain Akagi asked me to come."
Those words abruptly snapped the distracted Sakuragi back to his senses.
He stared at Kawamoto Kazuki, his face full of astonishment.
Kawamoto continued in that same level tone.
"Captain Akagi said that, with your talent, it would be a shame if you left the basketball team just like that."
Hanamichi Sakuragi froze completely.
The fork in his hand fell onto his plate with a clatter.
Gorilla...
That Gorilla who had just yelled at him and said he had no perseverance?
He had actually asked someone to persuade him to stay?
And said it would be a shame for someone with his talent to leave the basketball team?
His mouth hung slightly open, and something seemed to block his throat.
A tangle of indescribable feelings instantly welled up in his heart.
There was a bitter ache, but also a barely perceptible trace of warmth.
Hanamichi Sakuragi felt as though something had gently touched the softest part of his heart.
Kawamoto Kazuki calmly watched the changing expressions on his face.
He continued, "Those were Captain Akagi's exact words. I'm only passing them along."
"The decision is yours."
Having finished, he turned to leave.
For some reason, he suddenly stopped.
Kawamoto Kazuki turned around.
After a pause, he suddenly spoke.
"He meant for me to talk you into coming back."
"But as far as I'm concerned, if basketball is nothing more to you than a tool for getting close to a girl, then..."
Kawamoto Kazuki shook his head slightly, his tone full of coldness.
"I don't think there's any need to persuade you."
"You bastard!!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi shot up from his seat and slammed both hands onto the table.
His face flushed red as he roared at Kawamoto, "Don't you look down on me!"
"Who... who said it was to get close to a girl! I... I..."
His chest heaved violently, and he was so worked up that his words became jumbled.
Everything that had happened in the basketball club over the past week flashed through his mind like a spinning lantern.
At first, he really had wanted to win Miss Haruko's approval.
That was why he had gritted his teeth and joined this so-called basketball club.
He hated Gorilla, and he hated that damned fox Kaede Rukawa.
He had even hated every member of the basketball team.
The thought of showing off in front of Haruko Akagi had kept him going.
But...
But when he had clumsily put the basketball through the hoop for the first time.
When he had heard that crisp swish.
What was that inexplicable surge of joy in his heart?
When practice had left him exhausted as a dead dog, his whole body drenched in sweat.
Yet Miss Ayako had lightly tapped his shoulder with her fan and said his dribbling had improved.
What was that sense of accomplishment that had instantly washed away all his exhaustion?
When he had been alone late at night with a basketball.
Practicing basic dribbling over and over beneath a streetlight.
Until his arms were so sore and numb he could no longer lift them.
Yet all he could think was that tomorrow, he would definitely give Gorilla a shock.
Where had that persistence come from?
"I..."
Sakuragi's voice suddenly grew quieter, carrying an unprecedented seriousness and a catch in his throat.
He raised his head, and there seemed to be tears glimmering in his eyes.
But more than anything, there was a reckless honesty. "I admit it... at first, I really did want to play basketball because of Miss Haruko... I thought it would look cool, and she'd notice me..."
His gaze swept over Yohei Mito, Nozomi Takamiya, Chuichiro Noma, and Yuji Okusu, the friends who knew him best.
Then it settled on Kawamoto Kazuki's face again.
Sakuragi's voice abruptly rose, carrying a sincerity that almost sounded like an oath:
"But! But after I joined the basketball team..."
"When I actually touched a basketball..."
"When I heard the sound of it hitting the floor..."
"When I gave everything I had to grab a rebound..."
"When I made even one tiny, insignificant basket..."
"My heart would race, and I'd want to shout!"
"That feeling... you can't fake that feeling!"
"I like working up a sweat with everyone!"
"I like hearing Miss Haruko..."
"No, I like hearing everyone cheer!"
"I like who I am when I give everything I've got for a ball!"
"Basketball... before I knew it, basketball had become something different!"
"I'm not doing it to show off!"
"I really... really have started to love playing basketball!"
That cry from the bottom of his heart held no fancy words.
Yet it was filled with the purest, most burning feelings of youth.
The restaurant fell quiet for a moment, and even the diners at nearby tables could not help looking over.
Yohei Mito and the others dropped their joking expressions.
With complicated looks in their eyes, they watched their usually carefree friend.
Who now looked utterly serious.
Kawamoto Kazuki listened quietly.
In those eyes of his, always marked by weariness and detachment.
A barely perceptible flicker passed in an instant.
He had originally thought Sakuragi was nothing more than an impulsive fool.
But those words changed his view of the red-haired boy before him a little.
Those frank, passionate feelings were something he had long since buried deep during his days of struggling to survive.
After a moment of silence, Kawamoto spoke again.
His voice remained calm, yet it seemed to carry an indescribable weight that had not been there before.
"Life's greatest regret is giving up too easily on what you shouldn't give up on, and stubbornly clinging to what you shouldn't cling to."
Looking into Sakuragi's eyes, he said slowly, "I think basketball might be something you shouldn't give up on."
Sakuragi stared at him blankly, his fists unconsciously tightening.
"As for basic training..."
Kawamoto continued, "Captain Akagi isn't wrong to be strict with you."
"You may call yourself a genius, but perhaps all success in this world is only one percent talent and ninety-nine percent sweat."
Then his tone shifted, and his gaze sharpened. "But don't underestimate that one percent."
"Having talent means you have the possibility of reaching one hundred percent."
"Don't carelessly squander this... gift that so many people long for but never receive."
Sakuragi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.
He remembered his earlier resentment over Kawamoto being allowed to play.
Kawamoto seemed to see through his thoughts and addressed them directly. "As for your earlier question about why I could play as soon as I joined..."
He raised his chin slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the basketball court in the community park a short distance beyond the restaurant window.
His tone was flat, yet carried an unmistakable challenge:
"If you're free now, I can go to that court and use basketball to show you..."
"Why!"
"I'll let you see for yourself just how far your so-called love of the game is from truly committing to it!"
Those words were like a spark lighting a fuse.
The confusion and hurt in Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes were instantly replaced by a blazing fighting spirit!
He slapped the table. "Fine! Just what I wanted! Let this genius see what you've got! Let's see what makes you qualified to play!"
"Hey, Sakuragi!"
Yohei Mito wanted to stop him, feeling things were getting a little out of hand.
But Sakuragi had already snatched up the jacket draped over his chair and stormed toward the restaurant's exit.
Kawamoto Kazuki wasted no more words either, turning to follow.
The four members of the Sakuragi Gang exchanged looks, and Nozomi Takamiya scratched his head. "Now this is getting interesting! Come on, let's go watch!"
"But Sakuragi..."
Noma was a little worried.
Yohei Mito watched the two figures leave the restaurant one after the other. "Maybe this is for the best."