Koichiro Nango was so angry at Sakuragi's scurrying and attention-seeking antics that he gritted his teeth.
Seeing Haruko responding to Sakuragi and cheering him on from the stands made him even more frustrated.
"Damn it! Haruko finally came to watch the game, and I can only watch helplessly as Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa steal the spotlight from the stands!"
Nango slammed his fist into his thigh.
He has two months left in his probationary period, which means he will be unable to participate in the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament.
If Shohoku advances to the national tournament, his probation period will end then, and he will be able to participate normally.
Kawamoto Kazuki nearby, watched the game quietly, seemingly unconcerned about the situation on the field.
He suddenly turned to look at Nango and asked:
" Nango, I heard you ride a motorcycle?"
Nango was taken aback; he hadn't expected Kawamoto to ask that.
He immediately became interested, and the gloom on his face vanished. "Yeah, Kawamoto, you're interested in motorcycles too? A man should ride a motorcycle and feel the wind and freedom."
He instantly switched into motorcycle enthusiast mode.
Kawamoto shook his head. "I haven't looked into it. I've just heard that motorcycles are quite expensive."
"It's alright, some are indeed quite expensive, limited editions or high-displacement sports cars can cost millions or even tens of millions."
Nango waved his hand dismissively, "The Suzuki GSX-R750 I just bought is only mid-range, costing just 1.5 million yen. It's just for commuting and having fun."
"1.5 million?"
Kawamoto repeated the number, his expression unchanged, but his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
This price is undoubtedly an astronomical figure for him.
"Do you have any cheaper options? Or perhaps secondhand ones?"
Kawamoto continued, "It doesn't need to be high-performing, just stable, durable, and able to carry some cargo."
"Cheap?"
Nango scratched his head. "You can buy a used scooter for tens of thousands of yen, but..."
"Riding those little scooters is just not fun, the sputtering sound isn't cool or exciting enough."
" Kawamoto, if you're interested in motorcycles, you can take that Suzuki I just bought and ride it as much as you like."
"Just be careful. Don't worry about the car. It doesn't matter if it gets bumped, scratched, or damaged. I'll just buy a new one."
He spoke of it casually, as if he weren't lending out a new motorcycle worth 1.5 million yen.
This is Koichiro Nango.
She comes from a wealthy family, has a carefree personality, and is extremely generous to friends she approves of.
Kawamoto looked at him and shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm not the one who wants to ride."
He paused, his gaze drifting towards the sports field. "Summer vacation is coming up soon, and I'm planning to take advantage of the break to try out some independent business ventures. I might need a few motorcycles for short-distance transport or business networking."
"Independent business activities?"
Nango's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer, his face filled with curiosity and admiration. "Wow! Kawamoto, you're going to start your own business? That's amazing! You were thinking about this back in your student days."
He usually has little interest in anything other than pursuing love.
Perhaps influenced by his family, he has a natural interest in entrepreneurship and business.
"In that case, there's absolutely no need to buy it."
Nango suddenly remembered something. "I have a friend who really enjoys tinkering with these things. He has a lot of secondhand motorcycles in his warehouse, some good and some bad. Borrowing a few from him for a while wouldn't be a problem at all."
"Borrowing? That's not appropriate. I can pay for the rental."
"No need. You don't know my friend. He rides motorcycles purely for the thrill of speed; he has absolutely no interest in making money from them."
"That guy values friendship a lot. I'll introduce you two later; we believe you'll become great friends."
He took on all the responsibilities, instantly forgetting his frustration at not being able to play, as if he had found a more interesting task.
Kawamoto turned his head and looked at Nango's enthusiastic appearance, finally revealing a very faint smile.
"Thank you for your help."
"It's nothing."
Excuse me, could you move aside?
A young woman dressed in a sharp green business suit hurriedly approached the media area on the sidelines.
It was Sanae Nakagawa, a reporter for Basketball Weekly.
She was carrying two books and a voice recorder. She had just finished a short interview about sportsmanship and had rushed all the way to the county stadium before the end of the competition.
As she tried to catch her breath, which was getting a little rapid, she habitually looked up at the electronic scoreboard high above.
Then, her movements froze instantly.
His eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe the numbers he was seeing.
Shohoku 128:40 Shoyo
There are 3 minutes and 1 second remaining in the game.
Shohoku leads Shoyo by 88 points?
Are you kidding me!
Shoyo was last year's prefectural runner-up, boasting Kenji Fujima and Toru Hanagata.
Even if Shohoku has the makings of a dark horse this year, it shouldn't be this bad...
She immediately grabbed a staff member next to her and asked urgently, "Excuse me, what happened to the score? Are Shoyo's key players injured?"
The staff member glanced at her press pass, shook his head with a complicated expression, and said with an excited tone as if witnessing history, "She's not injured... She's number 15 from Shohoku, a first-year student named Kawamoto Kazuki."
"He scored 71 points in the first half alone. He made more than 20 three-pointers, almost all of them. Shoyo was completely crushed by him and lost all fighting spirit."
" Kawamoto...71 points... halftime..."
Sanae Nakagawa murmured repeatedly, her fingers tightening slightly as she gripped the recorder.
Kawamoto had already given her a huge shock in that match against Tsukubu.
But that was more about defensive dominance and scoring bursts in crucial moments.
But today, facing a stronger Shoyo, he displayed a devastating scoring ability that lasted for half the game.
This is not just impressive; it even evokes the performances of top scorers in professional sports.
Kanagawa's number one high school student!
The thought flashed through Sanae Nakagawa's mind like lightning.
There's no need to watch any other matches, no need to wait for Kainan and Ryonan's performances.
This one match alone was enough for her to make this judgment.
Her strong professional sensitivity and news sense made her heart race.
This is absolutely sensational headline news!
We must get an exclusive interview right away!
She took a deep breath, quickly tidied her appearance and thoughts, and used her media credentials to go straight to the back of the Shohoku High School bench.
" Anzai, hello."
Sanae Nakagawa bowed slightly to greet Mitsuyoshi Anzai, who was sitting on the bench.
"I'm Sanae Nakagawa, a reporter from Basketball Weekly. Excuse me for interrupting, the game isn't over yet, but given the situation on the court and your team's player Kawamoto Kazuki's amazing performance in the first half, I'd like to ask if it's possible to conduct a brief, one-on-one interview with him now?"
"This could be a very important topic in this week's issue."
Anzai chuckled, "An interview... I don't mind, as long as Kawamoto is willing."
The other players on the Shohoku bench looked over curiously when they heard the word "exclusive interview".
Ayako walked over and patted Kawamoto on the shoulder with a smile, "Wow, Kawamoto, you're going to be famous! It'll be in Basketball Weekly!"
Koichiro Nango also chimed in, immediately shouting, "Hey! Sanae- nee! Are you only interviewing Kawamoto? What about me? Don't I, the future best center in Kanagawa, deserve an exclusive interview?"
"I have a lot to say about love to all the young people in Japan who love basketball."
He and Sanae Nakagawa had met before because of a report by Tsukubu, so they were fairly familiar with each other.
Sanae Nakagawa rolled her eyes at Nango, completely ignoring his words and the loud, blond-haired man.
Her entire attention was now focused on the tall figure who slowly stood up as Anzai spoke.
Kawamoto Kazuki stood up and bowed slightly to Sanae Nakagawa: "Hello, I am Kawamoto Kazuki, a first-year student at Shohoku High School. Nice to meet you."
His voice was steady and clear, with the purity unique to young people, yet without the impetuousness or restraint common at that age.
This was the first time that Sanae Nakagawa had observed this 15-year-old boy, who had just caused such a bloodbath on the field, so closely and directly.
He is very tall, and appears even more upright when he stands up.
He was wearing a red sports jacket from Shohoku, zipped up to his chest, revealing a white team uniform underneath.
Unlike many tall players, his physique doesn't appear bulky; instead, he has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with excellent proportions and flowing, powerful lines.
His face...
Sanae Nakagawa's heart skipped a beat, much to her dismay.