Kawamoto Kazuki knew nothing of the in-depth conversation between Boss Kobayashi and Sakuragi.
He saw Sakuragi sitting there in a daze for quite some time.
He frowned slightly.
Then he walked over and reminded Sakuragi in his usual calm tone.
"If you've rested enough, let's keep going."
"Boss Kobayashi is a good man... he won't say anything if we take a break when we're tired."
"But since we're getting paid, we have to do the job properly."
Those words instantly snapped Hanamichi Sakuragi out of his stunned daze.
He abruptly raised his head and looked at Kawamoto's profile, which seemed all the more resolute with sweat streaming down it.
What welled up inside him was no longer mere admiration.
It was something close to worship.
He had always thought he feared nothing and no one.
That he was a real man who could stand tall.
But compared with this boy his own age, who silently shouldered the burdens of life.
All the things he had thought made him impressive seemed laughably childish.
This was a real man!
Sakuragi shouted inwardly.
"Yeah!"
He nodded firmly, gritted his teeth, and struggled to his feet with every last bit of strength he had left.
He threw himself back into the heavy hauling.
Though his arms ached so badly he could barely lift them, and his back hurt as if it were breaking.
As he watched the figure beside him, always steady, seemingly a stranger to exhaustion.
An inexplicable strength supported him.
Keeping him from collapsing again.
The hauling lasted over four full hours, and it was already nine thirty at night when they finished.
The night sky was pitch-black, lit only by the scattered lights of the market and the neon of the distant city.
Hanamichi Sakuragi felt as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him.
He was practically a dead dog.
He downed two bottles of ice water in a row, then slumped on the ground, unwilling to move even a finger.
As Boss Kobayashi settled their wages, he looked at the two exhausted boys, a barely perceptible hint of approval and sympathy flashing in his eyes.
He took out two envelopes. "Thanks for the hard work. Here's your pay for five hours, six thousand yen each."
Six thousand yen!
Sakuragi looked at the thin envelope in his hand. This was the first money he had ever earned through his own sweat.
An immense sense of accomplishment surged through him.
He excitedly squeezed the envelope, but the next moment, with almost no hesitation, he shoved it straight into Kawamoto's hand.
"Here!"
Sakuragi's voice was a little hoarse with exhaustion, but his eyes shone. "We agreed. I do the work, you get the money!"
Kawamoto looked at the two envelopes in his hand, then at Sakuragi, who was nearly collapsing from exhaustion yet still insisted on keeping his promise.
He fell silent for a moment and did not refuse.
He merely nodded lightly and carefully put the money away.
That silent acceptance instead left Sakuragi feeling utterly reassured.
"All right!"
Sakuragi forced himself to perk up and tried to push himself upright on his elbows, mustering an expectant smile. "Work's over. Time to practice basketball now, right, Teacher Kawamoto?"
But Kawamoto's answer doused his newly kindled enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
"Next up,"
"is the convenience store job."
"Wh-what?!"
Sakuragi froze instantly.
"Th-there's more work?! A convenience store?!"
Over four straight hours of intense physical labor had already wrung him dry.
Kawamoto offered no explanation. He simply turned and headed toward the convenience store.
Sakuragi watched his retreating back.
He thought of his promise of an equivalent exchange.
He thought of how badly he wanted Kawamoto to teach him basketball.
In the end, he swallowed the wail that had risen to his lips.
He gritted his teeth and staggered after him, dragging a body that no longer seemed to belong to him.
They arrived at a twenty-four-hour convenience store, where the night-shift handover was simple.
Kawamoto explained the situation to the manager, saying he had brought a classmate along tonight to familiarize him with the routine.
The night shift usually did not require two people. Clearly uneasy about leaving the completely inexperienced Sakuragi to handle it alone, Kawamoto decided to show him the ropes for a day first.
There were few customers at the convenience store late at night.
The cold glow of incandescent lights fell over the neatly arranged shelves, a stark contrast to the noisy, sweltering fish market earlier.
With Sakuragi there, the two could take turns napping on the little chair in the break room.
For Kawamoto, who had worked nonstop for years and was severely short on sleep, this was an exceedingly precious chance to catch his breath.
Sakuragi, meanwhile, fell into a deep sleep almost the instant his head touched the wall.
The night slipped quietly by in silence, punctuated by the occasional chime of the register.
Early the next morning, after handing over their shift, the two walked out of the convenience store.
The slightly chilly morning air made Sakuragi shiver, leaving him a little more awake.
He felt as if his entire body were falling apart, sleepy and drained.
And Kawamoto, walking beside him, also looked weary.
Yet his eyes remained clear, and his back was perfectly straight.
Sakuragi looked at Kawamoto, utterly awed.
For him, a single day of work this intense was like an ordeal in hell.
It was ten, a hundred times more exhausting than basketball practice!
Yet Kawamoto had kept this up for years!
What terrifying willpower did that take?
"There's still time before class..."
Kawamoto glanced at the sky and told the drowsy Sakuragi, "I'll use this time to teach you basketball."
Those words acted like a shot in the arm, instantly reviving Sakuragi a little.
His longing for basketball temporarily overpowered his extreme exhaustion.
The two arrived at Shohoku's still-empty gym.
Kawamoto did not begin teaching right away.
Standing on the court, he asked seriously, "Sakuragi, what position would you prefer to play in basketball?"
"Position?"
Sakuragi paused and scratched his messy red hair, clearly not quite understanding the technical term.
Kawamoto put it more directly. "Simply put, do you prefer scoring yourself, playing defense to stop the other team from scoring, or grabbing every rebound?"
"Do you even have to ask?!"
Almost without thinking, Sakuragi immediately puffed out his chest.
His usual swagger returned to his face as he declared loudly, "Scoring, of course!"
"A genius like me has to charge in, slam the ball into the hoop, and make everyone cheer for me!"
He had already begun imagining himself scoring as effortlessly as Kaede Rukawa.
And making Miss Haruko scream.
Unsurprised by his answer, Kawamoto nodded. "Scoring takes outstanding athleticism, explosive power, and touch finishing around the basket. You..."
He studied Sakuragi.
"Start with shuttle runs. From the baseline to half court, there and back twice, as fast as you can."
"Then jump straight up from a standing position with everything you've got, reaching as high as you can, ten times in a row. Let me see your basic physical abilities."
His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable air of instruction.
The first lesson of Hanamichi Sakuragi's basketball career officially began in that gym in the faint light of dawn.
What he did not know was that Kawamoto Kazuki, based on the particular strengths of his talent.
Was planning the path of development best suited to a genius.
Whether his exhausted body could withstand this early-morning special training.
Would be the first test Sakuragi faced.