While the two talked, the members of Shohoku's basketball club had begun arriving at the gym one after another.
Takenori Akagi, Kiminobu Kogure, and the other third-years were the first to start running warm-up laps.
Kaede Rukawa also appeared courtside on time and quietly practiced set shots.
Kawamoto Kazuki and Hanamichi Sakuragi mingled with the others, doing simple stretches and basic conditioning exercises.
After working the night before, Sakuragi was so sleepy that his eyelids kept drooping, and his movements looked weak and sluggish.
But whenever he tried to slack off, he could always feel Kawamoto's calm yet unquestionable gaze beside him.
Sakuragi had no choice but to force himself to stay alert and keep up.
With little time for morning practice, the focus was mainly on getting their bodies moving.
The intensity was low. After all, everyone had to return to class in an hour.
The moment practice ended, Takenori Akagi's thunderous roar rang through the gym. "Hanamichi Sakuragi, you bastard! Get over here!"
Sakuragi jolted, then reluctantly dragged his feet over to Akagi.
Akagi planted his hands on his hips and glared at him, the fury on his forehead almost visible. "Tell me! Why did you miss practice again last night? How many days have you even behaved yourself? Thinking of deserting again?"
"I'm warning you, if you dare quit halfway again this time, don't ever think about setting foot in the basketball club again!"
"I... well, I..."
Sakuragi scratched at his head in desperation, his panicked gaze darting toward Kawamoto Kazuki, who was tying his shoelaces nearby.
Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he lifted his foot and stamped hard on the floor.
Pointing at the old indoor shoes on his feet, their edges already splitting, he protested loudly, "I went to work! Look, Captain! I'm so broke I can't even afford a decent pair of basketball shoes!"
"As a genius and Shohoku's next captain, I can't keep playing in these busted shoes forever, can I?"
Takenori Akagi instinctively looked down.
Sure enough, not only Sakuragi but also the silent Kawamoto Kazuki beside him wore similarly worn-out indoor shoes.
His own family was well-off, and a pair of basketball shoes was nothing much.
But clearly, Sakuragi's and Kawamoto's families were not well-off.
A hesitant look immediately appeared on Akagi's face.
Seeing Akagi's expression soften, Sakuragi immediately pressed his advantage.
Putting on a pitiful look, he said, "I'm working my butt off just to save up for shoes!"
"Captain Akagi, how about... how about you lend me some money first?"
"Once I've bought shoes, I can focus on practice and won't have to go to work anymore!"
"Nonsense!"
Akagi's face instantly flushed bright red.
Though his family was reasonably comfortable, he was still a student himself. What savings did he have to lend anyone?
Looking at Sakuragi's seemingly innocent eyes, he struggled for a long moment before squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth. "Y-you can work!"
"But if you fall behind in training, I absolutely won't let you off!"
That counted as grudging permission for Sakuragi to work after school.
They left the basketball gym and returned to their classrooms.
The morning's lessons were nothing short of prolonged torture for Hanamichi Sakuragi.
During English class, he finally succumbed to an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.
His head tilted, and he slumped straight onto his desk and drifted off to sleep.
He even began snoring loudly.
The teacher, who was explaining grammar, turned livid.
A piece of chalk struck his red-haired head with pinpoint accuracy.
"Hanamichi Sakuragi, if you want to sleep, get out into the hallway and sleep there!"
And so, amid his classmates' snickering, Sakuragi could only rub his eyes and slink out to stand in the hallway.
Sakuragi spent almost the entire morning in the hallway.
When the lunch bell finally rang, Sakuragi practically drifted to the gym on willpower alone.
Three fashionably dressed girls stood chattering outside the basketball gym's entrance.
To his surprise, Haruko was already inside the basketball gym today.
Her hands were clasped together as she watched the court intently.
Kaede Rukawa had already started practicing jump shots from various angles on the other half of the court.
On the court, Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure were talking quietly about something.
"This really is unexpected, Akagi."
Kogure adjusted his glasses, his voice full of praise. "Sakuragi hasn't been playing basketball long, but his rate of improvement is truly astonishing."
"His athletic ability and physical gifts might be the best on our team."
"Hmph. He's just simple-minded and quick to pick things up."
Akagi folded his arms and snorted with feigned disdain.
Yet his gaze unconsciously followed Sakuragi, who looked a little tired but was still diligently warming up.
Watching from beside him, Kogure was secretly amused.
Akagi clearly thought highly of Sakuragi's potential, yet insisted on putting on a stern front.
His gaze then shifted to Kawamoto Kazuki, who was quietly practicing dribbling in a corner.
This first-year was always as silent as a shadow.
But the strength he displayed during training was also impossible to ignore.
Just then, Kaede Rukawa threw down a powerful one-handed dunk.
The three girls at the gym entrance, who had been watching Rukawa, surged forward excitedly and screamed:
"Aaaaaah!"
"Rukawa!"
"I love you, Kaede Rukawa!"
In their excitement, they accidentally knocked into a short, stout, white-haired old man who was just about to enter, sending him stumbling.
The old man staggered back several steps.
The manager, Ayako, did not see the old man outside, only the girls.
At the sight, she could not help covering her mouth with her fan and chuckling as she teased Kaede Rukawa. "You really are popular, Rukawa."
The sight immediately ignited Hanamichi Sakuragi's jealousy.
He strode toward the entrance aggressively.
Their whispers drifted clearly into his ears.
"Wow, he's so tall..."
"He looks so scary..."
"His hair's so weird. It's red!"
"My friend said he's a delinquent. They call him the delinquent red-haired monkey!"
"Red-haired monkey? Is that a kind of gorilla?"
"Someone like him is on the basketball team too? He doesn't look the part at all."
Sakuragi was so furious that steam practically rose from his head. Without a word, he slammed the gym doors shut with a bang, shutting out the girls' cries and complaints.
"Hey, you bastard, open the door! We can't see Kaede Rukawa like this!"
"Damn it, you stupid delinquent monkey!"
"Um... excuse me, could I get through?"
A gentle, elderly voice came from behind the girls.
They immediately moved aside, leaving a wide space.
The door opened again.
Sakuragi turned impatiently, ready to shut it once more.
But a white-bearded old man stood outside.
He immediately spread his arms to block the entrance, his tone belligerent. "Hey, hey, hey! Old man! This is where our basketball team practices. You can't just walk in!"
Coach Anzai adjusted the reflective glasses on the bridge of his nose, a slightly puzzled look appearing on his plump face.
He looked up at the red-haired boy, who stood much taller than him, and asked slowly, "Are you... a new club member? That hair... what's going on with it?"
"None of your business!"
Sakuragi stood with his hands on his hips, blocking the entrance completely like a door god. "We're practicing. No unauthorized people allowed!"
Yet at that very moment, the entire gym suddenly fell into an eerie silence.