Kawamoto Kazuki's place on the team was more or less confirmed.
As usual, he was assigned to a corner for basic training.
The gym doors were yanked open, and Hanamichi Sakuragi's signature booming voice arrived before he did.
"Gorilla! This genius is here to train! I'm going to slam down some serious dunks today!"
With that, Sakuragi swaggered into the basketball gym.
But when he caught sight of a figure beside the court, he stopped dead.
Kawamoto Kazuki was alone in the corner.
He was practicing the most basic stationary dribbling drill with an expressionless face.
The basketball traced the same monotonous path between his hand and the floor.
It made a steady thumping sound.
"Huh?"
Sakuragi's brows knotted, disbelief written all over his face.
He looked around, spotted vice-captain Kiminobu Kogure organizing his notebook, and darted over.
Sakuragi grabbed Kogure's arm and asked, "Hey, Megane-kun! What's the deal with that guy?"
He pointed toward Kawamoto.
Kogure adjusted his glasses, followed his gaze, and smiled.
"Oh, you mean Kawamoto."
"He's Kawamoto Kazuki from Class Seven of the first year. He just applied to join the basketball team today."
"Come to think of it, Sakuragi, aren't you in Class Seven too?"
"Don't you know your own classmate?"
Sakuragi froze.
The image of that dunk from the free-throw line struck his mind again.
But he forced himself to sound composed. "I-I know him! Just not well! That Kawamoto guy hardly ever talks in class. He's a real clam, nothing like a lively genius like me."
Kogure had no reason to doubt him and nodded. "I see. Like you, Kawamoto is a beginner who only started playing basketball in high school. You two can train hard together and encourage each other."
"Only just started playing basketball?!"
Sakuragi's voice shot up, drawing glances from several nearby players.
He hurriedly covered his mouth and lowered his voice. "No way! Don't joke around, Megane-kun!"
His reaction left Kogure momentarily stunned.
But he still explained, "It's true."
"Captain Akagi just put him through a basic test. Although Kawamoto knows some basic dribbling, passing, and shooting, his movements are very unpracticed, and his coordination still needs work. He really is a beginner."
Sakuragi stared at the distant figure still concentrating on dribbling.
Rather than fading, the suspicion in his eyes only deepened.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Megane-kun, have you ever seen anyone jump from the free-throw line and dunk with almost no run-up?"
Kogure was completely taken aback. He gave it serious thought, then slowly shook his head.
"Even in the NBA, only the players with the very best physical gifts can barely manage it, and only after a long run-up."
"What you're describing... isn't very realistic."
He smiled and patted Sakuragi on the shoulder.
"All right, stop thinking about such unrealistic things."
"You're a beginner. Your job right now is to practice the basics properly, just like Kawamoto."
Sakuragi opened his mouth, still wanting to argue.
But in the end, he swallowed his words.
He picked up a basketball, deliberately settled onto one knee beside Kawamoto, and started dribbling with a steady thump.
After only a few dozen bounces, Sakuragi could no longer contain his restless nature.
The tedious basic drills left him irritated and distracted.
He stopped, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't resist speaking to Kawamoto. "Hey! Kawamoto! Do you really not know how to play basketball?"
Kawamoto Kazuki seemed not to hear him and remained focused on the basketball beneath his hand.
When no answer came, Sakuragi curled his lip and muttered, "Hmph! Stuck-up jerk!"
He simply cradled the basketball in his arms and let his imagination run wild.
He imagined himself dominating a game and pulling off an earth-shattering dunk, then Haruko running over with admiration all over her face and asking to hold his hand...
At that thought, Sakuragi nearly started drooling.
Smack!
A paper fan struck his red head without mercy, interrupting his beautiful dream.
"Ow! Who was that?!"
Sakuragi clutched his head and roared, then turned to see Ayako standing with her hands on her hips.
"Hanamichi Sakuragi, what are you daydreaming about? Everyone else is training!" Ayako scolded, her hands on her hips.
Sakuragi pointed at the basketball, looking aggrieved.
"Miss Ayako! I dribble every single day! How much longer do I have to do this before I can dunk?"
Ayako pointed her fan toward Kawamoto on the other side.
"Dunk? The fundamentals are what matter most in basketball!"
"Look at Kawamoto. He's only just started playing basketball too, but look how seriously he concentrates on his training."
"You need to learn from him!"
Sakuragi followed her gesture and saw Kawamoto still dribbling tirelessly.
By now, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Kawamoto's forehead, and he was breathing a little harder than most people would.
Sakuragi muttered inwardly.
It's just dribbling. Does it really have to be that tiring?
But he had no idea.
The twenty jin of weights on Kawamoto's wrists and ankles.
Turned this seemingly simple basic drill into an extreme test of stamina and control.
Before the allotted dribbling time was over, Takenori Akagi's whistle sounded.
He was preparing to gather the players for a practice scrimmage.
With some players having asked for leave at noon, they were short on numbers, so Kawamoto Kazuki was assigned to the team made up of first-years and substitutes.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was delighted. At last, he didn't have to do basic drills.
Kawamoto Kazuki said nothing and did his best to adjust to the game.
But his movements were awkward and halting.
He was also slow to get into position, and the heaviness in his arms made him look somewhat stiff when catching passes.
Given an open shot, he clearly didn't jump high enough, and the weights distorted his shooting motion.
The basketball traced a weak, feeble arc, turning out to be an embarrassing air ball.
"Pfft-"
Several players on the team couldn't suppress their snickers.
Kakuta and the others shook their heads helplessly.
Kaede Rukawa stood in stark contrast to him.
He was like a graceful black panther.
One swift drive after another...
One fluid double-clutch layup or jump shot after another...
Drew cheers from Shohoku's first-years.
Watching from the sidelines, Haruko already had both hands over her mouth, her eyes full of sparkling stars.
"Damn Fox! Stealing the spotlight again!"
Seeing Haruko's reaction, Sakuragi's jealous resentment toward Kaede Rukawa instantly soared.
He glanced again at Kawamoto, who was running back and forth on the court but performing terribly.
He thought, Looks like this guy really might not be very good at basketball.
Maybe he's just like this genius, with an amazing vertical leap, and that's how he pulled off that dunk?
Right!
That has to be it!
Thinking about it that way, he immediately found it much more reasonable.
His suspicions about Kawamoto were temporarily pushed to the back of his mind.
Hanamichi Sakuragi had always been carefree; his thoughts came and went just as quickly.
Takenori Akagi watched Kawamoto's clumsy performance on the court, his brows tightly furrowed.
He blew his whistle to stop the game and walked over to Kawamoto, his tone stern but patient.
"Kawamoto, your fundamentals are even worse than I thought. It's still too early for you to take part in scrimmages."
"Come off the court and keep working on the most basic ball-handling drills. That's what you need most right now."
Kawamoto Kazuki stopped, his chest rising and falling slightly, sweat already soaking the hair over his forehead.
He offered no argument and showed no dissatisfaction.
He simply nodded calmly and answered quietly, "Yes, Captain."
He silently walked to the sidelines, picked up a basketball, and resumed the endlessly tedious basic dribbling drill in the corner.
The thumping sounded once again.