Kawamoto Kazuki left home carrying two nutritious bento boxes prepared by his mother.
He changed into his training uniform in the basketball club's activity room, without wearing the heavy protective gear.
With the county competition approaching, he had to stop physical training in order to be in top condition for the competition.
When I entered the basketball court, there were already two people practicing inside.
One of them is Hanamichi Sakuragi, who is practicing his floater under the basket.
After this period of training, Sakuragi's finishing ability around the basket has improved significantly.
Another person stood with their back to Kawamoto outside the three-point line practicing shooting.
Judging from his back, he was a short-haired man I'd never seen before.
He jumped and threw the ball, his movements as precise as if they were from a textbook.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc and swished through the net.
"Nice shot."
Kawamoto couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The man turned around at the sound.
Kawamoto was taken aback.
It was none other than Hisashi Mitsui with long hair!
When Mitsui saw Kawamoto, a smug smile immediately appeared on his face.
You bastard Kawamoto, I admire your fighting skills, but this basketball court is Hisashi Mitsui's territory.
How about that? Were you stunned by my shot?
He gestured with his chin toward Kawamoto: "It's you, Kawamoto. How about a game of ball?"
Kawamoto shook his head. "No, Mitsui- senpai, I haven't warmed up yet."
Mitsui scoffed inwardly.
Scared?
Sure enough, basketball and fighting are two different things.
Before long, the basketball team members arrived one after another.
Takenori Akagi gathered everyone together and said with a serious expression, "Our first opponent is Miuradai High School. They made it to the quarterfinals of the prefectural tournament last year and are a strong team that has played against Kainan. We absolutely cannot underestimate them."
"The quarterfinals?"
Hanamichi Sakuragi scratched his head and turned to ask Kogure, " Megane-kun, what was our Shohoku's ranking last year? Top four? Or runner-up?"
Kiminobu Kogure's expression instantly turned somewhat awkward. He awkwardly pushed up his glasses and mumbled, "Uh... we're... the top 33."
"Top 33?"
Sakuragi blinked and counted on his fingers.
"I remember there were 64 teams participating, oh! That's not bad!"
Akagi's face flushed red instantly.
Kogure, you bastard, you really know how to talk. A team tied for the top 33 with the other 32 teams?
It's more accurate to say they're tied for last place.
That's just something that can fool Sakuragi, that simple-minded guy.
However, his pride as captain prevented him from pointing out Kogure's words.
Sakuragi, brimming with fighting spirit, declared, "With the addition of this genius, Hanamichi Sakuragi, to Shohoku this year, we're definitely going to be number one! Hahaha!"
Everyone: "..."
After morning training, everyone returned to the classroom to begin classes.
After school at noon, Sakuragi insisted on going to training immediately, but Kawamoto stopped him.
Kawamoto handed over a bento box. "My mom's been learning to cook lately, so she always makes a lot extra. Try some if you don't mind."
Sakuragi opened it in confusion, his eyes widening instantly.
The salmon was grilled to perfection, the tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) was golden and thick, the blanched broccoli was bright green, the carrot, potato and beef stew was tender and flavorful, and the rice was plump and full, topped with peeled shrimp and a few bright cherry tomatoes.
"Wow!"
Sakuragi yelled and, without even washing his hands, grabbed a large piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth.
He swallowed it almost without chewing, and his face instantly lit up with a blissful, tearful expression.
"This is so... so delicious! Kawamoto, is your mother a master chef? This genius has never eaten such a delicious bento box before!"
After saying that, he began to wolf down his food.
Seeing Sakuragi's exaggerated behavior, a hint of gentleness flashed in Kawamoto's eyes.
This red-haired boy, who never seems to know what trouble is, is actually so innocent it's heartbreaking.
"If you like it, I'll bring it to you every day from now on."
"Really? Kawamoto, you're like an older brother to me!"
Time flies, and it's Friday already.
Outside the county stadium.
When the Shohoku team bus arrived, Sakuragi was the first to jump off.
He looked around excitedly, then his face fell. "Huh? Why are there so few people? This genius thought the county competition would be packed with people, all there to see my performance."
Kawamoto glanced around and saw that there were indeed only a few scattered spectators who had come to watch the game.
"It's probably because today is Friday."
He explained.
After changing their clothes in the locker room, the group arrived at the competition venue.
The stands were sparsely populated and far from lively.
Kawamoto searched carefully but did not see Rudy Tomjanovich's tall figure.
He thought to himself, the match hasn't even started yet, perhaps Mr. Rudy will arrive before it begins...
Last year's top four teams received a bye.
However, players from Shoyo, Kainan, and Takezato did not appear on the sidelines.
Almost all of Ryonan Basketball's key players came.
"Oh? Someone from Shohoku."
Uozumi's gaze swept over Shohoku's lineup, lingering briefly on Ryota Miyagi.
"That short guy is guard Miyagi, he's back with the team. Hmm? And that other guy is...?"
His gaze then fell on Hisashi Mitsui.
"Never seen him before, and doesn't seem like a newcomer. Does Shohoku even have someone like this?"
Hikoichi Aida kept flipping through his notebook, frowning. "Good heavens, these two people aren't in my records!"
Meanwhile, the Miuradai High School team members had also entered the field.
They averaged over 185 centimeters in height and appeared exceptionally strong.
After Captain Kengo Murasame entered the stadium, he began to address his teammates, his voice so loud that it could be heard even in the stands.
" Shohoku is just a team carried by Takenori Akagi. We absolutely cannot waste time before facing Kainan. We must defeat them in one fell swoop!"
"Yes!"
Don't worry, Captain!
" Shohoku is not worth mentioning!"
The people at Miuradai responded excitedly.
On the Shohoku side, Akagi and the others were so angry that their eyes twitched. They wished they could go on the court right now and have a real fight with Miuradai.
Anzai then gathered the Shohoku team together, his gaze calmly sweeping over each face.
The starting lineup for this match is...
His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone prick up their ears.
"Small forward, Kiminobu Kogure."
Kogure was taken aback, then nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
Point guard, Yasuharu Yasuda.
"Ah?"
"Shooting guard, Tetsushi Shiozaki."
"Well..."
"Center forward, Satoru Kakuta."
"Um."
"And, power forward Kawamoto Kazuki."
"Yes, Coach!"
The air seemed to freeze...
A few seconds later, the Shohoku bench erupted in chaos.
"What!"
Ryota Miyagi was the first to jump up. " Anzai! You're starting Yasuda, Shiozaki, and Kakuta? The opponent is Miuradai! The team that played against Kainan last year, isn't this just sending them to their deaths?"
Hisashi Mitsui panicked. "Coach! Let me play! I can score! I can help the team..."
Anzai ignored their protests and focused his gaze on Kawamoto Kazuki.
He said slowly, " Kawamoto- kun, do you remember what I promised you?"
The Shohoku team members immediately looked on with expressions of utter astonishment. What happened?
Kawamoto Kazuki looked up and met Anzai's gaze.
He knew what Anzai was referring to.
Unlimited firing rights!
"Now, you can go ahead and do it."
Anzai's voice was full of anticipation.
Are you confident you can lead the team to the lead within the first 20 minutes of the first half?
I will do everything in my power...
Kawamoto Kazuki nodded very solemnly.
He added another sentence.
His tone remained calm, but the content Shi Potian.
"Try to finish the game in the first half."
Akagi:...
Kaede Rukawa:...
Sakuragi:...
Miyagi:???
Mitsui: The King of Verbal Combat!
Anzai smiled and nodded in satisfaction to Ayako.
Ayako handed over the starting lineup to the technical staff.
Anzai gave a brief speech to the five players who were about to take the field.
"Once I came on, there was no fixed strategy; I just passed the ball to Kawamoto whenever there was an opportunity."
Kogure, Yasuda, Shiozaki, and Kakuta nodded vigorously.
From the stands, Hikoichi Aida immediately pointed to the notice board inside the stadium.
" Shohoku's starting lineup is out!"
His voice trembled. "W-what? Takenori Akagi, Kaede Rukawa, and Ryota Miyagi are all substitutes? Even Hanamichi Sakuragi, the next captain, isn't playing?"
"The center is Satoru Kakuta? The power forward is that number 15, Kawamoto Kazuki? This... this lineup..."
The generals of Ryonan were all stunned.
"Are you kidding me!"
Jun Uozumi suddenly stood up, staring intently at the Shohoku players warming up on the court.
" Akagi isn't playing? What are they trying to do? Are they just giving up on the match?"
Akira Sendoh also sat up straight, putting away his lazy expression.
His gaze fell on Shohoku's number 15, who was warming up.
" Koshino, you were responsible for guarding that number 15 from Shohoku in the practice match, right? Is there something special about him?"
Koshino, holding his head, recalled, "What was special about him? Apart from being tall, he didn't seem to be anything special. He only scored 5 points the whole game under my defense. He was probably just a newbie who had just started playing basketball."
"If it were Senior Ikegami, he probably wouldn't get a single point."
"A beginner?" Sendoh frowned slightly.
Is Shohoku planning to use this as training ground?
But this is only the first round of the county competition!
Tomoyuki Uekusa muttered, "This lineup, let alone be able to beat Miuradai, it would be good enough if they could last ten minutes without collapsing..."
Ikegami shook his head. "Has Shohoku given up? Or do they think they can still defeat Miuradai even if they send Akagi and the others out later?"
Meanwhile, Miuradai also saw the list.
Captain Kengo Murasame was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a huge laugh, "Hahaha! Did you see that? Facing our Miuradai, Shohoku didn't even dare to send out their ace, Akagi! They sent out this bunch of weaklings! Who's that number 15? Never even heard of him! Looks like Shohoku has already given up! Well, let's send them home sooner rather than later!"
Center Akio Kawasaki looked at Kawamoto Kazuki, who was of similar height, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But when it came to this unknown young man, he was full of confidence.
"Captain, leave the basket to me. I'll make sure Shohoku doesn't get a single rebound."
"Well said, Kawasaki! That's the kind of spirit they should have!"
The few spectators in the stands were also discussing it animatedly.
"What's going on with Shohoku? Why isn't their strongest player, Akagi, playing?"
"Aren't the others the same players who performed terribly last year? Did they all undergo intensive training this year and make significant progress?"
"That number 15 isn't short, and he looks really strong, but can he handle Miuradai's inside game?"
"I was hoping to see Akagi perform well under the basket, but that's not going to be interesting now. Shohoku will probably collapse by halftime."
Doubts, ridicule, incomprehension, and contempt surged onto the field from all directions like invisible waves.
Kogure and the others were visibly more nervous; Yasuda's hands were even trembling as he dribbled the ball while warming up.
Only Kawamoto Kazuki seemed to have blocked out all the noise.
He quietly did his warm-up stretches, glanced at the Miuradai players opposite him, and then swept his gaze across the stands.
Coach Rudy hasn't arrived yet...
But it's okay!
He turned his gaze back to the stadium in front of him.
Deep within those calm eyes, a storm was brewing.
The referee carried the basketball to the center circle.
He signaled for both teams to enter the field, ready for the jump ball.
Shohoku vs. Miuradai, the first round of the Kanagawa Prefecture Tournament is about to begin.
Silence fell as everyone braced themselves to witness what seemed to be a one-sided massacre.
Their guess was correct; it was indeed a one-sided massacre.
However, the Miuradai basketball team was not the one who started this massacre.
It was that monster from Shohoku High School, a first-year student named Kawamoto Kazuki.
Murasame's face showed disdain, completely unaware of how terrifying the bloody twenty minutes that Kawamoto brought would be.