The midday practice ended with Akagi's whistle.
The basketball team members packed up and returned to their classrooms for lessons.
The afternoon passed quickly.
As the dismissal bell rang, Kawamoto Kazuki quickly packed his schoolbag.
"Kawamoto, heading to practice?"
Hanamichi Sakuragi asked.
Kawamoto Kazuki shook his head.
"No, I've got something to do."
However fiercely his passion for basketball burned, real-life responsibilities took priority.
His mother had not yet stopped taking all her medication.
The household expenses still required careful budgeting.
Japan's legal minimum hourly wage varied slightly by region.
But in places like Kanagawa, part-time jobs paid around a thousand yen an hour.
Kawamoto traveled between different workplaces every day, his combined working hours often exceeding twelve.
He could earn twelve thousand yen a day.
Over the years, his family had saved a considerable sum.
But that was an emergency fund for any unforeseen problems his mother might face.
It could not be touched lightly.
Inside the Shohoku gym, the players arrived one after another for their regular after-school practice.
Takenori Akagi surveyed the court, his thick eyebrows gradually knitting together.
He walked over to Kiminobu Kogure, who was warming up, and asked quietly.
"Kogure, have you seen that new guy, Kawamoto?"
Kogure looked up and glanced around, a hint of puzzlement on his face as well.
"No. That's strange. He only applied to join at noon, and now he's nowhere to be seen for afternoon practice."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Akagi's eyes, and his tone grew stern.
"Hmph, can't he even stick with the most basic training?"
"He's a guy with no perseverance after all."
In his view, talent certainly mattered.
But day after day of hard training was the foundation.
Kawamoto's absence on his first day had undoubtedly left him with a poor impression.
Meanwhile, Kawamoto was weaving through the fish market.
He held crates weighing over fifty kilograms steadily in his arms.
"Kawamoto, you're really something!"
A boss he knew greeted him.
"You're too kind!"
Kawamoto replied, showing no intention of stopping his work.
Watching him walk away, the boss nodded.
"What a reliable young man!"
After the fish market came the restaurant.
Kawamoto washed mountains of dishes and wiped down greasy tables.
To get used to the weights as soon as possible, he normally only took them off when he slept.
With the added burden of the weights, sweat soaked the hair over his forehead.
It was made of the same stuff as the sweat flowing in the gym.
Yet its meaning was entirely different.
Next came the convenience store.
His busy night ended a little earlier than usual.
The convenience store manager arrived early to take over.
"Kawamoto-kun, thanks for your hard work. You can head home now."
The manager checked the time as he spoke.
Kawamoto was a little surprised.
He stopped wiping the shelves and bowed respectfully. "Manager-san, it isn't time for the handover yet. I can finish what I'm working on."
The manager waved a hand, a gentle smile on his face. "It's fine, it's fine. You sleep lightly when you get older. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I thought I'd come over early and have a look."
"You're still growing. Don't overwork yourself."
"Thank you very much for looking out for me."
Kawamoto bowed deeply once more in thanks.
He carefully counted the cash in the register and completed the handover before taking off his store uniform.
Although he had finished work early, he did not go straight home, instead walking toward Shohoku High School.
On his workdays from Monday through Friday, he generally went straight to school after finishing his jobs.
He had done so for years.
At five in the morning, the world was still shrouded in silence.
Rather than going to his classroom, Kawamoto went to the gym.
The main doors were locked, but a high window beside them was open.
A window three meters up could not stop him.
Kawamoto hesitated for a moment, then climbed in through the high window anyway.
He switched on the lights. In the empty basketball gym, there was only the sound of his own breathing.
He picked up a basketball and walked to the center of the court.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
The sound of the basketball striking the floor was especially clear in the empty gym.
Restricted by the weights, he still could not dribble smoothly.
When he tried driving with the ball, his footwork was even a little sluggish.
When he jumped to shoot, his legs and arms felt as heavy as lead, and he struggled to find the rhythm of his release.
But there was not a trace of discouragement on his face. Instead, his gaze grew even more focused.
This was precisely the effect he wanted.
To hone his skills under extreme conditions.
He tirelessly repeated the basic movements.
Crossovers, behind-the-back dribbles, spins, defensive slides...
Sweat soon soaked his athletic shirt.
His powerful core and the endurance built through years of physical labor began to show their worth.
Compared with yesterday, he was adapting to the weights at an astonishing rate.
His coordination and control improved at a visibly noticeable pace.
About an hour later, the sky began to brighten.
Kawamoto stood beyond the three-point line, steadying his breathing.
He held up the ball, working to coordinate the strength of his entire body.
He jumped.
He released!
The basketball traced a more beautiful arc than any of his previous attempts.
"Swish!"
A crisp, pleasing sound rang out.
Nothing but net!
Kawamoto stood where he was, watching the basketball bounce on the floor.
A rare flicker of joy crossed his usually expressionless face.
This was the first three-pointer he had made while wearing the weights.
Although no one had been guarding him, it was still an important milestone.
With the team's training plan on his mind, Takenori Akagi arrived at school earlier than usual.
He heard the sound of a basketball striking the floor inside the gym from a distance and was very surprised.
Who had come this early?
Was it that kid Kaede Rukawa?
He quietly approached and peered through the gap in the doors.
The sight before him instantly made him hold his breath.
He had caught the very moment Kawamoto released that three-pointer.
Akagi silently assessed that shooting form.
Perhaps, from a purely textbook perspective, it was not one hundred percent standard.
But the fluidity and coordination it held gave Akagi a powerful gut feeling!
There was no reason for this shot to miss!
Sure enough, the basketball swished through the net.
Just then, a soft creak sounded.
The gym doors were pushed open.
Deeply stirred, Akagi strode inside, his resonant voice echoing through the gym.
"Kawamoto!"
Kawamoto turned at the sound and saw Akagi. The trace of joy on his face quickly faded, replaced by his usual calm.
He bowed slightly. "Captain, good morning."
"Good morning."
Akagi walked up to him and praised him openly.
"That three-pointer just now was a beautiful shot."
Kawamoto lowered his head and replied modestly, "You're too kind. It just happened to go in."
"To tell you the truth, that was the first three-pointer I've made this morning."
"The first?"
Akagi was somewhat surprised, but he believed him when he saw Kawamoto's sincere eyes.
If anything, this changed his impression of Kawamoto for the better.
To persist through failure after failure and finally make a shot of such quality.
That kind of character was rare.
Remembering what had happened yesterday afternoon, Akagi asked in a much gentler tone, "Kawamoto, why didn't you come to practice after school yesterday?"
Kawamoto was silent for a moment before answering, "I'm very sorry, Captain."
"For personal reasons, I won't be able to attend regular after-school practice for the time being."
He did not explain the specific reason.
Akagi looked at his sweat-soaked clothes, clearly the result of extensive practice.
Akagi guessed that Yamamoto might have circumstances beyond his control, so he did not press further.
He merely reminded him as his captain, "I understand. But the prefectural tournament qualifiers will be starting soon."
"If it's something unimportant, I hope you can put it aside for a while."
"Ultimately, basketball is a sport you can only improve at through training."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Captain."
Kawamoto nodded in reply.
Perhaps it was because of that stunning three-pointer at dawn.
Perhaps it was because of the attitude Kawamoto had shown by practicing alone.
Akagi began to feel a little anticipation for the tall, quiet first-year before him.
After taking Kawamoto through a few more sets of basic drills, Akagi made a decision.
"Kawamoto!"
Akagi said in a low, firm voice, "You have excellent physical attributes. You could consider playing center."
"Next, I'll personally teach you the basics of establishing position under the basket and rebounding."