"Basketball... could be played like that?!"
If Shirasawa had previously sparked Hanamichi Sakuragi's interest in basketball through all sorts of provocations, making him stop resisting it and even become willing to work at it, then at this very moment, that thunderous alley-oop dunk had completely won this genius over with basketball's purest appeal.
Hanamichi Sakuragi's heart surged. If only he could pull off a dunk like that in a game...
[The scene had already begun playing out in his head.]
"Xiao Bai! Xiao Bai!" Sakuragi bounded right up to Shirasawa, his face brimming with excitement. "That dunk was practically tailor-made for a genius like me! Why didn't you teach me sooner? With that move, this genius would be like a tiger with wings!"
Shirasawa walked over to Sanae and couldn't help laughing at the sparkle in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Keep it up and it'll go to my head. Just business as usual." He scooped up the basketball and tipped his chin toward Sakuragi. "See? That's why you have to practice catching passes and court awareness. Come on, I'll throw you one."
At that, Hanamichi Sakuragi confidently raised his fist and grinned. "All right! Finally, it's this genius's turn to show his stuff!"
At Takenori Akagi's house.
"Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine..."
Veins bulged along both his arms as he grunted through his dumbbell lifts. The two twenty-five-kilogram lumps of iron actually looked a little small in his hands. His tank top was already soaked through with sweat, but he still refused to stop.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by a clear voice. "I cut up some fruit for you, big brother. I'm coming in."
Akagi gave a low grunt of acknowledgment without stopping.
The door opened, and Haruko walked in carrying a plate. Her hair was casually tied back, and her face was clean and bare, giving her a fresh appearance.
"You're still working out, big brother?" She set down the plate. "You need to take breaks too. Your body won't be able to handle it otherwise."
Seeing Akagi gritting his teeth with exertion, unable to speak for the moment, Haruko didn't rush him. She turned and sat in a nearby chair to wait.
Only after quite a while did Akagi let out a long, hissing breath and set the dumbbells down with a clank. He grabbed the towel his sister offered and roughly wiped his face a few times.
"This is no time to rest." His voice was a little low. "This year's my last chance. To conquer the nation, I've got to give a hundred and twenty percent, no matter what."
Haruko looked at her brother and sighed softly. Ever since Akagi had been a little kid just starting elementary school, he had spent all day clutching a basketball and talking about "conquering the nation." After saying it over and over, those words had truly become his obsession. As the years passed, he had become Shohoku's captain and made something of a name for himself in Kanagawa, but the goal of conquering the nation remained far out of reach.
Come to think of it, Akagi had had rotten luck these past few years. In his first year, the team had at least had junior high MVP Hisashi Mitsui, but before playing a single official game, Mitsui had suffered a serious injury in practice and never returned. After that, his teammates had left one after another, with only Kiminobu Kogure staying by his side. The season that had just ended had produced dismal results, and more people had quit the club. Even so, Akagi still clung stubbornly to those words.
Thinking about it, Haruko couldn't help aching for him a little, her lips unconsciously forming a slight pout.
Akagi smiled when he saw her expression and casually tossed his used towel over.
"Ugh! Big brother! That's filthy!" Haruko hurriedly caught it and scolded him.
Akagi strode over and sat beside her, spearing a piece of apple with a fork and stuffing it into his mouth. "Don't worry so much, Haruko. We've got a pretty good newcomer this year too." He paused, then added, "Well... Coach Anzai thinks highly of him, at least."
Haruko's eyes lit up. A player Coach Anzai thought highly of? School hadn't even started yet. Had they recruited someone from another school? Although she wouldn't start her first year of high school until the new term, thanks to her brother, she already knew all about the famous players in high school basketball.
"Really, big brother? Who is it?" she pressed eagerly.
Akagi gave a reluctant nod. In truth, he hadn't fully accepted the kid yet. For now, he just thought of him as a problem child who wouldn't even come to training camp. "A new student in your year."
"My year?" Haruko shot to her feet, her face full of excitement. A newcomer in her year who had caught Coach Anzai's eye... In all of Kanagawa, she could think of only one person who fit. "Could it be... Kaede Rukawa?!"
At the mention of that name, Haruko simply couldn't hide her excitement.
Akagi gave her a helpless glance. Honestly, didn't he wish it were Kaede Rukawa too? If that guy joined them, Shohoku's strength would jump immediately. But of all things... he had gone to Ryonan. Apparently, he had originally intended to come to Shohoku, but something had gone wrong during the junior high finals. Through a twist of fate, they had ended up with that kid Shirasawa instead.
"Hmph. What are you so excited about?" Akagi said irritably. "Kaede Rukawa's just a guy with no ambition who ran off to team up with Ryonan. That Uozumi must be feeling pretty smug right now."
Those words doused Haruko's enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water. She sank back into her seat like a deflated ball, disappointment all over her face. "You shouldn't talk about him like that, big brother... Kaede Rukawa really is strong! He scored fifty-one points against our school while being triple-teamed!"
Akagi snorted dismissively. "How many times have you gone on about that game? Besides, that was only a junior high game." He paused, then added stiffly, "He didn't win the championship in the end, did he?"
"You need to remember that nobody remembers the losers. When people talk about this tournament in the future, they'll only remember who won." Even Akagi felt a little awkward after saying that. But there was no helping it. He had to bring up Shirasawa to uphold their side's reputation. He couldn't let that kid Kaede Rukawa steal all the limelight.
Haruko frowned slightly. A member of the championship team? Was it Yokota Junior High School? She had heard that a mysterious player had appeared for Yokota on the day of the final. Many people who had been there said he had completely overshadowed Kaede Rukawa. And... apparently, he was pretty handsome too?
"Big brother, don't tell me you mean..." Haruko's eyes brightened. Before she could finish asking, Shirasawa's languid face had already flashed through Akagi's mind, along with his remark, "I'll be skipping training camp." His expression darkened, and he replied irritably, "Yokota Junior High School's number nine, Shirasawa."
The vacation was gone in a flash. It felt as though the break had only started yesterday, yet after what seemed like a single night's sleep, the first day of school had arrived.
Early that morning, Sanae drove Shirasawa to the gates of Shohoku High School. As soon as he got out, she rolled down the window and waved at him. "Go get 'em, basketball boy." With that, she stepped on the gas, and the car drove off with a hum.
"I'm so jealous, Xiao Bai. You get a beautiful woman chauffeuring you around." Yohei Mito strolled over with a few of his buddies. "We've got nothing but our own two feet."
Shirasawa smiled, then suddenly felt something was off. He looked around. "Huh? Where's your A-Qiu No. 1?"
Yohei spread his hands helplessly. "Those guys sat on it until it fell apart on the way home yesterday."
Nozomi Takamiya immediately jumped out and protested, "Yohei, don't act like you had nothing to do with it! All of you were crammed on there together!" He pressed his palms together and made a show of wiping the corners of his eyes. "I just buried it this morning... Rest in peace, A-Qiu No. 1."
Shirasawa curled his lips. "If you ask me, that was a release for Aki." He glanced around. "Sakuragi isn't here yet?"
Yohei smiled wryly. "Don't wait for him. Knowing him, he was probably so excited about showing off at the basketball club today that he couldn't sleep. He's definitely still in bed right now. Let's head in first."
Shirasawa walked onto Shohoku's campus with Yohei and the others, and sure enough, they drew plenty of looks. When Yohei's group used to walk with Sakuragi, everyone stared at that conspicuous head of red hair. This time was different. Quite a few girls along the way stole glances at Shirasawa, their eyes sparkling as they huddled together and whispered.
Although Yohei and the others knew those looks weren't meant for them, having so many girls pay attention to them still felt secretly gratifying. As for the boys nearby, their gazes were much more complicated-those guys from Wako Junior High School had actually teamed up with Shirasawa from Yokota? With those two groups together, would Shohoku ever have any peace?
Sure enough, good news stayed at home while "bad news" traveled far. Less than ten minutes after Shirasawa and the others entered the school, word had reached Shohoku's delinquent gang.
"Tetsuo, I really saw them with my own eyes." In the hallway, several underlings stood in a row with their heads lowered. Standing before them was the leader of Shohoku's delinquents, Tetsuo Hotta.
Tetsuo snorted expressionlessly. "A few first-year brats scared you this badly? No matter how big their reputation is, they're still only junior high material." He raised his chin. "You lot, go teach them a lesson. Tell them to rein it in. This isn't junior high, where they can play house."
The underlings exchanged glances, but none of them spoke. Shirasawa's group hadn't earned their reputation through empty boasts. They had fought for it, and even some groups outside school had tried to recruit them. Easy for you to say. Why don't you go yourself? They could think it, but none dared openly talk back to Tetsuo. They could only steel themselves and agree... Hopefully, Shirasawa and the others would keep a low profile since they had only just arrived.
Shohoku High School, first year, Class Three.
Shirasawa had been assigned to a different class from Yohei and the others. Yohei and Sakuragi were in Class Ten, Takamiya and the others were in Classes Five and Six, while Shirasawa had been placed in Class Three.
The moment he entered the classroom, he saw a particularly familiar face.
Haruko Akagi.
The Haruko before him looked a little more delicately pretty than he remembered, fresh and neat, making people want to take another look just by standing there. Almost at the same time, Haruko's gaze landed on Shirasawa too-there was no helping it. At his height, Shirasawa had to duck slightly just to enter the classroom. It was hard not to notice him.
The instant she saw Shirasawa, Haruko's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. For a girl like her, just beginning to discover romance, Shirasawa's handsome looks, with their hint of roguishness, held a natural appeal.
A seating chart was posted on the blackboard, with everyone's name and seat clearly marked.
Haruko watched Shirasawa walk toward the back, her heart pounding.
Sure enough, he stopped at the very last seat by the window.