Akagi's parents stood to the side. When they heard Haruko's topic, they exchanged a glance and tacitly remained silent.
"Son, don't push yourself too hard. Watch your ankle, and please don't get injured again."
Akagi slung his heavy bag over his shoulder, straightened his back, and declared, "Just wait, I'll bring back the national championship trophy!"
He paused, then added, "When I'm not around, don't let Haruko run around everywhere. You all spoil her too much."
After saying that, Akagi turned and left.
That resolute face shone in the sunlight as he strode towards his dream.
"Brother's gone~"
Haruko Akagi tiptoed out of her room. She wasn't sleepy at all; she was dressed neatly and looked radiant!
"We've covered for you; your brother will be furious when he finds out..."
"You child, I just can't do anything with you."
Akagi's mother complained helplessly, just as Akagi had said, Haruko was indeed spoiled by her family.
Only her older brother, Akagi, would keep her in check; her parents completely indulged her every whim.
"Hehe, I won't blame you. I'll explain everything to my brother when I get to Hiroshima."
Haruko smiled broadly. Ever since that day with Shirasawa, she had made up her mind to go to Hiroshima.
Supporting Shohoku is one aspect.
On the other hand... perhaps she wants to see the person she has feelings for.
He did say he'd take me sightseeing if he had time...
Ding dong~
The doorbell rang.
Akagi's mother opened the door, and standing outside was a pretty young girl, none other than Yoko Shimamura.
Hello, Uncle and Aunt.
" Yoko! Let's go!"
That's right, Haruko did exactly what Shirasawa said...
She found Yoko through Yohei, and the two hit it off immediately, becoming good friends after just one meeting.
And now we're going to Hiroshima together.
"You two must be careful! Contact your brother and the others as soon as you get there!"
"Don't worry, Mom, we're off!"
What am I going to do if I miss you so much?
"I ran back, I ran very fast."
"Nonsense! If you came all the way back from Hiroshima, we'd go straight to the hospital."
" Rena, I have to be the last one back this time."
"Okay, I'll cheer you on from here! If you dare come back early, I'll be really angry!"
"I understand, you're the best."
After spending some time with Rena, Ryota Miyagi took off his sunglasses, tilted his head back to face the sunlight, and let out a sigh of relief.
" Miyagi, are you here to breathe some fresh air?" Hisashi Mitsui, carrying a bag, chuckled and came over.
"Envious?" Miyagi grinned smugly.
Who envies you? True freedom comes from being unrestrained.
"Let's go, our goal is to dominate the whole country!"
Kanagawa High Speed Rail Station.
"Where's Xiao Bai? Where did Sakuragi run off to? Why isn't he here yet!"
The Shohoku Basketball Team gathered at the platform. As expected, the two who were always late were there; Takenori Akagi's brows were furrowed tightly, and he wished he could sprout wings and fly to Hiroshima immediately.
" Xiao Bai is here!" Kogure, with his sharp eyes, shouted.
Shirasawa strolled over slowly, stretching as he walked. He didn't look tired; he just seemed like he hadn't had enough sleep.
"Haa--"
He yawned widely and waved casually at everyone.
Kogure was immediately delighted when he saw it.
It turns out he wasn't the only one too excited to sleep; Xiao Bai was the same way!
That's right, our Shohoku's ace is about to head to the national stage!
" Xiao Bai, get on the bus and take a nap. There's nothing planned for today. When we arrive in Hiroshima, all the teams will gather at the stadium, and then you're free to do whatever you want."
Shirasawa nodded.
He was genuinely sleep-deprived, but the reason was different from what Kogure had imagined.
At this moment, in the parking lot outside the platform,
Sanae reclined the bicycle seat, slumped limply on it, her face flushed.
She stayed up all night last night to help Shirasawa prepare for the national competition.
I was in top form and spent the whole night practicing basketball with him!
They tried everything on both offense and defense, but were completely outmatched by Shirasawa.
I feel like my body is about to fall apart.
If the match had gone any longer, she probably wouldn't have been able to leave the field.
In the end, Shirasawa helped him down in a victorious manner.
Her legs trembled as she drove the car here and watched Shirasawa leave.
I need to get some sleep now.
Otherwise, these two legs would almost not belong to me anymore...
"Oh no! Oh no! Yohei's lousy bike! It's making me late!"
In the platform passageway, a red hard-boiled egg is sprinting wildly.
Wherever they went, men and horses fell.
"Phew... I made it! I finally made it!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi rested his hands on his knees, head bowed, breathing heavily.
" Sakuragi?"
What are you doing here?
Sendoh:???
Uozumi:???
Kaede Rukawa: "Idiot."
Shohoku and Ryonan were on the same train, but the carriages were far apart at opposite ends.
Clearly, Sakuragi charged headlong in the wrong direction.
"Huh? It's you guys! Kaede Rukawa, what did you just say?! Do you want to stay in Kanagawa forever?!"
Despite his hard-boiled egg, Sakuragi didn't lose any of his imposing presence.
He wasn't stupid; seeing Ryonan was fine too, since he could get to Hiroshima with them anyway.
Snap--
A large hand suddenly pressed down on his head.
"Boss Monkey! Don't think I'm afraid of you!"
Sakuragi looked like a bristling monkey in front of Uozumi.
puff.
Hahaha--
" Sakuragi, your head... Hahaha, good! Very good!"
Uozumi finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter while holding the hard-boiled egg...
Of the entire Ryonan team, only Kaede Rukawa could remain calm.
Because he had already seen him at Base Camp, and that day, he laughed so hard his abs looked noticeably more defined...
" Sakuragi -senpai, Shohoku's carriage is at the front."
Hikoichi Aida struggled to suppress his laughter and gave Sakuragi directions.
"You mortals simply don't understand the aesthetics of geniuses. See you in Tokyo."
After saying that, the red marinated egg started up again and sped away.
Tokyo??
"Captain, Sakuragi- senpai probably didn't end up going to Hiroshima...?"
"Idiot! The car's about to leave!"
Takenori Akagi punched Sakuragi.
"Alright! Everyone's here, let's get ready to go!"
Akagi roared, but none of his teammates responded.
Kogure looked around hesitantly. " Akagi, there are too many people here, isn't this a bit much..."
"Who cares! Get on the bus after you've shouted!"
finally,
The Shohoku Basketball Team embarked on the train bound for the national tournament.
Besides the two host teams in Hiroshima
Fifty-seven teams, including Shohoku, headed to Hiroshima.
We are preparing for this top-level national competition.
The train traveled for more than half an hour, stopping at several stations along the way.
The Shohoku Team gradually calmed down from their initial excitement at the start.
Some were catching up on sleep, while others chatted in small groups.
In the initial stages, they were relatively relaxed.
Because Shohoku was a seeded team, they received a bye in the first round and did not have a game on the second day.
They will observe their potential rivals as spectators.
The group assignments for the national competition were announced a few days ago.
Shohoku has once again fallen into the "group of death," just like in the prefectural tournament, they're in Group C.
However, the level of death this time is on a completely different level.
When Ayako laid out the match schedule, even Coach Anzai was taken aback.
Kogure's glasses slid all the way down to the tip of his nose.
They received a bye in the first round, but in the second round they will basically be playing against last year's top eight national teams, Toyotama High School.
Of course, the prerequisite is that Toyotama must first get past the Hojo Fourth Commercial.
But how could the Hojo Fourth Commercial possibly be a match for Toyotama?
Since securing a spot in the national tournament, Kogure has been giving his teammates a lot of extra lessons, helping them get a general idea of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the top teams.
Hojo Fourth Commercial Toyotama were not even in the same league.
Therefore, Shohoku's first opponent is almost Toyotama.
However, this was just the beginning.
Toyotama, a team that only reached the quarterfinals, is not enough to live up to the title of "Group of Death".
In Group C, there are two even more conspicuous ones.
Last year's top four in the nation: Hakata Shodai Affiliated Aiwa Academy!
To make matters worse, Aiwa Academy and Shohoku are both in the upper half of their group.
Hakata Shodai Affiliated School is in the lower half of the draw.
With this lineup, barring any unexpected upsets, Shohoku will have to overcome three obstacles to advance from their group!
First, we have to fight Toyotama, then Aiwa, and finally, we have to get past Hakata Shodai Affiliated Hospital.
This schedule is arguably the most grueling group in the national competitions in recent years, and that's no exaggeration.
Unfortunately, Shohoku managed to catch up.
When we first found out about the group assignments, the atmosphere in the team was indeed quite tense for a while.
They weren't afraid of their opponents; Jousei, who was in the quarterfinals last year, had won, and Kainan, who was in the semifinals, had also won, so they were confident in their strength.
What's worrying is this schedule!
During the group stage of the national competition, there was one match per day, with the intensity at its peak.
If they can really make it all the way to the semifinals, it means they'll have to overcome three tough opponents in three days.
Every match is incredibly tough; it's a huge test of both physical and mental strength.
Compared to this, the so-called "group of death" in the county tournament is practically like a vacation.
Fortunately, the group assignments were announced in advance, giving everyone some time to adjust.
If you only found out when you got to Hiroshima, the psychological pressure would probably crush you.
Playing under that kind of pressure will definitely reduce your skill level.
But now, the Shohoku team has come to terms with it.
Let them fight.
In Shirasawa's words, we're bound to run into each other sooner or later anyway.
He also shared a great stress-relief tip: just pass the pressure on to someone else.
How to shake it?
After losing the first match, the pressure fell on Toyotama; after losing the second match, it fell on Aiwa.
It's very simple.
Don't want to lose?
Then let's hold on, fight it out match by match, and bring back the most prestigious championship in the history of the national tournament!
Shirasawa's twisted logic may sound crude, but it actually works.
Thinking about it from a different perspective, it really is different.
What they're aiming for is the most prestigious championship ever!
When that day comes, who will dare to disobey Shohoku?
That's why everyone can relax so much on the train right now.
After tonight, that feeling of tension should probably come back.
After all, Shirasawa said, enjoy the moment while you can...
He's currently dozing off by the car window, quite content.
Sitting across from him, Ryota Miyagi, bored, pulled out a copy of " Slam Dunk " magazine from his bag.
This special issue specifically ranks the 59 teams that participated in the national competition.
Without a doubt, the undisputed leader in the S-class category is Sannoh Industrial High School.
Below Sannoh, there are no more S-shaped sections.
Miyagi was turning the pages when a rather jarring sound suddenly broke the silence in the carriage.
"That's really impressive. A team like Shohoku is actually ranked in the same league as us."
The sign read, "The Kanagawa champions, who eliminated last year's top four in the nation from Kainan, also have Shirasawa, one of the nation's top five high school students, on their team."
This rating wasn't obtained through back channels; it was clearly written down in black and white by Yayoi Aida.
By this standard, it makes sense.
After all, to get an A-level rating, the team needs at least one five-star high school student to carry the team.
The national tournament stage, in the end, is a place for star players to perform.
When strong teams clash, the performance of star players can directly determine the outcome.
Therefore, the person who dared to say that Shohoku was on the same level as them must also be from an A-level team.
As soon as those words were spoken, the eyes of several people from Shohoku immediately glared at them.
Trash team?
Who is this guy, talking so arrogantly?
When everyone looked at him, they saw that he was a tall man with braids.
His face was brimming with arrogance, and a disdainful smirk lingered at the corners of