The last ten minutes of the practice match were meaningless; the former team had lost by more than 30 points, Domoto ended the game early. It wasn't a real match; it was just his own people playing for fun, so he could stop whenever he wanted... After the game Domoto would definitely criticize Sawakita's performance, and Sawakita's explanation was naive and straightforward. "Because it was really boring..." As a result, he was ganged up on and beaten up by the seniors.
On the way back, Domoto gave the team two viewing options. Tomorrow is the third round of the national tournament, with a total of eight matches played in four different stadiums. Sannoh is the first match, and after that, they can choose to watch one of the remaining four matches. Although Sannoh is strong, Domoto always meticulous and will never be like Riki Takato, who became complacent after being invincible in Kanagawa.
He picked two out of the four matches he could watch, and coincidentally, both of them featured teams from Kanagawa! One was Ryonan vs. Daiei Academy – based on the analysis of the first two rounds, one of these two teams was likely to be Sannoh's opponent in the semifinals, and no team in Group D was stronger than either of them. The other was Shohoku vs. Aiwa Academy.
In Domoto's opinion, there are four teams that could ultimately advance from the left half of the bracket: Meihou Industrial, Shohoku, Aiwa Academy, and Hakata Shodai Affiliated. Hakata Shodai Affiliated is the most likely, but their game clashes with Sannoh's, so I can't watch it. As for Meihou Industrial... to be honest, Domoto doesn't take them too seriously.
In comparison, Shohoku and Aiwa are more interesting. Leaving aside whether they can get past Hakata Shodai Affiliated, Domoto cares about is the players—he feels there's someone among them who's close to Sawakita! Not the rumored Dai Moroboshi, but Shirasawa's number 9, Shohoku. Shirasawa's name had already caught Domoto's eye during the prefectural qualifiers, and after today's match between Shohoku and Toyotama ...
This made his judgment of Shirasawa clearer; perhaps... this guy was the key to provoking that kid Sawakita.
Therefore, Domoto presented the team members with two options.
To Domoto's surprise, Eiji Sawakita was the first to speak.
"I'd like to see the game between Shohoku and Aiwa." Sawakita scratched his head, his tone quite casual.
Goro Domoto's lips curled into a faint smile.
Sawakita, that kid, is finally starting to pay attention.
Guesthouse area.
The place where Shohoku lived.
After dinner, the team members finally enjoyed the most relaxing moment of the day.
Mitsui and Miyagi were soaking in the hot spring.
Only now did my tense body finally relax completely.
At the same time, aches and pains also started to appear in my body.
I fought Toyotama head-on for 30 minutes; it was an incredibly exciting match.
I didn't feel anything when I returned to the guesthouse in the afternoon.
Now that I'm mentally and physically relaxed, all that fatigue and muscle soreness comes rushing back.
" Mitsui, I counted, there are 3 bruises and 4 red spots on his body..." Miyagi muttered while rubbing his arm; he was just that observant.
"Tch, garbage." Mitsui curled his lip.
"I have four bruises and four red spots, and my arm is even scraped!" Mitsui said, deliberately bringing his arm closer to Miyagi's face, showing his indomitable spirit.
However, judging from their spirits, this injury shouldn't have a significant impact.
After all, they had both been beaten even more severely by the "800s" before...
To them, these bruises and swellings are no different from a mosquito bite for an ordinary person.
However, the feeling of exhaustion is real.
The thought of having back-to-back games to play next only intensified my fatigue.
" Xiao Bai and Sakuragi are really something, they still have the energy to go out and play." Mitsui sighed. They hadn't even finished dinner when Shirasawa and Sakuragi slipped away, saying they couldn't wait and needed to find a place to train...
That stamina was something Mitsui could only envy immensely.
In terms of physical fitness, Mitsui has been working tirelessly to improve since his match against Shoyo.
After nearly two months of training, he has undergone a complete transformation.
But compared to those few, they are clearly still far behind.
"Nobody believes they went to train. If Rena were here, I wouldn't be soaking in this pool with you..." Miyagi rolled his eyes.
"Heh, women will only slow me down." Mitsui, feigning profundity.
"Really? I saw a girl come looking for you before, and you were smiling like an idiot." Miyagi bluntly exposed him.
"Those... those are fans..." Mitsui stammered.
"Heh, Mitsui, I overheard some conversations I shouldn't have," Miyagi chuckled, a knowing look on his face.
"You little rascal! Always sneaking around like that!" Mitsui's face turned red.
night market.
Miyagi was right.
There's no way Shirasawa and Sakuragi would go to training...
Right now, the two of them are happily strolling through the local night market with Haruko and Yoko.
Sakuragi and Yoko were already holding hands naturally, all sweet and affectionate.
As for Shirasawa and Haruko
It's not that you can't pull it...
Shirasawa touched Qingzi's hand several times, intentionally or unintentionally. Haruko's small hand was soft and boneless, tender and smooth.
Aside from a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, Haruko didn't offer any other resistance.
Judging from her eyes and subtle movements, she seemed to be harboring a bit of expectation...
Sure enough, even a well-behaved girl might harbor a bit of Ono's nature...
This made Shirasawa feel like he was the lamb waiting to be "eaten".
"Oh right! You guys didn't read the latest ' Slam Dunk ' today, did you?" Haruko suddenly remembered something and said with a grin. Little did she know, this " Slam Dunk " manga, in a sense, was tailor-made for the two of them in front of her...
Of course, the fewer people who know about this, the better.
Sakuragi didn't even tell Yoko.
They call it a man's career...
However, they didn't watch the latest issue of " Slam Dunk " released today; they simply didn't have the time.
After the team's preparation meeting in the afternoon, the two of them came to find the girls.
They even skipped rest time; of course, it's also possible they simply didn't feel tired.
If Miyagi is a physical prodigy, then these two are physical black holes, bottomless pits!
"Oh, right! Sakuragi, you really stole the show this season! You even set a record in the national tournament!" Yoko chimed in excitedly, her face beaming with pride as she spoke of it.
"Huh? I set a record?" Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes widened, pointing at himself in disbelief.
Up to now, he hasn't dared to mention the competition.
After all, he had promised Yoko that he would get 20 points, but that promise fell through.
Of course, this 20-point promise was just something Sakuragi himself boasted about.
Yoko Zi didn't care about any of that at all.
Breaking the record?
What records can I break?
The latest news about the " Slam Dunk " games only went up to yesterday, and Shohoku didn't have a game yesterday either...
Yoko looked at his silly expression and couldn't help but chuckle.
If Haruko hadn't brought it up, she would have completely forgotten about it.
She knew Sakuragi's personality too well; because of the 20-point incident, she had consistently steered the Sakuragi away from the topic of the game.
As a result, I forgot to record it!
With this, Sakuragi's attention will definitely be diverted.
Let him forget about the 20-point agreement!
"Ta-da!"
Yoko smugly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a copy of " Slam Dunk," specifically marking the page with Sakuragi.
Sakuragi leaned closer to take a look, and the expression on his face slowly changed from confusion to surprise, until he grinned from ear to ear, smiling like a flower.
That's right!
He really broke the record!
It was written clearly above, along with that arrogant-looking photo of him...
Hanamichi Sakuragi became the youngest player to ever participate in the National Tournament!
We really have to thank Yayoi Aida for this...
She really went to great lengths for her teammates.
Even without a competition, you can still find some strange and unusual records.
Moreover, this record is very easy to remember, the kind you can brag about for a long time.
Sakuragi's title of "youngest" is not only unprecedented, but it's also unlikely that anyone will surpass it in the future.
Why? Because Sakuragi's birthday happens to be the first day of school.
Therefore, he is among the youngest group of all first-year high school students in the country.
Even if another player shares his birthday and plays in the national tournament, he can only be considered "following in Hanamichi Sakuragi's footsteps," because he can't truly surpass him; at best, he'll be ranked alongside him.
At least for now, Hanamichi Sakuragi is the sole holder of this record.
" Sakuragi, to put it simply, you're a promising young talent!"
Shirasawa chuckled and followed up with a compliment.
Hanamichi Sakuragi immediately picked up the magazine, tilted his head back, and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I really am a genius!"
"That's right, Sakuragi, you're my pride."
Yoko's cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes held a hint of admiration...
Sakuragi had completely forgotten about the 20-point promise; it was long forgotten.
He cupped Yoko's face in his hands and gave her a quick kiss.
This made Haruko, who was standing next to her, blush bright red.
She secretly glanced at Shirasawa.
My mind involuntarily drifted back to that evening when we took a walk together near her house.
That night... if my foot hadn't suddenly started hurting...
The more Haruko thought about it, the hotter Haruko face became, as if it were on fire.
Yoko was also incredibly shy. She didn't have Sakuragi's "5.2" boldness at all, and right now she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"Um... that... I couldn't help it..."
Hanamichi Sakuragi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed at Shirasawa and Haruko.
But just as he looked over, he caught a glimpse of a group of people gathered not far away, making a lot of noise and seeming quite lively.
" Xiao Bai, Haruko, look over there! It looks like they're cheering for something!"
Shirasawa turned his head in the direction he pointed and saw that there was indeed a large crowd gathered there.
And you can also faintly hear shouts like "Good shot! Beautiful!"
"Let's go check it out! Maybe there'll be something fun."
Haruko said with an expectant look on her face.
Anyway, these few people didn't have any particular goal in mind when they came out; they were just there to wander around and join in the fun.
Besides, Haruko heard it too; the sounds seemed to be related to basketball.
There are two basketball experts right here, so I definitely have to go check them out!
And also...
Her face is burning up; she needs to find somewhere to cool off...
"Nice shot!!"
"One more! One more!"
The closer Shirasawa and his group got to the crowd, the clearer they could hear it.
This commotion is definitely related to basketball.
When you reach the corner, peek out.
Hey! It really is!
This is just a basketball shooting game!
Sakuragi and Shirasawa were both quite tall, standing out like cranes among chickens in a crowd, making it easy to spot someone playing a game there.
It is this person who makes this place so eye-catching.
Because his shots were so accurate!
It was so accurate that even the boss who designed the game was almost in tears, looking utterly desperate.