"Akagi, wouldn't it be... too risky to leave this completely alone?"
The words had barely left his mouth when a jumble of footsteps approached.
A dozen or so people appeared at the classroom door with their heads hanging, lining up in front of Aota.
Aota immediately burst into a triumphant laugh.
"See that, Akagi? These are all the elites of my Judo Club!"
"I sent them all to invite him together. That sincerity, that show of force-that's the difference between you and me!"
He turned around, laughing wildly.
"Come on, tell Captain Akagi loud and clear how it went!"
The Judo Club members bowed in unison, their voices especially loud:
"Boss-we failed!"
Huh?
Tatsuhiko Aota's smile froze on his face.
Beside him, the usually serious Takenori Akagi finally couldn't hold back and snorted with laughter.
Only then did Kogure breathe a sigh of relief and pat his chest.
Thank goodness those two didn't let us down!
Aota stood there looking mortified. Akagi wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by and shot right back, "What could you possibly accomplish with those two short legs? Hurry up and get your people out of here."
The words "short legs" hit Aota right where it hurt.
But he wasn't in the mood to argue anymore. Just glaring at the group of underlings in front of him was enough to make his blood boil.
"Akagi! Don't get cocky yet!" Aota shouted, his neck stiff. "I'm telling you, this isn't over!"
With that, he angrily waved his people out.
At the door, he still remembered to turn back and add:
"And I'm not giving up on Haruko either!"
Hearing that, Akagi slammed the desk and shot to his feet, his eyes blazing.
"Bastard! You still dare set your sights on my little sister!"
Beside him, however, Kogure smiled quietly.
Usually, Akagi couldn't even be bothered to argue with Aota. He was always the one who went straight to using his fists.
But after learning that Shirasawa and Sakuragi had turned them down, Akagi had actually started trading barbs for once.
Your mouth says you don't care, but your body is honest.
It seemed Akagi was starting to have hopes for this year's Shohoku too.
Shirasawa and Sakuragi hadn't taken the morning's farce to heart at all.
By now, they had already gathered at the basketball gym.
The Shohoku Basketball Team was a little different from those at other schools.
Apart from the stir when Akagi had openly played Sakuragi one-on-one, normally no one came to watch.
It was pitifully deserted.
Haruko Akagi and her two friends became their only spectators.
"Haruko, why did you drag us here?" Matsui asked with a frown. "We don't even understand basketball."
After speaking, she noticed Haruko hadn't reacted.
Following Haruko's gaze, she found her staring at Shirasawa.
Matsui immediately cried out:
"Ohhh-Haruko! So you came to see him!"
Caught out, Haruko hurriedly looked away, her face instantly turning red as her fingers unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair.
"What are you talking about! I brought you here to cheer for the basketball team!"
"I'm telling you, this year's basketball team really is different!"
Seeing how urgently she tried to explain, Matsui grinned mischievously.
"It is different, because that Shirasawa is here, right?"
Haruko nodded instinctively, then realized what she'd done, turning red all the way to her ears.
Just then, a hand gently slipped around her shoulders from behind.
"Shirasawa really is pretty handsome." Ayako had arrived without them noticing and leaned in with a smile. "Don't be shy, Haruko. Want me to go strike up a conversation for you?"
Haruko stamped her foot in embarrassment.
"Ayako! Not you too!"
Seeing her like that, Ayako burst out laughing.
"All right, all right, I'll stop teasing you."
"But you're right. This year's basketball team really is different. Even I'm starting to look forward to it."
"Stay here and watch. With you here, these boys train even harder. I'd better get to work."
With that, Ayako hurried onto the court.
As soon as she arrived, she tapped several slacking players with her folding fan. Even Sakuragi behaved himself and didn't dare make a sound.
Practice proceeded in an orderly fashion, and everyone was full of drive.
After that intrasquad game, they all had a fire burning inside them.
After practice ended, Shirasawa called Ayako aside.
"Ayako, do you know which hospital Ryota Miyagi is staying in?"
Ayako paused, not expecting that question.
"Sure. He's at the prefectural hospital. He's been there a while, so he should be getting discharged soon."
"But... why are you suddenly asking about Miyagi?"
Shirasawa smiled.
"To visit a teammate."
Kanagawa Prefectural Hospital.
Room 302.
A boy with a bowl cut lay on the hospital bed, his hands behind his head and his propped-up legs swinging. He looked quite relaxed.
This was Ryota Miyagi, a second-year at Shohoku.
Miyagi was something of a name among the delinquents too.
He had landed in the hospital because he'd been too high-profile before, catching the attention of Hisashi Mitsui's gang a month earlier.
A dozen or so people had surrounded him, intending to teach him a lesson.
The outcome was no surprise: Miyagi was beaten into the hospital.
But the process had taken an unexpected turn-seeing that he couldn't escape, Miyagi had simply clung to Hisashi Mitsui for dear life. No matter how the others hit him, he refused to let go.
By the time Miyagi was finally beaten unconscious, Hisashi Mitsui had long since been lying on the ground, unable to get up.
Mitsui was probably still lying in some hospital recovering now.
Although Miyagi wasn't tall, his physical abilities were definitely top-notch.
His running and jumping ability in particular stood out among people his height.
It was precisely because of that solid physical foundation that his injuries had actually almost healed.
The doctors had already tried several times to persuade him to leave the hospital.
But Miyagi simply refused to budge, no matter who tried to talk him into it.
Keep pushing, and I'll start crying about the pain.
Either way, I'm staying a while longer.
Of course, he had a reason for doing this.
Originally, it had just been an ordinary lesson. Once they'd beaten him into submission, that would have been it.
Things like that happened all the time among delinquents.
But Miyagi had insisted on going up against Mitsui, with every intention of fighting him to the bitter end.
Just like that, things had escalated.
"But... why are you suddenly asking about Miyagi?"
Mitsui had nearly been beaten half to death by him, and the others, losing their heads, had beaten Miyagi badly too.
In the end, both of them had passed out, and the situation had become completely unmanageable.
To keep Miyagi from talking, the group had no choice but to swallow their resentment and cover all his hospital bills.
Right up until he was discharged.
But Miyagi was still seething. They had the numbers, so taking them head-on would definitely leave him at a disadvantage. Mitsui might even corner him again once he got out.
Then I might as well stay here and spend your money!
Food and drinks are provided, and pretty nurses pass by every day. What could be better?
Having made up his mind, Miyagi really did put down roots in the hospital...
And stayed right up until today.
Of course, it wasn't as though he had no plans at all.
He planned to leave before the prefectural tournament began and return to the basketball team.
"Miyagi, how are you feeling today?"
A young nurse pushed open the door and came in.
Ryota Miyagi's eyes immediately lit up. This nurse had been looking after him all along.
Her looks weren't particularly stunning, but her figure was quite a sight, especially in that nurse's uniform...
It struck directly at Miyagi's weakness.
"It hurts... especially in the middle of the night. These injuries are like an alarm clock, starting to hurt right on time." Miyagi scrunched up his face, putting on an act. "Rena, could you check the rooms more often at night? At least come see me a little more."
Looking at his cheeky expression, Rena didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused and rolled her eyes at him.
"You're such a rascal. You deserved that beating."
As she spoke, she briefly examined Miyagi's injuries, then listened to his heartbeat.
"You're practically healthier than I am now. Stop taking up a bed."
Miyagi stubbornly turned his face away.
"I'm not leaving. I'll leave when it's time."
Rena sighed softly.
She had put quite a bit of care into Miyagi.
He had been terribly injured when he was first brought in, covered in blood. Even as a nurse, she'd been startled.
From that day on, she had been responsible for his nursing care, checking on him and looking after him every day without the slightest carelessness.
Watching Miyagi improve day by day had been gratifying for her too, as though her hard work hadn't been wasted.
After spending all this time together, they had become quite close.
The Miyagi of today was practically a different person from when he had first been admitted.
Yet this guy had actually gotten addicted to staying here...
Every day, he acted as though he couldn't bear to leave her. Couldn't he ask her out after he left the hospital...?
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Rena turned and saw a tall, handsome man standing in the doorway with a fruit basket.
"Hello, I'm here to see Ryota Miyagi."
Hearing his name, Miyagi turned and sat up in confusion.
Just seeing how nimbly he sat up told Shirasawa all he needed to know.
If this counts as being sick, there's not a healthy person in the world...
"Who are you?"
Miyagi asked a little warily.
He didn't know Shirasawa at all. This person had suddenly appeared and even found his room directly. Could he be one of Mitsui's people?
Shirasawa walked over calmly, put the fruit basket on the table, and introduced himself.
"My name's Shirasawa. I'm a new member of the Shohoku Basketball Team."
Only then did Miyagi relax. Rena tactfully left the room as well, giving them some space.
She knew Miyagi was on the basketball team and really enjoyed playing. Perhaps this person could persuade him.
The moment she stepped outside, Rena jumped.
A big guy with a bruised, swollen face was standing outside the room!
When he saw her come out, he even forced a smile that looked worse than crying...
Inside the room, Miyagi leisurely lay back down.
"You said you're on the Shohoku Basketball Team? Did Boss Akagi send you?"
He curled his lip. "Speaking of which, Boss Akagi is way too heartless. He hasn't come to see me once in all this time..."
Shirasawa smiled wryly.
Visit you? It was already kind of him not to come beat you up!
Before Shirasawa joined the team, Miyagi had been Akagi and the others' only hope.
But this guy was far too good at getting into trouble. The school had suspended him from playing several times, leaving Shohoku unable to make much progress.
Who could have known that before the new season even started, Miyagi would be hospitalized with serious injuries from another fight, with no telling when he could return?
That had utterly broken Akagi's heart...