Although Miyagi was a delinquent, he was actually pretty popular on the team. After all, he didn't have Shirasawa's or Sakuragi's outrageous physical gifts, so he felt far less intimidating. Besides, they had already spent a year together, and everyone had seen Miyagi's ability. His return genuinely delighted the veteran players.
The first-years, meanwhile, were a little lost. They had absolutely no idea who this mushroom-haired guy was.
From what the upperclassmen were saying, he seemed to be an older student who had been absent because of an injury?
Hearing the chatter around them, Kiminobu Kogure supplied the answer.
"He's Ryota Miyagi, a second-year and Shohoku's ace guard."
Kogure pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "You'll see what he can do soon enough."
Then he walked over too, still smiling.
"Miyagi, welcome back to the team."
Sentimental as he was, Kogure even grew a little red around the eyes after saying that.
Miyagi smiled faintly and high-fived Kogure, saying confidently, "Don't worry, Kogure. I'll do a good job leading everyone this year."
Hanamichi Sakuragi happened to hear every word.
He immediately curled his lips and muttered, "Tch, who does this shorty think he is? He sure talks big."
He had barely finished when there was a whoosh-
Ryota Miyagi flashed right in front of Sakuragi!
All the first-years stared, dumbfounded.
"Th-that speed is ridiculous!"
"He was over there just now! How did he get here?!"
Miyagi frowned, staring at Sakuragi in irritation.
"What did you just say, you big redheaded idiot?"
Sakuragi was indeed startled by his speed, but then his temper flared.
He lowered his head and glared viciously back.
"I said you're a conceited shorty. What about it?"
The atmosphere between them instantly grew tense, and none of the nearby players dared say a word.
Takenori Akagi hadn't spoken. In truth, he had mixed feelings about Miyagi's return.
The scene before him made his brow furrow deeply. Sure enough, these two were trouble the moment they met.
He was about to walk over when he saw Shirasawa step forward.
At that, everyone's heart leaped into their throat, Akagi included.
Were these three going to fight as soon as they met?
But what happened next left everyone stunned.
Shirasawa laid a hand on Sakuragi's shoulder and smiled at Miyagi.
"Miyagi, welcome back."
The moment Miyagi saw it was Shirasawa, his expression softened, and he left Sakuragi aside for the time being.
He nodded at Shirasawa and said, "I kept my word."
Sakuragi blinked, looking puzzled.
"Xiao Bai, you know this guy?"
Shirasawa answered in the affirmative, casually drawing the two of them closer.
"We're teammates from now on. If you've got any aggression, take it out on our opponents."
He spoke calmly, but his tone brooked no argument.
Though neither Sakuragi nor Miyagi was particularly willing, they reluctantly nodded.
They spoke almost simultaneously. "For Xiao Bai's sake, I'll let you off for now."
Then they shot each other a look of mutual distaste.
The players around them were dumbstruck.
Instead of joining the conflict, Shirasawa had actually settled it?
And he and Miyagi actually knew each other?
Just what was the relationship between these three...?
Kiminobu Kogure breathed a sigh of relief.
Whatever the case, at least no trouble had broken out.
Just then, Takenori Akagi walked over too, his face stern.
Miyagi and Sakuragi immediately toned it down considerably.
Miyagi lowered his head, sounding a little sheepish.
"Boss, I'm back."
Akagi nodded expressionlessly.
"Mm. Now that you're back, train seriously, and don't cause any more trouble. Otherwise, I won't let you off."
Then he turned his gaze on Sakuragi.
"That goes for you too. Behave yourself!"
Sakuragi curled his lips and gave a defiant "Tch."
Suddenly, a gentle voice came from behind them.
"Hoho, Miyagi's back."
Coach Anzai and Ayako entered the court together.
Though Miyagi's sudden return surprised them, they were even more delighted.
Miyagi jogged up to Coach Anzai, first shooting Ayako an awkward glance before bowing in greeting.
"Coach, I'm sorry I made you worry. I won't cause any more trouble."
At that moment, he was as sincere as a child admitting his mistake.
Coach Anzai chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"Mm. I look forward to seeing how you perform."
Then he headed toward the other players.
Ayako smiled, pleased.
"Have your injuries all healed?"
Miyagi nodded, hesitating before he spoke.
"Ayako... I..."
He swallowed the rest of his words and steadied his breathing, his earlier nervousness gradually fading.
"I'll go train."
Ayako lightly tapped him with her folding fan and smiled. "Do your best. The team's different this year. You'll find out soon enough."
The corner of Miyagi's mouth lifted, and his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Shirasawa.
He didn't need to guess to know that guy was no ordinary player.
"I know. He's the one who told me to come back."
With that, his gaze shifted. He glanced at Ayako, then turned and ran toward the court.
Facing Ayako, he felt much more at peace with his feelings.
Once on the court, Miyagi naturally stood beside Shirasawa, picking up a basketball and spinning it on his fingertip.
Kiminobu Kogure walked over with a smile.
"Miyagi, the new players don't know you yet. How about we play one-on-one? I can see how well you've recovered too."
Takenori Akagi nodded as well. On a basketball team, the quickest way to get to know someone was to play. Besides, Miyagi's recovery directly affected the team's strength.
Miyagi looked unconcerned.
"Whatever works. Beating you is way too easy."
Rather than getting angry, Kogure seemed quite happy.
"Come on, then. I've improved quite a bit."
The two walked to the top of the arc to get ready for their duel. The players spontaneously formed a circle around them, every face brimming with excitement.
The first-years in particular wanted to know just what this short guy could do to earn the title of Shohoku's ace guard.
Hanamichi Sakuragi cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:
"Go, Four-Eyes! Teach him a lesson!"
Miyagi glanced at Kogure, wondering how Shirasawa had ended up with a follower like that... But he couldn't be bothered to puzzle over it. They would let their play do the talking.
Kogure started with the ball. Knowing Miyagi's ability, he protected it with particular care, not daring to get complacent. Miyagi was short, and he crouched even lower on defense, like a leopard watching its prey.
A few seconds later, Kogure moved, trying to force his way past with a crossover in front! But Miyagi was faster, dropping low and darting past him. By the time everyone registered it, Miyagi was already dribbling the ball securely.
"He's so fast!"
"I didn't even see it! How did he lose the ball?"
"So this is an ace guard? That speed is terrifying!"
Several first-year substitutes watched, slack-jawed. Miyagi's physical tools looked ordinary when he stood still, but once he moved, he was like a gust of wind. No wonder he was their ace. Speed like that was probably hard to find anywhere in Kanagawa.
Only Sakuragi was hopping with frustration, waving his hands and shouting, "Take this seriously, Four-Eyes! Don't go easy on him!"
Miyagi's lips curved up. Suddenly dribbling between his legs, he flashed out of Kogure's sight again. Kogure was startled. He hadn't vanished at all-his center of gravity was simply too low, and his first step too fast! By the time Kogure reacted, Miyagi was already beside him.
Without any fancy moves, he blew clean past Kogure through sheer speed and explosiveness. He took his steps and finished an easy layup.
A chorus of astonished cries rose from the sidelines. Akagi nodded. It seemed that serious injury hadn't affected Miyagi's form.
Kogure pushed up his glasses and smiled. "You're the same as ever. Now I can relax." There was no need to continue this one-on-one. The result was obvious. Just as Miyagi had said, it was far too easy.
Sakuragi was still yelling over there... Because of Shirasawa, Miyagi couldn't be bothered to argue with him and simply pretended not to hear.
Next, Coach Anzai arranged an intrasquad scrimmage. This time, instead of first-years against upperclassmen, he mixed up the entire team and assigned the sides himself.
Shirasawa and Miyagi were deliberately placed on the same team. Coach Anzai wanted Miyagi to see Shirasawa's ability through actual play. Miyagi needed to switch from point guard to shooting guard as soon as possible. Only after experiencing it firsthand would he willingly make the change-after all, nobody was better suited than Shirasawa to controlling the entire court.
Sakuragi got his wish and was placed on the other team, determined to teach Miyagi a lesson.
But before long, Sakuragi was slapped in the face by reality... Miyagi went past him as though he were a wooden post. Once wasn't enough to satisfy him, either; he even backed up and went past him again. The extra movement was unnecessary, but extremely insulting.
Meanwhile, Shirasawa brought the whole team to life with several exquisite offensive plays. Even Miyagi, a bona fide point guard, was dumbstruck. That court vision, that judgment of timing, that control of the pace-they were simply at the pinnacle. Before he knew it, he had slipped into the flow and become one of the beneficiaries on the court.
By the end of the game, Miyagi hadn't even noticed that he had naturally relinquished control of the ball, all but becoming a sharp blade in Shirasawa's hand for penetrating the defense.
That evening, Sakuragi stayed behind for extra practice with Akagi as usual. After several days of Akagi barking at him, Sakuragi was finally starting to look the part, with clear improvements in rebounding and boxing out. Though Akagi found him annoying, he had to acknowledge the guy's talent-his instinct for rebounds was innate, even better than Akagi's own. Combined with that freakish body, he could already snatch three or four out of every ten rebounds from Akagi.
Akagi wiped away his sweat, reasonably satisfied with the result. At least his efforts over the past few days hadn't been wasted. He never envied other people's progress. Instead, he wished everyone would develop faster, even if they surpassed him. That was the team spirit in his bones: to win games, he was willing to play a supporting role.
Sakuragi was now capable of forming Shohoku's twin towers in the paint alongside him... Of course, that was provided Sakuragi kept a clear head and stayed focused. Getting Sakuragi into that state was quite a task in itself, though.
"That's enough for today," Akagi said. "Pay attention to your footwork and what you're doing with your hands. If you're boxing out, box out properly. Stop poking people with those dirty hands."
Sakuragi plopped down on the floor. During the day, Shirasawa watched over his fundamentals practice, and at night, he had to fight Gorilla for rebounds. It drained even more stamina than fighting. Even a stamina freak like him was finding it hard to hold up after a whole day.
"Got it, Gorilla..." Sakuragi panted, though his mouth remained defiant. "Those were all a genius's tactics."
But Sakuragi's final remark about a "genius's tactics" wiped out the bit of goodwill Akagi had just begun to feel toward him.
"I'm leaving. Don't be late tomorrow." With that, Akagi turned and left the gym.
As soon as Akagi left, Sakuragi immediately sprawled flat on the floor with his limbs spread wide. Looking at the ceiling, he counted it out in his head. Without realizing it, he had already been playing basketball for over a month.
For him, that month could be summed up in one word: practice. Even he could hardly believe he had actually stuck with it, and watching himself improve little by little really did leave him feeling rather pleased.
"With my current ability, this genius must have left that bug Oda far behind by now..." Sakuragi sighed from the bottom of his heart.
Suddenly, he snapped upright with a kip-up, his eyes shining.
"All right! This genius will finish this perfect day with a spectacular dunk!"
With that, he picked up the basketball and charged toward the hoop, accelerating all the way!
"Oda's nothing in front of this genius! Watch my genius dunk!!"
With a roar, Sakuragi launched himself into the air, swinging his arm in a full arc to slam the ball into the hoop.
But just then, the gym door creaked open again.
Several people stood in the doorway, catching sight of Sakuragi soaring through the air. Every one of them gaped in astonishment.
Crash!!
Sakuragi slammed the ball through the hoop with one hand, then landed in satisfaction and burst out laughing.
"Whoa!!!"