Sota Miyagi was stunned. He'd never seen anyone blame their missed shot on the hoop before. Wasn't this the same as blaming gravity for constipation?
He met all the players from Shohoku today, but only three stuck with him: Ryota, the killer named Shirasawa, and the complaining Hanamichi Sakuragi in front of him.
Sakuragi is never remembered for his basketball skills, but for his red hair; it's hard not to notice him. Besides, he played really well today, grabbing rebounds amidst a group of players over two meters tall, his performance was just as impressive as if he had scored thirty or forty points.
Speaking of physical exertion, Sakuragi was the most intense player on Shohoku today, even more so than Shirasawa who ran the entire court. He was running, jumping, and battling in every offensive and defensive possession. It was Sota Miyagi surprising that he was doing extra training at this time.
However, Sakuragi's complaint surprised him even more, and he really wanted to give him a thumbs up.
With a whoosh, Sakuragi shot again, this time with significantly better power control, and the ball swished through the net, bringing his shooting percentage back to 50%.
"Hahahaha!" Sakuragi laughed, hands on his hips. "Even if there's something wrong with the basket, this genius Sakuragi can conquer it! Let's do it again!"
It has to be said that Sakuragi's training methods are amazing. Even though he's training alone, he manages to create the illusion of a group of people training, and he seems to enjoy it.
Miyagi thought to himself, "This kid is interesting."
"Excuse me." Sota Miyagi he entered.
Sakuragi turned around, saw a stranger, and his face immediately fell. "Who are you? This is a basketball court, go away, don't wander around."
Sakuragi is still the same Sakuragi. Even though Miyagi is taller and more athletic than him, he's just a nobody in Sakuragi's eyes. That's how arrogant geniuses are.
Miyagi didn't seem to mind, and still smiled, "I watched your match this morning, you played quite well."
Having traveled all over the country for so many years, he is an expert at dealing with people.
Sota Miyagi had just mentioned watching Shohoku's game that morning, and this immediately struck a chord with Hanamichi Sakuragi, instantly easing the awkwardness between them. Sakuragi's previously sullen face lit up, and he put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow. "So you're a fan of this genius, huh?"
After joining the management team, he became the best at interacting with fans, and no one in the team could match his enthusiasm for engaging with people. He already enjoyed being adored, and at this point, he became even more arrogant.
"Hmph, I only played at one-twentieth of my potential in this morning's game!" Sakuragi said, chin raised, his tone full of smugness. "I didn't even need to lift a finger against those minor characters; Xiao Bai took care of them all by himself."
"By the way, do you want a photo or an autograph?" He leaned over and hooked his arm around Miyagi's neck, his eyes shining like light bulbs. "You really went all the way to the gym, how about I, the genius, give you a genius dunk?"
Miyagi wasn't annoyed that Sakuragi was hooking his neck around his neck, and casually said, "Genius, why don't I practice with you? I'll just fetch the ball for you." Seeing that Sakuragi called himself a genius, he simply followed suit, and sure enough, Sakuragi's mouth almost stretched to his ears when he heard that.
Sakuragi scratched his chin, feigning deep thought, but after a couple of seconds he slapped his thigh and nodded. "Although doing this is a bit against the rules, it's rest time anyway, so you're lucky to stay and train with this genius!"
And just like that, Sota Miyagi smoothly stayed at the gym and made contact with the Shohoku team. The whole process was ridiculously smooth, as ridiculous as Sakuragi's free throw percentage, which was ridiculously bad yet he was incredibly confident.
For the next few days, Miyagi practiced free throws with Sakuragi. Every time Sakuragi made a shot, Miyagi would exaggerate and shout "Not bad!" or "Go for it!" Sakuragi was very pleased with himself, and his affection for Miyagi increased rapidly.
"By the way, genius, isn't number 7 on your team the captain?" Miyagi asked, taking advantage of Sakuragi's good mood. "Is he from Kanagawa? I don't think I've ever heard of him before."
He was overthinking it. Given Sakuragi's current state, he could tell Ryota anything, not just where he lived, but what Ryota ate yesterday.
"You mean Ryo-chin?" Sakuragi squinted, his tone full of smugness. "I only got him the captaincy because I, the genius, gave it to him. In terms of skill, he's ranked behind me." "As for you not having heard of him? Hmph, that's perfectly normal. He's just a nobody!"
Miyagi wasn't surprised after hearing this, after all, the red-haired boy's mental state was different from ordinary people. But he didn't intend to stop, and rolled his eyes again, asking, "Actually, I think I know he has an older brother, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hanamichi Sakuragi froze on the spot, even forgetting to catch the ball in his hand.
There aren't many things that can shock Sakuragi. His life is going very smoothly right now. He's deeply in love with Yoko Shimamura, and Sanae takes good care of him. He's focused solely on playing basketball well, otherwise he wouldn't have taken the initiative to come to the Shohoku gym for extra practice.
Although he didn't go to the better-equipped agency Base Camp for extra training, everyone knew he was afraid others would know that even geniuses need to work hard; everyone could see through his little scheme.
But Miyagi's words struck a nerve, freezing him in place, even slowing his breathing.
He was a single-celled organism, and there were nothing he cared about, but he remembered perfectly the fact that Ryota Miyagi had an older brother. He was the only one in the entire Shohoku who knew this, and even among the people Ryota knew, he was the only one who knew it.
This story dates back to the middle of last season, when Shohoku defeated Kainan and secured their spot in the national tournament. At that time, he and Ryota were close friends and both were dating, so they often got together to chat.
That day, the two celebrated with a big drinking session, talking about everything from basketball to relationships, and then back to basketball. Sakuragi discovered that Ryota was particularly obsessed with Sannoh Industrial High School, even more so than winning the championship.
At that time, Sakuragi didn't know what team Sannoh was. He thought Ryota had a grudge against Sannoh, so he patted his chest and said that there was no need to wait for the national tournament. He would go to Sannoh tomorrow and take care of him. These words touched Ryota deeply.
Fueled by alcohol, Ryota told him his story with Sannoh.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was dribbling the ball and practicing layups when Sota Miyagi came over and asked him a question.
But he wasn't going to stop. He rolled his eyes and asked again, "Actually, I think I know he has an older brother, right?"
This story dates back to the middle of last season, when Shohoku defeated Kainan and secured their spot in the national tournament. At that time, he and Ryota were close, and the two often hung out together.
That day, the two celebrated with a big drinking session, chugging beer bottles and chatting about everything from basketball to relationships, then back to basketball. Sakuragi discovered that Ryota's obsession with Sannoh Industrial High School was even deeper than winning the national championship.
This matter was like a small bomb buried deep in his heart, Sakuragi never intended to bring out. But today, someone actually dared to expose it directly, leaving him completely stunned. The basketball in his hand slammed to the ground without him even reacting.
Seeing his expression, Sota Miyagi was secretly delighted. It seemed his guess was right; this red-haired kid definitely knew something.
Before he could ask another question, Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly pounced on him like a monkey with its fur standing on end, pinning him against the wall of the gym, his eyes so fierce it looked like he wanted to devour him alive.
"Where did you hear that from?" Sakuragi's roar shook the lights in the arena, his tone filled with undisguised anger.
But that reaction clearly confirmed what he had said.
Sota Miyagi was almost out of breath from being pressed down by him. He tried to pry his arm off, thinking to himself that this red-haired kid was incredibly strong, not even in the same league as Ryota, that little guy.
He struggled to break free, clutching his chest and panting, staring into Sakuragi's eyes, and said, "Tell me if you know anything. I might be Ryota Miyagi's older brother. My name is Sota Miyagi."
Hanamichi Sakuragi was stunned. The person in his arms claimed to be Ryota's older brother? But he remembered Ryota saying his brother had died a long time ago. Why was this person saying "maybe"?
While he was still in a daze, Sota Miyagi had already stepped aside to stretch his neck, a slightly relieved smile on his face.
"Looks like you and Ryota have a good relationship," Sota Miyagi patted him on the shoulder. "Judging from your reaction, you're definitely someone who can be of help."
Hanamichi Sakuragi frowned, his head buzzing. He was now certain of one thing: even if this person wasn't Ryota's biological brother, he was definitely connected to Ryota, otherwise he wouldn't know this secret.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sakuragi scratched his head, trying to clear his head.
"I said I might be the older brother of your team's number 7, Ryota Miyagi," Sota Miyagi repeated.
Hanamichi Sakuragi slapped his face, almost knocking himself unconscious. "Are you treating me like an idiot? You dare to claim you're his brother without any proof?"
Sota Miyagi also a little embarrassed. He really didn't have any tokens. Seven years had passed, and even his own face had changed a bit, let alone Ryota.
When he saw Ryota that morning, he felt that the kid looked familiar, but he couldn't remember because of his amnesia. Now that he thought about it, Ryota might still recognize him.
Just as he was pondering how to get Ryota to acknowledge him, Sota Miyagi suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
By the way, you Ryota are really close, has that guy ever mentioned to you that his brother used to play basketball too?
In the past, Ryota would never have told anyone about this, but now it's different. He feels that since his brother is gone, mentioning it a couple of times isn't a big deal. He can even casually mention that his brother used to be a tough guy. He can't just have nothing to say, right?
Although he and Ryota were so close they could practically share a pair of pants, Sakuragi still pondered this matter while rubbing his chin.
After all, Ryota had even told him what color his own underwear was, and as for his brother, he was incredibly open about it, starting from the Sannoh era, saying that his brother used to be an excellent basketball player, but unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time.
Sakuragi opened his mouth, nodding and shaking his head intermittently, stammering for a long time. This matter was too outrageous, yet somehow plausible.
Although he suspected the man might be lying, what if it was true? If he could help Ryota find his brother, he would become a great hero of Shohoku!
Okay, stop dawdling.
Sakuragi finally made his decision, staring at Sota Miyagi: "I don't care if you're telling the truth or not, and I don't care why you're lying, let's have a one-on-one fight."
"If you lose, take me to Ryota. If I lose, tell me everything you know!"
Sota Miyagi looked at the red-haired, dazed boy and smiled, "Not bad, but don't try to cheat if you lose."
Sakuragi was overjoyed, slapping his thigh and laughing so loudly it could shake the roof beams, "Hahahaha! You really dare to say that! The word 'defeat' doesn't exist in this genius's dictionary! Playing with you is just a formality; even if we don't play, I have a hundred ways to pry your mouth open!"
Sota Miyagi knew perfectly well that Sakuragi's "other methods" were definitely not a compliment, and as for "never losing"? He laughed.
Although he had never lost a streetball game in recent years, and in the game against Alex and his gang, he had three free throws left and was sure to win, he didn't shoot that day. It wasn't that he couldn't make the shot, but he suddenly wanted to see just how good this kid really was.